A review by booksblabbering
Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson

Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.

A book that was too angry for me… my favourite niche?! 

DNF at 60% :((

Mr. Scales is an Ashtown Runner (soldier) for Emperor Nik who rules the Wasteland.

When people start being turned inside out, an investigation is underway, all signs pointing to an invasion from the multiverse travel that was the focus of the first book. What didn’t help was the abrupt different characterisations of the characters of book one compared to this one inexplainable by a time jump. 

Whilst it was said you don’t have to read book one to understand this, I would argue you definitely do. It takes place a few year book one with the main characters becoming side characters. However, I read book one when it released and didn’t remember the specifics and still felt myself hung up and confused on aspects of this book.  

This book was more angry and violent than book one if that was possible.

Anger directed at the wealthy Wiley City. The abuse of power. The manipulation of propaganda. Severe dislike against specific individuals because of what they come from or stand for.

It is frustrating because I loved what the author was trying to do in certain places. Some quotes were so poignant and really hit me and I had to pause to reread. 

<b>"You saved me," I say. "No one else was going to," she says, and I wonder if she knows how special she is. How many people would use no one else is doing it as an excuse not to act, rather than as motivation.

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Sometimes, the message and the metaphors were too heavy-handed and made me roll my eyes. Being spoon-fed what to think about our current political climate ruined the ability to discuss discursive themes.

The nods to real-world events were sometimes thinly-veiled and made me get yanked out of the story. 

The world-building holds a lot of promise, yet this was neglected and the focus was on the words to label the people, careers, and class. 

I wanted more show, not tell. 

I didn’t want to pick it up because I didn’t want to ruin my experience of book one years later.

I sadly regret that I did. 

It felt like it was promoting a society that functions on violence as better than the comparative hated capitalistic City.

It was too blunt, too confusing, too angry. And I love raging books. 

Saying that, I will still definitely read whatever the author publishes next! Hopefully, a totally new universe or direction!

<b>As long as someone is stretching to reach you, you'd better bend to reach them. 

I remind myself that wanting to shift someone else's boundaries is a burden and a threat, not a gift or a compliment.

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