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A review by book_x_butterfly
Earthlings - The Beginning by Ray Star
5.0
Have you ever come across a book that was completely unexpected and hit you way harder than you were prepared for? This is exactly what happened to me with Earthlings. I feel so lucky to have been part of the review tour ☺️
In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that if I saw this book on a shelf in a shop, I'd probably skip past it, however, I was contacted about reviewing this book and sent the above description and I was immediately intrigued. I'm guilty of frequently cover-buying and this example has made me stand back a little and read synopses before deciding on a book.
I really don't know where to start with reviewing this book - I am slightly speechless!
I guess the general plot is a pretty good starting point. Earthlings is a coming-of-age novel set in a world turned upside-down by the irresponsible nature of mankind. Peridot is our female protagonist who has been separated from the mainland chaos, living on a small island with only four (human) inhabitants. This brings me to one of my favourite aspects of Earthlings - the relationships between characters. The book really emphasises the idea of found family and beautifully portrays the disparities between truthful, trusting relationships and relationships controlled by fear and mistrust. Ray Star spends a nice chunk of the book really focusing on Peridot and her relationship with others and the world around her.
During the first third (or so) of the novel, we get to watch Peridot growing up. Sometimes I feel that authors who do this kind of coming-of-age change the character too much in the child to teen transition. I mean we all know that teenagers tend to be portrayed as grumpy but I really enjoyed that Peridot truly felt like an older version of the character we first met. She has her mood swings but her core personality was well kept and I found it easy to follow her growth.
In and amongst Peridot's journey through to adolescence, the book is filled with quirky references to the world as we know it (from modern film to bacon sandwiches)! In addition, issues such as global warming, animal cruelty and mass farming are addressed in a way that feels properly relevant to the story, rather than in a forceful fashion. Some scenes are a little graphic in terms of what they represent, however, Ray has done a fantastic job of ensuring the message is received without being off-putting. This makes for a thought-provoking read whilst the reader is still submerged in a dystopian-type magical world. I also love that the ethical underpinnings of the book aren't just empty words: Ray is planting a tree for each copy sold and copies are printed on recycled paper!!
I've probably made the book seem very serious and depressing from my review so far but this was so not to case. The general tone of the book is, on the whole, lighthearted and actually quite funny at times. The character's internal dialogues are relatable and humorous, and dialogues between characters are done beautifully, feeling authentic and allowing a true feel for the relationship between the characters.
The ending of the book had be on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat! I'd grown so connected to the characters that I so desperately want things to work out for them and I am certain that the wait for book two is going to be filled with anticipation!
In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that if I saw this book on a shelf in a shop, I'd probably skip past it, however, I was contacted about reviewing this book and sent the above description and I was immediately intrigued. I'm guilty of frequently cover-buying and this example has made me stand back a little and read synopses before deciding on a book.
I really don't know where to start with reviewing this book - I am slightly speechless!
I guess the general plot is a pretty good starting point. Earthlings is a coming-of-age novel set in a world turned upside-down by the irresponsible nature of mankind. Peridot is our female protagonist who has been separated from the mainland chaos, living on a small island with only four (human) inhabitants. This brings me to one of my favourite aspects of Earthlings - the relationships between characters. The book really emphasises the idea of found family and beautifully portrays the disparities between truthful, trusting relationships and relationships controlled by fear and mistrust. Ray Star spends a nice chunk of the book really focusing on Peridot and her relationship with others and the world around her.
During the first third (or so) of the novel, we get to watch Peridot growing up. Sometimes I feel that authors who do this kind of coming-of-age change the character too much in the child to teen transition. I mean we all know that teenagers tend to be portrayed as grumpy but I really enjoyed that Peridot truly felt like an older version of the character we first met. She has her mood swings but her core personality was well kept and I found it easy to follow her growth.
In and amongst Peridot's journey through to adolescence, the book is filled with quirky references to the world as we know it (from modern film to bacon sandwiches)! In addition, issues such as global warming, animal cruelty and mass farming are addressed in a way that feels properly relevant to the story, rather than in a forceful fashion. Some scenes are a little graphic in terms of what they represent, however, Ray has done a fantastic job of ensuring the message is received without being off-putting. This makes for a thought-provoking read whilst the reader is still submerged in a dystopian-type magical world. I also love that the ethical underpinnings of the book aren't just empty words: Ray is planting a tree for each copy sold and copies are printed on recycled paper!!
I've probably made the book seem very serious and depressing from my review so far but this was so not to case. The general tone of the book is, on the whole, lighthearted and actually quite funny at times. The character's internal dialogues are relatable and humorous, and dialogues between characters are done beautifully, feeling authentic and allowing a true feel for the relationship between the characters.
The ending of the book had be on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat! I'd grown so connected to the characters that I so desperately want things to work out for them and I am certain that the wait for book two is going to be filled with anticipation!