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precioussantiago's reviews
325 reviews
A Better World by Sarah Langan
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Wow what a wild ride this one was. First I would like to thank netgalley for an e-arc and also the publisher, Atria Books for a physical arc. I sought this book out as I am very much A Sarah Langan fan, I have read other books by Langan and her stories tend to take familiar plots and surprise readers with her own unique flair.
A Better World is a dystopian thriller that follows the Farmer family who are afforded a rare invitation to live and work in Plymouth, a utopian community shielded from the ravaging reality of a fallen world. In this future America the environment is rapidly declining, clean air is a luxury, and scarce resources are forcing families to live under strenuous conditions. The opportunity for the struggling family appears to be an opportunity of lifetime or at minimum a reprieve from their current living conditions. The family struggles to acclimate to their new life; the residents of Plymouth Valley aren’t welcoming and the community is riddled with rules, regulations, and strange customs. Linda the matriarch of the Farmer family, and our MC, manages to impress members of an elite committee within Plymouth and soon after the Farmer family appear to be in the good graces with Plymouth Valley. Now having a “seat at the table” Linda begins to learn more and more about the town and its secrets and things start to take a sinister turn.
What I enjoyed about this novel is the worldbuilding. The world that was crafted was vivid and well detailed which provided an immersive reading experience. I was also a fan of our main character, Linda was smart and witty. Unraveling the secrets of Plymouth Valley through Linda’s narrative was at times funny and isolating. I really felt Linda’s frustration and the feelings of isolation that she felt from the town and her own family at times. Another highlight was how the only perspective we get in this novel is Linda’s, but the structure of the prose provides room for us to see the journey/arcs of the other family members.
All that aside I did find that the pacing was a bit slow, which I could understand is necessary for the worldbuilding, but at the same time it started to get a bit repetitive and their was a slow progression that made portions of the story harder to get through and took away from the suspense. The ending was shocking, but a bit predictable. Everything throughout the book suggested what the “finale” would be and I thought for sure that it would be a less obvious ending, but in the end it didn’t deviate from what we assumed would happen. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but personally it was a bit underwhelming.
Overall, I think this is a fine book, especially for fans of dystopian stories. I would even suggest this book for thriller readers who are looking for something unique that offers something a bit different from what is already out there.
A Better World is a dystopian thriller that follows the Farmer family who are afforded a rare invitation to live and work in Plymouth, a utopian community shielded from the ravaging reality of a fallen world. In this future America the environment is rapidly declining, clean air is a luxury, and scarce resources are forcing families to live under strenuous conditions. The opportunity for the struggling family appears to be an opportunity of lifetime or at minimum a reprieve from their current living conditions. The family struggles to acclimate to their new life; the residents of Plymouth Valley aren’t welcoming and the community is riddled with rules, regulations, and strange customs. Linda the matriarch of the Farmer family, and our MC, manages to impress members of an elite committee within Plymouth and soon after the Farmer family appear to be in the good graces with Plymouth Valley. Now having a “seat at the table” Linda begins to learn more and more about the town and its secrets and things start to take a sinister turn.
What I enjoyed about this novel is the worldbuilding. The world that was crafted was vivid and well detailed which provided an immersive reading experience. I was also a fan of our main character, Linda was smart and witty. Unraveling the secrets of Plymouth Valley through Linda’s narrative was at times funny and isolating. I really felt Linda’s frustration and the feelings of isolation that she felt from the town and her own family at times. Another highlight was how the only perspective we get in this novel is Linda’s, but the structure of the prose provides room for us to see the journey/arcs of the other family members.
All that aside I did find that the pacing was a bit slow, which I could understand is necessary for the worldbuilding, but at the same time it started to get a bit repetitive and their was a slow progression that made portions of the story harder to get through and took away from the suspense. The ending was shocking, but a bit predictable. Everything throughout the book suggested what the “finale” would be and I thought for sure that it would be a less obvious ending, but in the end it didn’t deviate from what we assumed would happen. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but personally it was a bit underwhelming.
Overall, I think this is a fine book, especially for fans of dystopian stories. I would even suggest this book for thriller readers who are looking for something unique that offers something a bit different from what is already out there.