A review by danielles_reads
Another Life by Sarena Ulibarri

hopeful inspiring 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

3.5

We live in a world shaped by the misdeeds of those who came before. The fact that I was born in this exact body is a result of colonization and genocide and cruelty between humans that stretches back through the centuries. My ancestors were sometimes the oppressed, and sometimes the oppressors. All of us carry the crimes of our ancestors with us, but we also carry strength, as the descendants of survivors.

I’ve always wanted to read more solarpunk, and this was a good one! I really liked the community of Otra Vida, and the story of how it was created and how it fit in within the wider society was so fascinating. This book’s version of the future of the US does seem very plausible too, both in terms of the country as a whole and Otra Vida in particular. I also liked how diverse the community was, and how everyone’s needs were considered and adjusted for. The main character, Galacia, felt like a real person with both flaws and strengths, and I enjoyed following along with her journey of understanding her own limitations, biases, and opportunities for growth.

Unfortunately, though, I feel like this book was trying to do too much in too few pages. It goes into the history of Otra Vida, multiple terrorist attacks and their effects on the community, interpersonal drama within the different characters and pseudo-classes in Otra Vida, and reincarnation “research” and its effects on the community. All of this is in 160 pages! 

Personally I wasn’t a huge fan of the reincarnation idea, and even though I admire the author’s effort, it never felt like science fiction. The effects of it were also kind of glossed over in the end, as I feel like it could really screw over things a lot more than it seemed.

Galacia’s visions were never really addressed, and I thought it was strange that she didn’t even tell Nylah about them. They definitely felt too ~woo~ to fit in with the rest of the story, especially since the whole thing was explained in pseudo-scientific terms. What science is showing her hallucinations? Also, Mikki legitimately considering murdering Galacia because of her past life seemed a bit much to me too. That was also glossed over in the end.

However, the reincarnation did seem like a more developed idea than the terrorist attack plot. That kind of felt like an afterthought, and I’m not sure why it was included. Was it to show how the community was too trusting? I’m tired of seeing that kind of “flaw” in these utopian societies tbh. I also feel like the readers didn’t need to see the obvious objection there would be to a communal society such as Otra Vida. I thought the divide between the Founders, Inheritors, and Petitioners and the power of the Mediator position were much more interesting topics, and wish the story had focused more on that, as that’s where it was strongest. (You mean they unintentionally created a hierarchy in a communal society? Whoops 😬)

Overall I enjoyed my time reading this, and would recommend it to those looking for solarpunk reads! I would definitely read more of the author’s future work.

“Solarpunks don’t blow things up,” I asserted. “We grow things, and make new things out of the old. Your way of life wasn’t built for us, so we built another life.”