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A review by monetp
The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman
3.0
THIS IS A NETGALLEY ARC REVIEW.
"The floating market takes shape amid a flutter of torches and spellfire, each pinprick of light tailed by its glittering reflection in the river beneath. The sun is still below the horizon, though hints of peach and copper streak the underside of the cloudlands, hanging far above the clutter of our market." ~ [b:The Other Side of the Sky|40599772|The Other Side of the Sky (The Other Side of the Sky, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580873392l/40599772._SY75_.jpg|63051844]
While there was nothing inherently wrong with this novel, it just wasn't for me. I wanted to try a different sci-fi book with futuristic elements; however, I wished for this book to go deeper, be more dynamic. There wasn't enough character development, the plot progression was slow, and the book's ending left me unsatisfied.
I usually love character-driven stories, but it felt strange to only have the focus of this book to be on Nimh and North. So many chapters were just spent between the two of them with little to show for it. It felt like they just spent this book walking around and explaining their backstories. I feel like we didn't even get enough backstory on the cat traveling with them! The two main characters had no chemistry - their romance felt forced and the prophecy made it unclear whether they were destined to be together or not. I think my main struggle while reading this book was that I couldn't emotionally connect with any of the characters.
All of the secondary characters were underdeveloped and I didn't understand their motivations. Also, the villain had the potential to be truly, masterfully complex but her storyline felt rushed. Only in the last fifty pages did we get her backstory, and then the cliffhanger left me confused. Did the mist somehow affect her? This was one of those books where the beginning and middle of the plot moved so slowly and the ending was too rushed. Side note: this book gave me such Disney "Treasure Planet"/"Atlantis: The Lost Empire" vibes!
"The floating market takes shape amid a flutter of torches and spellfire, each pinprick of light tailed by its glittering reflection in the river beneath. The sun is still below the horizon, though hints of peach and copper streak the underside of the cloudlands, hanging far above the clutter of our market." ~ [b:The Other Side of the Sky|40599772|The Other Side of the Sky (The Other Side of the Sky, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580873392l/40599772._SY75_.jpg|63051844]
While there was nothing inherently wrong with this novel, it just wasn't for me. I wanted to try a different sci-fi book with futuristic elements; however, I wished for this book to go deeper, be more dynamic. There wasn't enough character development, the plot progression was slow, and the book's ending left me unsatisfied.
I usually love character-driven stories, but it felt strange to only have the focus of this book to be on Nimh and North. So many chapters were just spent between the two of them with little to show for it. It felt like they just spent this book walking around and explaining their backstories. I feel like we didn't even get enough backstory on the cat traveling with them! The two main characters had no chemistry - their romance felt forced and the prophecy made it unclear whether they were destined to be together or not. I think my main struggle while reading this book was that I couldn't emotionally connect with any of the characters.
All of the secondary characters were underdeveloped and I didn't understand their motivations. Also, the villain had the potential to be truly, masterfully complex but her storyline felt rushed. Only in the last fifty pages did we get her backstory, and then the cliffhanger left me confused. Did the mist somehow affect her? This was one of those books where the beginning and middle of the plot moved so slowly and the ending was too rushed. Side note: this book gave me such Disney "Treasure Planet"/"Atlantis: The Lost Empire" vibes!