Scan barcode
theaceofpages's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Set far in the future, humans and angels are at war. Residuals exist in the space in between the fighting and wish it would end, although the Humens drag them in. Set in a contrastingly primitive and technological future Australia, we follow a cast of interesting characters as they explore their world and learn how the current state came to be. As the title suggest, the book focuses on Ferren (a residual) and a fallen angel (called Miriael), although there are definitely also other important characters! They were all a little frustrating at the start, but I did come to like (most of) them by the end.
I had a fun time with this book. While there seem to be some religious influences when it comes to heaven, I greatly appreciate that the book doesn't become preachy. I loved the world building and how mundane objects (I'm a little surprised that they're still in such good condition considering the passage of time and what's been going on on earth) have gained such importance to a society that has lost the comforts of modern civilisation, which as largely become a thing of legends. Although maybe a bit expositiony, I greatly enjoyed the segment where we were provided with the history f what happened between heaven and earth to put humans and angels at war.
While I loved the world building, there are a lot of "classes" of people and it takes a while to wrap your head around it. I think I get it but it took a while. Some of them are rather horrifying! I also think that the relationships between Miriael and various other characters developed a bit too quickly, especially since she is a massive enemy, being on the other side of the war. My last major piece of critisism is the too frequent onomatopoeia. While I know it's often used in books for younger readers, I feel like the target audience is a little above this age.
I think that fans of YA dystopian novels will have a good time with this book. While the short, fast-paced chapters lend themselves to younger readers, it is a good idea to be aware of the content warnings as it may be a bit dark for some (although I think I would have loved it at that age!).
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all views are my own.
Some notes on some of the content warnings (all are individually spoilered)
Sexual assault:By a minor to a minor (both 15). A girl pushing herself pushing herself on as boy who is trying to sleep. Skip chapter 18 if you won't want to read it
Confinement:Miriael is kept tied up and Ferren spends some time hiding in a cramped space
Eating disorder:Miriael is shamed for eating and told to starve herself so that she can regain her spiritual essence and return to heaven
Body horror:Involves the distilling of certain human essences such as their soul and memories and using the victim's sentient organs in machinery
I had a fun time with this book. While there seem to be some religious influences when it comes to heaven, I greatly appreciate that the book doesn't become preachy. I loved the world building and how mundane objects (I'm a little surprised that they're still in such good condition considering the passage of time and what's been going on on earth) have gained such importance to a society that has lost the comforts of modern civilisation, which as largely become a thing of legends. Although maybe a bit expositiony, I greatly enjoyed the segment where we were provided with the history f what happened between heaven and earth to put humans and angels at war.
While I loved the world building, there are a lot of "classes" of people and it takes a while to wrap your head around it. I think I get it but it took a while. Some of them are rather horrifying! I also think that the relationships between Miriael and various other characters developed a bit too quickly, especially since she is a massive enemy, being on the other side of the war. My last major piece of critisism is the too frequent onomatopoeia. While I know it's often used in books for younger readers, I feel like the target audience is a little above this age.
I think that fans of YA dystopian novels will have a good time with this book. While the short, fast-paced chapters lend themselves to younger readers, it is a good idea to be aware of the content warnings as it may be a bit dark for some (although I think I would have loved it at that age!).
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all views are my own.
Some notes on some of the content warnings (all are individually spoilered)
Sexual assault:
Confinement:
Eating disorder:
Body horror:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Confinement, War, Colonisation, Body horror, Murder, and Death
Minor: Eating disorder, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault
More...