Though this wasn't my cup of tea, this book would probably have enchanted me when I was young. Interesting characters and interesting world. My first computerized voice ARC but I didn't find it distracted from the real text!

the narrator does a great job and I really enjoyed a different sort of galley. I enjoyed the story itself and am glad I was able to listen to it.

The worldbuilding in this book is spectacular. An isolated town in the middle of a huge desert where a sentient storm called The Great Doom roams, always trying to enter the town. They have developed rituals for keeping The Great Doom out. One of the most important is not to open the gates after dark when the Great Doom could sneak in. Gussy is learning those rituals to be a Protector, when a letter arrives calling away her Grandpa Widow--the current Protector. That night, Gussy can't stop herself from letting in an injured girl from the desert, and soon everything goes to pieces. But it's not just Gussy keeping secrets. As more and more of the village falls to the Great Doom's infection Gussy will have to find her voice, learn to trust, and be willing to speak the truth. Not easy when everyone is looking for someone to blame.

This was a pretty action packed story. Loved the setting. Appreciated the character arcs. A good read!

Very original. I found the world building interesting, but not so interesting that I could sit through entire chapters of info dumping. The writing was good, the set up promising, but in the end it moved too slowly for me (and felt too slice-of-lifey with lots of mundane details like what kind of marmalade she ate and where it came from). I got as far as 24%, all the while hoping and waiting for the big problem to hit. I think it was just starting to creeeep in when I decided I’d rather read a different book. I think kids who love middle grade fantasy (and who don’t mind a lot of affected old-west speak) will enjoy this. Thanks, NetGalley for the review copy. (This was shared on Goodreads)

This was provided by NetGalley for review purposes. Thank you Harper Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book!

Unfortunately, this one may have been a little too young for me. I probably would have enjoyed this as a kid, but I was also (and still am), like the main character, a bit of an abrasive know-it-all, control freak. I don't think this would have helped me get better at that or be more empathetic. Instead, it probably would have fed the behavior as I attempted to imitate Gussy. 😅

Characters 3/5
The characters in this story were pretty descriptive, but they definitely have their share of flaws. The flaws were a little hard to get past, but it also made it a little interesting.

Plot 2/5
The plot of this was a little all over the place for me. A more cohesive storyline could have really helped this book for me.

Storytelling/Writing 3/5
This book is full of phrases that Gussy repeats over and over again. I understand that kids do that, but it was a little too catch-phrasey for me at times. For a child reading this, it could work really well though.

Enjoyment 2.5/5
The VoiceGalley experience may have been the cause for my lacking enjoyment. This was my second attempt at a VoiceGalley book from NetGalley. It is not a format I recommend, but I was curious if my experience with the format would change. This one was slightly better, but not much.

Atmosphere 3.5/5
This is a fairly cute idea, and I loved the pieces of magic and the glimpses at the community that we got in the book. This was my favorite part of the book.

Gussy’s grandfather is a village protector. Using magic, he keeps The Great Doom at bay. But one day Gussy’s grandpa is called away and Gussy finds herself having to protect the village without him. Without him, yes. Alone, no!

Five things about Gussy by Jimmy Cajoleas

1. This is a tremendously uplifting middle grade science fiction book.
2. It’s about good vs evil
3. It’s about finding your strength in community
4. This would make an excellent classroom or family read aloud leading to many deep conversations.
5. It’s scheduled for a November release.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I loved Gussy--the book and the girl. Her name should be Gutsy for she is honorable, brave, kind and a bit lonely. She goes through life always giving her "best and fullest intentions."

Gussy is a teenage girl who along with her adoptive father, Grandpa Widow, keep their community safe from the Great Doom by following the proper rites and rituals. Cricket, her dog, is her buddy and helper. When Grandpa Widow is called away, it is up to young Gussy to do all the rituals herself and protect the village, and most importantly, don't open the gate after dark.

I got very engrossed in the book and there were so many of Gussy's thoughts that I highlighted while reading. My favorite: "Her handwriting was this strange loopy swirl, like while she was writing a hurricane blew up on the page and sent the ink a-whirling, like she wrote in windblown raindrops. I loved it a little bit, even if it was kind of hard to read."

I have a new favorite word "widdershins" and need to add it to my vocabulary immediately.

Narration was computer generated and I didn't love listening to it (the final audio book will NOT be computer generated). Luckily I was able to get the digital copy to read.