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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
very interesting concept around how climate change will render some areas of our country potentially uninhabitable in the near future. i definitely think this is a reality that is coming for us but overall, i felt the actual story dragged quite a bit and the characters were just barely more than surface-level. if the story had more facets or was built out a bit more in general, i think i would have enjoyed it more.
3 stars.
3 stars.
Beautiful, exciting, tragic and uplifting. Might be my favorite book this year!
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-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
I'm not sure how scientifically-accurate this read is in terms of climate change causing sea levels to rise, but I don't really care that much. Lily Brooks-Dalton focused on the important parts of living at the edge of disaster, watching the world crumble into a new shape that isn't concerned with how attached you were to the old shape.
This is a mournful read throughout, but it breathes hope into the darkest parts. It's as if Brooks-Dalton is bringing Wanda's communion with emerging bioluminescence in the waters of Florida to the reader through her word choice, lingering on the importance of acceptance, adaptation, and community in the metaphorical hurricanes of survival. In the end, I wish we had lingered a little more on the last aspect, as the author cuts off and jumps ahead to the future right as Wanda truly begins her own community, but I still understand the lesson being imparted.
Shout-out to a fellow book club member who used the word "canoe-dling" in his own review of this book - I'm not sure he coined it, but it certainly was appropriate.
This is a mournful read throughout, but it breathes hope into the darkest parts. It's as if Brooks-Dalton is bringing Wanda's communion with emerging bioluminescence in the waters of Florida to the reader through her word choice, lingering on the importance of acceptance, adaptation, and community in the metaphorical hurricanes of survival. In the end, I wish we had lingered a little more on the last aspect, as the author cuts off and jumps ahead to the future right as Wanda truly begins her own community, but I still understand the lesson being imparted.
Shout-out to a fellow book club member who used the word "canoe-dling" in his own review of this book - I'm not sure he coined it, but it certainly was appropriate.
I went into this read totally clueless (thanks to my library holds amnesia, happens to the best of us). But I'm glad I did, because Goodreads spills the beans in its synopsis, and I like my surprises unspoiled. But this is a mesmerizing read, and a look into the future we potentially face; Florida's getting smacked by hurricanes, California's basically a barbecue, and the whole world's doing the slow dance with climate change.
And here's what I loved the most about this book; we start in what feels like the right now, then seamlessly dissolves into what could be, and suddenly, we're knee-deep in a dystopian drama. Unlike most dystopian reads that kick off in a world already in the shit, here, we get to witness the nosedive.
The first half of this read was a solid five stars for me. But it felt like it lost much of its momentum for the last third of the novel, and that’s kinda where it lost me. Especially with the romantic angle at the end; it felt forced and a bit too convenient, almost like, "let's wrap this up with a happy, dystopian ending."
The whole magical realism angle felt like it needed a decision: either go big or go home. It hovered in this middle ground that left me wanting more or wishing it hadn't bothered at all.
Overall, I enjoyed the wild ride, despite a few bumps on the narrative highway. It was SO CLOSE to being a five star read, it just never quite got there.
And here's what I loved the most about this book; we start in what feels like the right now, then seamlessly dissolves into what could be, and suddenly, we're knee-deep in a dystopian drama. Unlike most dystopian reads that kick off in a world already in the shit, here, we get to witness the nosedive.
The first half of this read was a solid five stars for me. But it felt like it lost much of its momentum for the last third of the novel, and that’s kinda where it lost me. Especially with the romantic angle at the end; it felt forced and a bit too convenient, almost like, "let's wrap this up with a happy, dystopian ending."
The whole magical realism angle felt like it needed a decision: either go big or go home. It hovered in this middle ground that left me wanting more or wishing it hadn't bothered at all.
Overall, I enjoyed the wild ride, despite a few bumps on the narrative highway. It was SO CLOSE to being a five star read, it just never quite got there.
This one will stick with me. Extra anxiety-provoking to read as a Floridian.
My one gripe is that the whole “light” part of “Light Pirate” was unnecessary to me. No need for the magical or surreal in this speculative but scarily easy-to-imagine fiction.
My one gripe is that the whole “light” part of “Light Pirate” was unnecessary to me. No need for the magical or surreal in this speculative but scarily easy-to-imagine fiction.
The first part of the book about an impending hurricane felt like a hurricane. It left me breathless at parts, forcing me to close the book at times to collect myself. The rest of the book, while not as intense, was beautiful in its sadness. It’s a sadly realistic story of what we could potentially be looking at in our future.
Her writing style and language is so beautiful.
I loved all the main characters besides the MAIN character, Wanda. I just didn’t enjoy reading about her from the very beginning. This story made my heart hurt and gave me anxiety as someone who lives in the Southeast Georgia (so basically Florida) and as a new mother. The depiction of Mother Earth’s ecological revenge on humans in the not so distant future is hard to read knowing it’s most likely not fiction for my little girl.
I loved all the main characters besides the MAIN character, Wanda. I just didn’t enjoy reading about her from the very beginning. This story made my heart hurt and gave me anxiety as someone who lives in the Southeast Georgia (so basically Florida) and as a new mother. The depiction of Mother Earth’s ecological revenge on humans in the not so distant future is hard to read knowing it’s most likely not fiction for my little girl.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, as I have never read this author before and the cover and description seemed ok but not super compelling. So I "made" myself get started . . . and quickly found myself completely immersed in this clifi story. I was sooo into the first part, about Wanda's mom and family, and then quickly got very attached to Wanda too, and loved her story of survival and transcendence. I found the story of the rapid dissolution of society following the near constant hurricanes and flooding to be very realistic-feeling, like this could be our world in a very short time, and I also liked the speculative element. This was just so well done and very difficult to put down. I recommend this absorbing tale for anyone who likes climate fiction or family drama or survival stories.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, as I have never read this author before and the cover and description seemed ok but not super compelling. So I "made" myself get started . . . and quickly found myself completely immersed in this clifi story. I was sooo into the first part, about Wanda's mom and family, and then quickly got very attached to Wanda too, and loved her story of survival and transcendence. I found the story of the rapid dissolution of society following the near constant hurricanes and flooding to be very realistic-feeling, like this could be our world in a very short time, and I also liked the speculative element. This was just so well done and very difficult to put down. I recommend this absorbing tale for anyone who likes climate fiction or family drama or survival stories.