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A review by looseleafellie
Snow Island by M.Y. Zeman
4.0
After reading the first two books in this series, I'm a big fan of Chronicles of a Wererabbit. As such, I was thrilled to receive an advance review copy of Snow Island, and I'm pleased to say that it did not disappoint.
This instalment had quite a Jurassic Park vibe to it, with some hints of [b:The Maze Runner|6186357|The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)|James Dashner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375596592s/6186357.jpg|6366642]. I was pleased to see Snow learning more about her world and the people in it, acquiring new skills, and trying new things. I loved how she decided to try and program her own robot, even if it didn't quite work how she intended. The side characters' development was just as delightful -- Josh still adjusting to life as a human, David learning to accept himself despite his inability to shift, and John getting used to the fact that his little girl has a boyfriend.
There were a lot more environmental themes in this book than in the previous two. Animal poaching, hunting of endangered species, and animal cruelty are prominent issues. Even though some of the endangered animals featured are mythological, I felt like that helped to drive the point home -- if humans allow animals such as tigers and rhinos to go extinct, then these creatures might be as mythical as unicorns in the future. Other awesome themes which continue from previous books include family, friendship, and science. A new theme that was introduced in this book was fate, which I had mixed feelings about -- on the one hand, it detracted from the scientific themes, but on the other hand, it's only natural for a young person (or wererabbit) to wonder if there's anything beyond the physical realm.
As for major criticisms, I only have two. First, the scenes in Alaska felt rather unrealistic -- after struggling with the cold for several pages, Snow and Josh seem to get used to it and it stops affecting them. Even though they're shifters, that seemed a bit unlikely. Second, like many other indie books, Snow Island could have used some better editing.
Basically, if you've read the other two books in this series, you won't be disappointed by reading this one. It's a great continuation of the story, with all the heart and charm of its predecessors.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This instalment had quite a Jurassic Park vibe to it, with some hints of [b:The Maze Runner|6186357|The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)|James Dashner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375596592s/6186357.jpg|6366642]. I was pleased to see Snow learning more about her world and the people in it, acquiring new skills, and trying new things. I loved how she decided to try and program her own robot, even if it didn't quite work how she intended. The side characters' development was just as delightful -- Josh still adjusting to life as a human, David learning to accept himself despite his inability to shift, and John getting used to the fact that his little girl has a boyfriend.
There were a lot more environmental themes in this book than in the previous two. Animal poaching, hunting of endangered species, and animal cruelty are prominent issues. Even though some of the endangered animals featured are mythological, I felt like that helped to drive the point home -- if humans allow animals such as tigers and rhinos to go extinct, then these creatures might be as mythical as unicorns in the future. Other awesome themes which continue from previous books include family, friendship, and science. A new theme that was introduced in this book was fate, which I had mixed feelings about -- on the one hand, it detracted from the scientific themes, but on the other hand, it's only natural for a young person (or wererabbit) to wonder if there's anything beyond the physical realm.
As for major criticisms, I only have two. First, the scenes in Alaska felt rather unrealistic -- after struggling with the cold for several pages, Snow and Josh seem to get used to it and it stops affecting them. Even though they're shifters, that seemed a bit unlikely. Second, like many other indie books, Snow Island could have used some better editing.
Basically, if you've read the other two books in this series, you won't be disappointed by reading this one. It's a great continuation of the story, with all the heart and charm of its predecessors.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.