There are plenty of post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories out there for younger readers, but I'm pleased to see that Children of the Different offersThere are plenty of post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories out there for younger readers, but I'm pleased to see that Children of the Different offers an alternative from the "same old same old" for its audience.
The novel lives somewhere between the middle-reader and young-adult categories, and it follows the compelling characters of thirteen year-old Arika and her twin brother Narrah, inheritors of a world ravaged by the Great Madness, as they experience their coming-of-age via the dreamlike otherworld of the Changeland. S.C. Flynn blends science fiction and fantasy, original ideas and indigenous tradition, to create an imaginative journey with high stakes and able protagonists vividly set in Western Australia.
What I appreciated most in this story is how it empowers young readers, giving them credit for courage and will and agency, and refusing to talk down to them. The final takeaway is one I definitely can get behind: technology can cause problems and it can also offer solutions. What science does, whether it is "good" or "bad" when applied, ultimately depends on the choices of the individuals who use it. Arika and Narrah wrest hope from apparent hopelessness, and the reader imagines that they will choose to heal their people and their world.
I received an ARC from the author in return for an honest review.
Merged review:
There are plenty of post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories out there for younger readers, but I'm pleased to see that Children of the Different offers an alternative from the "same old same old" for its audience.
The novel lives somewhere between the middle-reader and young-adult categories, and it follows the compelling characters of thirteen year-old Arika and her twin brother Narrah, inheritors of a world ravaged by the Great Madness, as they experience their coming-of-age via the dreamlike otherworld of the Changeland. S.C. Flynn blends science fiction and fantasy, original ideas and indigenous tradition, to create an imaginative journey with high stakes and able protagonists vividly set in Western Australia.
What I appreciated most in this story is how it empowers young readers, giving them credit for courage and will and agency, and refusing to talk down to them. The final takeaway is one I definitely can get behind: technology can cause problems and it can also offer solutions. What science does, whether it is "good" or "bad" when applied, ultimately depends on the choices of the individuals who use it. Arika and Narrah wrest hope from apparent hopelessness, and the reader imagines that they will choose to heal their people and their world.
I received an ARC from the author in return for an honest review....more
5 stars. Ashley Winstead has crafted a powerful mystery inspired by the Idaho Four murders that interrogates the grief of loss, the ethics and lure of5 stars. Ashley Winstead has crafted a powerful mystery inspired by the Idaho Four murders that interrogates the grief of loss, the ethics and lure of true crime, and the critiques embedded in Dark Academia. It’s a deeply humane and moving read as well as an engrossing page-turner of a thriller. I particularly appreciated how Winstead wove the love and big ideas of Star Trek: Voyager into this work. It’s one of the best novels I’ve read this year, and I look forward to recommending it to others.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel before its publication in return for an honest review....more
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