Scan barcode
jbojkov's review against another edition
3.0
I would call this realistic fiction with a splash of sci/fi. The story is mostly about three teens and their problems- grief, homelessness, and adults who don’t understand or are down right hostile. Then a “visitor” arrives and the story takes a sci/fi turn. The last third of the book or so is more a metaphor about how to heal our society- it still least that’s how it came across to me. I enjoyed this book, but thought it didn’t quite live up to what seemed like the plan. Hand this to readers who want something a little different from a usual YA realistic read.
elizea's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
keishasliterarylabyrinth's review against another edition
2.0
*SPOILER ALERT*
This book had the potential to be great but unfortunately it took several wrong turns.
1. It seems like the COVID pandemic was added as an afterthought to the story rather than being integral to the plot. I’m sure I could have changed Covid with another terminal illness with no impact to the rest of the plot. The character motivations, actions, etc. didn’t seem impacted by the pandemic in any way.
2. Luna was…a lot for me. I admit I don’t deal with grief in the was neurotypical people do so please take this with a grain of salt. Luna was a lot. She refused to listen to any of the people who were trying to save her/keep her safe. To the point where she put herself in terrible situations and it drove me up a wall to see a character actively run to their own destruction.
3. It felt like the book wanted to densely pack as many messages within its pages and instead it lightly tapped on all of the elements without making much of a point. Police brutality, dysfunctional families, homophobia, grief/death, homelessness, alien invasion. It felt like too much and not enough at the same time. It would have been amazing to see any of these fleshed out more.
I will say Pedro and Rafa saved a lot of the book for me. Pedro is someone we all need in our lives. His boldness is what is needed in the world. And Rafa must be protected at all times.
This book had the potential to be great but unfortunately it took several wrong turns.
1. It seems like the COVID pandemic was added as an afterthought to the story rather than being integral to the plot. I’m sure I could have changed Covid with another terminal illness with no impact to the rest of the plot. The character motivations, actions, etc. didn’t seem impacted by the pandemic in any way.
2. Luna was…a lot for me. I admit I don’t deal with grief in the was neurotypical people do so please take this with a grain of salt. Luna was a lot. She refused to listen to any of the people who were trying to save her/keep her safe. To the point where she put herself in terrible situations and it drove me up a wall to see a character actively run to their own destruction.
3. It felt like the book wanted to densely pack as many messages within its pages and instead it lightly tapped on all of the elements without making much of a point. Police brutality, dysfunctional families, homophobia, grief/death, homelessness, alien invasion. It felt like too much and not enough at the same time. It would have been amazing to see any of these fleshed out more.
I will say Pedro and Rafa saved a lot of the book for me. Pedro is someone we all need in our lives. His boldness is what is needed in the world. And Rafa must be protected at all times.
ananyagarg's review against another edition
3.0
This book was intriguing and had a good concept, but it was written in present tense which I have a hard time with. Sometimes exact phrases were repeated and it felt like the book could've gone through another round of edits....Really wanted to like it and looking forward to reading other books this author publishes.
rjw2011's review against another edition
2.0
This book was good, but did not feel finished when it ended. I am not sure if there are plans for a sequel, but if not I am even more disappointed. It felt very rushed and abrupt. Overall the book was just, okay. It was a book written during COVID, and it tied in aliens, and plants, and it just didn't jive well all together. They also threw in a relationship towards the end that really seemed poorly executed, and thrown in as a last minute "I need this element and my story is wrapping up" thing. I feel like it didn't do justice. I don't think that overall I would recommend this book to anyone really. I was so excited, and the book seemed promising, but it failed to deliver properly on so many fronts.
I just reviewed We Light Up the Sky by Lilliam Rivera with an ARC from NetGalley. #WeLightUptheSky #NetGalley
I just reviewed We Light Up the Sky by Lilliam Rivera with an ARC from NetGalley. #WeLightUptheSky #NetGalley
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
The three Latinx LA high schoolers in this story are as different as you can imagine. But what unites them is they're together when the aliens begin to arrive and realize they need to work together to stave off the invasion.
This is a clever take on colonization, racism, and, of course, the alien story. Woven into the book is the contemporary COVID-19 crisis, which plays a big part in how the aliens begin to arrive All of the teens are truly teens, and we're able to experience a social media influencer with social clout, a well-off teen girl dealing with immense grief, and a teen boy who experiences homelessness and the reality of that life.
The ending on this one worked for me quite well, though I know a lot of readers will be less than pleased. But it serves the story, and because this is a tightly-told story, anything else wouldn't make narrative sense nor leave readers feeling satisfied at the conclusion.
Rivera is impressive in range, that's for sure. I'm not entirely sure how I feel yet about COVID as part of novels. It has to be there to be a contemporary novel, since it IS our reality and it shapes every single moment of our lives -- has for 19 months -- but it's also supremely uncomfortable and unsettling in so much that reading can't be an escape from it, either. It's a weird line on which to sit.
Pair this one with [b:Bent Heavens|44281013|Bent Heavens|Daniel Kraus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558488993l/44281013._SY75_.jpg|52030645] for two very different takes on what it means to be human and what it means to be alien.
This is a clever take on colonization, racism, and, of course, the alien story. Woven into the book is the contemporary COVID-19 crisis, which plays a big part in how the aliens begin to arrive
Spoiler
though I never quite got the WHY of Tasha here -- what made her body the target other than the photo in the museum?The ending on this one worked for me quite well, though I know a lot of readers will be less than pleased. But it serves the story, and because this is a tightly-told story, anything else wouldn't make narrative sense nor leave readers feeling satisfied at the conclusion.
Rivera is impressive in range, that's for sure. I'm not entirely sure how I feel yet about COVID as part of novels. It has to be there to be a contemporary novel, since it IS our reality and it shapes every single moment of our lives -- has for 19 months -- but it's also supremely uncomfortable and unsettling in so much that reading can't be an escape from it, either. It's a weird line on which to sit.
Pair this one with [b:Bent Heavens|44281013|Bent Heavens|Daniel Kraus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558488993l/44281013._SY75_.jpg|52030645] for two very different takes on what it means to be human and what it means to be alien.
sr_toliver's review against another edition
3.0
I waited a few days to see if my review would change, but it didn’t . This book was ok. I was a little lost at first with the multiple POVs, but I got used to them as the story continued. I think the plot was interesting enough to continue reading, but the ending felt abrupt with no real conclusion, and I’m uncertain about whether or not a sequel is in the works. I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel if there is one. I love scifi and alien invasion stories. I love weird speculative fiction. I just couldn’t really get into this one the way I hoped I would.
bdzimmerman15's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Bloomsbury YA for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.
This was a really cool book! I loved the concept and how well it was executed. The idea being what an alien invasion would be like was so interesting. I also like the way Lilliam was able to encompass so many different ways of life and how each would've reacted to what was happened. I loved the diversity in the cast, but I also loved how they all gave each other a chance and still tried to believe each other, no matter what.
I thought the prose in this was great. The pacing was quick, the characters were well thought out and planned. I thought this was really good!
This was a really cool book! I loved the concept and how well it was executed. The idea being what an alien invasion would be like was so interesting. I also like the way Lilliam was able to encompass so many different ways of life and how each would've reacted to what was happened. I loved the diversity in the cast, but I also loved how they all gave each other a chance and still tried to believe each other, no matter what.
I thought the prose in this was great. The pacing was quick, the characters were well thought out and planned. I thought this was really good!