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A review by lynsiedaniels
The Cerulean by Amy Ewing
4.0
"You are alive," Sera said. "You are here. You have free will. There is nothing that is keeping you from choosing to be the right kind of person."
Sera Lighthaven comes from the City Above the Sky, inhabited by a non-human species known as the Cerulean. In order to save her city, Sera sacrifices herself by falling to the planet below and spilling her blood. But, it doesn't quite work out. Instead of dying, Sera survives the fall and must navigate this new world with the help of two humans, trying to make her way back to the City Above the Sky.
She wanted to feel like herself, to remember who she was. She was Sera Lighthaven and she was not meant to be chained.
This was a really fun read! I want to start out by saying that I think people are judging this book way too harshly. Upon reading some reviews and seeing the ratings before reading the book, I really expected to dislike this book based on what people were saying. But I think people are wrong about this one.
First, I'll address why I think people got this book wrong and then I'll go into my actual thoughts on the book as a whole. So, the race of people that Sera comes from, the Cerulean, are a polyamorous Sapphic society. Each girl is born to a throuple (a group of three women who are all married to each other) through parthenogenesis, a gift given by the Mother Sun, the goddess the Cerulean worship. However, it is essential that we note that while this society is all women, the Cerulean still know and understand that men exist. Sera has never seen a man before, but she understands the concepts of genders and the fact that in other species of people, men do exist. She comes off as asexual because she's not attracted to women. I don't see why her living in an all-female society means that her loving men is off-limits. This is literally like the main complaint that people are bringing up about this book, that it makes no sense for Sera to be straight because she's from an all-female world. But she still knows that genders and men are a thing, and I think it makes absolute sense for the reason she's not attracted to women to be because she's straight.
The second thing, going along with that, that annoys me about people's reviews is that the Sera-being-straight part of the book is maybe 2%, and the discussing sexuality part of the book overall, with any characters, is probably 5%. Romance and sex is so so so little of the book. There aren't even any sex scenes or pairings, just potential pairings for future books, and Sera isn't even in one of the potential pairings. She finds out she's attracted to men because of one random guy, and then they drop the romantic/sexual thing with her. The only romance that is slightly there happens between Agnes and another minor character, and it's really just hinting at attraction and a possible future relationship. And honestly, I ship it. The main plot of the book is about escaping captivity, forming friendships, finding a way back to the City, and the mystery going on in the City itself.
So yes, I'm a little annoyed that everyone is hating all over this book because of Sera's sexuality because a) it can make sense because of her comprehensive education and b) it's barely a part of the plot. I will point out that the book never gets close to reverse homophobia/heterophobia, and I appreciate that most reviewers also pointed this out in their rants.
Now onto my actual opinions on the book. I liked the plot, although at first it was a bit slow. I understand why all the backstory and events in the first Kaolin part are necessary, but I was bored during them. I much more enjoyed the parts that happened in the City Above the Sky, and I started to get especially intrigued when Kandra and Leela started to realize something wonky was going on with the High Priestess. I really hope the author continues with this series because there are so many questions I need answered about the events from the City Above the Sky, not to mention how the Kaolin storyline left off without a real ending (presumably because there were plans for a second book). Because honestly, man, that cliffhanger in the last Leela chapter!! Wow!
As for the characters, I didn't love or hate them. I really loved how Sera contrasted so deeply from the humans because she is literally a different species. I thought it was a lot of fun to see her interact with the humans, like with the blood bonding. I also really liked Sera's interactions with the other creatures in captivity, like Boris/Tree and Errol. I was, like many other readers, annoyed by Agnes's use of the phrase "no I'm not like other girls", but I didn't actually hate her as a character. I liked that we got to see her as a queer girl in a heteronormative society, and again it just hightlighted the differences between the humans and the Cerulean. I appreciated how Leo's redemption arc was carried out, and I look forward to see it continuing in the next book.
World building: interesting concept but not the best execution. I liked that there was like an earth, but it clearly wasn't earth as we know it because the geography is completely different and it's conducive to magical life. I just wanted to know more about how this world functioned and came about. I'm confused because the characters mention a lot of things that specific references to earth life, like driving and the use of the calendar year (they mention September in chapter 29). So I'm wondering if maybe this planet is the remnants of an earth after some cataclysmic geographical shifting, and the characters in the book would have ancestors from earth as we know it. Maybe I'm stretching it, I just want to know why there are so many earth-like activities and terms but it seems to take place on a different planet.
Another small detail: I did cringe a bit at the names of some of the mystical elements. Mainly, "the Great Sadness" and "Seek Me If You Dare." The names seemed like afterthoughts and they just weren't very creative, like the author just thought, "hmm what would be another way to say the Great Depression and Hide and Seek?". Still, I thought a lot of things about these aspects (i.e. the Great Sadness) were intriguing, even if the names themselves were not.
I thought the third person POV worked much better in this book than I've seen in recent YA fantasy series. I felt like I got enough of everyone's different perspectives, but the chapters still remained mostly focused on whichever character it was supposed to, as it was a shifting spotlight third person perspective. At first I didn't think we needed a Leo POV, like it would've been fine with just Sera, Agnes, and Leela, but towards the end I understood why Leo was included and I started to like him more. Still, I could have done with only female perspectives. I think it would have been fitting, but still I understand why, with the topics in this book, a male perspective could've been beneficial from a storytelling viewpoint.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down and I am now anxiously awaiting the second book. I hope the second book will bring character development, relationship development, self-discovery, and more enlightenment on the world, both with the City Above the Sky and the planet below.
Sera Lighthaven comes from the City Above the Sky, inhabited by a non-human species known as the Cerulean. In order to save her city, Sera sacrifices herself by falling to the planet below and spilling her blood. But, it doesn't quite work out. Instead of dying, Sera survives the fall and must navigate this new world with the help of two humans, trying to make her way back to the City Above the Sky.
She wanted to feel like herself, to remember who she was. She was Sera Lighthaven and she was not meant to be chained.
This was a really fun read! I want to start out by saying that I think people are judging this book way too harshly. Upon reading some reviews and seeing the ratings before reading the book, I really expected to dislike this book based on what people were saying. But I think people are wrong about this one.
First, I'll address why I think people got this book wrong and then I'll go into my actual thoughts on the book as a whole. So, the race of people that Sera comes from, the Cerulean, are a polyamorous Sapphic society. Each girl is born to a throuple (a group of three women who are all married to each other) through parthenogenesis, a gift given by the Mother Sun, the goddess the Cerulean worship. However, it is essential that we note that while this society is all women, the Cerulean still know and understand that men exist. Sera has never seen a man before, but she understands the concepts of genders and the fact that in other species of people, men do exist. She comes off as asexual because she's not attracted to women. I don't see why her living in an all-female society means that her loving men is off-limits. This is literally like the main complaint that people are bringing up about this book, that it makes no sense for Sera to be straight because she's from an all-female world. But she still knows that genders and men are a thing, and I think it makes absolute sense for the reason she's not attracted to women to be because she's straight.
The second thing, going along with that, that annoys me about people's reviews is that the Sera-being-straight part of the book is maybe 2%, and the discussing sexuality part of the book overall, with any characters, is probably 5%. Romance and sex is so so so little of the book. There aren't even any sex scenes or pairings, just potential pairings for future books, and Sera isn't even in one of the potential pairings. She finds out she's attracted to men because of one random guy, and then they drop the romantic/sexual thing with her. The only romance that is slightly there happens between Agnes and another minor character, and it's really just hinting at attraction and a possible future relationship. And honestly, I ship it. The main plot of the book is about escaping captivity, forming friendships, finding a way back to the City, and the mystery going on in the City itself.
So yes, I'm a little annoyed that everyone is hating all over this book because of Sera's sexuality because a) it can make sense because of her comprehensive education and b) it's barely a part of the plot. I will point out that the book never gets close to reverse homophobia/heterophobia, and I appreciate that most reviewers also pointed this out in their rants.
Now onto my actual opinions on the book. I liked the plot, although at first it was a bit slow. I understand why all the backstory and events in the first Kaolin part are necessary, but I was bored during them. I much more enjoyed the parts that happened in the City Above the Sky, and I started to get especially intrigued when Kandra and Leela started to realize something wonky was going on with the High Priestess. I really hope the author continues with this series because there are so many questions I need answered about the events from the City Above the Sky, not to mention how the Kaolin storyline left off without a real ending (presumably because there were plans for a second book). Because honestly, man, that cliffhanger in the last Leela chapter!! Wow!
As for the characters, I didn't love or hate them. I really loved how Sera contrasted so deeply from the humans because she is literally a different species. I thought it was a lot of fun to see her interact with the humans, like with the blood bonding. I also really liked Sera's interactions with the other creatures in captivity, like Boris/Tree and Errol. I was, like many other readers, annoyed by Agnes's use of the phrase "no I'm not like other girls", but I didn't actually hate her as a character. I liked that we got to see her as a queer girl in a heteronormative society, and again it just hightlighted the differences between the humans and the Cerulean. I appreciated how Leo's redemption arc was carried out, and I look forward to see it continuing in the next book.
World building: interesting concept but not the best execution. I liked that there was like an earth, but it clearly wasn't earth as we know it because the geography is completely different and it's conducive to magical life. I just wanted to know more about how this world functioned and came about. I'm confused because the characters mention a lot of things that specific references to earth life, like driving and the use of the calendar year (they mention September in chapter 29). So I'm wondering if maybe this planet is the remnants of an earth after some cataclysmic geographical shifting, and the characters in the book would have ancestors from earth as we know it. Maybe I'm stretching it, I just want to know why there are so many earth-like activities and terms but it seems to take place on a different planet.
Another small detail: I did cringe a bit at the names of some of the mystical elements. Mainly, "the Great Sadness" and "Seek Me If You Dare." The names seemed like afterthoughts and they just weren't very creative, like the author just thought, "hmm what would be another way to say the Great Depression and Hide and Seek?". Still, I thought a lot of things about these aspects (i.e. the Great Sadness) were intriguing, even if the names themselves were not.
I thought the third person POV worked much better in this book than I've seen in recent YA fantasy series. I felt like I got enough of everyone's different perspectives, but the chapters still remained mostly focused on whichever character it was supposed to, as it was a shifting spotlight third person perspective. At first I didn't think we needed a Leo POV, like it would've been fine with just Sera, Agnes, and Leela, but towards the end I understood why Leo was included and I started to like him more. Still, I could have done with only female perspectives. I think it would have been fitting, but still I understand why, with the topics in this book, a male perspective could've been beneficial from a storytelling viewpoint.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down and I am now anxiously awaiting the second book. I hope the second book will bring character development, relationship development, self-discovery, and more enlightenment on the world, both with the City Above the Sky and the planet below.