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lucystolethesky's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Abandonment, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, and Gaslighting
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Theoretically super interesting setting and contemplation on more mundane post-apocalyptic life and bodily autonomy, but unfortunately pretty underdeveloped in practice -- definitely feel like the concepts would fit better in a longer work with more fleshed out characters and relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Animal death
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, Violence, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Pedophilia, Ableism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Abortion, and Suicide
Parasitic infection.sailormegan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Writing Quality 5/5
Premee does a fantastic job showing us a future damaged by climate change, much nearer than we realize. I enjoyed her use of taking common phrases we use today and having the characters use them but not understand the original meaning behind them. The “See you late, alligator” inside joke amongst the two main characters, Reid and Henryk, is cute and clever. The precarious calmness in the dystopian world Premee created, was well portrayed in her writing, and the possibility of hope and change is well written.
Characters 5/5
As a novella, you would think there wouldn’t be enough time to fully explore the characters and see a character growth. However, each individual was unique and written with purpose. We got to see the flaws of each character and the consequences of them. We got to see strengths overcome challenges and the growth of our main characters. I couldn’t help but root for Reid the entire time.
Plot 5/5
The plot may seem simple at first, but there is so much to unpack with regards to the sense of community and collective survival vs. Branching out on one’s own to find fulfillment and hope. There’s also a very real, internal battle Reid goes through with the parasitic fungal disease within. There are lot of questions that aren’t necessarily unanswered but had me craving for more information. Our present human population gets called out for our environmental destructive ways and couldn’t help but feel responsible for the post-apocalyptic world this novella shows.
Post-reading Rating 4.5/5
I was really hoping to see the University that Reid ventures off too, something that could’ve been explored if this was a full-length novel. Despite Reid leaving her community there was still that sense of community at the end. Superb.
Who Should Read This
-Fans of Climate Fiction
-Fans of dystopian
-Those wanting a quicker read that makes the reader think
-A want for great world-building and character development
Final Rating 5/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Animal death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Abandonment, Child death, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Grief
mapscitiesandsongs's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am once again left unsatisfied by a novella. It felt more like the first part of a new dystopian series. Great ideas, but it could have been so much better if the author hadn't decided to tackle so many different topics at once. I would be interested in a continuation though since we never got see the actual 'university' in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide attempt and Torture
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
'The Annual Migration of Clouds' by Premee Mohamed is a thoughtful novella that discusses the decision and emotional process that goes into leaving all that you know behind for an unknown future.
Reid lives in a post apocalyptic world where humanity has had to come together in small pockets to sustain life. A fungus has started to infiltrate the population, curbing reckless behaviors as it takes over the lives of its hosts. People are expected to live in their small communities, contributing to help everyone survive. But when Reid gets a letter inviting her to university across the country, she will have to decide if she will give up everything she has known to take advantage of this opportunity.
Mohamed does a great job of peering into the specifics of hard decisions as seen through every day interactions. Reid is faced with the people around her and their different opinions. Some think that she would be out of her mind to not take the opportunity while others think that she will be betraying her community and more specifically her mom. The quiet moments of contemplation, including her conversations with her friends and family, add emotional gravity to the story even though it is relatively short. The small glimpses of Reid's world do a good job of creating the world while leaving more that could be explored and expanded on. I would love for Mohamed to write a sequel that explores what happens after the end of this initial story as where it leaves off does leave some questions unanswered.
Reid lives in a post apocalyptic world where humanity has had to come together in small pockets to sustain life. A fungus has started to infiltrate the population, curbing reckless behaviors as it takes over the lives of its hosts. People are expected to live in their small communities, contributing to help everyone survive. But when Reid gets a letter inviting her to university across the country, she will have to decide if she will give up everything she has known to take advantage of this opportunity.
Mohamed does a great job of peering into the specifics of hard decisions as seen through every day interactions. Reid is faced with the people around her and their different opinions. Some think that she would be out of her mind to not take the opportunity while others think that she will be betraying her community and more specifically her mom. The quiet moments of contemplation, including her conversations with her friends and family, add emotional gravity to the story even though it is relatively short. The small glimpses of Reid's world do a good job of creating the world while leaving more that could be explored and expanded on. I would love for Mohamed to write a sequel that explores what happens after the end of this initial story as where it leaves off does leave some questions unanswered.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
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