Reread: January 2022. The second book, Beyond the End of the World comes out in a few days, and I didn’t remember a whole lot from the first book, so: reread time.
I reread this quickly, just enough to refresh myself with the world and characters. I stand by my initial review and am looking forward to the sequel!


I have not seen a whole lot of people talking about this book, and I don't really know why. Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner are two big enough names in the ya world that I'm surprised there wasn't more hype around this book. This book has been on my radar since before there was a title, and just a vague description of: "for fans of Miyazaki and the 100". Which had me completely sold from that point.

This book is good! It's about a living goddess named Nimh who is trying to save her people and her world, and a prince, North who lives in the Cloudlands (a floating city) who accidentally crashes down to the ground. A prophecy pulls them together and they have the power to either save or destroy the world.

The world-building is the best part of this book. The Cloudlands and Below are some of the best blend of fantasy and sci-fi I've seen in a while. The cultures and myth and atmosphere of this book are also very detailed and unique. I never felt that the world-building was bland or reused. Everything was fresh and interesting and somewhat whimsical.

The characters (Nimh and North) were decent- but their somewhat insta-love was annoying. The pacing was a little off too, because the beginning was slow and the second half the the book was very fast paced and quick. I wasn't sure if I would like the ending (because of the rapid unveiling of events) but it worked well and left for a big cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to the second book of this duology, and I'm very interested in how Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner conclude and wrap things up.