Reviews

Alebrijes - Flight to a New Haven: an unforgettable journey of hope, courage and survival by Donna Barba Higuera

benmilo's review

adventurous hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I loved The Last Cuentista, so I had high expectations for this book. Sadly, I got disappointed. The book felt badly edited and my ebook copy had a lot of errors in it. I wanted to like the story but I just didn't connect with the characters at all. 

t2p's review against another edition

3.0

Rounding up from 2.5 stars.

I *really* wanted to love this one more than I did, especially since I enjoyed her first book. I listened to this one, and I didn't like the narrator at all. I did like hearing the Spanish and some of the other sounds, but I definitely didn't follow it as well. Plus, I missed out on the map. This was supposed to be related to her first book (The Last Cuentista) but the connection in the epilogue was tenuous even for someone who read the first book. It just felt unnecessary. The pacing was also off. The action definitely picks up in the second half, but I almost gave up at halfway through.

notesonbookmarks's review against another edition

4.0

This didn't have nearly the charm and love of story that Last Cuentista did for me. While I loved the idea of souls inhabiting small robotic birds (Birds aren't real - HA), the characters seemed relatively flat to me.

starvoyager's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

plc7carinosa's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.25

multiplelizards's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ellenmulholland's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

asiabasia's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

rrossaissella's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

bookswithlydscl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

3.5* rounded up to 4.
Potential Spoiler







I loved the last cuentista and the closing 'twist' linking it to that story pushed this up for me. Otherwise it was a safe 3 for the most part.
Oppressive, dystopian middle grade sci-fi- it's certainly got a lot of heavy themes for books directed at the age group and the slow start may not work for a lot of readers. I love world building but felt it really was a little too slow and we could have got the story moving before the 30/40% mark.
However it is beautifully done and the themes and ideas presented are outstanding, especially for a story aimed at younger readers.
I hear there will be a third book for this 'universe' which I eagerly wait for even if I can't quite say i loved this story ad much as book 1.