we all fall down by rose szabo (releasing june 7th, 2022) is the first in a ya fantasy duology, and follows the story of four inhabitants (jack, jesse, david, and turing/zara) of a mysterious city where magic is slowly fading. i read the arc for this book on the plane, and have some mixed feelings on it.
to preface, i don’t feel qualified to be giving my opinion on certain aspects of representation within this book (specifically one of the main characters, david, who is black). however, i’ve seen a few reviewers point out problems with the way that david is treated by the plot (as well as one of the white main characters, who doesn’t really face consequences for her actions) and also the conflict with the police that is a significant part of the novel. i’d be inclined to agree after reading the arc though. there aren’t a lot right now because the book isn’t out yet but i’d recommend reading reviews by black reviewers, especially as more reviews are posted.
one of the parts of the book that i liked were the worldbuilding, including the magic and mythology. the setting of river city with the disappearance of magic was felt like an interesting and unique concept. i also liked the exploration of gender through the character of jesse as well as their personality and curiosity. they were definitely my favourite character and point of view to read in the book.
the two other main aspects that i did not like in the book were the continuous misgendering of one of the characters and having too many point of views and the quick changing between them. i also didn’t like were that there were a lot of characters and concepts being introduced really rapidly. i felt like there was a lot that felt confusing and not well fleshed out. well, however, it could also be setup for the sequel? overall, i feel lukewarm towards this book at best and i don’t think i’d read the sequel though. also i’d like to mention that when reading this book i felt like it didn’t really feel like ya despite being marketed as such.
to preface, i don’t feel qualified to be giving my opinion on certain aspects of representation within this book (specifically one of the main characters, david, who is black). however, i’ve seen a few reviewers point out problems with the way that david is treated by the plot (as well as one of the white main characters, who doesn’t really face consequences for her actions) and also the conflict with the police that is a significant part of the novel. i’d be inclined to agree after reading the arc though. there aren’t a lot right now because the book isn’t out yet but i’d recommend reading reviews by black reviewers, especially as more reviews are posted.
one of the parts of the book that i liked were the worldbuilding, including the magic and mythology. the setting of river city with the disappearance of magic was felt like an interesting and unique concept. i also liked the exploration of gender through the character of jesse as well as their personality and curiosity. they were definitely my favourite character and point of view to read in the book.
the two other main aspects that i did not like in the book were the continuous misgendering of one of the characters and having too many point of views and the quick changing between them. i also didn’t like were that there were a lot of characters and concepts being introduced really rapidly. i felt like there was a lot that felt confusing and not well fleshed out. well, however, it could also be setup for the sequel? overall, i feel lukewarm towards this book at best and i don’t think i’d read the sequel though. also i’d like to mention that when reading this book i felt like it didn’t really feel like ya despite being marketed as such.