Cities at Sea takes place in a future where global warming has flooded most of the continental land of the world. Several larger cities had the foresight to go to sea on large rafts that now sustain their populations and float along according to the currents. A resident on the Sydney raft, Sal wants more to life that floating on land when they are surrounded by water; so when she hears of a scientist on the Shanghai raft that is using stem cells to allow people to grow gills, Sal takes a chance with Jezzybaba to turn her into a new species. In a reverse tale of the Little Mermaid, Sal finds herself after being altered to live in the sea.
I really thought I would like the plot of this book, in a world after global warming where cities were now rafts in ocean and now global cooling is an issue! There are definitely many talking points about climate change brought up in this book. However, some of the plot seems to be all over the place. The main character Sal, wants to fit in with the ocean and becomes genetically altered in order to do so. This is another great discussion! However, the characters aren't quite developed enough to fall in love with. The writing also seems to be on a Young Adult level; however, the way sex is approached in this book does not make it suitable for that audience.
With some clean-up, I would be interested in a sequel to Cities at Sea since we left the characters in a precarious situation. There is definitely room to grow.
This book was received as an ARC for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really thought I would like the plot of this book, in a world after global warming where cities were now rafts in ocean and now global cooling is an issue! There are definitely many talking points about climate change brought up in this book. However, some of the plot seems to be all over the place. The main character Sal, wants to fit in with the ocean and becomes genetically altered in order to do so. This is another great discussion! However, the characters aren't quite developed enough to fall in love with. The writing also seems to be on a Young Adult level; however, the way sex is approached in this book does not make it suitable for that audience.
With some clean-up, I would be interested in a sequel to Cities at Sea since we left the characters in a precarious situation. There is definitely room to grow.
This book was received as an ARC for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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