Andrew
I read this because it was a book club pick. This is not my genre. I understand that this was crowdfunded, and that the fans love it. I 100% get that, but it wasn't for me. It annoyed the crap out of me. It takes place on a planet where the oceans are spores and not water. I did not want to learn imaginary spore science. The narrator was also very self-satisfied with how funny he thought he was.
This is generally not my genre. Since it is a clear allegory for queerness, it draws me in much more than most YA stories about magical creatures would. I read both The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door years ago. Remembering them were not necessary for this. I do however, remember that both of those books made me cry. This did not. It is an enjoyable easy read, though.
This book feels important. Don't expect to feel good about yourself when you finish. This book asks us to interrogate how we participate in empire and where and how we use our attention. I found it incredibly written with powerful things to say about our world as we're living in it, the stories of the past we tell ourselves, and what that history says about how this moment will be remembered.
So I found this book on vacation in Sylva, NC at City Lights bookstore. This was in their local room. A local author, a local small press. These things may have influenced my rating a little bit, but this book was a page turner. I think it could have been longer and more flushed out, but it was a great little thriller with a slice of life from a specific place that was neither romanticized or made into tragedy porn.