A review by lilifane
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a beautiful book. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with it.

Set in a probably not so far future where climate change has caused 80% of the earth’s animals to go extinct. The last flock of Arctic Terns is about to undertake its last migration from the Arctic to Antarctica, and Franny wants to follow them. We follow Franny on her journey and get flashbacks to her life so far occasionally. 

Although Franny is not always the most likeable character, I was really immersed in her story. I always wanted to know what happens next or what happened in her past. Although it’s a very slow-paced plot, it never gets boring. The writing is beautiful, melancholic and atmospheric (it was hot outside, but I was freezing with the characters). I love how the title and the story go together, and just the structure of the plot. (Which is technically non-linear, but there are so many parallels.) The plot is not always the most believable or logical, and the characters make some questionable decisions along the way. But the plot isn’t the most important part of the book anyways in my opinion. Also, it’s a sad and depressing story, but there is hope.

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