Release Date: June 7th, 2022

Genre(s): Young adult fiction, fantasy, LGBT

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Pages: 416

Rating:⭐️.5

Thank you to Fierce Reads and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced finished copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This review may contain spoilers.

Synopsis

The first book in a dark fantasy YA duology by the author of What Big Teeth, about the power and danger of stories and the untold costs of keeping magic alive, perfect for fans of Aiden Thomas and Marie Rutkoski.

In River City, where magic used to thrive and is now fading, the witches who once ruled the city along with their powerful King have become all but obsolete. The city’s crumbling government is now controlled primarily by the new university and teaching hospital, which has grown to take over half of the city.

Moving between the decaying Old City and the ruthless New, four young queer people struggle with the daily hazards of life―work, school, dodging ruthless cops and unscrupulous scientists―not realizing that they have been selected to play in an age-old drama that revives the flow of magic through their world. When a mysterious death rocks their fragile peace, the four are brought into each other’s orbits as they uncover a deeper magical conspiracy.

Devastating, gorgeous, and utterly unique, We All Fall Down examines the complex network of pain created by power differentials, even between people who love each other―and how it is possible to be queer and turn out just fine.

Review

The first chapters of We All Fall Down really set the stage for an interesting premise, as well as one that’s a bit odd, yet original. But after that point, things really started falling apart for me. 

To summarize, this book needed to cover a lot of ground for a good execution; instead, there’s a lot of writing, yet it doesn’t really contribute to the overall story. There’s a lack of character development to start, which makes it difficult to follow the central plot – especially when we’re following so many POVs. There are gradual introductions to the world itself, but the combination of it being in America and also being its own magical entity felt disjointed. This is the first book in a series so there is more to be revealed, but for a story that’s quite dependent on its own setting, I don’t feel like we got enough detail here to really cement the storyline.

Because of the above, so much of We All Fall Down felt rushed in its execution. Whenever a major story event is told, it is done so in such a matter-of-fact way, making some scenes underwhelming and others insensitive. 

The most significant example of this involves an ongoing investigation where several police officers in the area have been murdered by an unknown subject. One of the characters knows who the murderer is, and, in order to protect them, falsely accuses an innocent Black man of murder. He is immediately arrested and interrogated in poor conditions until another character realizes what happened. While this is something that can happen and be discussed in books, the complete dismissal of the event really rubbed me the wrong way. Questions of moral decision-making are not always done directly in books, but I at the very least expect some type of feeling of remorse from the character or disapproval from others. But in this book, the framing is treated like any other mundane event, and everyone else moves on as if nothing happened. Additionally, the character that did the framing is never really viewed as bad in any way for their actions, which was at the very least uncomfortable to read. This is also an issue with the misgendering of characters, and knowing that the author is queer themselves, I don’t believe this was intentional; rather, it was an attempt to make commentary on social issues that were poorly executed to the point of being harmful. Essentially, the lack of accountability and instead nonchalance put me off, especially for a book marketed for young readers. 

So while I thought this book had promise, We All Fall Down sadly did not turn out the way I’d hoped. I think this book was trying to take on too much, didn’t hone in on anything specific, and didn’t know how to hone in on certain themes or story points in a sensible way. 

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