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A review by hannahsophialin
The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He
3.0
A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.Long story short, The Ones We're Meant to Find kept me thinking while reading the book and even after I've closed the pages because this review was a struggle to write. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about the novel that I'm not even sure I can even put into words properly.
Joan He's sophomore novel is filled with unpredictable twists and turns that kept me on my toes from the first page when we first meet Cee and Kasey all the way to the very end. I was constantly guessing and probably had enough theories to feed me for an entire week, but this comes as no surprise since her debut novel Descendant of the Crane kept me guessing just as much.
I adored Cee and Kasey as the protagonists of the story and loved how Joan He wrote this in alternating viewpoints rather than from one or the other. They're complete polar opposites, with Cee having a sociable and friendly personality and always wanting an adventure while Kasey comes across as someone "cold, emotionless, and buried in data*" but is really someone who struggles with emotions and unpredictable scenarios. I loved their bond (although not the greatest, who says sibling relationships aren't messy?) and their common goal of finding each other in their own ways.
*I feel this to my core, though.
The Ones We're Meant to Find is set in a futuristic world where climate change has affected the population enough that major storms are the norm, and those privileged enough can afford to live away from those storms. I liked how Joan He explores climate change and touches upon the privileges some of the characters have. Although I was sometimes confused with the world, enough information is constantly provided without feeling overwhelmed.
However, this was a bit of a struggle, with the pacing not picking up until after the halfway point, although I was engaged and invested in finding out what would happen to Cee and Kasey - enough that I didn't want to shelve the book. I think I got used to the pacing enough that when things began to pick up, the rest of the book felt a little rushed for me. But much like Descendant of the Crane, there is much to be desired from Joan He's latest novel. The ending is very open, with questions that are left unanswered and depending on your reading preferences, unsatisfactory. For me, it was the latter, because while I don't mind open endings, The Ones We're Meant to Find felt open enough that I felt the ending backfired and there are too many questions that are left unanswered.
While my biggest quip with The Ones We're Meant to Find is the pacing and ending, there are a lot of things that I did enjoy overall. If you're looking for a novel exploring climate change and touching privilege with a strong sibling bond and Asian protagonists, and don't mind an open ending, this may be up your alley. But if your biggest pet peeve is not having all your questions answered, you might want to look elsewhere.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts.
Joan He's sophomore novel is filled with unpredictable twists and turns that kept me on my toes from the first page when we first meet Cee and Kasey all the way to the very end. I was constantly guessing and probably had enough theories to feed me for an entire week, but this comes as no surprise since her debut novel Descendant of the Crane kept me guessing just as much.
I adored Cee and Kasey as the protagonists of the story and loved how Joan He wrote this in alternating viewpoints rather than from one or the other. They're complete polar opposites, with Cee having a sociable and friendly personality and always wanting an adventure while Kasey comes across as someone "cold, emotionless, and buried in data*" but is really someone who struggles with emotions and unpredictable scenarios. I loved their bond (although not the greatest, who says sibling relationships aren't messy?) and their common goal of finding each other in their own ways.
*I feel this to my core, though.
The Ones We're Meant to Find is set in a futuristic world where climate change has affected the population enough that major storms are the norm, and those privileged enough can afford to live away from those storms. I liked how Joan He explores climate change and touches upon the privileges some of the characters have. Although I was sometimes confused with the world, enough information is constantly provided without feeling overwhelmed.
However, this was a bit of a struggle, with the pacing not picking up until after the halfway point, although I was engaged and invested in finding out what would happen to Cee and Kasey - enough that I didn't want to shelve the book. I think I got used to the pacing enough that when things began to pick up, the rest of the book felt a little rushed for me. But much like Descendant of the Crane, there is much to be desired from Joan He's latest novel. The ending is very open, with questions that are left unanswered and depending on your reading preferences, unsatisfactory. For me, it was the latter, because while I don't mind open endings, The Ones We're Meant to Find felt open enough that I felt the ending backfired and there are too many questions that are left unanswered.
While my biggest quip with The Ones We're Meant to Find is the pacing and ending, there are a lot of things that I did enjoy overall. If you're looking for a novel exploring climate change and touching privilege with a strong sibling bond and Asian protagonists, and don't mind an open ending, this may be up your alley. But if your biggest pet peeve is not having all your questions answered, you might want to look elsewhere.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts.