Reviews

We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed

adancewithbooks's review

adventurous emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

  Thank you to ECW Press and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

We Speak Through the Mountains is the sequel to The Annual Migration of Clouds. In this story Reid is travelling to Howse University. Unfortunately she got a very bad infection from the pig bite and becomes a little delirious. The Howse University spots her through her tracker and pick her up nonetheless. 

Reid isn't sure what to think of the university. It seems like an utopia. But all she sees are resources and cures that the people outside of the dome could use. These aren't being shared however. The history of things are apparently also off limits. This tickles Reid the wrong way. 

I loved following along Reids story, even more in this installment. Meeting the other students, and especially her roommate. There is a clear cultural difference between those who come from outside the dome and those that grew up in the dome. The students are mixed which shows their differences even more. 

The dome has a lot of privileges compared to those outside it. They have electricity, they have processed food, they have something that holds off CAD. It has to feel incredibly unfair to those that come from outside of the dome. Yet they aren't allowed to share anything with the people they left behind. 

The people in the dome aren't evil. They are still working towards things, things that are meant to improve the world again. But they have been living too long in their own little bubble, and can't see outside of that. They keep working further when the people outside of the dome need help now. 

It is a really interesting story and the ending clearly suggests that there will be at least one more. I hope that there will be more than just one more as there is a lot left to discover in this world and with these characters. 

sebrittainclark's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

This novella picks up where the last left off, with Reid arriving at Howse university, but the question of why Howse is inviting outsiders in still needs to be answered. I loved how this book delved into isolationism and in a climate crisis what societal values are and are not utopian. I enjoyed learning a little more about CAD in this novella, but I hope the series continues because I certainly have more questions about this world.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

mahaila's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC! 

First of all, this cover is so gorgeous. And second, this book was so good, I liked it even more than The Annual Migration of Clouds. 

This book follows Reid as she makes her way to Howse University, and her time there as a student. I particularly loved seeing how Reid navigated this new setting, seeing the dynamics between her and the new characters, and the politics of the university itself. Reid’s roommate, Clementine, was incredible. I wish she were my friend, irl. 

The kids, like Reid and Clementine, that come from the outer cities have a hard time adjusting to university life, after living surrounded by their communities. The kids who grew up at Howse prefer to eat in their rooms alone, to watch media synced together in their own rooms, and to send messages, rather than speak in-person. As Clementine puts it “Wanting to be alone all the time is some serial killer shit.” Reid notices that people from Howse don’t like talking about the past, which makes it difficult for her to adjust, as her past and the past of her people is always on her mind, and is one of the primary reasons she came to the university. 

I really liked the message of the importance of collective power, which was also a big part of The Annual Migration of Clouds. I really hope this series continues! 

rachael_amber's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

I received an early e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the first book in this series, and this was a fantastic follow-up! The world-building is great, and I love the whole concept. The fungus infection is really interesting and I liked how the author made this disease different from other fungus related post-apocalyptic worlds (the way the fungus tries to protect the host and can even control them is very different from anything else I've ever read).
Reid is a fabulous character and I loved the journey she went through in this book. She is suddenly thrust into a new world where they have medicine and technology, and seeing how she copes with these changes is very interesting.
I love this authors writing style! She really makes you care for (and root for) the characters, and her descriptive prose is lovely. 
I hope the author continues this series. I would definitely like to read more about Reid's adventures :)

feliciana's review

4.0

We Speak Through the Mountain is a great follow up to the Annual Migration of Clouds. This picks up with Reid traveling through the mountains to make it to Howse University. I would describe this as a climate dystopian series with examinations of the collective vs the individual. I assume based on the ending that there will be a book 3, which I will definitely be on the look out for. 

Thank you to ECW Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

rara2018's review

5.0

 I read the first book in this series almost three years ago while surreptitiously resting my kindle on the keyboard at the few stations at work. I’d been fresh out of my mycology course and was fascinated by “cad” and Premee Mohamed’s craft. This sequel, however, surpassed its predecessor in about a million and one ways. I loved Reid’s character here and the earnestness of her classmates. The climate fictions aspects of this felt very real with the tremendous disparity between the average person and the Howse students. The environment here felt so real and Reid’s emotions were conveyed so elegantly that I felt angry and excited and sad right alongside her. The science here was, once again, so very interesting with the complexities of the intricacies of cad and Reid’s struggle with being apart from something (and other many things) for the first time in her life. I am desperately hoping we get another book in this series as I can’t wait to see what happens to Reid—and Clementine and St. Martin—after the events of this novella. 

crothe77's review

challenging emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed is a post-apocalypse novella where Reid, a teenager, goes on a journey through the mountains in Canada to Howse University, where she finds survivors and a system that isn’t helping other communities who need it. 

Like with everything I’ve read by Premee Mohamed, I was instantly captured by the writing. Atmosphere, voice, social critique, it all shines through with laser precision while being compelling and artfully crafted. I was instantly captivated by Reid’s voice and how she is navigating this new environment that takes care of the students who arrive to study but refuse to extend any assistance to the cities that are struggling. 

Cad, a disease that wiped out most of life on Earth and resides in most remaining people, appears to be dormant in Reid but is still impacting her loved ones. The reflection of real world healthcare issues, concerns regarding our future if we continue on the path of selfishness and not helping each other, and how easy it is to turn away from those who really need help even if you know it’s wrong are fully on display.

I would recommend this to fans of dystopia, readers looking for explorations of lack of healthcare and assistance in a not too distant future, and fans of Premee Mohamed.

 

blossomjin's review

3.5

This was one the rare instances where the sequel surpassed the original by a mile. I was pretty ambivalent about the first book in this series, but I heard so many people telling me that the sequel was a different vibe. Honestly, this could be read as a stand alone. 

The actual writing by Premee Mohamed was superb. It felt so clean and lyrical throughout and all the detail about this new world was really well crafted. The social commentary throughout was obvious, but also subtle. 

I would definitely recommend this!

 

escapebeyondpages's review

adventurous 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? No

4.0

saltpeanut's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

Wow just… wow. I was kindly gifted this ARC on NetGalley and for a short book this took me a long time to finish and I loved every second. 

At least every chapter I had to put it down to think about the world, the possibilities and the parallels to our own future, the moral challenges for the characters and just the pure emotion that is so intelligently conveyed through this book.

I can’t write a long review without a tonne of spoilers but know that this book will be on my mind for many days to come. These characters and this setting will be sticking with me and you will not regret giving this novella a go.