Book Review | The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey

The Trials of Koli is the second book in the Rampart Trilogy by M.R. Carey.

The Trials of Koli is the second novel in M R. Carey’s breathtakingly original Rampart trilogy, set in a strange and deadly world of our own making.

Beyond the walls of Koli’s small village lies a fearsome landscape filled with choker trees, vicious beasts and shunned men. As an exile, Koli’s been forced to journey out into this mysterious, hostile world. But he heard a story, once. A story about lost London, and the mysterious tech of the Old Times that may still be there. If Koli can find it, there may still be a way for him to redeem himself – by saving what’s left of humankind.

I'm continuing to really enjoy this series. I think The Trials of Koli was even better than The Book of Koli. There's more of what I wanted from the first one - more POV, more world building.

I loved having the perspective of someone who was still in Mythen Rood (Spinner) as well as Koli's viewpoint outside of the village. I enjoyed all of the characters and their relationships throughout The Trials of Koli. I'm also glad we got to learn more about the choker trees and the nature of the world they are living in.

The Rampart Trilogy feels like one big book split into three parts so I don't think The Trials of Koli can be read on its own. It's a solid middle book, though. I will definitely recommend the series as a whole if I enjoy the final book as much as I've enjoyed the first two installments.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★
4/5 stars

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Book Review | The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey

The Book of Koli is a new science fiction/post-apocalyptic novel from M.R. Carey.

Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable world. A world where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly vines and seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don't get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will.

Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He knows the first rule of survival is that you don't venture beyond the walls.

What he doesn't know is - what happens when you aren't given a choice?

The first in a gripping new trilogy, The Book of Koli charts the journey of one unforgettable young boy struggling to find his place in a chilling post-apocalyptic world. Perfect for readers of Station Eleven and Annihilation.

Why did I read The Book of Koli?

I adored The Girl with All the Gifts. That makes me automatically take a closer look at anything M.R. Carey releases. I loved the sound of this trilogy. It's been a while since I've read a really great dystopian, and a deadly forest sounded perfect!

The Strengths

I immediately fell in love with the language in this. I think some readers may have trouble with the grammar and other nuances, but I really connected with Carey's writing in this one. There was poetry to his voice and his language here, and I just really enjoyed spending time with it.

I also loved the characters. Koli is a bit of a Harry Potter type of character. He's the star of the show, but all of his supporting characters are more powerful and more interesting. Monono reminded me a lot of the operating system in the movie Her. If you liked The Book of Koli or Her, I highly recommend the other!

I loved the world building, but this is also going to appear in the weaknesses for The Book of Koli. I'm a sucker for post-apocalypse and natural forces outweigh political forces for me every time. I can't wait to learn more about this world.

The Weaknesses

The Book of Koli is the first book in the Rampart Trilogy. It helped tremendously seeing the covers for the next two books on the back of my Koli paperback. I was prepared to only receive the first third of a complete story, but I'm never going to be 100% OK with a book not being able to stand on its own.

My expectation going into reading The Book of Koli was the environment was going to play a huge role in this trilogy. Hopefully it still will, but there was a lot less man versus nature than I was expecting. I want to know more and I want to see more! The good news is we are just getting started.

Would I recommend The Book of Koli to others?

Yes! Especially if you have loved other books by M.R. Carey. I'm really excited for the rest of the trilogy, and the next two books are at the top of my most anticipated list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★
4/5 stars

Review copy provided by publisher

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Book Review | The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey

The Boy on the Bridge is the prequel to M.R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gifts.

Once upon a time, in a land blighted by terror, there was a very clever boy.

The people thought the boy could save them, so they opened their gates and sent him out into the world.

To where the monsters lived.

I'm glad to see The Boy on the Bridge is getting rave reviews. I'm not sure why it didn't work as well for me. There were some good moments, but as a whole I had a hard time sustaining excitement for it.

I'm a huge fan of The Girl with All the Gifts. If you haven't read that one yet, I highly recommend it.

I'm not sure the beginning of this book would pull in folks who haven't already read Girl. I felt like the only thing sustaining me in the beginning was my previous knowledge of the world and the virus. My biggest problem while reading Boy was how much my mind was consistently able to wander and ponder such things. It felt like the good moments were reeling me back in. For whatever reason, I wasn't able to connect to the story until I was about 80% in.

I did enjoy the ending of The Boy on the Bridge. I'm glad I read it, and I will happily read more books set in this world. Unfortunately, I was bored throughout a lot of the book which is why my rating is very middle of the road.

If you loved The Girl with All the Gifts, The Boy on the Bridge would certainly be worth checking out from your library. Based on the other reviews I've seen, it's likely you'll enjoy it more than I'm leading you to believe.

5/10: Decent Read

Book Review | The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

The Girl with All the Gifts is a horror novel from M.R. Carey.

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

I went into this book knowing only that it was being categorized as horror and that it had great reviews. My ignorance to the plot greatly enhanced my enjoyment of The Girl with All the Gifts. It makes writing a review all the more difficult, though. I enjoyed it so, so much, but I can't bring myself to go into detail as to why for fear of spoiling that enjoyment for others. There really is no statute of limitations on spoilers as far as I'm concerned.

What I will tell you is I loved the hell out of this book. The writing, the characters, the tension, the questions, the science, the horror, that thrill you get when you are loving what you are reading. I  have no doubts The Girl with All the Gifts will be high on my list of favorites for the year.

I realize this review is pretty useless as far as recommendations go, but I'm comfortable with asking you to take a chance.

9/10: Highly Recommended