“Death makes the whole world kin.”

I first heard about this book on Booktube and although I don't prefer to read young adult fiction as much as before (because it can lack complexity), I picked up this book! The story poses thought-provoking moral questions and a possibility to what humanity's future may look like, and oof! It's depressing.

Just to be clear, I did enjoy the book, but I'm better at writing criticism than praise. So here are some points that I think could have been better:

It was a well written book but predictable, unfortunately. Only a few moments came as a surprise and even then, I knew something was going to happen. I just didn't know in what form.

At times, it felt like the author was explaining everything to you and telling you how you should feel about the story rather than letting you figure things out and come to your own opinion. So that was mildly annoying. (As a simplified example, when the author presented a character, he would basically tell you 'see this guy here? he's a bad guy and you shouldn't like him!')

Sometimes, I found myself looking forward to reading the gleaning journal entries in between the chapters more than the actual story. Also, the hints of romance were not only unnecessary, but so forced. Come on, at least make it believable! Or better yet, just leave it out.

Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Mentor-Apprentice