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The Floating Islands Rachel Neumeier Books

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The Floating Islands Rachel Neumeier Books

I loved the idea of this book, but I loved its execution even more. I picked it up because I was charmed by its concept of floating islands and a boy "sky-mad" to join the ranks of the enigmatic flying islanders.

I was impressed to discover that Neumeier treated the protagonist's grief with an intensity and respect that you rarely see in fantasy. Orphans are a common trope, especially in YA or middle-grade books, and too often the loss faced by the characters is brushed away at the first sign of magic or adventure. Not here. It's treated with such tenderness, such heart-breaking beauty. I worried at first that the book might become difficult to read for this reason, but was intrigued to realize that Neumeier's elegant writing and decisions regarding dialogue and plot conspired to heal the grief even while depicting it. I couldn't stop highlighting phrases, often whole paragraphs, because I found real beauty and healing in the character's healing. I kept thinking that this book might be a kind and respectful way to help a young reader who has faced loss.

On a lighter note, I can assure you that even if the book doesn’t shy away from darkness and emotional depth, it also dazzles on all levels. It's just as charming and delightful as I had hoped it would be.

I have a weakness for good food writing, and as one of the main characters yearns to be a chef, I was enchanted to read all the luscious descriptions of islander food. I doubt a single chapter passed without some mention of food, how the characters related to it, who created it, how and why it was prepared, and of course how delicious (or not) the characters found it to be. So many worldbuilding SF/F writers fall short on this critical point and miss opportunities to make their worlds more human and relatable. Not so with Neumeier. Her food writing was top-notch, to the point where her description of fresh baked bread with figs, honey, and goat cheese actually sent me to the grocery store to ease the craving. I wish I could've tried the islander version!

Another note about flavors. I have never seen such an innovative use of food writing skills to describe magic. You always hope that a description of magic will feel personal and real, something you can immerse yourself in. I'd say Neumeier's concept of magical flavors achieved that tenfold.

Flying with the main character was as exhilarating as any flying scene I had ever read. I don't know if the author has a hobby of jumping out of planes or hang gliding, but I completely believed every scene. She also tucked in loving details regarding wings, feathers, air currents, variations in air pressure and temperature. To have magic to see the wind--what a gift that would be. I believed every scene and part of me went a little "sky-mad" with the main character.

I can't finish this review without mentioning how much I appreciated the strong female character at the center of the story. I was impressed with the juggling act Neumeier performed in order to maintain different cultural viewpoints on gender roles, yet still tease out multiple angles of character development in a believable and enjoyable way. I grew up idolizing Tamora Pierce's Alanna, so it's no surprise that I loved the young woman fighting to make a place for herself in a male-dominated culture. I did not expect to find myself empathizing with the less-than-feminist perspectives of her male family members at all! Just goes to show Neumeier's talent for multi-faceted characters and skill in worldbuilding. It's one thing to write believable conflicting ideologies. It's another thing entirely to coax your readers to empathize with both those ideologies before they even realize what's happening! Truly excellent writing.

Along those lines, I truly enjoyed the conflict of the main character's search for identity while caught between two very different cultures and nations. I think we all know a little of what it's like to try and please everyone even when everyone disagrees. I think if a young reader had personal experience with immigration or if their family had an immigrant or refugee story, then this book would strike a powerful chord.

In this day and age, we need stories of refugees, of immigration and identity, feminine strength, heroism, grief, and healing. We need them more than ever. I'm grateful to Ms. Neumeier for writing an entrancing story which treats all these concepts with respect, intensity, and more than a little magic.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Floating Islands (9780375847059): Rachel Neumeier: Books,Rachel Neumeier,The Floating Islands,Knopf Books for Young Readers,0375847057,Fantasy - General,Fantasy.,Flight;Fiction.,Magic;Fiction.,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fantasy,Fantasy & Magic,Fiction,Fiction-Fantasy,Flight,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Family General (see also headings under Social Themes),Juvenile Fiction Fantasy & Magic,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Magic,TEEN'S FICTION FANTASY,United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fantasy General

The Floating Islands Rachel Neumeier Books Reviews

I discovered Rachel Neumeier's books only a year or so ago, and every book I read is better than the last. "The Floating Islands" is categorized as YA, and though it's appropriate in theme and content for teen readers it shouldn't be dismissed by adults. This is one of the rarest of all books a book with well-developed characters, fascinating world-building, intricate plot, gorgeous prose, and difficult but ultimately uplifting messages. It's about family and loss and grief and hope, about losing everything you thought made life worth living but learning to live and laugh again all the same. It has magic and dragons and cooking and warfare, and every word is carefully chosen. Even the names are a delight to say.

Neumeier's writing reminds me a little of Patricia McKillip, in her luminous prose and the sense of the wonder magic brings to her world. But she's more grounded, in a way; her characters are real and solid and true-to-life, even when the living wind is tugging them off their feet. I can say without reservation that if you like McKillip, you'll like Neumeier. And if you've ever closed a McKillip book thinking, "That was beautiful, but what the heck happened?" ... well, try Neumeier. She's mastered both beauty and clarity, and "The Floating Islands" is a shining example of both.
Trei is a 14-year-old boy who was visiting his uncle in a city maybe 50-100 miles from his home city when the mountain behind the city does a Vesuvius-style eruption and everyone who was in the city - including his par-ents and sister - is killed by poisonous gases before being buried in ash. The uncle he was visiting--his father's brother - refuses to give him a home because he's a half-breed, with a Tol-ounne father and an Islander mother, and by Tolounne law half-breeds have to pay a substantial tax to become citizens when they reach their majority. So he goes to his only other relatives, his mother's brother, who lives on one of the Floating Islands - islands that float in the air above the ocean, kept there by dragon magic. And on the way there he sees kajuraihi - men who strap on wings and use dragon magic, again, to fly - and instantly knows that that's what he wants to do with his life. And he's welcomed by his uncle, and does indeed get selected to audition for a place in the kajuraihi training program. His uncle has a daughter about his age, Araenè, who longs to become a chef (she's a marvelous cook already) but by the customs of the Islands can't - females of the middle and upper classes aren't allowed to work outside the home. She's acquired some boys' clothes and has contrived to get something of an education by sneaking into lectures at the local university, but knows that sooner or later she'll have to stop. The book more or less alternates chapters from their two POVs, as Tolounne declares war on the Islands and brings mages on ships to counteract the dragon magic. A plague takes Araenè's parents, but a local school of magery had found her and offers her a place, though she doesn't know that at least some of them have recognized that she's female. It's very well done the characters are engaging, the action is brisk, and I only noticed one major flaw. The kajuraihi are described as dropping fire onto Tolounnese ships as one of their tactics to defend the Islands - but they fly by strapping wings to their arms and flapping or soaring like birds. But humans don't have grasping feet or beaks like birds, so it's difficult to see how they could carry anything and drop it, and something that's on fire would be a problem even if they did have some kind of equipment that would allow it. I don't say it wouldn't be possible to come up with an apparatus that would make it work - maybe support it on a long line between two fliers with some kind of release that could be handled with the mouth or foot? - but Neumeier simply ignores the problem. Other than that, though, this was a first-rate book, highly recommended.
I loved the idea of this book, but I loved its execution even more. I picked it up because I was charmed by its concept of floating islands and a boy "sky-mad" to join the ranks of the enigmatic flying islanders.

I was impressed to discover that Neumeier treated the protagonist's grief with an intensity and respect that you rarely see in fantasy. Orphans are a common trope, especially in YA or middle-grade books, and too often the loss faced by the characters is brushed away at the first sign of magic or adventure. Not here. It's treated with such tenderness, such heart-breaking beauty. I worried at first that the book might become difficult to read for this reason, but was intrigued to realize that Neumeier's elegant writing and decisions regarding dialogue and plot conspired to heal the grief even while depicting it. I couldn't stop highlighting phrases, often whole paragraphs, because I found real beauty and healing in the character's healing. I kept thinking that this book might be a kind and respectful way to help a young reader who has faced loss.

On a lighter note, I can assure you that even if the book doesn’t shy away from darkness and emotional depth, it also dazzles on all levels. It's just as charming and delightful as I had hoped it would be.

I have a weakness for good food writing, and as one of the main characters yearns to be a chef, I was enchanted to read all the luscious descriptions of islander food. I doubt a single chapter passed without some mention of food, how the characters related to it, who created it, how and why it was prepared, and of course how delicious (or not) the characters found it to be. So many worldbuilding SF/F writers fall short on this critical point and miss opportunities to make their worlds more human and relatable. Not so with Neumeier. Her food writing was top-notch, to the point where her description of fresh baked bread with figs, honey, and goat cheese actually sent me to the grocery store to ease the craving. I wish I could've tried the islander version!

Another note about flavors. I have never seen such an innovative use of food writing skills to describe magic. You always hope that a description of magic will feel personal and real, something you can immerse yourself in. I'd say Neumeier's concept of magical flavors achieved that tenfold.

Flying with the main character was as exhilarating as any flying scene I had ever read. I don't know if the author has a hobby of jumping out of planes or hang gliding, but I completely believed every scene. She also tucked in loving details regarding wings, feathers, air currents, variations in air pressure and temperature. To have magic to see the wind--what a gift that would be. I believed every scene and part of me went a little "sky-mad" with the main character.

I can't finish this review without mentioning how much I appreciated the strong female character at the center of the story. I was impressed with the juggling act Neumeier performed in order to maintain different cultural viewpoints on gender roles, yet still tease out multiple angles of character development in a believable and enjoyable way. I grew up idolizing Tamora Pierce's Alanna, so it's no surprise that I loved the young woman fighting to make a place for herself in a male-dominated culture. I did not expect to find myself empathizing with the less-than-feminist perspectives of her male family members at all! Just goes to show Neumeier's talent for multi-faceted characters and skill in worldbuilding. It's one thing to write believable conflicting ideologies. It's another thing entirely to coax your readers to empathize with both those ideologies before they even realize what's happening! Truly excellent writing.

Along those lines, I truly enjoyed the conflict of the main character's search for identity while caught between two very different cultures and nations. I think we all know a little of what it's like to try and please everyone even when everyone disagrees. I think if a young reader had personal experience with immigration or if their family had an immigrant or refugee story, then this book would strike a powerful chord.

In this day and age, we need stories of refugees, of immigration and identity, feminine strength, heroism, grief, and healing. We need them more than ever. I'm grateful to Ms. Neumeier for writing an entrancing story which treats all these concepts with respect, intensity, and more than a little magic.