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gotabookforeverysituation's review against another edition
5.0
Really torn between 4 and 5 stars on this one, so I'm going to round up to 5 but it's more of a 4.5 for me. It's probably not for everyone, but I truly loved this book and became so attached to the characters.
This is a book I went into without knowing much about it, I just fell in love with the cover when I saw it and bought it on impulse. I wasn't expecting it to become one of my favourite books of the year. I highly recommend just reading it if you're thinking about it.
I'm not sure how much scope there is for a sequel or if it's fully intended to be a standalone, but personally, I would love to see a second book. I want to know what Mhairi does next.
My one issue is that there were a lot of things brought up in the story that I would have liked more background on, to see exactly how the world came to be like this. I know that Mhairi herself didn't understand how Scotland (side note: I thought the setting was really engaging, if only because I'm Scottish and know the places Mhairi travelled through while in Scotland. I could just so easily picture everything) had changed since she'd last been there, but I think, if there were to be a sequel (or maybe even a prequel? I just want to read more of this story, okay?), it would be really interesting to see her find out what happened while she was gone.
This is a book I went into without knowing much about it, I just fell in love with the cover when I saw it and bought it on impulse. I wasn't expecting it to become one of my favourite books of the year. I highly recommend just reading it if you're thinking about it.
I'm not sure how much scope there is for a sequel or if it's fully intended to be a standalone, but personally, I would love to see a second book. I want to know what Mhairi does next.
My one issue is that there were a lot of things brought up in the story that I would have liked more background on, to see exactly how the world came to be like this. I know that Mhairi herself didn't understand how Scotland (side note: I thought the setting was really engaging, if only because I'm Scottish and know the places Mhairi travelled through while in Scotland. I could just so easily picture everything) had changed since she'd last been there, but I think, if there were to be a sequel (or maybe even a prequel? I just want to read more of this story, okay?), it would be really interesting to see her find out what happened while she was gone.
kba76's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication. A chilling tale of what might yet come to pass.
In our future climate change has reached what might be seen as an inevitable conclusion. Parts of the world are inhospitable. The world’s population is moving northwards and, inevitably, some react better to this than others.
We follow 14-year old Mhairi as she escapes the detention centre she’s placed in after travelling illegally from Cairo following the death of her parents. She is determined to walk to Arran, the home of her grandmother. Along the way she reveals snippets of her story which it might be easy to miss as they’re quite understated. These snippets build a truly terrifying picture of this new reality.
Once she - and a young boy she saves en route - make their way to Arran it would be lovely to think their story was over. Far from it. In fact, it’s once they arrive with Mhairi’s grandmother that the difficult questions start.
Some very difficult questions raised in this, and the ending of the novel rather took my breath away.
In our future climate change has reached what might be seen as an inevitable conclusion. Parts of the world are inhospitable. The world’s population is moving northwards and, inevitably, some react better to this than others.
We follow 14-year old Mhairi as she escapes the detention centre she’s placed in after travelling illegally from Cairo following the death of her parents. She is determined to walk to Arran, the home of her grandmother. Along the way she reveals snippets of her story which it might be easy to miss as they’re quite understated. These snippets build a truly terrifying picture of this new reality.
Once she - and a young boy she saves en route - make their way to Arran it would be lovely to think their story was over. Far from it. In fact, it’s once they arrive with Mhairi’s grandmother that the difficult questions start.
Some very difficult questions raised in this, and the ending of the novel rather took my breath away.
vondav's review
5.0
Global warming is affecting the world and Mhairi Anne Bain is with her parents in Sudan. But when they get asked to leave the country, Mhairi ends up on a journey that puts her life in danger.
The majority of the story follows Mhairi as she is tries to get to her Grandma’s house in the Isle of Arran in Scotland. However, throughout the book more of Mhairi’s perilous journey from the Sudan is revealed. Whilst I was reading this story I kept forgetting that she was only 14 as the things she had done made her seem so much older. To stop her getting further hurt, she had put up a wall, but once she found the young orphan boy she began to soften and even though it was only slight she did begin to care. The relationship between Mhairi and Mo was perfect and was just like being brother and sister.
Not only did Mhairi had to worry about getting home, the political problems was also a concern and the author added an interesting concept for culling the population. People could only live till 74, you could give away years to someone you love or get them taken off you if you do wrong. All this was recorded in your papers, which were more valuable than gold. If you lost your papers you were more likely end up in a detention centre.
The story is evenly paced. The tension is built up near the end as more is known about Mhairi’s past and as I was reading this I wanted to shout that she was a child and that she should be treated as a child. I am not going to say much about the end but I am still thinking about it know whilst I am writing this review. The story was beautifully written and I am going to recommend this to all my friends who like a dystopian read.
This story will make you think about the what ifs especially as here in the UK were are getting a very unnatural heatwave and global warming is mentioned more on the news. A good dystopian read, which even though it is tagged for children, is a good read for teenagers or adults alike.
The majority of the story follows Mhairi as she is tries to get to her Grandma’s house in the Isle of Arran in Scotland. However, throughout the book more of Mhairi’s perilous journey from the Sudan is revealed. Whilst I was reading this story I kept forgetting that she was only 14 as the things she had done made her seem so much older. To stop her getting further hurt, she had put up a wall, but once she found the young orphan boy she began to soften and even though it was only slight she did begin to care. The relationship between Mhairi and Mo was perfect and was just like being brother and sister.
Not only did Mhairi had to worry about getting home, the political problems was also a concern and the author added an interesting concept for culling the population. People could only live till 74, you could give away years to someone you love or get them taken off you if you do wrong. All this was recorded in your papers, which were more valuable than gold. If you lost your papers you were more likely end up in a detention centre.
The story is evenly paced. The tension is built up near the end as more is known about Mhairi’s past and as I was reading this I wanted to shout that she was a child and that she should be treated as a child. I am not going to say much about the end but I am still thinking about it know whilst I am writing this review. The story was beautifully written and I am going to recommend this to all my friends who like a dystopian read.
This story will make you think about the what ifs especially as here in the UK were are getting a very unnatural heatwave and global warming is mentioned more on the news. A good dystopian read, which even though it is tagged for children, is a good read for teenagers or adults alike.
lillith_sophie's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
afrapple's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars!! This book is SO well crafted, and I absolutely love it!
The beginning might seem long for some people but it actually adds a lot of depth to the story to when it reaches the more active part. Everything
leading to that AMAZING ending (one of the best endings ever in my opinion), shows that very detail is thought about about and dépens the emotion between the boy and the girl. All in all, it is a GREAT book that I 100% recommend.
The beginning might seem long for some people but it actually adds a lot of depth to the story to when it reaches the more active part. Everything
leading to that AMAZING ending (one of the best endings ever in my opinion), shows that very detail is thought about about and dépens the emotion between the boy and the girl. All in all, it is a GREAT book that I 100% recommend.
kollektaneenbuch's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
estellec13's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written. I loved this book, it makes me think about many questions.
angiethedoll's review against another edition
3.0
I think I could have liked this book more if I knew more. More lore. But it felt short, despite it's actual length
ink_of_books's review against another edition
5.0
Ich habe geweint, Leute. Dieses Ende. Dieses Buch. Gott, ich liebe es! 😍