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orchidlilly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Madeline L'Engle write a book without the same stereotypical depiction of native cultures challenge: impossible. Seriously though, this is like her fifth book that has the exact same good native/bad native schtick. Please, I am begging you, find another way to critique modern society. It's getting so repetitive. The return to sci-fantasy is appreciated, as that was the main draw of her original books for me in the first place. I think the whole, "Zachary is afraid of death because he's an atheist and this drives him to do horrible things" narrative is kind of dumb, but it's Christian lit so I'm not entirely surprised. The romance with Tav was unnecessary, but not all that bothersome because it barely existed. I would have liked to see a little more exploration on the whole time travel thing; namely, how did this all affect the future? Besides grandad saying there are some ripples (how does he know, he's in the modern day, shouldn't he not be able to tell that things have changed?), we don't get much on the repricussions. Swiftly Tilting Planet does the whole time travel thing better, or at least more cohesively. The story doesn't really feel like a solid end to Polly's narrative; it doesn't give her any sense of conclusion. The book as a whole is fine, but that's about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
Minor: Grief, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Blood, Violence, Death, Mental illness, Colonisation, and Child death
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