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sglaser's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
nicmedia123's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
@bookaddictpnw on Instagram coined the term βpopcorn bookβ, and I have to say that this cinematic sci fi YA fit the bill.
This was also described in a couple of reviews as an outer space Lord of the Flies which is also an apt description.
Leigh Chen is the daughter of the President of the United States. She, and the children of other world leaders, have been staying at the rocket complex where the prototype βarkβ πππ―ππ§πͺπ¨ is set to launch to rescue them along with a full crew and adults to guide them.
While they are staying at the complex, the volcanic eruption begins, chaos unfolds and a small group of 53 teens are herded onto the rocket that is immediately launched by its fearless captain and her daughter.
The captain suffers a fatal accident, and the teens follow the leadership of her enigmatic daughter.
They soon realize that πππ―ππ§πͺπ¨ is not adequately stocked and that difficult decisions will need to be made.
This would make a great selection in a Socratic circle, independent read or small group read to compare and contrast with Lord of the Flies.
Read this if you love
π an intense & action packed sci fi adventure
π like survival stories
πenjoy an apocalyptic thriller
βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ
This was also described in a couple of reviews as an outer space Lord of the Flies which is also an apt description.
Leigh Chen is the daughter of the President of the United States. She, and the children of other world leaders, have been staying at the rocket complex where the prototype βarkβ πππ―ππ§πͺπ¨ is set to launch to rescue them along with a full crew and adults to guide them.
While they are staying at the complex, the volcanic eruption begins, chaos unfolds and a small group of 53 teens are herded onto the rocket that is immediately launched by its fearless captain and her daughter.
The captain suffers a fatal accident, and the teens follow the leadership of her enigmatic daughter.
They soon realize that πππ―ππ§πͺπ¨ is not adequately stocked and that difficult decisions will need to be made.
This would make a great selection in a Socratic circle, independent read or small group read to compare and contrast with Lord of the Flies.
Read this if you love
π an intense & action packed sci fi adventure
π like survival stories
πenjoy an apocalyptic thriller
βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
aileron's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Death, and Suicide attempt
prasi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, Suicide, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
lpdx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt, War, and Blood
jens3's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
suspicioussherbet4's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Really really did not like the ending felt like it was all for naught
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence
anniereads221's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Violence, Homophobia, and Bullying
queer_bookwyrm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
5 β CW: death of a parent, survivor guilt, grief, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, assault, murder/death
Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate is a speculative fiction scifi thriller that is basically Lord of the Flies in space. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!
We follow Leigh, the First Daughter to an Asian-American female president. Children of dignitaries from all over the world have gathered to tour the generation ship Lazarus, which is a prototype that has been built as a way to transport as many humans off of Earth as possible in anticipation of super volcanoes going off and making it uninhabitable. Unfortunately, the volcanoes go off months before they are predicted to and the only people to escape to the Lazarus are the teens already at the launch site. As far as they know, they are the only survivors.
This book was so intense! It kept wondering what was going to happen. Redgate makes excellent use of the thriller genre by using a countdown clock to show how long they have to reach another planet. Because the eruptions happened sooner than anticipated, things weren't completely ready onboard. Not enough food, no supplies, no adults, no crew. The teens had to figure it out for themselves. We get a really diverse cast since they are from all over the world.
Redgate explores nihilistic themes and the existential crisis of being alone in space and ripped away from everything you know and the complex grief that comes with it. We also see how things escalate quickly when weapons are involved. I loved Leigh's character development and her relationship with Anis. The ending wrecked me. I've just been huffing and sighing about it lol.
Go read this book!
Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate is a speculative fiction scifi thriller that is basically Lord of the Flies in space. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!
We follow Leigh, the First Daughter to an Asian-American female president. Children of dignitaries from all over the world have gathered to tour the generation ship Lazarus, which is a prototype that has been built as a way to transport as many humans off of Earth as possible in anticipation of super volcanoes going off and making it uninhabitable. Unfortunately, the volcanoes go off months before they are predicted to and the only people to escape to the Lazarus are the teens already at the launch site. As far as they know, they are the only survivors.
This book was so intense! It kept wondering what was going to happen. Redgate makes excellent use of the thriller genre by using a countdown clock to show how long they have to reach another planet. Because the eruptions happened sooner than anticipated, things weren't completely ready onboard. Not enough food, no supplies, no adults, no crew. The teens had to figure it out for themselves. We get a really diverse cast since they are from all over the world.
Redgate explores nihilistic themes and the existential crisis of being alone in space and ripped away from everything you know and the complex grief that comes with it. We also see how things escalate quickly when weapons are involved. I loved Leigh's character development and her relationship with Anis. The ending wrecked me. I've just been huffing and sighing about it lol.
Go read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Self harm, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing for an advanced copy of Alone Out Here to review! Sometimes it can be hard to find science fiction in the YA genre, but I feel like we've gotten more in the last few years and I am here for it. Space kind of freaks me out, but I still enjoy reading about it!
This book is essentially being pitched as Lord of the Flies in space, which is overall a pretty accurate description. Redgate accurately captures the pressure that's constantly put on younger generations to fix the errors of the past. Which is a strong theme throughout the book. Generally, the sense of foreboding and loss is well done, permeating throughout the majority of the story. Definitely here for the tone of the book overall!
However, there are a lot of characters in this. And while not all of them are important to the main plot of the story, it's kind of easy to get lost sometimes. Some of the more technical aspects of space travel also don't quite fit with reality, which is always hard with science fiction. Yes, this is a fictional story. However, if you're going to include more sciencey aspects, I kind of want them to feel more realist.
A small thing of note, this book has been appearing on LGBTQ lists for 2022. While there is some queer rep in here, it's not at the forefront of the story. So if you're looking for gays in space, this aspect might be a bit of a disappointment for you.
All in all, if you enjoy space thrillers and don't mind keeping track of a lot of characters, you might want to pick this one up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Genocide, Hate crime, and Homophobia