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defnotnora13's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thebooknerdscorner's review
4.0
"The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza" is a quirky read about a sixteen-year-old girl by the name of Elena who just happens to hold the entire fate of the Earth in her hands; no pressure, of course.
Elena has always been a bit different. She was born of a virgin birth (a process known as parthenogenesis), she's heard mysterious voices for as long as she can remember, and is a social outcast in almost every situation. Despite being an oddity, she's still shocked when she is able to heal her crush, Freddie, from a devastating gun wound in the Starbucks parking lot with nothing but her hands and her mysterious abilities. As Elena begins to perform more miraculous acts, she begins to wonder who has bestowed these miraculous powers upon her, and to what lengths she is willing to go to save the world.
I couldn't help constantly comparing this one to the only other one of Hutchinson's novels that I had previously: "We Are the Ants." I loved that book so much and it is hard not to view Elena's story as a bit of an off-brand version of Henry's story. Despite this, I still did enjoy the characters, the bizarre plot, and the overall odd scenarios that went down in this book.
Something that I wasn't expecting at all in this one was allusions to Hutchinson's other books. When Henry from "We Are the Ants" showed up, I practically shrieked aloud. The only other one I consciously picked up was Tommy from "At the Edge of the Universe," but I have only read two of Hutchinson's books, so I'm sure there were other references that I missed. I think that these Easter eggs are really cool and seeing Henry again made me immediately perk up while reading.
I really like the themes present throughout this story. My personal favorite has to be the one about making choices for oneself. All of the other things covered in this book really packed a punch, too. This book was filled to the brim with topics such as teenage crushes, alcoholism, suicide, sexual identity, mental and physical illness, and so much more.
The quirkiness of this book and the humor surrounding it was also top tier. Between the talking objects that took shapes such as a Gandalf LEGO, a baby Cthulhu plushie, and a snappy My Little Pony with colorful language, all of Elena's companions were quite the entities. The back and forth comments between the main characters was also quite entertaining and realistic.
The final thing I want to comment on is the diversity. I think almost every identity that is part of the LGBTQIA+ community was touched on in this book. The young characters were really discovering their sexual identities in this one, and I really appreciated the inclusion of the fact that some of the characters might be asexual. Other aspects of diversity are also top tier in this book with Elena being a Latina and her best friend Fadil being Muslim.
Overall, "The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza" is a strange story that tackles some tough topics, spreads some important messages, and allows one to really think about the mortality of humans and the possibility of the world ending. I didn't love it nearly as much as I love "We Are the Ants," but it was still a great book with complex characters, realistic scenarios, and bizarre science fictional happenings. I must say, reading this one makes me really excited to read more of Hutchinson's books, especially "At the Edge of the Universe." If one enjoys urban science fiction books with a bit of an odd side that also tackles important issues, I cannot recommend Hutchinson's books enough!
Elena has always been a bit different. She was born of a virgin birth (a process known as parthenogenesis), she's heard mysterious voices for as long as she can remember, and is a social outcast in almost every situation. Despite being an oddity, she's still shocked when she is able to heal her crush, Freddie, from a devastating gun wound in the Starbucks parking lot with nothing but her hands and her mysterious abilities. As Elena begins to perform more miraculous acts, she begins to wonder who has bestowed these miraculous powers upon her, and to what lengths she is willing to go to save the world.
I couldn't help constantly comparing this one to the only other one of Hutchinson's novels that I had previously: "We Are the Ants." I loved that book so much and it is hard not to view Elena's story as a bit of an off-brand version of Henry's story. Despite this, I still did enjoy the characters, the bizarre plot, and the overall odd scenarios that went down in this book.
Something that I wasn't expecting at all in this one was allusions to Hutchinson's other books. When Henry from "We Are the Ants" showed up, I practically shrieked aloud. The only other one I consciously picked up was Tommy from "At the Edge of the Universe," but I have only read two of Hutchinson's books, so I'm sure there were other references that I missed. I think that these Easter eggs are really cool and seeing Henry again made me immediately perk up while reading.
I really like the themes present throughout this story. My personal favorite has to be the one about making choices for oneself. All of the other things covered in this book really packed a punch, too. This book was filled to the brim with topics such as teenage crushes, alcoholism, suicide, sexual identity, mental and physical illness, and so much more.
The quirkiness of this book and the humor surrounding it was also top tier. Between the talking objects that took shapes such as a Gandalf LEGO, a baby Cthulhu plushie, and a snappy My Little Pony with colorful language, all of Elena's companions were quite the entities. The back and forth comments between the main characters was also quite entertaining and realistic.
The final thing I want to comment on is the diversity. I think almost every identity that is part of the LGBTQIA+ community was touched on in this book. The young characters were really discovering their sexual identities in this one, and I really appreciated the inclusion of the fact that some of the characters might be asexual. Other aspects of diversity are also top tier in this book with Elena being a Latina and her best friend Fadil being Muslim.
Overall, "The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza" is a strange story that tackles some tough topics, spreads some important messages, and allows one to really think about the mortality of humans and the possibility of the world ending. I didn't love it nearly as much as I love "We Are the Ants," but it was still a great book with complex characters, realistic scenarios, and bizarre science fictional happenings. I must say, reading this one makes me really excited to read more of Hutchinson's books, especially "At the Edge of the Universe." If one enjoys urban science fiction books with a bit of an odd side that also tackles important issues, I cannot recommend Hutchinson's books enough!
joanna1905's review
2.0
(Rating closer to a 3.5 rather than a 3)
This book was SO weird, I picked it up because I felt like reading a light-hearted book and this definitely fulfilled that goal. The whole story is nuts but also super creative and unlike any book, i have ever read. The diversity in this book is fab; our protagonists are a bisexual Cuban girl and an asexual Muslim boy whose crisis is totally unrelated to their identities but rather related to the end of the entire world.
The writing style is one of the strongest parts of this book, it's such an easy book to get through yet it certainly isn't lacking in detail.
While I can't say this book changed my life, it was a super fun read and if a sequel were to pop up I would for sure pick it up!
This book was SO weird, I picked it up because I felt like reading a light-hearted book and this definitely fulfilled that goal. The whole story is nuts but also super creative and unlike any book, i have ever read. The diversity in this book is fab; our protagonists are a bisexual Cuban girl and an asexual Muslim boy whose crisis is totally unrelated to their identities but rather related to the end of the entire world.
The writing style is one of the strongest parts of this book, it's such an easy book to get through yet it certainly isn't lacking in detail.
While I can't say this book changed my life, it was a super fun read and if a sequel were to pop up I would for sure pick it up!
maida's review
4.0
“Hello, my name is Elena Maria Mendoza, and I’ve come to end the world.”
3.5
Damn that was an experience to say the least. We are the ants is my favorite book of all time so I was so excited for this one and I left a little… disappointed?
I think the story was going great until the Henry cameo. Yes, I love him and I was so excited to see him again but it completely pulled me out of the story. It made me think so much about how I love those characters and not the ones from this book.
To be honest, I didn’t really like any of the characters besides Elena. Javi was funny but also an asshole, Fadil was just your average YA male best friend, Freddie had her ups and downs throughout the novel which made it kinda difficult to sympathize with her and all of the other characters are so one dimensional that it’s not even worth mentioning them.
Thinking about it, I’m not really sure if I even like Elena. Or if I like her because her identities mirror mine. We’re both bisexual and from Latino descent, which I was so excited to finally see on a book! And her relationship with her mom is so similar to my moms and me soooo… yay for representation, I guess?
I did love the ending though. Elena’s speech was great and it made me so proud?????
Overall, it was a very thought provoking read, as with all of Shaun David Hutchinson’s books, but also kind of average compared to his other work. Still really enjoyable though.
52. A book published in 2018
3.5
Damn that was an experience to say the least. We are the ants is my favorite book of all time so I was so excited for this one and I left a little… disappointed?
I think the story was going great until the Henry cameo. Yes, I love him and I was so excited to see him again but it completely pulled me out of the story. It made me think so much about how I love those characters and not the ones from this book.
To be honest, I didn’t really like any of the characters besides Elena. Javi was funny but also an asshole, Fadil was just your average YA male best friend, Freddie had her ups and downs throughout the novel which made it kinda difficult to sympathize with her and all of the other characters are so one dimensional that it’s not even worth mentioning them.
Thinking about it, I’m not really sure if I even like Elena. Or if I like her because her identities mirror mine. We’re both bisexual and from Latino descent, which I was so excited to finally see on a book! And her relationship with her mom is so similar to my moms and me soooo… yay for representation, I guess?
I did love the ending though. Elena’s speech was great and it made me so proud?????
Overall, it was a very thought provoking read, as with all of Shaun David Hutchinson’s books, but also kind of average compared to his other work. Still really enjoyable though.
52. A book published in 2018
gabrielle_erin's review
2.0
All that build up, for NOTHING to happen. The writing was fun and sweet enough but like??? I invested so heavily, suspending all disbelief, to get not a single answer or resolution?? I cannot even put my finger on the moral of this story. And the fact that no one questions her hearing voices? Sorrows and prayers for this one.
intorilex's review against another edition
3.0
Expected more after reading We Are Ants. Could have been shorter but had good diverse representation
ohclaire's review
3.0
I was so excited to read this book from the first few pages, but afterwards, I just didn't love it. I really wish I did. I feel like it just wasn't the right time for me to read this book.
geosbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
This book definitely wasn’t what I expected! I was definitely expecting less philosophy and more action. But I really liked it! I found it brought up debates without being too preachy about them (except for maybe the end) and I liked that it didn’t assume that teenagers couldn’t have debates and thoughts about deeper issues. Personally, having questioned issues like religion and fate and what happens if someone is healed, especially from something like mental illness, I felt less alone reading this book. If you or a teen is going through that kind of struggle, I think this book a good thing to give them. I don’t know that it would make you or them happier, but there is comfort in knowing that others have similar questions.
abnightshade's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0