leighash_87's review
4.0
Fairly good story and writing but what really makes this book are the characters. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't relate to at least one character in this book. 5 different perspectives help you get to know different characters and see this dangerous and new world through different eyes. Very cool and well done.
Also I loved that there were a few surprises at the end that although didn't make me feel I had to read the next book, made me want to reread this one.
Also I loved that there were a few surprises at the end that although didn't make me feel I had to read the next book, made me want to reread this one.
axl98's review
4.0
With so many main characters, I assumed this book would be difficult to get into. I was wrong. Every protagonist was interesting in their own way, and because it was told in the third person, the switch from character to character wasn't particularly jarring. Story-wise, the world building was great. You kept learning new things about this strange post-apocalyptic world, and it's super interesting.
The plot... the plot is hard to describe. Ross is being chased, the town may or may not accept him, romance, overcoming PTSD, the mystery of the singing tree: it's a very hectic book, but it didn't feel like one as you're reading.
The characters were not only very diverse in race, gender, and sexuality (A+++), but very unique characters overall. There were no bland stereotypes, no flat characters, no true black-or-white scenarios. Even Felicité, a character I disliked in the beginning, was very three-dimensional, and by the end I felt bad for her.
I definitely recommend this book, especially to teens (and adults!) who are sick of the same bland characters and stories. Trust me, no part of this book is bland or overdone.
The plot... the plot is hard to describe. Ross is being chased, the town may or may not accept him, romance, overcoming PTSD, the mystery of the singing tree: it's a very hectic book, but it didn't feel like one as you're reading.
The characters were not only very diverse in race, gender, and sexuality (A+++), but very unique characters overall. There were no bland stereotypes, no flat characters, no true black-or-white scenarios. Even Felicité, a character I disliked in the beginning, was very three-dimensional, and by the end I felt bad for her.
I definitely recommend this book, especially to teens (and adults!) who are sick of the same bland characters and stories. Trust me, no part of this book is bland or overdone.
aw21594377's review
4.0
Generally really enjoyed this one and I'm not sure why I didn't give it a 5. I'm not usually into world building, but I've become more attuned to what that means and what I like and dislike in how authors craft that aspect of their stories. I liked the racial and ethnic representation within the range of characters. Smith and Brown did a good job of showing how someone with PTSD would react and struggle with integrating themselves into a "normal" community. It made me think about how war veterans struggle with re-integrating themselves into their home life after being away, consumed by a high-stress environment. I actually liked Ross a lot; I'm a sucker for the trope of (street) smart, but not necessarily formally educated. I related to his fear of being mocked for not knowing about subjects he feels like he "should", whether that was in sparring or in the classroom. His trust issues are also very relatable. Only when he was in a safe environment could he start to relax; words don't soothe the nervous system, actions do. As someone who has done A LOT of therapy, I've realized just how much work and time it takes to unlearn and persist through trauma. When you've operated under certain assumptions and fear of being hurt, mentally and physically, the body holds onto memories on a conscious and subconscious level. Getting it to relax and create new associations/reactions (or no longer reacting to perceived threat) takes a lot of immersion and repeated experiences of safety to "undo" the previous harm.
I also liked Mia and Jennie a lot, though perhaps a little less relatable/memorable for me. Felicite's storyline was a little less original for me, but I still felt like she and her father helped to flesh out the community. Even within their nuclear family, the authors made sure to add nuanced details, such as, her mother's perceived neutrality about Changed people and her father's outright prejudice. Felicite seems to have somewhat internalized both. Superficial appearance matters to her a lot, and it masked a deep insecurity/identity crisis/self-hatred that caused her to lash out and feel a ton of anxiety about. Her fear of rejection, especially by her father, was palpable.
I also really enjoyed the secondary characters -- Sera, Mia's father, Paco, Jennie's family, Meredith, etc. This was a large cast of characters and I think choosing to focus on a few key people was smart. It didn't feel too ambitious to me, which is often a trap that many authors fall into. Yuki was the emo boy trope that reminded me a lot of Zuko. I didn't love some aspects of his character, even if they were understandable. His harshness and resentment towards Ross was hard for me to read, but I also understood why he felt that way -- his prior terrible experience with the prospector who strung him out to dry, his own desire to be a prospector and leave Las Anclas, feeling like an outsider in the town. When he and Ross actually start to connect, I respected Ross's complete openness to Yuki's friendship. Maybe at one point I would've found that unrealistic, but I've learned that some people are capable of not being petty at all. I particularly liked Dr. Lee; he showed the most empathy and compassion towards Ross. While he never explicitly diagnosed Ross' having PTSD, he still recognized immediately the symptoms and manifestations; he advises Mia on how to interact with Ross safely, for both their sakes.
Anyways, overall really enjoyed being immersed in this book's world. I found myself excited to come back to it, especially the further I got. I guess in some ways this felt comfy, not exactly Becky Chambers comfy, but its own style of comfy.
I also liked Mia and Jennie a lot, though perhaps a little less relatable/memorable for me. Felicite's storyline was a little less original for me, but I still felt like she and her father helped to flesh out the community. Even within their nuclear family, the authors made sure to add nuanced details, such as, her mother's perceived neutrality about Changed people and her father's outright prejudice. Felicite seems to have somewhat internalized both. Superficial appearance matters to her a lot, and it masked a deep insecurity/identity crisis/self-hatred that caused her to lash out and feel a ton of anxiety about. Her fear of rejection, especially by her father, was palpable.
I also really enjoyed the secondary characters -- Sera, Mia's father, Paco, Jennie's family, Meredith, etc. This was a large cast of characters and I think choosing to focus on a few key people was smart. It didn't feel too ambitious to me, which is often a trap that many authors fall into. Yuki was the emo boy trope that reminded me a lot of Zuko. I didn't love some aspects of his character, even if they were understandable. His harshness and resentment towards Ross was hard for me to read, but I also understood why he felt that way -- his prior terrible experience with the prospector who strung him out to dry, his own desire to be a prospector and leave Las Anclas, feeling like an outsider in the town. When he and Ross actually start to connect, I respected Ross's complete openness to Yuki's friendship. Maybe at one point I would've found that unrealistic, but I've learned that some people are capable of not being petty at all. I particularly liked Dr. Lee; he showed the most empathy and compassion towards Ross. While he never explicitly diagnosed Ross' having PTSD, he still recognized immediately the symptoms and manifestations; he advises Mia on how to interact with Ross safely, for both their sakes.
Anyways, overall really enjoyed being immersed in this book's world. I found myself excited to come back to it, especially the further I got. I guess in some ways this felt comfy, not exactly Becky Chambers comfy, but its own style of comfy.
lsiegull's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
ahinds's review
3.0
I liked how the book was written especially how the author decide to do each chapter from a different characters point of view. Also like how normal she wrote the romance between Yuki and Paco. Though at times the novel seemed not realistic with how much importance was put on the teenage characters. Also I felt that the ending was very abrupt for the teens had only just started to unravel the mysterious book.
meepope's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.25
delaneybull's review
5.0
This was so great. Great world, great magic system, so gay, everything was good.
abbiechron's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
egelantier's review
5.0
[reviewing an arc]
man, am i ever sorry this book is not out yet, because i want everybody to read it and then write me fics. it's a post-apocalyptic story done without this specific flair of post-ap noir despair: i've loved the vibrancy of the setting first, with deadly yet bright and lively fauna (or not always deadly: my favorites were squirrels that learned to telekinetically steal food), and small enclaves of people trying to survive. the book follows ross, a skittish, half-feral boy who ends up in a town of las anclas, and slowly learns to trust and love other people, and several young people of las anclas community. there's a ton of lovely understated h/c, several queer couples (with and without povs), a budding f/f/m relationship, a slowly unfolding plot (mostly setting up events for the following books, but still following a tight and self-contained narrative), lots of lovely worldbuilding details and a really appealing community.
i've came to the conclusion that los anclas reminded me a lot, in feeling, of postman book (that i love in all its b-movie glory): people genuinely trying their best to keep their world standing without resorting to violence or willful awfulness. there's some unsavory politics and unpleasant prejudices, but even these characters do try their best to stay human.
(my second favorite character is felicity, a scheming, bitter girl trying to keep her world tightly controlled and struggling with her secret identity: she starts out as something of a hidden antagonist, and then slowly unfolds in a flawed yet sympathetic, almost tragic figure. i can't wait to see what she will make herself into).
man, am i ever sorry this book is not out yet, because i want everybody to read it and then write me fics. it's a post-apocalyptic story done without this specific flair of post-ap noir despair: i've loved the vibrancy of the setting first, with deadly yet bright and lively fauna (or not always deadly: my favorites were squirrels that learned to telekinetically steal food), and small enclaves of people trying to survive. the book follows ross, a skittish, half-feral boy who ends up in a town of las anclas, and slowly learns to trust and love other people, and several young people of las anclas community. there's a ton of lovely understated h/c, several queer couples (with and without povs), a budding f/f/m relationship, a slowly unfolding plot (mostly setting up events for the following books, but still following a tight and self-contained narrative), lots of lovely worldbuilding details and a really appealing community.
i've came to the conclusion that los anclas reminded me a lot, in feeling, of postman book (that i love in all its b-movie glory): people genuinely trying their best to keep their world standing without resorting to violence or willful awfulness. there's some unsavory politics and unpleasant prejudices, but even these characters do try their best to stay human.
(my second favorite character is felicity, a scheming, bitter girl trying to keep her world tightly controlled and struggling with her secret identity: she starts out as something of a hidden antagonist, and then slowly unfolds in a flawed yet sympathetic, almost tragic figure. i can't wait to see what she will make herself into).
cocoafiend's review
5.0
This one was great! Hope it becomes the next big thing. Super fun, unique setting. Recommend to adventure and dystopia lovers.