A review by allisonwonderlandreads
Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden

adventurous funny reflective 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

4.0

"All throughout our history, we sing of two kinds of women... those born into power and those who disrupt power. I intend on being the latter." 
Even more than the space-faring beasts that the people live inside in this science fiction, I was intrigued by the society in this book. They live in ten-person family structures with polyamorous groups of 3 (two women and a man) combined with two other triads and one child shared amongst them all. It's a matriarchal society, and men face similar sexist experiences to the women of our world. But that doesn't mean I wasn't amazed/shook/occasionally grossed out by the living ship as the characters navigate through organs, build homes from organic matter harvested from the beast, and even crawl through sphincters (seems inadvisable but).

The plot centers on a youthful revolution, bringing to mind many issues in our world, but especially environmental concerns regarding how we can preserve/stop destroying our planet for future generations. And that requires a social, economic overhaul because these are the systems that drive us towards a dying home. Our protagonists are Seske, heir to the matriarch of the clan, and Adalla, a lower class but specialized worker in the beast's heart, one of the most important jobs for everyone's survival. They're star-crossed lovers who thrive on curiosity, trouble, and overall pluck. Both have different pieces of the puzzle regarding how their society is collapsing. They will grow in leaps and bounds and separately work at bringing the whole thing down. I flipped back to the beginning to check a few things once I had a real grasp on the society, and I realized that both girls were even more ignorant and at times cruel in the beginning than I first registered. It makes their development that much more impressive.

As a brief but imperative aside, there's a "what does the fox say?" reference buried in a masquerade ball, which A) made me laugh out loud at the delightful absurdity and B) I challenge you NOT to have it stuck in your head somehow again after all these years. In general, the humor here is weird, silly, and greatly appreciated by this reader. 
I look forward to reading more about this world, even when there are specific images brought to mind that I wish I could mentally unsee. This story is over-the-top yet relevant, and I recommend this as an underhyped science fiction with all kinds of strange and majestic on offer. 
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