This is a spoiler free review.
The Never-Tilting World
Written by Rin Chupeco
Written by Rin Chupeco
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 18, 2019
Pages: 496
Source: Library
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
Summary:
Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.
Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.
While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.
But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
The Never Tilting World is a YA Fantasy novel that is described as Frozen meets Mad Max and as far as the world goes, I think that's an accurate description. I went into this book without any expectations and I am glad that I did as I ended up loving it.
COVER
Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.
Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.
While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.
But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
The Never Tilting World is a YA Fantasy novel that is described as Frozen meets Mad Max and as far as the world goes, I think that's an accurate description. I went into this book without any expectations and I am glad that I did as I ended up loving it.
COVER
I don't really like this cover as I don't think it's the best depiction of the book and the world of the novel. I also think that it's a little overcrowded.
WORLD-BUILDING
The Never-Tilting World is set in the world of Aeon. Aeon is a land that has stopped turning and has been split in half. The half with the perpetual sun is a desert with rays of sunlight too dangerous for people to be exposed too, water drying up leading to droughts and deaths. This half holds The Golden City. The other half has endless night, with unbearable cold and oceans rising over the remaining land. This half is home to Aranth which is a frozen kingdom. Besides all of this there are also acid rains, sand seas, and other various disasters which makes survival and life important and valued. This book is also a metaphor for how time is ticking until our own world/Earth becomes uninhabitable and though there are monsters in this book the scariest thing is the waters rising on one side and on the other side a city that can't provide for their people because nothing will grow.
Then there are the characters. (This book is told in three POVs)
HAIDEE
Haidee is the young goddess from the desert side of the world. She has a love for medical engineering which her mother distastes. When we first meet her, she is expected to marry soon and is meeting some of her eligible suitors however, she doesn't feel a connection towards any of them and she longs for a different life in which she can help her suffering people. Haidee is a very competent woman however she often jumps into things headfirst without worrying about the consequences. The author describes her character as a Ravenclaw which I think is very accurate.
ODESSA
The Never-Tilting World is set in the world of Aeon. Aeon is a land that has stopped turning and has been split in half. The half with the perpetual sun is a desert with rays of sunlight too dangerous for people to be exposed too, water drying up leading to droughts and deaths. This half holds The Golden City. The other half has endless night, with unbearable cold and oceans rising over the remaining land. This half is home to Aranth which is a frozen kingdom. Besides all of this there are also acid rains, sand seas, and other various disasters which makes survival and life important and valued. This book is also a metaphor for how time is ticking until our own world/Earth becomes uninhabitable and though there are monsters in this book the scariest thing is the waters rising on one side and on the other side a city that can't provide for their people because nothing will grow.
Then there are the characters. (This book is told in three POVs)
HAIDEE
Haidee is the young goddess from the desert side of the world. She has a love for medical engineering which her mother distastes. When we first meet her, she is expected to marry soon and is meeting some of her eligible suitors however, she doesn't feel a connection towards any of them and she longs for a different life in which she can help her suffering people. Haidee is a very competent woman however she often jumps into things headfirst without worrying about the consequences. The author describes her character as a Ravenclaw which I think is very accurate.
Odessa is the young goddess of the darker side of the world bathed in night. She has been isolated for most of her life due to her chronic illness and she is a romance novel lover who tries to understand love and affection from her books (which doesn't really go well). She is also a compassionate person who really wants to save her world and her friends and she is a lesbian character. Odessa slowly goes from being very naive and sheltered to taking control of herself, her desires and her people. She is described by the author as a Slytherin which is very clear later in the book.
LAN
Lan is Odessa's bodyguard and healer. She is also a former ranger who suffers from PTSD and seeing her journey throughout the book to love and heal was beautiful. She is also a bisexual female character. Lan was a fierce, honorable and overprotective female character who wanted to protect Odessa as well as the rest of their friends. She was also constantly reminded of her past but she is able to accept her trauma and realize that she can ask for help. She is described as a Gryffindor by the author and her fierceness and protectiveness shows that.
ARJUN
Arjun is a desert nomad who is very skilled at doing whatever it takes for him and his people to survive. He starts off seeming grumpy but he is very lovable and generally a big softie. He also is a disabled character as he is missing a hand. He is able to push past his original view of Haidee and what he has always been taught to believe. He is described as a Hufflepuff by the author and his loyalty proves that.
LAN
Lan is Odessa's bodyguard and healer. She is also a former ranger who suffers from PTSD and seeing her journey throughout the book to love and heal was beautiful. She is also a bisexual female character. Lan was a fierce, honorable and overprotective female character who wanted to protect Odessa as well as the rest of their friends. She was also constantly reminded of her past but she is able to accept her trauma and realize that she can ask for help. She is described as a Gryffindor by the author and her fierceness and protectiveness shows that.
ARJUN
Arjun is a desert nomad who is very skilled at doing whatever it takes for him and his people to survive. He starts off seeming grumpy but he is very lovable and generally a big softie. He also is a disabled character as he is missing a hand. He is able to push past his original view of Haidee and what he has always been taught to believe. He is described as a Hufflepuff by the author and his loyalty proves that.
FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY
Family and its complications are showcased in this novel. Both Haidee and Odessa have overprotective mothers who don't share much with them including the truth. They both learn that they might not be able to believe everything their mothers have taught them.
On the other hand, friendship is a very important aspect of this novel. All of the characters learn how to protect their friends and how to trust their friends and let them help each other. I think the friendships were strong especially the ones between Odessa, Lan and the rest of their companions.
Family and its complications are showcased in this novel. Both Haidee and Odessa have overprotective mothers who don't share much with them including the truth. They both learn that they might not be able to believe everything their mothers have taught them.
On the other hand, friendship is a very important aspect of this novel. All of the characters learn how to protect their friends and how to trust their friends and let them help each other. I think the friendships were strong especially the ones between Odessa, Lan and the rest of their companions.
PLOT
The Never-Tilting World is about a planet that has long been ruled by generations of twin goddesses however, was split in two seventeen years ago because of one sister's betrayal. Now, the planet doesn't spin and there's two realms divided by a great abyss. One sister rules Aranth (a frozen city surrounded by a stormy sea) and one rules the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter and each keeps her own secrets about the other. However, this all changes when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, to the great Abyss in order to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice. Haidee and Arjun team up to cross the desert while Odessa and Lan have to cross the stormy sea. While the plot is slow-moving, it still manages to keep you entertained. This book has strong feminist undertones and is a metaphor for how the time is truly ticking until our own world becomes uninhabitable.
The Never-Tilting World is about a planet that has long been ruled by generations of twin goddesses however, was split in two seventeen years ago because of one sister's betrayal. Now, the planet doesn't spin and there's two realms divided by a great abyss. One sister rules Aranth (a frozen city surrounded by a stormy sea) and one rules the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter and each keeps her own secrets about the other. However, this all changes when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, to the great Abyss in order to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice. Haidee and Arjun team up to cross the desert while Odessa and Lan have to cross the stormy sea. While the plot is slow-moving, it still manages to keep you entertained. This book has strong feminist undertones and is a metaphor for how the time is truly ticking until our own world becomes uninhabitable.
ROMANCE
There were two main romance plots in this book. One was between Odessa and Lan and one was between Arjun and Haidee. Both romances weren't slow-burn but they still felt developed. Odessa and Lan already have a bit of an established relationship when the book starts however, they don't know each other as their true selves. When Lan finds out that Odessa is the goddess she immediately backs off because of the power imbalance. It's so interesting to see their relationship grow and change over the circumstances and how their relationship overthrows the power imbalance already set in place.
Arjun and Haidee were a light hate-to-love romance as Arjun assumes Haidee is responsible for the breaking of the world and all of his people's troubles and when they meet he wants to kill Haidee. However, from the start their banter makes for some lighthearted moments and they make for great partners when fighting off other creatures. I thought their relationship was super cute and I loved how it progressed.
WRITING
Rin Chupeco's writing in this book differs a lot from her writing in The Bone Witch. There was more dialogue and action in this book and she really managed to bring the story to life. I also loved how she was able to write each character differently and their personalities and emotions were all unique.
There were two main romance plots in this book. One was between Odessa and Lan and one was between Arjun and Haidee. Both romances weren't slow-burn but they still felt developed. Odessa and Lan already have a bit of an established relationship when the book starts however, they don't know each other as their true selves. When Lan finds out that Odessa is the goddess she immediately backs off because of the power imbalance. It's so interesting to see their relationship grow and change over the circumstances and how their relationship overthrows the power imbalance already set in place.
Arjun and Haidee were a light hate-to-love romance as Arjun assumes Haidee is responsible for the breaking of the world and all of his people's troubles and when they meet he wants to kill Haidee. However, from the start their banter makes for some lighthearted moments and they make for great partners when fighting off other creatures. I thought their relationship was super cute and I loved how it progressed.
WRITING
Rin Chupeco's writing in this book differs a lot from her writing in The Bone Witch. There was more dialogue and action in this book and she really managed to bring the story to life. I also loved how she was able to write each character differently and their personalities and emotions were all unique.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Never-Tilting World is one of my new favorite books and I am so glad that I decided to pick it up. With a diverse cast of characters, an intriguing plot, and a complex world, this book is something that I'd highly recommend to any Young Adult Fantasy lover.
Quotes from the Book:
“A demoness is what men call a goddess they cannot control.”
The Never-Tilting World is one of my new favorite books and I am so glad that I decided to pick it up. With a diverse cast of characters, an intriguing plot, and a complex world, this book is something that I'd highly recommend to any Young Adult Fantasy lover.
“A demoness is what men call a goddess they cannot control.”
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns
