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cruelcircles's review against another edition
4.0
The acknowledgments have me too emotional for an actual review of this. I just love Mark and I love their stories, I have so much deep respect to what this story means for them.
It wasn't so much for me, the message and the story. It's a coming-of-age story with emphasis on grief and discovering yourself and the people around you. It's beautiful and a great story, it's slow and about following a journey more than anything else. I think the importance of Xochitl's story varies on the person, but it's definitely a noteworthy one.
I don't know, this is rated high for my love of Mark and respect for their stories and the absolute love and emotion you can feel poured into this. But what to say about it is absolutely lost on me (but that's part of the charm, also).
It wasn't so much for me, the message and the story. It's a coming-of-age story with emphasis on grief and discovering yourself and the people around you. It's beautiful and a great story, it's slow and about following a journey more than anything else. I think the importance of Xochitl's story varies on the person, but it's definitely a noteworthy one.
I don't know, this is rated high for my love of Mark and respect for their stories and the absolute love and emotion you can feel poured into this. But what to say about it is absolutely lost on me (but that's part of the charm, also).
lucialarsen's review against another edition
5.0
Let me tell you a story Solís...
"Each of Us a Desert" is a line from a poem Xo finds buried in the sand. In this queer post-apocalyptical fantasy novel, Xo is la cuentista of her village, able to take others stories and return them to their god Solís. Truth is the moral standard of this world. Solís once burned the land for its sins and they live under the threat of retribution if they do not unburden themselves to la cuentista, again and again and again.
Xo is trapped by her role in the community, unable to live for herself, and feels as if the only one who understands is the mysterious la poeta who leaves her poems buried across the desert. Not until she leaves her home with Emilia, a stranger she is not sure she can trust, does she begin to tell her own story to Solís, daring to question whether their god is listening, or if they are all completely alone- each of us a desert.
This novel had everything, queer romance, adventure fantasy, magical poems, a narrator grabbling with their own faith in the presence of an indifferent god, and the power of stories, the ones we take and the ones we share. Right up to its gut-wrenchingly satisfying ending, this novel gripped me, asking what it means to be free, to be seen.
"We are the stories we tell one another."
"Each of Us a Desert" is a line from a poem Xo finds buried in the sand. In this queer post-apocalyptical fantasy novel, Xo is la cuentista of her village, able to take others stories and return them to their god Solís. Truth is the moral standard of this world. Solís once burned the land for its sins and they live under the threat of retribution if they do not unburden themselves to la cuentista, again and again and again.
Xo is trapped by her role in the community, unable to live for herself, and feels as if the only one who understands is the mysterious la poeta who leaves her poems buried across the desert. Not until she leaves her home with Emilia, a stranger she is not sure she can trust, does she begin to tell her own story to Solís, daring to question whether their god is listening, or if they are all completely alone- each of us a desert.
This novel had everything, queer romance, adventure fantasy, magical poems, a narrator grabbling with their own faith in the presence of an indifferent god, and the power of stories, the ones we take and the ones we share. Right up to its gut-wrenchingly satisfying ending, this novel gripped me, asking what it means to be free, to be seen.
"We are the stories we tell one another."
lightqueer's review against another edition
4.0
this was a lovely book! the prose is wonderfully elegant and flows so well. knocked a star off bc the lore can be hard to follow but the prose and character was worth it. totally recommend to anybody looking to subtly question everything they’ve ever learned
luna_rondo's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars.
I thought this started out very strong, but got repetitive in the middle. The ending really brought it together again, though.
I thought this started out very strong, but got repetitive in the middle. The ending really brought it together again, though.
bookloversofi's review against another edition
5.0
First of all, I want to thank Tor Teen for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest thoughts, celebrating "Latino Book Month"
WOW, I'm really impressed by the quality, intensity, reality, and depth of this story, I think it will be one of those difficult reviews to write due to the emotional charge that this book gives me with its pages. There's so much that I could share with you about the book, but I'll try to give what I can without spoilers, throwing all my thoughts and feelings here, so I hope it's understood. In summary, this book is a poem about the strengths and weaknesses of human beings. It's about overcoming fear & going in search of your own truth and your own destiny, I loved it, obviously!
4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
lonijae's review against another edition
4.0
Okay so I really liked this book, but the acknowledgements made me feel more than the story did.
caylieratzlaff's review against another edition
3.0
I was really looking forward to this but it fell flat. It’s written beautifully, but it’s just...meh.