A review by kelseyjosund
Of Us and Them by T.L. Coughlin
5.0
Dragons and prophecies are both usually a hard sell for me, but the way TL imagines them here is fresh and interesting and fun. I love the broad inspiration from global dragon lore. The groundedness she conjures by centering an epic story on a few characters really makes the book work. It’s YA through and through, with a lot of the classic teen scenes you’d expect in the genre, but still manages to be unlike anything else I’ve read.
The writing is accessible and the plot somehow both straightforward and unexpected—a great combination to keep you reading! I kept almost thinking I knew what would happen next, but I kept being wrong.
The characters really felt like teenagers, which is a major strength. So often YA really feels like it was aged down to fit the market, with five years chopped off a character’s age but no change made to their behavior. Not so here: these are kids, as they should be. They grapple with difficult issues and complicated scenarios, but the author gave them space to also be young.
And what a cover!! Absolutely gorgeous.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The writing is accessible and the plot somehow both straightforward and unexpected—a great combination to keep you reading! I kept almost thinking I knew what would happen next, but I kept being wrong.
The characters really felt like teenagers, which is a major strength. So often YA really feels like it was aged down to fit the market, with five years chopped off a character’s age but no change made to their behavior. Not so here: these are kids, as they should be. They grapple with difficult issues and complicated scenarios, but the author gave them space to also be young.
And what a cover!! Absolutely gorgeous.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.