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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
enjoyed so much about the book! a terrifyingly realistic interpretation of the near-future devastated by climate change. the world-building was perfectly balanced-very detailed and alive without feeling exposition-y. i really enjoyed getting the perspectives from Emi & Larch (Larch more so). i thought the time jumps were fine and easy to follow. i do wish we got maybe one chapter at the end from Kristina’s perspective as i wanted to get to know her a bit more outside of Emi’s class assignment. my only gripes were that i didn’t think Emi’s ED added much to the story and wished it was handled a bit more tactfully/not included/just something else. i also thought the themes of the story were a bit too obvious (not bad, just obviously stated).
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
(Audiobook) I found this a captivating and confronting listen. The "utopia" and the dystopia that came before seem all too possible. Science fiction as a warning at its best. That said, I enjoyed the glistening hope in people working together for the betterment of all. "That is solidarity."
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Complicated
This book just did not work for me. I did not like the structure. It bounced between stream of thought consciousness, a high school student's report draft, flashbacks, and there were no quotation marks in the entire book, which I hate. The book felt like YA but with more foul language, although it's not marketed as YA.
Another issue I had was that it seemed like the author couldn't decide whether to write a dystopian/post-apocalyptic story, a thriller, or a family drama, so he just threw them all in. It made the story feel disjointed and uncohesive.
My final complaint is that the characters are not very likable. Emi, the main character, has an eating disorder, which her parents seem to not notice. And yet, although she's not eating, she manages to play varsity basketball and go for runs with her mom. Her mother is essentially in a terrorist cell that is assassinating those they feel are responsible for the climate problem. And her dad seems to have anger management issues; he throws and breaks things multiple times in the story when he's upset. The parents have a strained marriage and (spoiler alert) when the mother decides to go underground with her organization, the parents agree that they will stay married, but they don't have to remain monogamous.
Another issue I had was that it seemed like the author couldn't decide whether to write a dystopian/post-apocalyptic story, a thriller, or a family drama, so he just threw them all in. It made the story feel disjointed and uncohesive.
My final complaint is that the characters are not very likable. Emi, the main character, has an eating disorder, which her parents seem to not notice. And yet, although she's not eating, she manages to play varsity basketball and go for runs with her mom. Her mother is essentially in a terrorist cell that is assassinating those they feel are responsible for the climate problem. And her dad seems to have anger management issues; he throws and breaks things multiple times in the story when he's upset. The parents have a strained marriage and (spoiler alert) when the mother decides to go underground with her organization, the parents agree that they will stay married, but they don't have to remain monogamous.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes