I’m not sure what to say about this book other than I enjoyed it immensely. It is not a crazy thriller page turner or even an amazingly compelling story that makes you want to keep going. It is just so very human that it felt good to read. 

Every character’s tie to Cloud Cuckoo Land felt real, and every character’s connection to a librarian felt like such an honorary tribute to a profession that is often overlooked despite all the good they do!

I wish this book was not about real people, it was exceedingly frustrating to try to reconcile the characters painted in this book with the historical people who were real and likely behaved nothing like this…


That being said, I did enjoy this book. I think Lady Danbury and Brimsley’s perspectives were much better as they weren’t real people and it is much easier to sympathize with them. 

Charolette and George’s characterizations were fraught with miscommunications and child-like behaviors to be honest, the only moment they felt ADULT to me was in the opening scenes up until the wedding and every moment after just felt very immature. 


As stated above I did struggle to enjoy their perspectives as they were true people who likely didn’t behave or act in any of these ways, nor did George do anything to make racism less of a problem in English society, so it all felt rather insincere. I do know it is supposed to be fiction so I try to look past it but it really does get to me with this interpretation and that is another reason it is ranked at 3.75 and not higher. 

Final note of frustration: the book OPENS with Charlotte saying her favorite thing to be called is Lottie and at no point does she tell her “soul mate” to call her by her preferred name 

God this book went nowhere, every time someone or something interesting was introduced they were IMMEDIATELY gone. I would give a 1/5 but I do think the author is a good writer, I just didn’t enjoy this book…

Definitely an attempt at creating a Dune like book mixed with Red Rising but gave 0 depth to the characters. By the end I didn’t care about a single person in the entire book. Shocked I powered through enough to finish it honestly.

4/5

This is a really cute and inclusive book. The entire theme of being allowed to change and grow into something new, especially as a queer kid, is extremely important and really well done. I think the story was just eh, but it’s message was fantastic. I truly think middle schoolers picking this book up could say it saved their life, knowing that there are other kids and adults who have gone through the same things they have. 

I would rate this book 5 stars for the chapter about sunsets alone. 

However, I think what is just absolutely so poignant about this book and my love for it, is Green often is writing something I have personally thought before. It is insanely comforting to see thoughts you’ve had be turned into words that truly mean something. 

The chapter in Halley’s Comet is an instance of this. I often think through history by life spans. We are only 3 human lives removed from the civil war, and it is only 3 human lives removed from the revolutionary war. So we are only 6 human lives removed from the founding of our country. And YET so much occurs in those spances. With his chapter, Green says he thinks this way as well, and expands that thought process to viewing history through the comet. It felt relieving (idk a better word for the feeling) to see someone think and feel similarly to myself in many of these moments. 

Another fantastic part of this book is the continued discussion of human amazingness and togetherness while also criticizing humans and all of the bad things we do. It is refreshing to see a nuanced view that is REAL. Green says there are days he feels despair beyond comprehension, and days he feels all the light in the world. He feels awe looking at geographical features and he feels the smallness of himself in those moments too. Humans, individuals are capable of much more than just being good or bad, or any other binary that has been constructed. Green does an amazing job of demonstrating that here. We are all things good and bad, in the afterward he ends by saying we are the Earth. 

I give the Anthropocene reviewed 5 stars, despite there being no dragons. 

4.75 stars

This was such a refreshing fantasy. Magic and pirates are obviously a major part of this story, but the author weaves such a new telling of a story like this by interjecting the voices of Jamal and Amina at different points in jest, and I absolutely loved it. 

The choice to make Amina older also was so refreshing, we often get fantasies about young people going off on new adventures. Not middle aged people who have children getting back together. It was so much more original in that way. Allowing the POV to be from someone we do not traditionally see/hear from was as I said earlier, refreshing. 

Also, the setting and inclusion of the Muslim faith was once again refreshing. So often fantasy worlds create new religions entirely or will focus solely on Christians. This change of pace was welcome and felt very good to read. 

A strong, independent, mother who is trying her best to be a devout muslim is not the story I thought I was getting when I started this book but boy am I glad it is what I got.

Major spoilers ahead:

Dunya’a ending, or rather Jamal’s ending was so fantastic I was left smiling like an idiot for hours after finishing. I did not see the scribe twist coming and loved it, as well as Amina and all her crew’s affection and compassion for Jamal as he became who he was meant to be. 

3.75 stars

This book was definitely good, not Henry’s best but still a beautiful and realistic story.

One thing that really just pulled me out of reality was the inability to communicate between two people who loved each other so much. I do understand the idea of the book was this built up to a point where it pushed them apart but it just seems so unreal that a couple that in love would let themselves get there. 

I did cry in the bit where Wyn shares how his dad’s passing made him feel. That felt the most real to me, the mourning of a loved one and how to handle it is so insanely hard, that is where I started to feel like this made more sense.

Is it possible that this book was even more of a feminist fantasy than the first? Even gayer than the first? Because it 100% is. 

At its core, this book is about motherhood. From the earth birthing new dragons, to Tuneva’s experience of motherhood for her birth son and essentially adopted daughter, to the lady of the woods wanting another child, to Glorian’s unfair duty to have a child, to Dumai’s desire to never have children. 

All of these experiences shape the story, but what I loved most about this is how Shannon explores the different facets of motherhood that are so often ignored in history. From calling out how noble women had zero rights to their own body as their one and only duty was to produce an heir. While simultaneously demonstrating how unjust it is to demand this, she deepens the hurt by explaining how awful it is to force this upon children themselves as well. Throughout Glorian’s story Shannon also uses the book to shed light upon how giving birth is just as akin to a battle as a fight is. But Shannon doesn’t stop with calling out the injustices of forced birth, she ensures to delve into joyful experiences of motherhood, with Dumai’s relationship to her mother and their protectiveness of one another, and continued forgiveness in the face of many grievances. And yet, we still go further by exploring the grief and joy of motherhood experienced by Tuneva. Tuneva’s love for her birth son who she lost and joy upon finding him, as well as her deep love for Esba’s daughter just demonstrate how she is the foil to Sabran’s way of mothering Glorian. And finally we see the lengths someone will take to become a mother when they cannot through the lady of the woods. 

Perhaps the most clever of all of this is the direct comparison of Glorian to Dumai. How in the end, the grand empress is glad her grandchildren do not have to suffer the fate of creating heirs when they do not wish to, whereas Glorian, despite feeling this way all her life, pushes forward to continue the line despite imposing the same thing she feared onto her daughter. 

Altogether it felt like a way to demonstrate the value and boldness of motherhood, as well as the courage and conviction of choosing not to become one as well, and how all of the women’s choices are valid. 

This book also explores grief in a very interesting way, most of this book is full of tragedy for every POV character in some way or another. And there is a major pandemic occurring throughout the book as well. The way Shannon weaves these sad tales into this book, and show through her characters how different people grieve, is very masterful. 

This book in many ways is more impressive than Priory of the Orange Tree, however unlike Priory I have given it a 4/5 rather than a 5/5… only because I believe this book struggled with pacing and combing the stories as well as Priory did. When everything came together for Priory it felt so good, it was truly amazing how everyone came together and how the story wove such an amazing tale for everyone to reach each other. With this story I was unimpressed that the only connection from East, West, North, and South was a dream state, it felt less satisfying, and ultimately did little for the story. That is my only complaint, otherwise I think the Therese of motherhood and grief are honestly better in many ways than the Priory.

The way Shannon is able to weave an interesting story the entirety of this gigantic book is amazing. The slow burn as all the threads come together was the most intensely satisfying part of this book. I truly do not think anything will ever top how well done this is, it is truly amazing.