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misty_kb's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Death
Minor: Suicide
domina_comas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
En un mundo distópico una madre y su hijo sobreviven en medio de la nada gracias a los libros: primero por aquellos que les han enseñado las destrezas necesarias para autoabastecerse; después para nutrirse de algo más que alimentos, de su lengua, el galés, y de sus historias, necesarias para comprenderse en un mundo en el que nada se parece a lo que había antes del Final.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Grief, and Animal death
booksjessreads's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I read this for the Carnegie Shortlist and felt this was a really good YA read. I really enjoyed Dylan's character and how his innocence of childhood is really played throughout his early chapters in the book. I also got a sense of Dylan growing up throughout his chapters, and how it gradually got more mature as he aged. I also felt Rowenna's chapters were cleverly done, because in the beginning, you deeply felt her dislike of writing and self-confessing to the Blue Book of Nebo, but you sensed how she became more comfortable in writing throughout the book. These were really clever techniques. However, the downside for me, was that at times, it felt like you were reading an adult and a child's book at points, rather than being YA. I felt it was quite disconcerting to flit between them at times, but generally I appreciated the way this story was told.
I also found the subject matter and the story itself to be really interesting, but also really bleak. This is undoubtedly quite a sad and dark book and it was really heavy at times. I think this definitely needs a more mature reader to handle the emotional energy required to get through certain parts, especially towards the end. Generally, I also thought the dystopia to be fairly believable and thought the natural story progression wasn't forced. I also enjoyed the themes of trying to survive the end of the world really interesting, especially things relating to gardening. Furthermore, I enjoyed the setting of the book, being set in a small Welsh village was such a different setting to me, and I also enjoyed how there was Welsh throughout the book. I personally have never read anything from this country and it offered such a fresh perspective. This was also translated by the author from Welsh to English, which made the translation seem really smooth.
I also found the subject matter and the story itself to be really interesting, but also really bleak. This is undoubtedly quite a sad and dark book and it was really heavy at times. I think this definitely needs a more mature reader to handle the emotional energy required to get through certain parts, especially towards the end. Generally, I also thought the dystopia to be fairly believable and thought the natural story progression wasn't forced. I also enjoyed the themes of trying to survive the end of the world really interesting, especially things relating to gardening. Furthermore, I enjoyed the setting of the book, being set in a small Welsh village was such a different setting to me, and I also enjoyed how there was Welsh throughout the book. I personally have never read anything from this country and it offered such a fresh perspective. This was also translated by the author from Welsh to English, which made the translation seem really smooth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Grief
Minor: Suicide
stw07's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
This little book made me feel so many things. Even just the subplot about Pwyll has so much to unpack. I’m going to be thinking about this book for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Child death
iliveinletters's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Child death
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Vomit, Suicide, and Sexual content
beckycarter97's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Grief
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
In modern Wales, a nuclear disaster brings about the End—a young mother and son are among the only survivors. Isolated in the countryside, they continue living in their house without electricity or running water, taking supplies from other homes as needs arise, learning to self-sustain. Through the eyes of a curious child and a hardened adult, they chronicle their days in the Blue Book of Nebo, a found notebook. As they struggle to live with the effects of the disaster, they also work to learn and preserve the Welsh language among only animal omens. This short, searing tale has arrived in English at an eerily relevant time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Pregnancy, Grief, and Death
lleullawgyffes's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Suicide and Death
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