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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
This duology was so good. I loved the way it discussed magic and science and belief. The whole thing was just such a ride.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
this book has EVERYTHING. a hand kiss that will make you positively giddy, a genius world origin reveal, betrayals, redemptions, villains getting what they deserve… i read the first 50 pages, then knocked out the next 400 in one sitting 🥳
After finishing the first book I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the main 2 characters and the world, but otherwise felt rather lukewarm about the book overall. This book CHANGED that! Although the plot remained a rather standard fair, the tension between Nimh and North absolutely CARRIED the entire book. I found myself holding my breath everytime they shared a scene together and I just adored their interactions.
I also just wanted to give a brief shout out to the clear inspiration behind this book; The Dragonriders of Pern. I actually picked up this series because the blurb reminded me of the unique blend of Fantasy and Sci-Fi that blew my mind in the Dragonriders of Pern when I was 12 years old, and (no spoilers) I was so happy when that connection finally paid off by the end of this book!
I just loved this book so much (I finished it in one 3 hour sitting!) and I can just TELL that I'm going to be thinking about it for weeks to come!
I also just wanted to give a brief shout out to the clear inspiration behind this book; The Dragonriders of Pern. I actually picked up this series because the blurb reminded me of the unique blend of Fantasy and Sci-Fi that blew my mind in the Dragonriders of Pern when I was 12 years old, and (no spoilers) I was so happy when that connection finally paid off by the end of this book!
I just loved this book so much (I finished it in one 3 hour sitting!) and I can just TELL that I'm going to be thinking about it for weeks to come!
adventurous
All opinions are entirely my own. I am in no way affiliated with the author or publisher. Remember to support your local indie bookstore and library!
⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨ ᰔ ୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
"It's that it is the most human thing in the world to disagree. But I think it's in the trying to come together that we find our purpose."
- Discovery: Sequel
- Reading Format: Audiobook
- Read Time: 7 Hours
He's in her land but now she's in his land. Can they get back to each other without the destruction of both their worlds.
Something about it didn't hit as hard as the first book. Still a decent book to conclude with.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
(tread lightly! this review may contain spoilers for book 1, The Other Side of the Sky!)
TW/CW: train crash, frightening situations, descriptions of blood, murder
Every sequel that has a recap of what happened in the previous book is already great by my standards. But in all seriousness, Beyond the End of the World was a sequel that delivered a satisfying end to a uniquely inventive duology!
My only problem with Beyond is the first 100 or so pages; it moves a little slowly for the first quarter, and even though I love Amie Kaufman’s (and I guess Meagan Spooner’s, by proxy, even though I haven’t read any of her solo books) writing, I found myself losing interested. But once the inciting incident—Nimh’s in particular—is set into motion, Beyond’s pace accelerates to the perfect speed.
I loved the prospect of North and Nimh being trapped in worlds completely alien to them, but what made it so tense and well-executed was the introduction of conflict. Once the aftermath of book 1 fades off, Kaufman and Spooner did a fantastic job of setting up obstacles for each of them to overcome. Not only that, but these obstacles had fascinating ramifications that had such a jaw-dropping impact on the last quarter of the book.
I’m not usually one for twists thrown into the last book in the series not long before it ends, but the revelation at the end of Beyond was enough to put a giddy, baffled grin on my face. DANG. Without spoiling anything, I’m still reeling from it just thinking about it. Part of what made it so great was its implications on the worldbuilding—once this domino is set in motion, it tears down everything about Nimh’s world that you thought you knew. So well done, and so well-built-up over the course of two books!
I have one slight problem with said twist. One of the aspects of this duology that I loved so much was the fact that it’s the only “magic vs. technology” book that I’ve read that actually works. The twist, however well-executed that it was, did kind of throw a wrench in the whole concept. Again, no spoilers, but the fact that this is the direction that the twist meant that the “magic vs. technology” part was almost rendered moot. I still hold that this twist was incredibly well-written, but it’s a bit of a disappointment on the themes front.
Of course, it was wonderful to be back in Kaufman and Spooner’s shiny world of goddesses and floating cities. Although I’m more partial to Nimh than North, it was great to see them both again, and it was even sweeter to see them reunite. I didn’t feel a whole lot for the side characters, but given how wonderfully written most everything else, I could let that slide. Plus, cats. I would do anything to pet the Bindle cat.
Overall, a stunning and tense conclusion to one of the most creative series that I’ve come across in the past few years. 4 stars!
TW/CW: train crash, frightening situations, descriptions of blood, murder
Every sequel that has a recap of what happened in the previous book is already great by my standards. But in all seriousness, Beyond the End of the World was a sequel that delivered a satisfying end to a uniquely inventive duology!
My only problem with Beyond is the first 100 or so pages; it moves a little slowly for the first quarter, and even though I love Amie Kaufman’s (and I guess Meagan Spooner’s, by proxy, even though I haven’t read any of her solo books) writing, I found myself losing interested. But once the inciting incident—Nimh’s in particular—is set into motion, Beyond’s pace accelerates to the perfect speed.
I loved the prospect of North and Nimh being trapped in worlds completely alien to them, but what made it so tense and well-executed was the introduction of conflict. Once the aftermath of book 1 fades off, Kaufman and Spooner did a fantastic job of setting up obstacles for each of them to overcome. Not only that, but these obstacles had fascinating ramifications that had such a jaw-dropping impact on the last quarter of the book.
I’m not usually one for twists thrown into the last book in the series not long before it ends, but the revelation at the end of Beyond was enough to put a giddy, baffled grin on my face. DANG. Without spoiling anything, I’m still reeling from it just thinking about it. Part of what made it so great was its implications on the worldbuilding—once this domino is set in motion, it tears down everything about Nimh’s world that you thought you knew. So well done, and so well-built-up over the course of two books!
I have one slight problem with said twist. One of the aspects of this duology that I loved so much was the fact that it’s the only “magic vs. technology” book that I’ve read that actually works. The twist, however well-executed that it was, did kind of throw a wrench in the whole concept. Again, no spoilers, but the fact that this is the direction that the twist meant that the “magic vs. technology” part was almost rendered moot. I still hold that this twist was incredibly well-written, but it’s a bit of a disappointment on the themes front.
Of course, it was wonderful to be back in Kaufman and Spooner’s shiny world of goddesses and floating cities. Although I’m more partial to Nimh than North, it was great to see them both again, and it was even sweeter to see them reunite. I didn’t feel a whole lot for the side characters, but given how wonderfully written most everything else, I could let that slide. Plus, cats. I would do anything to pet the Bindle cat.
Overall, a stunning and tense conclusion to one of the most creative series that I’ve come across in the past few years. 4 stars!
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
May have been too long in between reads of 1st and 2nd but cannot get into it