David Soriano

I was provided with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Whilst promoted and intended to be a middle-grade/youth text, I implore readers of all ages to delve into this immensely imaginative realm crafted by debut author N.E McMorran. This own-voice text shines through its celebration of neurodivergent children -- particularly children within the spectrum, presenting a message of encouragement for neurodivergent readers and a call for empathy and understanding for neurotypical readers like myself. With the main complication surrounding an underworld that suppresses and exploits the voices of disabled children, McMorran utilises this narrative to draw attention to a number of innate flaws within our contemporary society. This includes ableism and the lack of accomodation for neurodivergence in everyday spaces; the exponentially rising threat of climate change; the exploitation of individuals by capitalist industries and realms, amongst numerous other extremely relevant topics. The honest representation of these social issues within this book can emerge many meaningful discussions between the reader and those around them, regardless of whether they have read the text as well or not. For example, parents reading this novel with their children can create the opportunity for them to shed light and explore further on how our society marginalises, and, more truthfully, fails a variety of people within our society, such as neurodivergent people, equipping the next generation with early insight on injustice. As a neurotypical non-autistic reader myself, this text invited me to learn more about what life is like for autistic children explored within such a vivid, futuristic, and captivating setting. The main set of characters have their own unique traits and personalities that draw you to want to learn more about them, cheering for them to thrive, flourish, and overcome adversity as the text progresses. I want to emphasise the strength of how author N.E McMorran utilises her own perspective and experiences of growing up within this novel to empower neurodivergent youth. With this text, the author breaks through stereotypical, one-dimensional stereotypes and notions of people on the spectrum to create a narrative that seeks real representations of real people and real, real, experiences. I hope that this novel creates a spark of more diverse and authentic representation alongside own-voices expression, and, in particular, I hope that this isn't the last we'll see from such a brilliant author.