The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Scott Yambao Raya boards the subway one night and finds herself catapulted onto the Elsewhere Express, a train that rides through another reality, all its carriages made up of weird and wonderful places. The reason she could come here is because her souls lacks purpose and weight. Alongside her is Q, a seeming stowaway. He wants to stay. She wants to leave. But it's possible that neither will get their wish.
I loved Water Moon, which I read last year, because the lush prose didn't detract from the story. Unfortunately, this was not the case with The Elsewhere Express. Beautiful writing should never come at the expense of everything other aspect of a novel... this time I found myself listlessly paging through the book, guessing what was going on with Lily early and not liking the author's attempts to mislead me, and wondering if I should disembark and DNF. Still, it was a magical journey with a few unexpected moments. I just don't think it was the journey for me. Content warning: mentions of suicide, loss of sight, death of relative
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Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao Hana Ishikawa is now the owner of an unusual pawnshop with a door that opens into Tokyo. Her first day begins with the discovery that the shop has been ransacked and her father, newly retired, is missing. There will be consequences if Hana tries to find him. But she is not alone in her quest - enter Minatozaki Keishin, who doesn't understand Hana's strange world. And yet nothing will dissuade him from following her.
Whenever someone describes a book as having lush prose, I immediately assume that it's overwritten to the point of boredom. This is the first time I've encountered a book that really is lush (from its poetic descriptions to its delightfully winding plot) and it was far from boring. It's gorgeous and heartbreaking and wonderful - and just like Keishin, I don't believe I am the same person I was before I went on this adventure. This is one library book that I'll regret returning. |
AboutAlyce Caswell, when she isn't drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, can be found dabbling in multiple genres and writing forms. She has self-published several titles in her space opera family saga, which is divided into two series: The Galactic Pantheon and The Pantheon War. Her most recent book is The Shadow of the Gods. 
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