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Okay THIS book.

This world felt like the 2001 movie A.I. (with Haley Joel Osment) crossed with Ghibli vibes. Initially I was a little thrown off because this audiobook narrator isn’t my favorite, and the inciting incident was unfortunately caused by a parent deciding to keep a secret from their adult child in a way I felt was just to serve the plot. (And this is the second time I’ve seen that particular trope this month, so I was already kind of sensitive to it.)

However! Putting that aside, this author’s ability to create charming characters is really amazing. They totally pop off the page, and I loved all of them. Huge found family vibes and really cute banter. This colorful world really played out for me like a Ghibli film in my head, and though the voice here is super similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea, this one is a lot darker and heavier. I liked the philosophical questions posed, but on the whole I found it a little long, and the ending was just a little too bitter on the bittersweet spectrum for me.

So yeah Ghibli x A.I. If that sounds interesting, or you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea, I would definitely give this one a try!

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Thanks for reading!