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ramblingravioli's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment
dolores_madil's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I love this book for the main message but also the under messages I was able to pick up as an adult. I also loved as a writer the message of storytelling and how it is apart of who we are. I defiantly think this is a upper middle grade though I also don't read many middle but it tackles some thought concepts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Slavery, Genocide, and Racism
sunday_evening's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Definitely more on the younger side of YA, but I enjoyed it still! Ending is kinda rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Drug use and Injury/Injury detail
abrdoodle's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I feel weird about giving this book a rating because I'm not the target audience; I'm in my twenties. I decided to read this book in the first place just because the premise seemed so interesting and, let's be real, the cover is beautiful. I'll give my thoughts anyway, but prospective readers should definitely defer to reviews of middle graders.
What started as a really exciting premise and intriguing first section of the book ended up leading to a plateau that remained relatively consistent until the pop of the conclusion. After waking up, I thought Petra's time aboard the ship was not very interesting, and her plans were not very complex or thrillingly executed. I just think there was a lot more room for Higuera to raise the stakes and give Petra exciting plot points to cover.
I liked the twist with her family! I also liked how complex of a villain Nyla was. Villains are so much more interesting when you can see their point of view and understand why they want to accomplish a specific goal. I certainly did not agree with her 100%, but I think there's something to be said for the utilitarian idea of maximizing the wellbeing of the greatest number of people. There's some interesting philosophical debate to be had here about utilitarianism vs free will and individuality.
Overall, not a bad book! Petra made for a strong and compassionate main character. I wish there had been more planet exploration, more of a showdown with the Collective, and more action for Petra in general. However, I still think it's a sweet story with nice themes of love, bravery, and preserving and honoring your culture.
What started as a really exciting premise and intriguing first section of the book ended up leading to a plateau that remained relatively consistent until the pop of the conclusion. After waking up, I thought Petra's time aboard the ship was not very interesting, and her plans were not very complex or thrillingly executed. I just think there was a lot more room for Higuera to raise the stakes and give Petra exciting plot points to cover.
I liked the twist with her family! I also liked how complex of a villain Nyla was. Villains are so much more interesting when you can see their point of view and understand why they want to accomplish a specific goal. I certainly did not agree with her 100%, but I think there's something to be said for the utilitarian idea of maximizing the wellbeing of the greatest number of people. There's some interesting philosophical debate to be had here about utilitarianism vs free will and individuality.
Overall, not a bad book! Petra made for a strong and compassionate main character. I wish there had been more planet exploration, more of a showdown with the Collective, and more action for Petra in general. However, I still think it's a sweet story with nice themes of love, bravery, and preserving and honoring your culture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Minor: Body horror
snowsavior's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Death
immovabletype's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
i really respected what this book was trying to do. it did occasionally come close, but ultimately its reach was beyond its grasp. i think the downfall for me was the tone, which seemed to want to be darker than it was allowed to be. one of the biggest strengths of middle grade is its use of metaphor and sparsity of language to address heavy topics for a young audience. but there wasn't much in the way of metaphor here. it was all clearly laid out for the reader, nothing to really read between the lines — a problem not just because it makes for a less immersive story, but because in this case it tended to create more questions than answers. and yet, so very, very predictable. there were no revelations save one that i didn't see coming. i may have a leg up as a more experienced reader than its intended audience, but i also believe a truly good novel for children can be just as wonderous for grown ups. i found myself wishing it weren't middle grade so the author could delve a little deeper into the effects of its themes on the characters. but that's not really the right wish, because it can still be done. ultimately there was some lovely stuff that hinted at what this book could have been, but the rest wasn't it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Confinement, and Murder
Minor: Ableism
lahars_little_library's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? No
4.0
This is a great introduction for kids to one of my favorite genres sci-Fi! This Newberry award winner has themes of colonization, diversity, individual vs. collectivism, grief, and the power of storytelling. Although I found most of the twists predictable (having read/watched many stories with similar themes) I think they would be earth-shattering to young readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Colonisation and Genocide
becathefox's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
<Familial death>
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, and Death of parent
gabydoesgrowth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
This was my first middle-grade story as an adult and at first I felt a little silly reading it, but I really enjoyed it. The cover drew me in and I had to get it. It’s short and moves pretty fast so it kept me interested.
Some of the sci-fi aspects are familiar, but it still felt fresh and original.
The writing was really well done and I loved learning about Petra and her family and how her heritage was such a central part of herself.
I wish the story continued after its end.
Some of the sci-fi aspects are familiar, but it still felt fresh and original.
The writing was really well done and I loved learning about Petra and her family and how her heritage was such a central part of herself.
I wish the story continued after its end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Child abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Classism, and Colonisation
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
I really liked this, but it was definitely more action packed and heavy than I had expected from a middle grade book.
This is a story about Petra, a 12-year-old girl who has to leave earth with her family when a comet is on the trajectory to hit and destroy the planet. Only a small percentage of earth's population can be rescued on one of the 3 generational ships that will be travelling for over 300 years to their destination, a new livable planet. Petra's parents are scientists that will help build a new home for humanity. Petra's family as well as the other scientists and their families on the ship will spend the voyage in a long sleep and wake up with all the knowledge to rebuild society. But when Petra wakes up, nothing is as it was supposed to be.
I love the fact that there is a sci-fi middle grade story centered around a female Latinx protagonist with a disability. I also like the themes discussed in the book like the strength in diversity, the importance of one's past, of storytelling (be it oral or in books). The difference between equality and sameness. But also topics like grief, finding one's place and value in the world.
I just have to say parts of the plot were quite disturbing, and I don't know how I would have felt reading these scenes as a kid. A lot of death and destruction and life-threatening situations. And it was tense! I was very stressed throughout the whole second half of the book.
This is a story about Petra, a 12-year-old girl who has to leave earth with her family when a comet is on the trajectory to hit and destroy the planet. Only a small percentage of earth's population can be rescued on one of the 3 generational ships that will be travelling for over 300 years to their destination, a new livable planet. Petra's parents are scientists that will help build a new home for humanity. Petra's family as well as the other scientists and their families on the ship will spend the voyage in a long sleep and wake up with all the knowledge to rebuild society. But when Petra wakes up, nothing is as it was supposed to be.
I love the fact that there is a sci-fi middle grade story centered around a female Latinx protagonist with a disability. I also like the themes discussed in the book like the strength in diversity, the importance of one's past, of storytelling (be it oral or in books). The difference between equality and sameness. But also topics like grief, finding one's place and value in the world.
I just have to say parts of the plot were quite disturbing, and I don't know how I would have felt reading these scenes as a kid. A lot of death and destruction and life-threatening situations. And it was tense! I was very stressed throughout the whole second half of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Genocide, and Murder