jamgrl's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Aliens have invaded Earth— but only the Virgin Islands. The aliens look like humans— but they are much more powerful. They say they are only staying temporarily and peacefully. Issue is, they have short fuses.
This book is super interesting and unique. It weaves together the stories of islanders going through interpersonal issues while also dealing with the political realities of their time- aliens. The book is not just about aliens, they are just another layer to these people’s lives, hiding in the background, and yet they are an inescapable force on the island.
The book switches perspectives quite a lot, but it wasn’t too hard to follow who everyone is. The mystery of the aliens unfolds around and
between the character’s personal dramasfalling in and out of love, making hard choices about when to follow dreams, inter-generational familial conflict. Not to mention how filled it is with Virgin Island culture from an author from the Virgin Islands!
The audiobook has stellar performances from the narrators. (Sometimes they can get whispery, so not every location is ideal for listening.)
(I also liked No Gods, No Monsters by the same author, but I must admit I liked this one better 🫣.)
{{Warning: there is a lot of violence, some fairly graphic, and character death}}
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, and Death
Minor: Car accident and Physical abuse
kaylamoran's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Genocide, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Slavery, and Terminal illness
Minor: Lesbophobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
sofia_marie's review
3.75
Graphic: Cancer, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Slavery, and Violence
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, Colonisation, and Slavery
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Vomit
whatellisreadnext's review
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Gore
caidyn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death and Xenophobia
Moderate: Suicide
katiehicks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Animal death and Cancer
Minor: Car accident and Confinement
2treads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The lives, loves, experiences, and scape are depicted with a familiarity that immediately grips and holds the attention. There is no pomp or overly done construction here. It is pure simplicity and renders the characters even more real because of it.
This narrative raises questions around who defines invasions and what is the nature of a particular arrival that allows it to either be stamped or negated as an invasion? Is the position and perception of the native inhabitants being taken into consideration or is the story being steered by larger and uninvolved foreign powers?
It also addresses belonging: what does it mean to belong to a society when one has been embedded in it for centuries but is different from and has been carrying out specimen collections and societal observations that aim to benefit a distant home planet?
Is it surprising or unexpected that one should form bonds and begin to understand the people and planet on which one has been integrated into?
What made me love this book, even more than just because it is set in the Caribbean, is that it portrayed people not unlike those who we grew up with. People who are falling in and out of love, discovering a new passion, allowing themselves to exist in the moment, adjusting to a new reality while still maintaining behaviours and mores that they have always known.
Minor: Death
noreadingdegree's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Slavery, Murder, Infidelity, Grief, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual content and Car accident