asiamd's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I went into this book genuinely not know if I was going to enjoy or not because it’s not something that I would usually read but I’m happy that I moved out my comfort zone for this. The book is like a fever dream that deals with how religion and the supernatural can change people when it’s all they have to believe in, especially when living in an extremely unforgiving world. The changing povs in the book were actually really smooth and it was one of the best things about it. I’ve also been really lucky in reading books that I’ve felt the characters personalities and backstories were so well-done and well thought out and this book didn’t disappoint with that. For example, everything we learn about the world they live in and the people they’ve become is fed to us that is in pace with the story and I really enjoyed it! While saying all that it is kind of a heavy read due to the SA, violence, and cruelty that’s depicted but PLEASE give this book a chance I promise you’ll enjoy it!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Violence
erinmjustice's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Ableism, and Child death
Minor: Pedophilia
kiacat's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
‘Desert Creatures’ is, at its heart, a coming of age story that explores the lengths people will go, both physically and mentally, to survive, and the toll that such desperation takes on a young mind.
The characters are significantly more the focus of the story than the plot events. Chronister did do a nice job of weaving the threads of the plot together in the end, however. Very little actually happens over the course of the story from an action standpoint, but the depth of the leads makes up for this.
Magdala is an excellent main character. She is not your standard teenage end-of-days heroine gifted with assassin-like combat prowess — in the beginning, her plans are half-cocked, her gun is unloaded, and she has irrational moments of emotional typical of a girl her age. She gets people killed as a result of her naivety, her youthful selfishness. But Magdala is a survivor. She is tenacious and brave, and above all, she maintains her humanity, though she shields it under a grim practicality.
The characters are significantly more the focus of the story than the plot events. Chronister did do a nice job of weaving the threads of the plot together in the end, however. Very little actually happens over the course of the story from an action standpoint, but the depth of the leads makes up for this.
Magdala is an excellent main character. She is not your standard teenage end-of-days heroine gifted with assassin-like combat prowess — in the beginning, her plans are half-cocked, her gun is unloaded, and she has irrational moments of emotional typical of a girl her age. She gets people killed as a result of her naivety, her youthful selfishness. But Magdala is a survivor. She is tenacious and brave, and above all, she maintains her humanity, though she shields it under a grim practicality.
The book is divided into three parts with significant time jumps between each - Magdala is 9, 16, and 21 in parts I-III, respectively. The first and last are told in the third person from Magdala’s perspective while the middle is in the first person told by Arturo, the exiled priest branded a heretic whom Magdala has made an involuntary pilgrim. This shift was jarring at first, like picking up a different book, but the awkwardness is worthwhile as a trade off for the insight into the priest’s head.
Arturo’s internal battles are poignant, palpable, and he makes a perfect foil for Magdala’s hope-filled, near manic religious devotion. Her desire to be healed at the long dead feet of a sharpshooter saint is the only thing that keeps Magdala going — there is no possible ending besides the completion of her pilgrimage. And, for her, there is no after. It is the sole purpose of her existence. Until it isn’t. By the end of the book, she started to take control of her own fate and faith, has learned and grown, while still maintaining the charm and realism of her many flaws.
Arturo’s internal battles are poignant, palpable, and he makes a perfect foil for Magdala’s hope-filled, near manic religious devotion. Her desire to be healed at the long dead feet of a sharpshooter saint is the only thing that keeps Magdala going — there is no possible ending besides the completion of her pilgrimage. And, for her, there is no after. It is the sole purpose of her existence. Until it isn’t. By the end of the book, she started to take control of her own fate and faith, has learned and grown, while still maintaining the charm and realism of her many flaws.
The world building unfolds naturally, through stories told around campfires and in the inner reflections of the perspective characters. Chronister creates a believable post-apocalypse, one where the polar boundaries of human nature shines, while delicately weaving in fantastical elements, such as the performance of true miracles and the disturbing chimeras that walk the desert.
While the world is fascinating and the prose lovely in parts, there was a lack of detailed descriptions to fill out the world. More time could have been dedicated to explaining the state of things after the collapse, the appearance of the monsters, and the nature of the desert sickness. Many of these unique, interesting traits felt underdeveloped or like an afterthought, which was disappointing as a reader.
While the world is fascinating and the prose lovely in parts, there was a lack of detailed descriptions to fill out the world. More time could have been dedicated to explaining the state of things after the collapse, the appearance of the monsters, and the nature of the desert sickness. Many of these unique, interesting traits felt underdeveloped or like an afterthought, which was disappointing as a reader.
Overall, ‘Desert Creatures’ was a quick, enjoyable read with some stand-out characters and moments of beautiful prose.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Sexism, Animal death, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Child death, and Sexual content
originalemilee's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
For a long time I have been craving a book that feels like The Last of Us… and I finally got it.
I could hardly put this book down. The opening scene is intense and drops us right into the strange, scary world. For the first 30 pages or so, I was a little bit frustrated because I didn’t know much about the world. We know they’re wandering the desert in what seems like the post apocalypse and that we are a couple decades into (what seems like) a zombie virus. Magdala and Xavier encounter a not-so-human person who has “become the desert” and has melons growing off them. About to die of thirst, Xavier says Magdala can eat a melon but that it is like cannibalism. I wanted to know what that thing was, how it got that way, and what was the deal with the melons- and even by the end of the book we still don’t get a clear explanation. But I realized my frustration may have sparked because I’ve read so much fantasy and sci-fi lately that info dumps everything you need to know within the first 3 chapters. In Desert Creatures, we get to wander about and discover the world on our own. It feels like a real journey.
Overall, the plot is very good. Elam’s section is a little slow and sometimes redundant, but it quickly picks up again. Every character we meet has a purpose and unique arc, and I was especially impressed by how much Magdala grows. By the end of her first act, I really thought she would have ended up in someone’s clutches and have a tragic story because she was so completely dependent on her father, but that was not the case at all. I would have loved to know what happened to her between losing her father and meeting Elam. For a book that is only 350 pages, we get a broad, dramatic story with lots of characters.
The one thing that did frustrate me was that I had trouble imagining exactly what the desert creatures were. People and animals get sick, and so they somehow absorb into each other, and melons grow off them? They don’t seem super aggressive or fast. How do people get like that? We know that lots of people are desert sick- Magdala was very sick but she never “turned.” The people did not seem very concerned with this creatures or whatever the virus is that made them become like that. And the cactus-sitters, I couldn’t get an image. I pictured people walking around with a cactus literally stuck to them… but I don’t think that’s right.
A note about disability in this book: the main character has a physical disability she would like to be healed of, which is her driving motivation. But I am happy that we do not get the “disabled character is magically fixed” trope.
Thank you Erewhon Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I could hardly put this book down. The opening scene is intense and drops us right into the strange, scary world. For the first 30 pages or so, I was a little bit frustrated because I didn’t know much about the world. We know they’re wandering the desert in what seems like the post apocalypse and that we are a couple decades into (what seems like) a zombie virus. Magdala and Xavier encounter a not-so-human person who has “become the desert” and has melons growing off them. About to die of thirst, Xavier says Magdala can eat a melon but that it is like cannibalism. I wanted to know what that thing was, how it got that way, and what was the deal with the melons- and even by the end of the book we still don’t get a clear explanation. But I realized my frustration may have sparked because I’ve read so much fantasy and sci-fi lately that info dumps everything you need to know within the first 3 chapters. In Desert Creatures, we get to wander about and discover the world on our own. It feels like a real journey.
Overall, the plot is very good. Elam’s section is a little slow and sometimes redundant, but it quickly picks up again. Every character we meet has a purpose and unique arc, and I was especially impressed by how much Magdala grows. By the end of her first act, I really thought she would have ended up in someone’s clutches and have a tragic story because she was so completely dependent on her father, but that was not the case at all. I would have loved to know what happened to her between losing her father and meeting Elam. For a book that is only 350 pages, we get a broad, dramatic story with lots of characters.
The one thing that did frustrate me was that I had trouble imagining exactly what the desert creatures were. People and animals get sick, and so they somehow absorb into each other, and melons grow off them? They don’t seem super aggressive or fast. How do people get like that? We know that lots of people are desert sick- Magdala was very sick but she never “turned.” The people did not seem very concerned with this creatures or whatever the virus is that made them become like that. And the cactus-sitters, I couldn’t get an image. I pictured people walking around with a cactus literally stuck to them… but I don’t think that’s right.
A note about disability in this book: the main character has a physical disability she would like to be healed of, which is her driving motivation. But I am happy that we do not get the “disabled character is magically fixed” trope.
Thank you Erewhon Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Gore, Sexual assault, Murder, and Trafficking
Minor: Abandonment
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