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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Why on earth does this have such a middling rating??
This was a phenomenal book.
Although technically a “YA” read, I kept forgetting that as I found myself immersed in a sci-fi adventure slash commentary on climate disaster. Absolutely mind blowing.
Furthermore, not only is this an excellent portrayal of a father-daughter relationship (so refreshing!), this is probably the best deep-dive exploration of the islands of Hawaii I’ve ever seen in a novel since I can list on one hand how many books I’ve actually read with Hawaii as the backdrop.
I can’t wait to get into the second book.
This was a phenomenal book.
Although technically a “YA” read, I kept forgetting that as I found myself immersed in a sci-fi adventure slash commentary on climate disaster. Absolutely mind blowing.
Furthermore, not only is this an excellent portrayal of a father-daughter relationship (so refreshing!), this is probably the best deep-dive exploration of the islands of Hawaii I’ve ever seen in a novel since I can list on one hand how many books I’ve actually read with Hawaii as the backdrop.
I can’t wait to get into the second book.
Leilani has epilepsy, and lives in Hawaii. She is scheduled to participate an an experimental trial that might cure her, so she travels to Honolulu with her dad. Then things get weird. There are reports of a global meteor shower. The president mysteriously disappears. Electronics start failing. A mysterious green cloud appears in the sky. Society falls apart pretty quickly in typical apocalyptic fashion - looting, roving gangs of barbarians, militarization - all the usual stuff. But I will say, I enjoyed the way the author took his time setting it up, rather than just starting us off in a world that's already post-apocalyptic.
Leilani and her dad stick around Honolulu for a little while hoping for the best, but eventually decide they need to make their way home. (The author includes maps of all the Hawaiian Islands, which is really helpful for understanding their journey.)
Along the way, they have numerous close calls, get help from unexpected strangers and make some interesting discoveries about the mysterious cloud (the "orchid") and its connections to Leilani and Hawaii. The writing is superb - more than a few times it reminded me of The Road (Cormac McCarthy) both in terms of their circumstances and how they were described.
I loved this book. At the same time, I can totally understand why some people really didn't enjoy it. Everyone has their own personal preference for the source of the apocalypse, and this one won't be everyone's cup of tea. Sometimes you never find out what happened (sometimes I do find out and wish I hadn't.)
But even if you didn't like that, there are so many other things to love about this book. There's no major love interest distracting you from the story. The author blends her knowledge of Hawaii beautifully into the book. Leilani and her dad have actual weaknesses. Their journey is incredibly difficult but still realistic.
I've loved a lot of Book Ones. Most of the time I've hated the stories end of the series (looking at you, Hunger Games, and you, Divergent...) so I'll be very curious to see how Leilani's story plays out.
Leilani and her dad stick around Honolulu for a little while hoping for the best, but eventually decide they need to make their way home. (The author includes maps of all the Hawaiian Islands, which is really helpful for understanding their journey.)
Along the way, they have numerous close calls, get help from unexpected strangers and make some interesting discoveries about the mysterious cloud (the "orchid") and its connections to Leilani and Hawaii. The writing is superb - more than a few times it reminded me of The Road (Cormac McCarthy) both in terms of their circumstances and how they were described.
I loved this book. At the same time, I can totally understand why some people really didn't enjoy it. Everyone has their own personal preference for the source of the apocalypse, and this one won't be everyone's cup of tea. Sometimes you never find out what happened (sometimes I do find out and wish I hadn't.)
But even if you didn't like that, there are so many other things to love about this book. There's no major love interest distracting you from the story. The author blends her knowledge of Hawaii beautifully into the book. Leilani and her dad have actual weaknesses. Their journey is incredibly difficult but still realistic.
I've loved a lot of Book Ones. Most of the time I've hated the stories end of the series (looking at you, Hunger Games, and you, Divergent...) so I'll be very curious to see how Leilani's story plays out.
This was a good story but it took too long for me. If this was a movie and everything happens in two hours I would've enjoyed it more but as it was I felt like there were too many words and not enough getting to the point.
What happens when the some kind of solar flare knocks out the power, then the tech, then the world as we know it? And our heroes are stranded on a different hawaiian island than they call home, while dealing with epilepsy? This book happens. I found it compulsively readable despite the really odd twist and it's a fab adventure for survivally inclined teens who aren't interested in romance.
Other fantastic features: Aslan does a great job weaving Hawaiian culture throughout the story and emphasizing it's huge importance to Leilani. I love that our strong main character has epilepsy and deals with it and finds ways to cope.
Other fantastic features: Aslan does a great job weaving Hawaiian culture throughout the story and emphasizing it's huge importance to Leilani. I love that our strong main character has epilepsy and deals with it and finds ways to cope.
The Islands At The End of the World is a truly remarkable debut novel. A powerful and harrowing tale of perseverance and the desperate search for safety and loved ones in a world rapidly falling apart.
Leilani is half-Hawaiian. She lives with her parents and younger brother on the Big Island of Hawaii, struggling to belong and not feel like an outsider. She's epileptic, and at the beginning of the story she travels with her dad to Oahu to undergo medical testing for her illness. That's when odd things start happening, rendering Leilani and her dad cut off from the rest of their family and unable to return home. First, some unidentified celestial being in the shape of an orchid appears in the sky (only visible at night), then all the electronics stop working, meteor showers rain down on Earth, big waves rip into the land and the world starts tumbling down. No one knows what's causing it, no one knows how to stop it, how to fix it, how to get the situation under some sort of control.
The Islands At The End of The World combines a blood-chilling, terrifyingly plausible apocalyptic scenario with richly imagined, beautifully rendered exotic world of the Hawaiian Islands. Austin Aslan does a marvelous job making the plot line appear painfully realistic and, therefore, completely breathtaking, weaving in some truly fascinating Hawaiian mythology, unique language and culture. The idea behind the story might not be entirely new, but it's certainly done well. Thanks to Aslan's captivating writing style and his extensive knowledge about Hawaii, its indigenous people, and their lives, this book really shines.
As far as characters are concerned, both Leilani and her dad are very real and believable as characters. They seem very down to earth and unremarkable, but their strong bond and willingness to sacrifice for one another makes them relatable and worth carrying about. Leilani's dad was particularly interesting to follow, what with all the surprising ideas he had and his unique way of handling things. After all, it isn't often you come across a parent in the YA literature who Yes, Leilani's dad was very different from what you'd usually see in YA novels. I definitely liked him.
Leilani herself is a strong heroine. She never quite felt like she belong anywhere before, partly because of her origins, but also because of her sickness. And yet her love for Hawaii and it's culture is apparent and inspiring. Despite the way Hawaiian people treat her (as an outsider), she feels a strong connection with her Hawaiian heritage and is determined to nurse it.
The Islands At The End of the World is not a very past-paced book, but it's certainly intense and compelling. It wasn't a one-afternoon kind of read for me, but I enjoyed every moment I spent in this gorgeously rendered, vivid world. Plus, this book really scared me. I'm seriously considering stocking up on iodide pills and building a nuclear bunker somewhere up in Alaska. Read it, if you dare.
Leilani is half-Hawaiian. She lives with her parents and younger brother on the Big Island of Hawaii, struggling to belong and not feel like an outsider. She's epileptic, and at the beginning of the story she travels with her dad to Oahu to undergo medical testing for her illness. That's when odd things start happening, rendering Leilani and her dad cut off from the rest of their family and unable to return home. First, some unidentified celestial being in the shape of an orchid appears in the sky (only visible at night), then all the electronics stop working, meteor showers rain down on Earth, big waves rip into the land and the world starts tumbling down. No one knows what's causing it, no one knows how to stop it, how to fix it, how to get the situation under some sort of control.
The Islands At The End of The World combines a blood-chilling, terrifyingly plausible apocalyptic scenario with richly imagined, beautifully rendered exotic world of the Hawaiian Islands. Austin Aslan does a marvelous job making the plot line appear painfully realistic and, therefore, completely breathtaking, weaving in some truly fascinating Hawaiian mythology, unique language and culture. The idea behind the story might not be entirely new, but it's certainly done well. Thanks to Aslan's captivating writing style and his extensive knowledge about Hawaii, its indigenous people, and their lives, this book really shines.
As far as characters are concerned, both Leilani and her dad are very real and believable as characters. They seem very down to earth and unremarkable, but their strong bond and willingness to sacrifice for one another makes them relatable and worth carrying about. Leilani's dad was particularly interesting to follow, what with all the surprising ideas he had and his unique way of handling things. After all, it isn't often you come across a parent in the YA literature who
Spoiler
would ask his epileptic daughter to trigger an epileptic seizure on purpose in order to get out of a military camp, or a father who'd casually smoke weed with his teenage kid.Leilani herself is a strong heroine. She never quite felt like she belong anywhere before, partly because of her origins, but also because of her sickness. And yet her love for Hawaii and it's culture is apparent and inspiring. Despite the way Hawaiian people treat her (as an outsider), she feels a strong connection with her Hawaiian heritage and is determined to nurse it.
The Islands At The End of the World is not a very past-paced book, but it's certainly intense and compelling. It wasn't a one-afternoon kind of read for me, but I enjoyed every moment I spent in this gorgeously rendered, vivid world. Plus, this book really scared me. I'm seriously considering stocking up on iodide pills and building a nuclear bunker somewhere up in Alaska. Read it, if you dare.
Chock-full of one dimensional characters that leave you feeling neutral about their lives and struggles. It's a shame because there were approximately two interesting chapters in the entirety and I had to force myself to get through this novel. I think the premise is fantastic but the characters and flow need work. Some scenes were extremely drawn out while others were super quick and then you're left with "Wait, I need to read that again. What the heck just happened?". I also felt myself roll my eyes every time Lei complained about being light skin.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
It was decent. I'm not mad I read it. But it switched genres 3/4 of the way through, and I wasn't into the magical/mystical when I had chosen the book because I wanted an apocalypse tale, not whatever this turned into.
This is a bit of a "not what I signed up for" mismatch. First, I was advertised as post-apocalypse, and this is PA, initially of the EMP variety, but it branches into something very different. For me that something was pretty hokey, but hey maybe it will fly for you. Second, this is the first book in a series. I likely would not have picked it up if I had known that. The novel is completely standalone, but nothing in its pages would make me excited to read the sequel, nor do do I intend to read it.
As to what I liked? Hmm, not the setting. I read [b:This is Paradise|16085505|This Is Paradise Stories|Kristiana Kahakauwila|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362466454s/16085505.jpg|21887278] last year, and in comparison this portrayal of Hawaii seems very narrow, superficial. In spite of all the mythology, I never felt this book really pierced Hawaii's heart. The apocalyptic bits were serviceable, but uninspired. There was nothing that jaw-dropped me, though note here that I'm pretty jaded about this particular sandbox, PA being my favorite genre.
The book was gripping enough. Aslan does a nice job write his hooks to draw the reader from chapter to chapter, but I was annoyed that so much of the book's forward motion relies on luck rather than any particular grit on the part of Leilani and her dad.
Not a bad book, but it just really wasn't to my taste. Oh, and serious points deducted for a groan-worthy description in the mirror. That and and a few other mishaps made me think that Aslan could use a little more polish on his fiction writing.
As to what I liked? Hmm, not the setting. I read [b:This is Paradise|16085505|This Is Paradise Stories|Kristiana Kahakauwila|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362466454s/16085505.jpg|21887278] last year, and in comparison this portrayal of Hawaii seems very narrow, superficial. In spite of all the mythology, I never felt this book really pierced Hawaii's heart. The apocalyptic bits were serviceable, but uninspired. There was nothing that jaw-dropped me, though note here that I'm pretty jaded about this particular sandbox, PA being my favorite genre.
The book was gripping enough. Aslan does a nice job write his hooks to draw the reader from chapter to chapter, but I was annoyed that so much of the book's forward motion relies on luck rather than any particular grit on the part of Leilani and her dad.
Not a bad book, but it just really wasn't to my taste. Oh, and serious points deducted for a groan-worthy description in the mirror. That and and a few other mishaps made me think that Aslan could use a little more polish on his fiction writing.
The Islands at the End of the World by Austin Aslan was a very enjoyable read. I am glad my friend recommended it to me.