
Oh. My. God. I WANT TO EAT THE WRITING. It was so good. It was funny and fantastical. The perfect YA coming of age. Ofc, there was flowery language (AND I love flowery language/purple prose) but it was absolutely delectable. It was full of hope, optimism and wonder while staying grounded. It was fierce and free in the way hope always is. It tackles important questions I’ve always had about love. Can you love someone and also keep your freedom? What does it mean to love when you are not free? How much choice do we have in loving someone?
I loved Demelza’s humor and Arris’ sense of belief. Prava, her father, was an actually intriguing morally grey character. His relationship with Araminta, her mother, felt achingly familiar. I really liked the way family was portrayed in this book as well as the competitors. They felt like entire worlds of their own and they were written beautifully. I would totally be up for a book exploring one of these characters!
P.S. the way food was described actually made my mouth water at one point. I’m not even joking. Loved the creatures and the uniqueness of the ancestor grove as a concept! Luscious. Alluring. It was delicious. I devoured it. (pun intended) I also appreciated the scariness and vulnerability of the love portrayed here. This is why I like YA. They are teenagers. of course, it would feel earth-shattering; it’s their first time. So big big emotions here. Which I ate right up. (i think i’m hungry)
Oh. My. God. I WANT TO EAT THE WRITING. It was so good. It was funny and fantastical. The perfect YA coming of age. Ofc, there was flowery language (AND I love flowery language/purple prose) but it was absolutely delectable. It was full of hope, optimism and wonder while staying grounded. It was fierce and free in the way hope always is. It tackles important questions I’ve always had about love. Can you love someone and also keep your freedom? What does it mean to love when you are not free? How much choice do we have in loving someone?
I loved Demelza’s humor and Arris’ sense of belief. Prava, her father, was an actually intriguing morally grey character. His relationship with Araminta, her mother, felt achingly familiar. I really liked the way family was portrayed in this book as well as the competitors. They felt like entire worlds of their own and they were written beautifully. I would totally be up for a book exploring one of these characters!
P.S. the way food was described actually made my mouth water at one point. I’m not even joking. Loved the creatures and the uniqueness of the ancestor grove as a concept! Luscious. Alluring. It was delicious. I devoured it. (pun intended) I also appreciated the scariness and vulnerability of the love portrayed here. This is why I like YA. They are teenagers. of course, it would feel earth-shattering; it’s their first time. So big big emotions here. Which I ate right up. (i think i’m hungry)