I found this compelling: I narrative sit in the near future, where many species have gone extinct, and the main character is trying to follow the migration of terns from Greenland to Antarctica. She makes her way onto a fishing ship filled with diverse and complicated characters, and many conflicts and wounds emerge.

Viimeinen muuttolintu on surullinen kirja seikkailusta, menetyksestä, ekokatastrofista, rakkaudesta, ystävyydestä ja tietenkin lapintiiroista. Kirjassa on niin sanottu "found family" -piirre, jota rakastan kirjoissa. Tarina sijoittuu lähitulevaisuuteen ja on toiveikas dystopia. Viimeinen muuttolintu on monisyinen kertomus ja ruumiinavaus siihen, mitä on elää ja rakastaa.

Ainoa syy, joka jättää kirjan viiden tähden alapuolelle, on lopun kiirehdintä ja muutama epäjohdonmukaisuus.

Compelling story, outstanding character development, heart wrenching, informative and ultimately hopeful. A profound wakeup call on human and worldly levels. 

I really, really hated this book. It was a gradual but very steady decline from being into it at the start, and just hating it more and more through the entire thing, right up until the end. I did not like the main character (or many of the other characters, for that matter). I hated the really creepy AF main romantic relationship. I hated how many things the author got wildly wrong about wildlife research and conservation (like things that were pretty egregious and would have been super simple to just google). I hated the whole storyline. I hated how predictable some of the things were, that the author tried to keep mysterious throughout the book and reveal later. 

I do get why some people might like this book. They're just wrong. (Sorry, but did I mention I really really hate it?)

Wow, this was so special <3
So many things in one story, so many amazing characters. So much swimming and fighting for nature, for sanity and for survival. Loved it.

When I picked this up, I was excited to dig into it. Station Eleven is one of my favorite books, so seeing all of the comparisons being made between the two earned Migrations a spot on my reading list. By the end of the book, I was confused by the comparisons and the high ratings that this book is receiving.

Franny Lynch (née Stone) is about as unreliable as a narrator as they come and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Aside from being constantly reminded about how ~wild~ she is and how she must always be ~free~, I think her story was well done. My frustration was her trauma is never fully explored. We learn early on that she suffers from night terrors specifically surrounding choking and her sleepwalking is sometimes violent, yet we never really learn the answer as to why that is for sure.

The novel bounces back and forth in time, but I enjoyed this and thought it was well and clearly done. It helped to build up the suspense and answer some questions that are raised about Fanny in the beginning.

My main frustrations were with the issues surrounding the environment. Migrations, we find out in the first few pages, takes place in dystopian present or a not-so-distant future where 80% of animal life has gone extinct due to climate change and human activity. Forests are so endangered that there are years long waiting lists for people to visit them. All megafauna (elephants, rhinos, hippos, pandas, etc.) are extinct. There are no large predators left. All birds, aside from a few species of sea birds are gone. With ecosystems degraded so dramatically, you'd expect the world to be unrecognizable. Coastal cities wiped out. Large refugee populations. Food systems disrupted. Landscapes dramatically changed. Violent storms whipping up frequently, but unpredictably. Remaining animal populations moving in to fill voids (for example, insect populations are expected to skyrocket with climate change and most pest species would fair well, if not thrive).

But, in this novel, the world itself seems fairly unaffected. Coastal cities are still thriving. Village life continues as normal. Ireland is still a lush, green, livable, landscape. Seas are still easily navigable with regular currents and predictable storm patterns. All animal life is just...gone. It's weird. It was frustrating to read.

The book was also fairly disjointed in the writing style. It felt as if the author was still developing as the novel progressed. As a result, in my opinion, the last 10-15% of the novel was far superior than the first majority. I loved the ending. It actually upped my review slightly. I just wish we got more of a conclusion for the crew members.