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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger was a unique story, unlike any fantasy I’ve ever read before! I listened on audio and liked the narration having two narrators for the two MCs. The narrator for Oli was so funny and he was good at doing voices for minor characters he interacted with!
I also really liked the Lipan Apache stories of nature and animal people! I love learning about other cultures and beliefs so I enjoyed those stories interwoven throughout Nina’s chapters.
A lot of telling over showing, which is a style I don’t like. The writing and humor felt more middle grade, I’m definitely not the audience for this even though I’ve enjoyed other YA and middle grade books, this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
It’s sooo slow and nothing happened until the second half-Nina and Oli don’t even meet until 65%. I was expecting a faster paced, more focused/plot driven fantasy story based on the synopsis. But it’s more Low stakes, cozy fantasy with found family and little stories scattered throughout. I did enjoy the friendships and characters but it felt like the plot was an afterthought with a rushed climax/ending.
Overall it was still a nice read outside of my comfort zone and I was glad to have read it. I’d recommend for those wanting a cozy, low stakes fantasy about found family, friendship, magic and environmental themes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Death, Animal death, Gun violence, Violence, and Colonisation
haveyouseencass's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, and Gun violence
kurumipanda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gun violence
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-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
5.0
On Earth, Nina is translating a story her great-grandmother told her, hoping it will contain the secret to keeping her grandmother in good health, while also dealing with a neighbour encroaching on her grandmother’s land. Oli is coming of age in the Reflecting World when his friend’s life is imperilled and he must round up his other friends to save him. Gradually you see where their stories overlap. The narrative was definitely more character driven in the first half, but the plot becomes active in the second half too. I personally clicked with the slower pace as it allowed me to settle in with Nina and Oli as characters and understand their situations, making the second half of the novel feel like a natural coming-together.
I loved the ecological theme, specifically how it addressed extinction and how this tied into the plot and world-building, but also how it showed that flora and fauna flourish under indigenous stewardship.
The world-building of the Reflecting World was fantastic. I was particularly interested in how Earth objects lasted, how animal people aged, and how the status of Earth species affected corresponding animal people. The abilities of the animal people were also intriguing.
There was incredible character development in the two MCs. Nina gets to discover her family history, and her faith in her family’s stories is restored. I loved that she was able to connect with this part of herself as well as find a type of storytelling that fit her. Ollie starts off as a timid snake but evolves into one willing to lose his life if it’ll help his friend. He becomes so courageous, and we also see him begin to choose things for himself rather than going with what other people tell him to do.
Darcie Little Badger is an auto-buy author for me for good reason!
Rep: asexual Lipan-Apache MC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Murder, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, Vomit, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Physical abuse, Medical content, Death of parent, Dementia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Major: ecological degradation, sick loved one, climate change, hurricane, tornado Minor: fainting, loss of a loved one, earthquake, drought, floodingtinytrashqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gun violence
scarletthequeen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Gun violence
scmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Colonisation, and Hate crime
Minor: Abandonment, Gun violence, Mental illness, Bullying, and Genocide
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was so cute but I preferred the first half of this! The Dave thing at the end was too much cringe for me :")
I also have some unanswered questions about the nightmare and all that like I was pretty disappointed that we didnt get to meet him and have a face off or something? It just felt unsatisfactory
I also have some unanswered questions about the nightmare and all that
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Gun violence
notpercyjacksonyet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
razzberry_pi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
weaves the tales of two characters together across worlds and shows the impacts of colonialism, climate change, and cults without being too heavy handed
story had a bit of wonky pacing at the beginning, but definitely picked up and evened out towards the middle
story had a bit of wonky pacing at the beginning, but definitely picked up and evened out towards the middle
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gun violence
Moderate: Death and Chronic illness
additional content warning for discussions of natural disasters such as tornados and hurricanes