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cadoca's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.75
male_soley's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed the book, even though I needed some time to get sucked into the story. It was originally on my wishlist for the ace representation and while this was hardly mentioned I loved that the story worked so well without sex or romance being a thing. Friends and family relationships were shown in a great diversity instead. I would love to see a book continuing the story as there is still so much to uncover in the reflected world and there is so much potential for another adventure that I would love to see. I also wouldn't mind learning more about Nina, her family and her daily life (and maybe her being ace being more of a mail topic).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
thehawk72's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating 3.5
My audiobook cut out an entire chapter so I’m only missing a little context. But it was pretty cute.
My audiobook cut out an entire chapter so I’m only missing a little context. But it was pretty cute.
yeehaw_agenda's review against another edition
4.0
This was a slow-starting book, but once it picked up it was fantastic! Incredible deep immersive world building with an ending that really shook me
moonlight_sinatra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rexials's review against another edition
4.0
Middle grade. Cultural celebration and conservation messages.
ashmeanything's review against another edition
4.0
Such a charming book! I really enjoyed this, and I am dismayed to say that it was my first time reading anything by an Indigenous person (to my knowledge). Seeing how the story incorporated Native culture and beliefs added something special, and I appreciate the nods to conservation and caring for the Earth. The concept of two converged worlds was really cool, and the author did a great job balancing the perspectives of multiple characters to tell the story. Following a story with multiple distinct personalities was never difficult, and I always adore a ragtag team. I would love to know more about the Reflecting World! Lots of things here made me smile.
I did have two big issues with the book, and I struggled on whether I'd give this 3.5 or 4 stars... I ultimately decided that, while annoying and very noticeable, the problem didn't take away so much from the many parts that were good. It bothered me how many unnecessary details were added in depth, almost as if the author wasn't sure how to make the world seem real without erroneous pieces of information. (Ironically, they did a good job without them already.) It's not important to explain every detail of the video-sharing app Nina uses, for example, and someone can have an easy-to-understand motivation without needing to explain a specific relationship that doesn't affect the story. Name-dropping multiple students in the school was irrelevant, and the one line about a main character being ace didn't matter at all beyond being a fun fact. It felt bad to have that as a throwaway. Lastly, I did not like Nina's speaking at all. We follow her across multiple ages throughout the story, and all but one follow the same cadence and sentence structure for speaking; this is especially jarring since that structure sounds like a prepared speech most of the time. It was not realistic ever, but especially not in the earlier years. I suppose you could argue that she did write down her long passages before doing videos, but it never sounds like words a teenager (nor someone younger) would say.
Used for 2o22 r/Fantasy Bingo (non-human protagonist, hard mode); also fits family matters (hard mode), shape-shifters (hard mode), weird ecology (hard mode), standalone (hard mode), non-linear time (hard mode), BIPOC author (hard mode).
I did have two big issues with the book, and I struggled on whether I'd give this 3.5 or 4 stars... I ultimately decided that, while annoying and very noticeable, the problem didn't take away so much from the many parts that were good. It bothered me how many unnecessary details were added in depth, almost as if the author wasn't sure how to make the world seem real without erroneous pieces of information. (Ironically, they did a good job without them already.) It's not important to explain every detail of the video-sharing app Nina uses, for example, and someone can have an easy-to-understand motivation without needing to explain a specific relationship that doesn't affect the story. Name-dropping multiple students in the school was irrelevant, and the one line about a main character being ace didn't matter at all beyond being a fun fact. It felt bad to have that as a throwaway. Lastly, I did not like Nina's speaking at all. We follow her across multiple ages throughout the story, and all but one follow the same cadence and sentence structure for speaking; this is especially jarring since that structure sounds like a prepared speech most of the time. It was not realistic ever, but especially not in the earlier years. I suppose you could argue that she did write down her long passages before doing videos, but it never sounds like words a teenager (nor someone younger) would say.
Used for 2o22 r/Fantasy Bingo (non-human protagonist, hard mode); also fits family matters (hard mode), shape-shifters (hard mode), weird ecology (hard mode), standalone (hard mode), non-linear time (hard mode), BIPOC author (hard mode).
elliefish's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bookishlass's review against another edition
3.75
I am a fan of books about the importance of stories, and I'd recommend this one to YA readers who enjoy tales with little to no romance.
leasummer's review against another edition
4.0
Seek out diverse reviewers.
It took me two tries to get into the book. The first time I didn’t understand the back and forth between animal people world with Oli and our world with Nina. The second time I was immediately pulled into the animal people world. Nina’s story was slow and took longer for me to gather what was happening in her/our world. There’s a larger climate change plot point, which wasn’t immediately apparent to me. It is a long, slower story but I loved it and really felt pulled into their worlds.
It took me two tries to get into the book. The first time I didn’t understand the back and forth between animal people world with Oli and our world with Nina. The second time I was immediately pulled into the animal people world. Nina’s story was slow and took longer for me to gather what was happening in her/our world. There’s a larger climate change plot point, which wasn’t immediately apparent to me. It is a long, slower story but I loved it and really felt pulled into their worlds.