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kennyleigh1999's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.0
I really wanted to enjoy this, but I think it was just a tad bit lackluster. Had this been re-written for a slightly older audience, I think it would have been perfect.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Ableism, Body horror, and Grief
goldenlake's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
sad
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Body horror
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, and War
abrdoodle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I feel weird about giving this book a rating because I'm not the target audience; I'm in my twenties. I decided to read this book in the first place just because the premise seemed so interesting and, let's be real, the cover is beautiful. I'll give my thoughts anyway, but prospective readers should definitely defer to reviews of middle graders.
What started as a really exciting premise and intriguing first section of the book ended up leading to a plateau that remained relatively consistent until the pop of the conclusion. After waking up, I thought Petra's time aboard the ship was not very interesting, and her plans were not very complex or thrillingly executed. I just think there was a lot more room for Higuera to raise the stakes and give Petra exciting plot points to cover.
I liked the twist with her family! I also liked how complex of a villain Nyla was. Villains are so much more interesting when you can see their point of view and understand why they want to accomplish a specific goal. I certainly did not agree with her 100%, but I think there's something to be said for the utilitarian idea of maximizing the wellbeing of the greatest number of people. There's some interesting philosophical debate to be had here about utilitarianism vs free will and individuality.
Overall, not a bad book! Petra made for a strong and compassionate main character. I wish there had been more planet exploration, more of a showdown with the Collective, and more action for Petra in general. However, I still think it's a sweet story with nice themes of love, bravery, and preserving and honoring your culture.
What started as a really exciting premise and intriguing first section of the book ended up leading to a plateau that remained relatively consistent until the pop of the conclusion. After waking up, I thought Petra's time aboard the ship was not very interesting, and her plans were not very complex or thrillingly executed. I just think there was a lot more room for Higuera to raise the stakes and give Petra exciting plot points to cover.
I liked the twist with her family! I also liked how complex of a villain Nyla was. Villains are so much more interesting when you can see their point of view and understand why they want to accomplish a specific goal. I certainly did not agree with her 100%, but I think there's something to be said for the utilitarian idea of maximizing the wellbeing of the greatest number of people. There's some interesting philosophical debate to be had here about utilitarianism vs free will and individuality.
Overall, not a bad book! Petra made for a strong and compassionate main character. I wish there had been more planet exploration, more of a showdown with the Collective, and more action for Petra in general. However, I still think it's a sweet story with nice themes of love, bravery, and preserving and honoring your culture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Minor: Body horror
kell_xavi's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.5
My thoughts haven’t come together yet, but I found this to be a worthwhile story, propelled more by emotion and the weaving of imagination than by a scientific basis and strong world-building. I was expecting something quite different, accidental loss of memory and a new planetary beginning with the families from Earth. Instead, Higuera writes a dystopia on the basis of removal of difference, and removal of memory, as both are believed to create conflict and pain. Petra, through a complicated set of malfunctions, knows that this dystopia has altered the culture of the generation ship and the function of those in stasis; and she has her memories intact. Petra’s revisiting of her brother’s pranks on her, her mother’s teaching games, her grandmother’s calming folktales, her family’s meals and ways of showing love, are at the heart of the story. If the Collective that takes over the ship is somewhat typical of lawful-evil dystopic-neutral, and if Petra isn’t believable in her acting out of mindless obedience, and if the genetic changes to the ship’s populace are both horrific and lacking feasibility, and if the overlapping sub-spaces and events are as distracting as they are warming; still, Higuera is a wonderful storytelling who leads with a winning, unwavering character and pencils in a landscape in vibrant shapes and colours, and children who can brave the emotional complexity and unsettling science fiction elements of the novel will find it engaging and memorable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Body horror, and Death of parent
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