I'm so glad I finally made myself read this. It is a wonderfully written YA post-apocalyptic book with very strong fantasy vibes but with an unexpected depth.
Before Guinevere and I took over NovelTea, I was a subscriber. I remember the bittersweet feelings of receiving my last parcel in the mail. On the one hand, I would miss the joy of opening the envelope and all the discovering the delights within. On the other, I am now the one giving that joy to others.
Obernewtyn was the April 2022 Classic book and the theme was “Misfits”. I didn’t understand how apt that was until I read the book. Granted it’s taken me almost a year to actually read it. #betterlatethannever
Elspeth Gordie and her brother Jes are orphans after the Council convict their parents of heresy and burn them. They share a fate with many other adolescents and are condemned to a life of servitude with the constant fear of being discovered to be a "misfit", someone with a mutation as a result of the Great White event that killed many and contaminated a large part of the land. When Elspeth is denounced as a misft and sent to the dreaded Obernewtyn, she will need to overcome her fears to find the secret behind the mysterious misfit enclave.
I love the story of Carmody's journey with this book which she began writing at 14! Given that it is written from Elspeth's POV, it sounds so much more mature than you would expect.
There's not much back story in this and you have to guess at what the "Great White" was, probably a nuclear-like event. I also like that the "mutation" that results is in the mind rather than in the body. Given that many of these teenagers lost their parents at a young age, they don't have as clear an understanding of right and wrong as you would expect and I loved how Elspeth formulated her own morals and ethics by interacting with others. I loved all the characters including the villains. The mystery of the "Beforetimers", their monstrous machine and the shadowy council builds the perfect base for the first installment of a series and makes me want to keep reading. - Angela
Elspeth Gordie and her brother Jes are orphans after the Council convict their parents of heresy and burn them. They share a fate with many other adolescents and are condemned to a life of servitude with the constant fear of being discovered to be a "misfit", someone with a mutation as a result of the Great White event that killed many and contaminated a large part of the land. When Elspeth is denounced as a misft and sent to the dreaded Obernewtyn, she will need to overcome her fears to find the secret behind the mysterious misfit enclave.
I love the story of Carmody's journey with this book which she began writing at 14! Given that it is written from Elspeth's POV, it sounds so much more mature than you would expect.
There's not much back story in this and you have to guess at what the "Great White" was, probably a nuclear-like event. I also like that the "mutation" that results is in the mind rather than in the body. Given that many of these teenagers lost their parents at a young age, they don't have as clear an understanding of right and wrong as you would expect and I loved how Elspeth formulated her own morals and ethics by interacting with others. I loved all the characters including the villains. The mystery of the "Beforetimers", their monstrous machine and the shadowy council builds the perfect base for the first installment of a series and makes me want to keep reading. - Angela
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5