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�3.5 stars
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When I first got my hands on this ARC of Alexis Schaitkin’s sophomore novel � Elsewhere , I was definitely excited to read it, as I had really enjoyed her debut novel Saint X and couldn’t wait to see what she would have for us next.

Now having finished this, I have to say that it was not what I expected. The writing was actually beautiful and I loved the magical quality of the prose, which flowed so lyrically and seamlessly throughout the story. Having said that though, the experience of reading this book was actually quite a struggle for me, mostly because, from beginning to end, I wasn’t really sure what I was reading. The world that the main character Vera inhabited was completely foreign to me and I honestly couldn’t relate to her actions (or those of any of the other characters) at all. Much of the plot didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me either, though this has nothing to do with the quality of the work per se, but rather my own inability to comprehend the nuances of the story.

This book falls heavily into the speculative, dystopian fiction category, which is not a genre that I typically read, so I guess it’s not a surprise that I struggled through it. While I don’t regret reading this, I definitely prefer Schaitkin’s debut novel over this one � though with that said, I also admire her ability to put out a second novel that is so markedly different from the first one. The imagery in Elsewhere is vivid and stunning, especially when describing the “world� in the mountains that Vera called home.

Overall, this was a good book, and well-written too, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully Schaitkin’s next book will work better for me.

Received ARC from Celadon Books via Celadon Early Reader program.