A review by lawbooks600
The Last Cuentista: Winner of the Newbery Medal by Donna Barba Higuera

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Representation: Latino/a, Asian and implied Brown, Black, multiracial and First Australian/Canadian characters
Score: Seven points out of ten.

I wanted to read The Last Cuentista for a while but never got around till now. I saw it a few months back at a library before someone transferred it to another. Months later, I transferred it back for me to read it. The blurb made The Last Cuentista seem intriguing. It appeared that the book was a dystopian targeted at a younger audience. I've read novels like that, with mixed results. Fortunately, this one was enjoyable.

Spoilers ahead. I've warned you. 

It starts with the first character I see, Petra Peña, leaving Earth in 2061 before a comet destroyed it and most of humanity. Only a select few get to board spaceships whose destination is Sagan, a new home planet for humanity to restart themselves. The only catch is that during the journey, an organisation formed: The Collective, whose sole mission is to erase all traces of Earth so no one remembers their history when they arrive on the new celestial body, all in the guise of removing all struggles, wars and pain. Only a few pages in, Petra discovers the organisation has purged her parents, much to her dismay, but conveniently, she survives, alongside a handful of other minor characters. The Last Cuentista shines in its intriguing worldbuilding and how realistic the science fiction elements are, like when I saw how humans have built spaceships, but none of them can go faster than the speed of light--they haven't discovered wormholes yet so it takes a while for them to get anywhere. The middle was enjoyable, but the conclusion was less so. All the characters were likable, but I couldn't connect or relate to them. They didn't have much depth beyond their protagonistic nature. At least it was heartwarming as Petra escapes The Collective and hears another community (the first settlers,) but it unsatisfyingly peters out.
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