I loved this!

It’s impossible to explain what this book is about. You think it’s about one thing, then it turns out to be about so many things, then it veers off in directions you didn’t even realize were possibilities.

This was a slow book, but the good kind. It was focused on the characters and the situation and the politics on Mars and things changing and people changing. And all of it was great. It was a bit meandering and didn’t have much high-energy action, but I was interested and fascinated and eager to be along for the ride.

Then it got closer to the end, and suddenly there was action and danger and tension and mystery. So much mystery! About something I didn’t even realize would be such a weird mystery.

There was also this whole little section involving talking to mammoths. I know, that sounds random, and it sort of was, but it was also wonderful. I loved that part.

And the characters! I liked January as a main POV character. He was easy to like and root for and brought a relatable element to this story that was full of so much new and unusual stuff. He understandably was willing to do what he had to sometimes to survive, but he also spoke up for or did what was right other times, even when it put himself at risk. It was Gale who was the most interesting though. This author has a skill for writing about characters who do or have done or want to do things that are bad or wrong, and you know they’re bad or wrong, and then making you care about them and root for them anyway. She writes characters who make me feel so conflicted, and I love it. She didn’t try to cover up or make the reader forget about everything wrong with Gale and their politics. She repeatedly reminded me of it while also making me like Gale. There were some other characters too. Some fun, some deeply flawed, some awful.

Fucked up people doing fucked up things. Fucked up people doing good things. Good people doing fucked up things. Good people doing good things. That’s really what’s at the core of the book.

The world-building was so unique and creative. Gravity is less strong on Mars, so the people who’ve grown up there with generations of family before them have weaker bones, making the people from Earth 3x as strong and thus dangerous. So they have to wear cages that form to their body and make moving more difficult. There’s a process that can acclimate Earthstrongers so they don’t have to wear a cage, but it leaves them disabled with shortened lifespans or dead. So many Earthstrongers keep struggling, working in manual labor, barely getting by financially. There was also a whole government system, futuristic technology, solar power. Maybe not scientifically accurate with the gravity stuff, I honestly wouldn’t know. But there was clearly a lot of thought put into it in terms of how things would work if things were this way, possible technology, how society would be affected, how people would live and react.

I can tell you one thing this book is not about, and that’s gender. Which is fine. I only mention it because descriptions or reviews may lead you to believe it is. But, although the Mars people have essentially removed gender by altering physical characteristics and using they/them pronouns, that idea isn’t explored. It’s more of a backdrop.

I really enjoyed the audio narration by Daniel de Bourg. It sounded so natural and pleasant and suited the characters and the feel of the story perfectly. Characters also sounded different, so I was never confused.

My review was a bit scattered because I just have so many thoughts after finishing, and it’s a hard book to explain, but I really did love it. The world-building was interesting, the characters ranged from likeable to hateable to fascinating (and sometimes more than one) and made me feel conflicted, and the story sucked me in!

*Rating: 4.5 Stars // Read Date: 2024 // Format: Audiobook*