Dnfed at 34%

I really wanted to like this one but the prose just wasn’t for me. This could have been a case of “right book, wrong time”, but I cannot connect to the characters of story very well.

I enjoyed the premise but it was difficult to read about another plague on top of Covid. I ended up DNFing at 51%

Told from two perspectives - one of a rat and one of a human - we are thrown into a bubonic plague epidemic in current times. The rat's story is one of a war-torn underground world that is ran by a dictator (one that comically reminds me of Tom Nook from Animal Crossing at times .. though we'll get to that in a second) almost in similarly to Animal Farm by George Orwell, in a way. The human's story follows the timeline of the plague above ground... or at least it tries to before becoming convoluted with backstory about the main character. While I absolutely wanted to love it, I think about half of the plot just fell short.

The rat's story is emotional and fast-paced for the most part. This part of the book felt incredibly well thought out and I really enjoyed reading this part of the world. I will say that there are times, especially within the dialogue, that sound a little too corny and cartoon-y for my liking. It really did almost feel like I was reading dialogue from Tom Nook... and that was strange, to say the least. Aside from that there are so many moving pieces to this half of the story: enemies to lovers, tyranny resistance, political intrigue, coming of age... I think all of that was incredibly well done.

The human's side of the story just felt flat and uninspired, unfortunately. I think that the attempt to flesh out the character by delving into her trauma just muddled the whole thing. The inclusion of trauma just felt "thrown in"... in my opinion, it really didn't add anything of value to the story at all. While her story does intertwine with the rat's, I wish there were less of her chapters. They were slow and after about the 65% point, I really was not enjoying her side of the story. It didn't interest me and I could not really find a reason to care about this character.

I would like to mention my favorite part - the illustrations. This book is also illustrated by the author themself! I haven't read a book that had pictures in some time, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Overall, this wasn't a terrible read. The rat's side of of the story really saved it for me. Honestly, I think that this could have been a 4 or 5 star read had it solely been from the rat's perspective. Unfortunately I just could not connect with the main human character and ultimately that is what made me drop my rating to three stars.

This was a strange read but quite interesting at the same time. Filled with interesting characters that are all trying to survive in one way or another. I really enjoyed the images that were included in the story. I get a sense that this story is one you have to read more than once to really understand it.

This book is listed as for teen and young adults. I am neither. In fact, I’m quite an old woman but each of us past the age of 19 remembers those teenage years and in some way that teenager remains. I hadn’t read the blurb about this book, I often don’t, preferring a surprise and to make my own judgement about a book. I found this book fascinating. It’s a both dark and hopeful look at history and how we repeat ourselves in good ways and bad. Global history, politics, interpersonal relationships, secrets held and revealed, it’s all here. Insightful, informative, inspiring, interesting. I love the author’s statement, “now she knew, no one was safe from life. Everything could change in an instant. “. Something we might all want to keep in mind. I loved this book and I highly recommend it for any reader of almost any age.