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A review by booksblabbering
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
4.25
Insufferable, self-absorbed, socially inept, and definitely not a hero; Elliot is one of the chosen few able to cross the border. Past the wall into a magical land with human, elves, dwarves, druids, trolls, mermaids, and more to train in the council-course border camp.
There, Eliot meets Serene, a beautiful badass elven maiden he falls madly in love with at first look. She insists to be trained in both the war and council courses and it’s up to Elliot and his newly sworn and hated enemy, famous and beloved Luke Sunborn, to help Serene manage the load.
This is fantasy fun, satire, subversion at its finest! The characters are thirteen years old and Elliot regularly notes the crazy things they are expected to do, playing on troupes and actions that have become the norm in the genre, but are actually quite absurd or shocking. Not to mention, Eliot is vehemently against violence and his arguments, whilst bathed in sarcasm, ring true.
"If you must know, she is the one soul destined for my own, and we are going to be together forever," he declared loftily. “That's weird," Luke told him. "We're thirteen."
Elliot is good at annoying everyone around him and refuses to accept other peoples’ reality yet this makes him endearing to readers and even the friends who put up with him and see his deeper self.
Eliot is a problematic character. He constantly only thinks of himself and his desires and woes, neglecting his friends and often being needlessly, merciless mean to them, especially Luke.
Yet, the author doesn’t make Eliot out to be the shining hero, worthy of forgiveness. Her writing makes it clear that, although he is the protagonist and is capable of good, he is also capable of hurting others and being tactless.
But Elliot didn't want love to be like that. He loved Serene, and he did not want to catch her in his arms if she stumbled. He wanted to help her to her feet.
Don’t be misled by the cover, there is a noticeable lack of mermaids for a lot of the book!
I picked this as a beach read because of the cover and instead got a magical land with a cadet training camp! I still had a great time.
This is a strong, high-four-stars-I-recommend-this-book! But again, only if you think you can put up with Eliot’s insufferableness and the over-the-top, on-the-nose tone.
There, Eliot meets Serene, a beautiful badass elven maiden he falls madly in love with at first look. She insists to be trained in both the war and council courses and it’s up to Elliot and his newly sworn and hated enemy, famous and beloved Luke Sunborn, to help Serene manage the load.
This is fantasy fun, satire, subversion at its finest! The characters are thirteen years old and Elliot regularly notes the crazy things they are expected to do, playing on troupes and actions that have become the norm in the genre, but are actually quite absurd or shocking. Not to mention, Eliot is vehemently against violence and his arguments, whilst bathed in sarcasm, ring true.
"If you must know, she is the one soul destined for my own, and we are going to be together forever," he declared loftily. “That's weird," Luke told him. "We're thirteen."
Elliot is good at annoying everyone around him and refuses to accept other peoples’ reality yet this makes him endearing to readers and even the friends who put up with him and see his deeper self.
Eliot is a problematic character. He constantly only thinks of himself and his desires and woes, neglecting his friends and often being needlessly, merciless mean to them, especially Luke.
Yet, the author doesn’t make Eliot out to be the shining hero, worthy of forgiveness. Her writing makes it clear that, although he is the protagonist and is capable of good, he is also capable of hurting others and being tactless.
But Elliot didn't want love to be like that. He loved Serene, and he did not want to catch her in his arms if she stumbled. He wanted to help her to her feet.
Don’t be misled by the cover, there is a noticeable lack of mermaids for a lot of the book!
I picked this as a beach read because of the cover and instead got a magical land with a cadet training camp! I still had a great time.
This is a strong, high-four-stars-I-recommend-this-book! But again, only if you think you can put up with Eliot’s insufferableness and the over-the-top, on-the-nose tone.