The Other Side of the Sky audiobook

wow. its been a long time since ive read a book with such vivid imagery. i saw a review that compared the style to miyazaki and i completely agree. plus, the seamless blend of sci-fi and fantasy, technology and magic, science and belief is just *chefs kiss*! its a really great balance and adds a lot of dimension to the story, not to mention interesting developments/growth for the characters. this does end on a mild cliffhanger, so be warned. but the story is set up for a really exciting sequel, so at least theres something to look forward to!↠ 4.5 stars

"I believe the prophecy brought us together. North, this is our destiny." representation: chronic illness, queer characters and relationships (f/f, m/m/f), both MC's described as having brown skin.[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]★★★★.5This was so good! I would describe it as being both a fantasy AND a sci-fi wrapped into one! We follow our female main character Nimh who lives on the ground, which reads like a fantasy world as there is magic and prophecies and gods and goddesses. She's the 'Divine One' who is descended from the only god that didn't flee to the sky 1000 years ago. In the sky (which reads like a sci-fi world), we follow North who is a prince that's determined to convince the council that the altitude of their floating world is lowering and that the technology to fix it is on the ground. I thought this particular aspect was a nod to climate change as all of the members of the council say things such as "we've has years like this before" where the altitude has been lower, etc. and I thought this was a subtle, clever touch!Anyway, North is riding in his forbidden spacecraft glider when it malfunctions and he crashes on the ground and meets Nimh, who is convinced that North is the person mentioned in the prophecy that will save them all. This was truly a blast. From the cool magic, to the pining after one another because touching her is forbidden, to the normalcy of queer relationships, to the CAT (yes, there's a badass cat!), this just ticked all of my boxes! The world below was so fascinating! There's also a deadly mist that can arrive in storms that can kill you or give you special powers and I am a SUCKER for the trope of a character arriving in a completely different world and discovering it for the first time! I will say this was a littttttle bit insta-lovey, but apart from that, I really loved it!I can't wait to see where the next book will go because this one left on such an exciting cliffhanger and I have a feeling we're going to see a lot more of this city in the sky! trigger warnings: terminal illness, plane (spaceship?) crash, murder, fantasy violence, loss of loved ones, explosions. thank you to allen and unwin for the review copy!

I enjoyed this, and heres why. Nimh, is a goddess to her people in the world below. North, is a Prince from the clouds above. The two meet in a moment of destiny that instantly collides both their worlds. Swoon right? 😏💗This story, though slow to start, richly explores Nimhs world, and those that worship her as 'The Divine One', as well as those who secretly oppose her. Her aspect (Or Magic, she will eventually bring to her people) keeps those around her faithful, and others suspicious of her Divinity.💫There was strong world building in regards to Nimh and her people. Although, I craved to learn more about 'Alciel', Norths home in the sky. But, I know it will be explored in book two, so I'm not too worried. 💭🏰 🧐I loved the juxtaposition of North and Nimh and what they represent. He's the modern boy from a world in the sky filled with technology and Science. Nimh represents tradition, faith and Magic; the older ways of life.Another favorite part was the sexual representation of the main characters. North, our main characters is Bisexual. I mean finally! Authors take note, it's okay to write about a boy liking a boy (And also liking a girl) . It was refreshing to read about so many LGBTQ style relationships within the story. I mean, NORTH HAS TWO MOMS 👸👸, this is amazing for me as a reader. I wish more authors gave us this range of character representation. 💚Amie and Megan set a great foundation for book two, that cliffhanger was so, so good. I'm excited to see where the journey takes us. So many questions have yet to be answered, but I'm willing to read book two and find out what happens next. (4)⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🤗

Star Rating: —> 5 StarsOH MY GODDDD! This was absolutely incredible!RTC

The other Side of The Sky actually really surprised me, and I absolutely loved it! Ablend of sci/fi and fantasy, where here are two parallel societies - one on the ground and one in the sky. Once all lived on the earth's surface, but some fled with mechanically powered islands into the sky when the ground started to become poisoned by a 'mist' . Society in the sky developed with technology, while the society on the ground developed with magic. The society on the ground think those in the sky are divine, while those in the sky are not aware that those on the ground even exist, believing the ground to be poisoned. Centuries after the divide, North, a prince from the Sky realm, and Nimh, considered divine on the ground, have to work together once North is stranded on the ground. They both have brilliant character development and the interactions between these two are pure gold. Honestly Kaufmann and Spooner create surreally vivid imagery that really pulls you in. It's so beautifully written and feels liker a journey - I absolutely didn't want to put it down I have to say though it was a little disorienting at first. There are two types of authors - the ones who explain all the background with a clear introduction and those who just throw you into the story to figure it out for yourself - this is the latter! Also, that ENDING! I need the sequel in my hands right now.

Ahhh I liked it a lot but it also made me so sad T_T Unsurprisingly, two authors means two viewpoints, so the story is told by Nimh and North through alternating chapters. Nimh is the 'living divine', essentially considered a goddess of her people. She's had a prophetic dream which she's off to fulfil. Meanwhile, above the clouds of Nimh's home, North is a prince who believes the sinking of their cloud islands (though debatable) is a good reason for them to explore 'Below', the land their ancestors came from. If you want more plot details than that, read the blurb or something. I hate summarising XDI'm also feeling super lazy so here's the breakdown: Things I liked -Likeable protagonists-Science vs magic -North's constant attempts to explain magic with science-Nimh's constant attempts to explain science as magic-Bindle cat-Nimh's fears and doubts-Beautiful world building-No touchy-Flow of the story/action-Mostly unpredictable Things I didn't like -So serious-Little to no sass factor-All-powerful-ness-Jezara totally not what I expected-I basically felt kinda depressed the whole way throughSo, essentially, I really enjoyed the story and the character development, and how everything flowed together really well, but it was so serious and doom and gloom the whole way through that I couldn't really get excited. I was honestly hoping the cat would do more amazing things than just general cat behaviour, but there's more books to come so I still have hope. I loved reading the story down below but I'm really looking forward to continuing the story up above.

Okay, I knew since this was the first book in a series that the ending might be a bit abrupt. But I was NOT prepared for that cliffhanger! Can't wait to read more about Nimh and North, I really loved what they did with the clash between technology and magic- very unusual world building!

This review was originally posted on Books of My HeartThis world's peoples split about a thousand years ago.  Some went to live in the sky on city ships as big as islands, while the other people stayed on the land.  Much of that is covered by at least a little water with only a few dry and non-swampy parts.  North is a Prince of the sky and Nimh is the living Goddess of the land but they are tied together by prophecy and will either be the saviors of their peoples or the destruction in The Other Side of the Sky the first book of The Other Side of the Sky duology.North is the adventurous Prince of his people.  He has been working on a craft to make it to the land and finally has his day to present to the council.  When that doesn't go well, he decides a surprise demonstration will be what is needed to change their mind.  But his craft was tampered with and he ends up crashing on the land below completely unprepared for what he finds there.  Nimh is searching for the star, foretold in the prophecy that will help her destroy her world so it can be born again.  She did not expect 'the star' to be a boy from the gods that left the ground to live in the sky.  But prophecies are funny things with lives of their own and interpretations that might not make any sense until the moment they are meant to.I enjoyed this book for the most part.  Yes, there is the trope of the chosen one and some big insta-love happening but I surprisingly was not annoyed by it.  Maybe it is because they seemed to be fated to be together with the prophecy in some form that I was able to accept it more readily.  Nihm is so innocent in a lot of ways.  She has been isolated and untouched since becoming the living embodiment of the goddess for her people.  She wields some magic but has yet to manifest her true power and it makes her feel like she is less than she should be for her people.  North is a spoiled and overconfident Prince of his people who until now has never thought much past the now of his life and most situations.  But he knows he likes this girl, even if he hates her interpretation of the prophecy and his part in it. “I don’t know if I believe prophecies. I don’t know if I believe in her gods or her destiny. I don’t know if I believe in any of this. But I believe in her.” Inshara, a powerful wieldier of magic believes the prophecy is hers and will stop at nothing to make it to the people in the cities in the skies.  She is strong and cruel, destruction is her only goal.  North and Nimh must find a way to stop her before she hurts more of the people Nimh loves and is duty bound to protect.  Nimh will have to find a way to stop all of Inshara's plans and find the power within her first if she is even going to have a chance.I like the world in this book.  It is interesting and magical how the people of the land adapted after North's people left and how those stories were passed down over time and changed.  Seeing the world through North's eyes made it feel all the more wondrous and magical since tech is the language of his people and it has been almost completely lost to the people on land.  It is a great blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy and right up my alley.  There are some YA tropes but the writing is good and most of the pitfalls I would normally find with those tropes I was able to completely overlook. “It's not magic," I say. "It's science. Science means that you can explain it, that you know how each part of it works. Magic is - I mean, it's science you haven't figured how to explain yet." "I can explain my magic," Nimh replies. "And you just said you could not explain your engines.” Narration: Caitlin Davies I know very well from Penryn and the End of Days series.  She has a great voice for a young girl trying to make her way in an unknown world and performs the drama and longing in the story well.  Johnathan McClain has also played the voice of some characters in Kauffman's other series and is well known to me.  He was perfect for the confident, in charge Prince lost on a land he doesn't understand.  I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.Listen to a clip:  HERE

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review! Nimh is the goddess of the Below, but as the years have passed without her divine power being revealed, there are those who have started to doubt her. She is convinced though, that a vision she has experienced is the answer to everything.North is a prince, living in the cities in the sky. The sky people have always been told nothing lives on the world below and to journey there is a suicide mission. There is no way back up. North thinks he may be able to find a way, but before he can convince anyone of his intended invention, he crash lands his glider….Below.When North and Nimh meet, he doesn’t believe in magic and she thinks his technology is the very embodiment of magic. As the unlikely pair try and untangle the stories they have been told, they’ll run into a far greater danger than they expected.I was initially a little scared to start The Other Side of the Sky, because it sounded very romance-y, and I don’t really do romance books, so I was not prepared for how much I would love it! According to the laws of her divinity, Nimh can’t be touched, so that brought an entirely new aspect to the growing feelings between the pair. I really loved this unique part of the storyline. There was also a CAT. I am a huge sucker for animal companions in books and the Bindle Cat had my whole heart with his very cat like attitude and behaviour. The way he just showed up, demanded whatever attention he needed and left again was SO REALISTIC. 😄 As well as being a book about a fight for survival, The Other Side of the Sky did such a fantastic job of hi-lighting the differences in culture between the sky and land people. I felt like North made most of the concessions to suspend his belief when it came to Nimh’s magic and his technology was almost brushed off as ‘magic’. So I’m kind of hoping he’ll get the chance to show off the advanced technology of his people in the next book. The epic world building and characters had me hooked from the very beginning and although this is not a short book, I just couldn’t put it down.And seriously, THAT ENDING. I don’t care whether it’s by technology or magic, someone needs to make the sequel appear in my hands right now. I’m waiting.

Full review on my Blog.Up versus down, future future past, technology versus magic. What happens when two realities crash together? In this phenomenal first installment of a new series, two different worlds meet. I was ready to dive into a Medieval like world, but instead I was given drones, 3D stamps and a lot of things that made me think more of future than of past. Plot was interesting, not completely original (boy meets girl of another world), being the first book, it was not all laid down, but we got a glimpse of what can be something even grander. Characters are all well developed, I think they were always coherent with themselves. While the plot overall and the world building are yes complex, but explained really well (they don’t actually seem that complex), the characters had a complexity inside of them that made them just more likeable and human. Nihm struggles with the heaviness of being the Divinity, the Divine One, and North fights to go back home and to stay alive in a new world. I particularly loved the difficulty regarding things they don’t know of each other’s world and how they tried to understand: medicine and magic on one side and engines and technologies on the other side.7 Final vote: 4/5

This was so cute!! The Other Side of the Sky was beautifully written, and despite the characters being on the younger side of YA, Nihm and North were mature and complex enough that I think anyone could enjoy TOSotS! I was a little nervous about this being written by co-authors, I didn’t connect with Aurora Rising’s writing and I loved the concept of TOSotS so I didn’t want it to be ruined by poor execution, but I was absolutely blown away. Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner are true masters of their craft and blended their styles seamlessly together to create a fantastic story. I quickly fell in love with both Nihm and North’s characters, they were both so drastically different and had such unique backgrounds it was incredibly entertaining - and cute - watching the two try and explain their societies and lifestyles to each other. And I looooved the representation! Both societies illustrated in the story embraced and normalized diversity which was reflected in the characters such as North, who was bi and has two mothers. Honestly, I’m obsessed. The Other Side of the Sky was such a fun read and the ENDING y’all !! It was amazing and horrible at the same time, I needed the sequel yesterday, to say the least. “I was so certain you were my destiny, and I yours”