In their review of The Sky Village, Analog picked up on an important theme that I wanted to draw attention to:
“The theme of nature versus technology with humans caught in the middle unless they can somehow integrate it all is important in the world we have created, and it is one that the younger readers that are this book’s audience will profit from absorbing.”
Read the review here.
Tags: analog, kaimira, review, the sky village
From VOYA:
Across the planet from one another, in a post-apocalyptic world fraught with constant peril, Mei and Rom fight for survival. Mei, hovering over China’s desolate landscape in a community of refugees living in hot-air balloons, struggles to find her purpose in her world’s highly ritualistic social order. Rom, fighting to save his sister in the caves under what is left of Las Vegas, must learn the complex rules of a decadent and demented society. These two exceptional young people find comfort when they discover they can communicate with each other through the assistance of the magical Tree Book, which holds sinister secrets of its own. The theme of balance threads together the tales of the two complex protagonists. Mei must learn to balance her physical body as she maneuvers herself on the ropes that weave together the Sky Village. Rom’s challenge is to balance his emotions as he conjures his inner demons (literally) into reality in order to survive in the vile underground gambling arena. Much what these compelling heroes work to control, however, is internal. They both carry the unique kaimira gene that connects them and allows for communication with the world’s warring factions, the maverick machines (meks) and the packs of ferocious, fearless beasts. With strong characters of both genders, terrifyingly unpredictable villains, frightening futuristic settings, and wonderfully written action sequences, this book, first in a planned series of five, should have crossover appeal for fans of adventure, science fiction, and fantasy. Reviewer: Lynne Farrell Stover
Tags: kaimira, review, the sky village, voya
If you don’t follow the online children’s literature monthly called The Edge of the Forest, you need to bookmark it now, and not just because there’s now a review of The Sky Village in there. It’s just an all around excellent resource.
But since I mentioned it, there is a very positive review there for The Sky Village. Allison Fraclose wrote the review, and she reposted it on her personal blog.
Tags: edge of the forest, kaimira, review, the sky village
The Sky Village received another review at the wonderful blog Bri Meets Books. Here’s an excerpt:
Monk and Nigel Ashland’s The Sky Village oscillates between pulse-raising action, and heartfelt takes on grief and loss. Both primary characters are richly written, and the emotional travails Rom and Mei face come across in sharp paragraphs and gripping situations. The depth of familial love is captured perfectly as Rom helps his sister construct puppets modeled after their parents, and Mei relishes her time with one of her mother’s pets.
Read the rest.
Tags: kaimira, review, the sky village
There’s a new review of THE SKY VILLAGE by librarian and blogger Laura Baas.
An excerpt:
Mei is one of those who (reluctantly) takes to the sky when her father sends her off to live in the Sky Village. Hovering high above China, the Sky Village is a community tied together through a maze of interconnected hot-air balloons and a shared history; Mei is forced to do some serious adjusting–both in her balance and in her life outlook. Half a world away in what remains of Las Vegas Rom fights his own demons (literally). In an attempt to save his sister, he enters the Demon caves where he finds himself embroiled in a gladiator-style competition against demon hybrids for the entertainment of the masses.
Read the rest on Laura’s blog.
Tags: hungry city chronicles, kaimira, laura baas, philip reeve, review, sky village
The first review of Kaimira: The Sky Village is up, and it’s a good one!
The review is by Cloudscome, whose blog is highly worthy of reading regularly. She’s a librarian who is very much into multicultural kids books.
My favorite part of the review:
I found this novel to be fascinating and thought-provoking. After
reading how the beast and machine elements are blended with humanity in
Mei and Rom I began to see these elements in balance and in conflict
within myself. When I am trying to get my little ones organized and out
the door on time for work in the morning I feel the beast rage rising
in me and struggle to bring cool mek intelligence to bear.
Is it bad manners to name your favorite part of a review about your own book? If it is, blame it on deadline fatigue and I’ll delete this last part when my head clears.
Tags: kaimira, review
