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booksjessreads's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I read this for the Carnegie Shortlist and felt this was a really good YA read. I really enjoyed Dylan's character and how his innocence of childhood is really played throughout his early chapters in the book. I also got a sense of Dylan growing up throughout his chapters, and how it gradually got more mature as he aged. I also felt Rowenna's chapters were cleverly done, because in the beginning, you deeply felt her dislike of writing and self-confessing to the Blue Book of Nebo, but you sensed how she became more comfortable in writing throughout the book. These were really clever techniques. However, the downside for me, was that at times, it felt like you were reading an adult and a child's book at points, rather than being YA. I felt it was quite disconcerting to flit between them at times, but generally I appreciated the way this story was told.
I also found the subject matter and the story itself to be really interesting, but also really bleak. This is undoubtedly quite a sad and dark book and it was really heavy at times. I think this definitely needs a more mature reader to handle the emotional energy required to get through certain parts, especially towards the end. Generally, I also thought the dystopia to be fairly believable and thought the natural story progression wasn't forced. I also enjoyed the themes of trying to survive the end of the world really interesting, especially things relating to gardening. Furthermore, I enjoyed the setting of the book, being set in a small Welsh village was such a different setting to me, and I also enjoyed how there was Welsh throughout the book. I personally have never read anything from this country and it offered such a fresh perspective. This was also translated by the author from Welsh to English, which made the translation seem really smooth.
I also found the subject matter and the story itself to be really interesting, but also really bleak. This is undoubtedly quite a sad and dark book and it was really heavy at times. I think this definitely needs a more mature reader to handle the emotional energy required to get through certain parts, especially towards the end. Generally, I also thought the dystopia to be fairly believable and thought the natural story progression wasn't forced. I also enjoyed the themes of trying to survive the end of the world really interesting, especially things relating to gardening. Furthermore, I enjoyed the setting of the book, being set in a small Welsh village was such a different setting to me, and I also enjoyed how there was Welsh throughout the book. I personally have never read anything from this country and it offered such a fresh perspective. This was also translated by the author from Welsh to English, which made the translation seem really smooth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide
emilyjp1620's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Sexual content
iliveinletters's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, and Vomit