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cassie7e's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A beatifully crafted YA book, with so much worldbuilding without being told, culture and politics and relationships we learn by seeing them, and seeing them begin to be challenged in the mind of our main character. And the visual imagery of gathering blue, along with the threads and dyeing process, still captivate my artist brain.
It's been ages since I read this as a kid; either I do not remember or I did not register when I was young just how dark a world the characters live in. Actions that on the surface are single unpleasant moments paint a deeper, oppressive undercurrent that my adult self could pick up on and interpret long before the book and character explain.
It's been ages since I read this as a kid; either I do not remember or I did not register when I was young just how dark a world the characters live in. Actions that on the surface are single unpleasant moments paint a deeper, oppressive undercurrent that my adult self could pick up on and interpret long before the book and character explain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Child death, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Blood and Fire/Fire injury
breedawnwriter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Overall, this book has a lot of problems for me. I enjoyed the story concept, as well as the end when things started to pick up. However, as a whole, it wasn’t a great read for me.
What I Liked:
-The worldbuilding. I tend to forget that worldbuilding is so much more than just descriptions of the setting. So, I loved how Lowry incorporated elements of the world in the early chapters. She brought the world to life by exploring religion, the societal structure, the setting of the village, and the government. It was all of these elements together that really made me feel like I’d been dropped into a new place.
-The council. I’m biased because my current WIP has a council, but I really loved this bit of the world. It fascinated me, and my only problem was that I wanted more.
-The theme about artists and creating. This made me smile and warmed my heart.
Unfortunately, none of these elements were enough to make me overlook the story’s other issues…
What I Didn’t Like:
-The pacing. This was Gathering Blue’s greatest flaw. The middle is so tediously slow that I almost DNFed it multiple times. The ending was the best part of the story, but it was so rushed and didn’t bring the depth I expected from Lowry’s writing.
-The plot twists. None of them surprised me. I will give Lowry the benefit of the doubt with one of them since I think I accidentally spoiled it for myself vaguely. But, even so, they were too obvious for me to really feel shocked or surprised when they happened.
-The lack of depth with the characters. After the compelling internal conflict with Jonas in The Giver, I expected Kira, Thomas, and Matt to…I don’t know…move me, I guess. I wanted Kira to be bold, to make a stand. I wanted more from her, and the ending only gave a glimpse at what would happen (which I honestly think might have made a better book, but I digress).
In the end, Gathering Blue had potential, but didn’t really work for me.
Content warnings: Abandonment, ableism, blood, bullying, death, death of a parent, grief, and violence.
What I Liked:
-The worldbuilding. I tend to forget that worldbuilding is so much more than just descriptions of the setting. So, I loved how Lowry incorporated elements of the world in the early chapters. She brought the world to life by exploring religion, the societal structure, the setting of the village, and the government. It was all of these elements together that really made me feel like I’d been dropped into a new place.
-The council. I’m biased because my current WIP has a council, but I really loved this bit of the world. It fascinated me, and my only problem was that I wanted more.
-The theme about artists and creating. This made me smile and warmed my heart.
Unfortunately, none of these elements were enough to make me overlook the story’s other issues…
What I Didn’t Like:
-The pacing. This was Gathering Blue’s greatest flaw. The middle is so tediously slow that I almost DNFed it multiple times. The ending was the best part of the story, but it was so rushed and didn’t bring the depth I expected from Lowry’s writing.
-The plot twists. None of them surprised me. I will give Lowry the benefit of the doubt with one of them since I think I accidentally spoiled it for myself vaguely. But, even so, they were too obvious for me to really feel shocked or surprised when they happened.
-The lack of depth with the characters. After the compelling internal conflict with Jonas in The Giver, I expected Kira, Thomas, and Matt to…I don’t know…move me, I guess. I wanted Kira to be bold, to make a stand. I wanted more from her, and the ending only gave a glimpse at what would happen (which I honestly think might have made a better book, but I digress).
In the end, Gathering Blue had potential, but didn’t really work for me.
Content warnings: Abandonment, ableism, blood, bullying, death, death of a parent, grief, and violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
grinchem's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Gathering Blue is a very human story of a girl trying to find a place in the world, and gradually learning that the world is not what she thought it was. This is not an action story, it pulls off its impressive moments of narrative tension without that. I could hardly put it down, the story was immersive and engaging, with a well fleshed-out world, and 3-dimensional characters. Classic dystopian stories (which I love) sometimes have a habit of making the characters 2 dimensional, in favor of the plot, to better make their point. And in some stories that works to great and memorable effect. This is not one of those. This is a dystopian story in which the characters are so human that I actually forgot I was reading dystopian for awhile. Gathering Blue accomplishes all this without for a second sacrificing the story's main point.
Read for the characters, read for the plot, read for the point it makes, no matter what you're reading for you will not be disappointed.
Read for the characters, read for the plot, read for the point it makes, no matter what you're reading for you will not be disappointed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Ableism
Minor: Abandonment, Child death, Murder, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, and Suicide
None of these are treated like they're good, in fact the story makes a big point about ableism, but these things are present and could be upsetting to some readers
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