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brychan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Suicide
Minor: War
xabbeylongx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really liked how the characters weren't sugarcoated, even Row through her son's eyes; I think that made it a bit more personal to the characters, and definitely helped me to develop a connection with the characters, which I think would be difficult if we didn't know their inner monologue - these characters, for example, seem to keep their emotions to themselves, most of the time.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicide
misty_kb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Death
Minor: Suicide
flatreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Animal death and Child death
Minor: Suicide
epellicci's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Dylan, him mum, and baby sister Mona might be the last people in the world after The End. Several years ago, bombs dropped around the world, the power went away, and then came The Cloud. In a beautiful remote area of North Wales, Dylan and his family have survived it all, and now he and his mum are sharing their story.
The Blue Book of Nebo is eerily believable, and Manon Steffan Ros masterfully captures a sense of fear and hope through the eyes of her characters. I found Dylan’s chapters particularly moving – his journey from innocent child to the steady, mature presence of a young person with so much responsibility, really hit me. Despite its short length, there is a real reflective spirit to the book, helped by the use of Rowena, whose narrative gives us a perspective that has lived most of their life in the world before The End and had to adjust their entire world view.
The ending left me dying to know what is next for this family. This book is a brilliantly moving and thoughtful study of growth, grief, and connections – both to people and the world we exist in.
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, and Suicide
booksjessreads's review against another edition
- 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 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.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide
iliveinletters's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, and Vomit
boutofbibliophilia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Animal death and Child death
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide
lleullawgyffes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Death and Suicide