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jennlovesreading's review against another edition
Very slow to develop and switching between the different characters/worlds was more confusing than engaging.
alyssa_olaf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
myreme's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
johnnymacaroni's review against another edition
4.0
I think I really like Rebecca Stead! This story is exciting and engaging without being overly dramatic or traumatic. I also really liked so many of the characters including the dogs who had their own strong personalities too. The descriptions of setting are so detailed and rich sometimes I felt cold while reading this! I'm looking forward to reading more from Stead.
ris_stitches's review against another edition
4.0
This started off kind of slow and confusing and weird. And quickly got pretty darn good. I think my niece would love this book. I might have to get it for her for Christmas!
bookmarvel's review against another edition
5.0
5/7
Omg this book is so cool! I’m not sure exactly what about it I love so much, but maybe it’s like a fictional hidden society that could be real and we could never know, or just reading stories about kids who do cool things like go to Greenland with their parents, or kids from fictional fantasy places that I wish I grew up in. Also I love all the dogs, from both worlds, like I love the concept of everyone gets a dog companion and they’re yours for life and they live about as long as humans. Oh and I would absolutely love to ice skate everywhere.
Also self-sufficient communities that survive with no influence from the outside world are super cool and so fascinating to me.
5/14
This book had me hooked the whole way through! I so wish that I could live in Gracehope, like it’s such a cool place and I love almost everything about it! Also the characters are so young like what?? Thea is 14 and Peter is 12 I think? Like they seem at least 15-16 years old and I cannot believe this.
So yeah, I love the characters, love the premise, plot is cool, and I want a cool lifelong wolf/dog companion so bad, like I would give anything to have a Chikchu, bonus points if I was an ear adept and could hear its signals.
Also the cover of the book I own is not the same as the one on goodreads, and honestly they’re both super cool and it’s such a good cover.
Omg this book is so cool! I’m not sure exactly what about it I love so much, but maybe it’s like a fictional hidden society that could be real and we could never know, or just reading stories about kids who do cool things like go to Greenland with their parents, or kids from fictional fantasy places that I wish I grew up in. Also I love all the dogs, from both worlds, like I love the concept of everyone gets a dog companion and they’re yours for life and they live about as long as humans. Oh and I would absolutely love to ice skate everywhere.
Also self-sufficient communities that survive with no influence from the outside world are super cool and so fascinating to me.
5/14
This book had me hooked the whole way through! I so wish that I could live in Gracehope, like it’s such a cool place and I love almost everything about it! Also the characters are so young like what?? Thea is 14 and Peter is 12 I think? Like they seem at least 15-16 years old and I cannot believe this.
So yeah, I love the characters, love the premise, plot is cool, and I want a cool lifelong wolf/dog companion so bad, like I would give anything to have a Chikchu, bonus points if I was an ear adept and could hear its signals.
Also the cover of the book I own is not the same as the one on goodreads, and honestly they’re both super cool and it’s such a good cover.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. Kind of a sci-fi-ish coming of age novel.
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Being greatly fond of both When You Reach Me and Liar & Spy I thought is was high time I read Rebecca Stead's first novel First Light. I am very glad I did.
Like Stead's other works First Light is a mystery of sorts. I love the way she writes, creating a tone of uncertainty and yet connecting the reader to the characters so well. This is not as flawlessly done in First Light as it is in her later works, but it is still there. And saying that a book by Rebecca Stead is not quite as good as her others still puts it far above most other things available for reading. I will say I think the mystery was handled better here. I was genuinely surprised by the turn of events in this book. I am going to say little about the plot so as not to give too much away, but it was well executed in most respects. There was quite a bit of background in mitochondrial DNA at one point (just a couple pages) that had my eyes starting to glaze over, but I have long since established I am not a person to be interested by talk of the scientific.
I enjoyed both Peter and Thea as characters, though I liked Thea just a little more. She felt more real and fleshed out to me. I don't know if this is due to the nature of their personalities or because I happen to be a girl. I loved the little details of both of their worlds that made the settings come to life. There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding the past of Thea's people and the technology available to them that may bother those of a more scientific bent than myself. I was fine with the unanswered and was willing to accept the world as Stead presented it.
This is a great choice for anyone who is wary of sci-fi and fantasy but required to read one. Or if you are just looking for a wonderful story, something Stead always delivers on.
Being greatly fond of both When You Reach Me and Liar & Spy I thought is was high time I read Rebecca Stead's first novel First Light. I am very glad I did.
Like Stead's other works First Light is a mystery of sorts. I love the way she writes, creating a tone of uncertainty and yet connecting the reader to the characters so well. This is not as flawlessly done in First Light as it is in her later works, but it is still there. And saying that a book by Rebecca Stead is not quite as good as her others still puts it far above most other things available for reading. I will say I think the mystery was handled better here. I was genuinely surprised by the turn of events in this book. I am going to say little about the plot so as not to give too much away, but it was well executed in most respects. There was quite a bit of background in mitochondrial DNA at one point (just a couple pages) that had my eyes starting to glaze over, but I have long since established I am not a person to be interested by talk of the scientific.
I enjoyed both Peter and Thea as characters, though I liked Thea just a little more. She felt more real and fleshed out to me. I don't know if this is due to the nature of their personalities or because I happen to be a girl. I loved the little details of both of their worlds that made the settings come to life. There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding the past of Thea's people and the technology available to them that may bother those of a more scientific bent than myself. I was fine with the unanswered and was willing to accept the world as Stead presented it.
This is a great choice for anyone who is wary of sci-fi and fantasy but required to read one. Or if you are just looking for a wonderful story, something Stead always delivers on.
menaquinone's review against another edition
5.0
I really like how Stead weaved science, fiction and the exploration of the human condition together. I was probably too naive to appreciate it then but looking back I get why I enjoyed reading her books a lot