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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
crossbun's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
I loved this book so much. It's just experimental enough to keep me interested without distracting from the excellent pacing and characterization. I felt so immersed the worldbuilding from human society to the natural environment. Mohamed has an eye for detail and tight, carefully crafted descriptions that pack a punch and tell you so much. The weather and bird motifs were well done throughout: begging Reid for movement, for finding a way forward.
Take a look at the content warnings but as someone who's sensitive to a lot of the things on this list, it was all handled with respect and care and didn't feel gratuitous or out of place.
Loved the ending:I am a bike lover and yelled in delight when her community came through and gave her one. It was such a surprise to see a bike come back after just an offhand mention of bikes being like treasure earlier in the book. It just made me so happy to see bikes as so meaningful in the apocalypse!!
I really thought the book was going to be about her journey and not what it took for her to leave (like a typical adventure story) and it was such a delightful surprise to see that her story was about the choice to take the journey and not the journey its self. It's a story I needed.
I would love a follow up to this, I adored it.
Take a look at the content warnings but as someone who's sensitive to a lot of the things on this list, it was all handled with respect and care and didn't feel gratuitous or out of place.
Loved the ending:
I really thought the book was going to be about her journey and not what it took for her to leave (like a typical adventure story) and it was such a delightful surprise to see that her story was about the choice to take the journey and not the journey its self. It's a story I needed.
I would love a follow up to this, I adored it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: Death of parent, Ableism, Abortion, and Medical content
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
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