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janettedv's review
4.0
Harlon lives with her mother and two siblings, Ash and Xeno, in an isolated cottage in the mountains. They live in a society ruled by the Automators, people who hate nature and only want to subdue and use it for their own devices. Ash and Xeno are listeners, they can hear the thoughts of animals and this skill has been outlawed by the Automators. The story opens with a force of Automators coming for the family and the three children have to escape. Their mother stays to fight off the attackers and there follows a thrilling account of the children’s escape down the mountain on snowboards.
Very soon, the siblings get separated and they end up trying to bring down the automators in very different ways as they meet different groups of people who are rebelling against their rule. As they join the rebellion, the children also find that there are a lot of unanswered questions about their mother. Who was she really?
This is a fantasy adventure story with a very strong environmental message. The three children each have very distinct personalities and story lines which all combine at the end for the climax of the story. The novel is fast paced with lots of action as the siblings get involved with the different forces in opposition to the Automators. There is quite a lot of violence as the Automators are ruthless and don’t care who or what they destroy although this is not too graphic. I liked the different points of view throughout the story and the way the animals are given importance including a ship being captained by a tiger. Nicola Davies portrays the world of Rumyc vividly and it is easy to picture the oceans and landscapes where the story takes place.
This is a great teenage or YA read and I’m grateful to Net Galley and Firefly Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for this review.
Very soon, the siblings get separated and they end up trying to bring down the automators in very different ways as they meet different groups of people who are rebelling against their rule. As they join the rebellion, the children also find that there are a lot of unanswered questions about their mother. Who was she really?
This is a fantasy adventure story with a very strong environmental message. The three children each have very distinct personalities and story lines which all combine at the end for the climax of the story. The novel is fast paced with lots of action as the siblings get involved with the different forces in opposition to the Automators. There is quite a lot of violence as the Automators are ruthless and don’t care who or what they destroy although this is not too graphic. I liked the different points of view throughout the story and the way the animals are given importance including a ship being captained by a tiger. Nicola Davies portrays the world of Rumyc vividly and it is easy to picture the oceans and landscapes where the story takes place.
This is a great teenage or YA read and I’m grateful to Net Galley and Firefly Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for this review.
readingnarshmallow's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Sooo good. It got me out of a reading slump, one of the top 3 books I’ve read in 2022.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
theheartisanaro's review
4.5
This book was so good!! It's a sort of environmentalist dystopia and it really reminded me of Kipo. The only reason why I didn't give it five stars is because the editor seems to have done kind of a poor job at, yknow, editing. The entire plot and world are so well-crafted, but the twists and turns could have been delivered better. There were also some errors in the interpunction and the book felt a bit rough over all. I would still recommend it though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
lucinda_lesbrarian's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
chippyreads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
A beautiful book. The perfect read for anyone wanting to get cozy in a cabin retreat or similar.
Took off a star for the fat shaming. It's 2022, there's no excuses for constantly referring to a man who is fat as 'Dough Boy' or referencing his 'piggy eyes'. We get it, he's a bigger man who is also a baddie. His fatness is his body, not his personality. Let's stop body shaming people yeah?
Took off a star for the fat shaming. It's 2022, there's no excuses for constantly referring to a man who is fat as 'Dough Boy' or referencing his 'piggy eyes'. We get it, he's a bigger man who is also a baddie. His fatness is his body, not his personality. Let's stop body shaming people yeah?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Torture, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Confinement, and Slavery
poemsarelikepeople's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Physical abuse and Blood
pagesandpaws's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Wow, this is truly a special book and unlike anything I have ever read before and likely ever will again. The sheer amount of passion and love for nature shines through ever page of this book and the author has done a wonderful job at creating such a moving story that is nestled somewhere between dystopian fiction and magical realism/ fantasy.
In truth, I think this book is quite niche in terms of its marketability however I urge you to pick it up if it sounds at all interesting to you. It has some really important messages and learnable lessons amounts the action and adventure of the story.
The characters are unique and have such charismatic and individual voices that they are instantly recognisable, and there is some queer representation in it as well.
I loved the strong messages of empathy, self development and family and thought the story itself was well paced and engaging without feeling rushed.
Definitely a pleasant experience.
In truth, I think this book is quite niche in terms of its marketability however I urge you to pick it up if it sounds at all interesting to you. It has some really important messages and learnable lessons amounts the action and adventure of the story.
The characters are unique and have such charismatic and individual voices that they are instantly recognisable, and there is some queer representation in it as well.
I loved the strong messages of empathy, self development and family and thought the story itself was well paced and engaging without feeling rushed.
Definitely a pleasant experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
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