A review by pacey1927
Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee
2.0
I thought this book sounded like a great read. Its the story of the end of the world. Merciful and her older brother Gospel are left a alone with a man made 'thing' called the Minister after their mother dies. Quickly readers are informed that all of the known world has already disappeared. The book's blurb leads you to believe that maybe their mother isn't fully dead...
Yes, all that intro was pretty thrilling and for a brief while I was very engrossed and I did end up reading the book in a couple of days which is pretty quick for me here lately. However the world is drawn purposely confusing. First the Minister is a cat, then a dog, then a squirrel and so on. Yet Mericiful only see knows him as whatever she sees at the time. Her memories are being clogged. We never know who is really good and who is evil. We never know who is has the children's best interest in mind or who and what does not.
Nearly all of the book takes place with a cast of six or so characters and almost all in the same setting. This could work but here is doesn't as we aren't allowed to see how the world really came to be this way. The story concludes abruptly. I don't need a happy ending in every book but this seemed like almost no ending at all. And I read other reviews that said that the religion in this book isn't jammed down your throat, but I thought it was. Even worse whatever point the author was trying to make about religion went over my head. I'm not sure this book really fits its intended young audience either.
Yes, all that intro was pretty thrilling and for a brief while I was very engrossed and I did end up reading the book in a couple of days which is pretty quick for me here lately. However the world is drawn purposely confusing. First the Minister is a cat, then a dog, then a squirrel and so on. Yet Mericiful only see knows him as whatever she sees at the time. Her memories are being clogged. We never know who is really good and who is evil. We never know who is has the children's best interest in mind or who and what does not.
Nearly all of the book takes place with a cast of six or so characters and almost all in the same setting. This could work but here is doesn't as we aren't allowed to see how the world really came to be this way. The story concludes abruptly. I don't need a happy ending in every book but this seemed like almost no ending at all. And I read other reviews that said that the religion in this book isn't jammed down your throat, but I thought it was. Even worse whatever point the author was trying to make about religion went over my head. I'm not sure this book really fits its intended young audience either.