*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: The Never Tilting World
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
ISBN: 9780062821799
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun. While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal. But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.
The Never Tilting World brings together 4 very unique perspectives to piece together a story of a world that has stopped spinning, thus bringing chaos to the climate and its inhabitants, and changed–perhaps forever–the landscape, the climate, and the people who inhabit the remaining habitable terrain. This YA fantasy is full of magical and supernatural elements. The goddesses are able to tap into strong powers that allow them to control the elements, to the point (it is rumoured) of even returning the dead to life.
This has an extraordinary cast of characters who are incredibly diverse. Lan (bi) and Odessa (lesbian) are in a whirlwind romance that has the potential to be great, but is threatened to end in disaster. Lan also struggles with PTSD after a failed mission into the abyss, and though Odessa has been sick her whole life, she doesn’t let her illness get in the way of fulfilling her destiny of greatness. Haidee loves working as a mechanic, but her duties as a goddess mean that she is expected to find a suitor and produce an heir. Arjun lost his hand to an accident when he was a boy, but he is a fierce rebel, surviving against all odds in the desert. These four are brought together in ways they couldn’t have imagined, and they strike out in rebellion to face the unknown, hopefully to alter their world for the better.
I also really enjoyed the beautiful world that Chupeco has built. It’s vivid, expansive, and incredibly surreal. It does seem small as a planet, so it’s hard to really grasp the true breadth and scale, but what she has created is beautiful and dangerous. There are threats and surprises around every corner. The characters are paired off and as they embark on their separate journey, readers get to explore the dual nature that this world has established since the breaking. The characters are going where no others have gone before (at least no others who have returned to tell the tale), so there is much to discover.
Another great YA find! Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 