Ark

I couldn't decide on the rating for this one. I'd say, 3.5 rounded up to 4?I haven't read anything from the Divergent series (although I've seen people compare Ark with it), so or anything else from Veronica Roth before; this is my first book by this author. We follow a group of scientists collecting plant samples for a future colony for humanity, as Earth is soon to be destroyed by a meteor. As cliche as it sounds, Roth did a wonderful job with the atmosphere and character building, especially considering how short the story is. We get to know the protagonist well, learn her past and understand her motivations. The prose is beautiful and ridden with parallels symbolism. Some of the symbolism, unfortunately, flew over my head, and some was a bit over the top, yet for the most part - I do appreciate it in this book.The reason I wasn't sure about my rating of the story is because it's a bit too depressive for me. I don't want to discuss this point too much to avoid spoilers, so I'll be very general. The story is supposed to be melancholy - that's the idea. But there are some elements that I find difficult to deal with for purely personal reasons. I don't think they make the story worse; in fact, under different circumstances, I'd say they make it even more poetic, which is why other readers might interact differently with the themes of grief and depression in Ark.My reviews for the other Forward stories: Emergency Skin by [a: N.K. Jemisin 2917917 N.K. Jemisin https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438215930p2/2917917.jpg] ★★★★★Summer Frost by [a: Blake Crouch 442240 Blake Crouch https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479398727p2/442240.jpg] ★★★★★You Have Arrived at Your Destination by [a: Amor Towles 4536964 Amor Towles https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472937967p2/4536964.jpg] ★★★★☆The Last Conversation by [a: Paul Tremblay 648612 Paul Tremblay https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1415058580p2/648612.jpg] ★★★☆☆Randomize by [a: Andy Weir 6540057 Andy Weir https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382592903p2/6540057.jpg] ★★★☆☆