Unputdownable sci-fi concept, tense puzzler that needs filming.

It reminded me immediately of Under the Dome (seen but not read), but this is a microcosm of the situation. Teenaged Xavier Oaks has come away with his father and pregnant stepmother for the weekend to their rural cottage, leaving behind his mother, brother and friends. Not usually a big problem. But waking up to see that the cottage is now... not where it was last night - this is. The surroundings are totally different. There are farm animals needing looking after that weren't there the day before. And when exploring the area... there's an invisible barrier stopping them from leaving the vicinity.

Going through all the emotions you'd imagine, the family unit are stuck together, with no idea what's happened or why, with a baby due soon and food to keep providing for them all.

And it's in this little isolated cabin that Xavier spends his next three years of adolescence, farming the land, milking the goats, helping raise a new brother... until a new cabin appears one day and finally, other people arrive. But will it be a blessing or a curse?

Seeing the story through the eyes of the teenager gave this a focus, he is seeing the adults' reactions to their situation and we still feel we are following an adolescent as he grows up but in unusual circumstances, still with the same urges and natural emotions.

Loved the distinction between Xavier's own family and the new family that arrive years later, their different lifestyles and political views, the reasons they see for being where they are and what is going on.

I wasn't sure what to believe, the situation is so incredibly strange, but I loved reading this and not knowing what was going to happen to each of them all.

It makes you consider how you'd face the same challenges, what you'd think was going on, if you'd try and escape or resign yourself to the whims of others.

Incredibly readable and hard to forget. One I'd recommend to ages 13+.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

The Oak family, while out at a remote cabin, suddenly find themselves not where they had travelled to - like their cabin had been picked up and placed back down somewhere entirely different. They’ve got some farm animals, some tools, and no information. What the hell has happened?

So I read this book in two days - which is incredibly fast for me even when this book is only around 250 pages. In my mind this made it at least compelling and an easy-read. But it did have its issues.

The book is really about being trapped in a giant dome and never knowing if you’ll be able to leave or see your family again - but I never really felt I knew much about Xavier’s mum and older brother, they have some comments here and there and I can really tell he misses them a lot, but personally I had no stakes in the game.

Maybe showing a little scene with him packing and leaving them and how close they all are would have helped me feel how strong his feelings of missing them were? I’m not sure.

I loved the survival aspect and how seriously they took the farming, I know more about goats now than I did and I appreciate that. I also liked how Stardew Valley it all kind of felt with the farming aspect of the game.

When a second family arrives the dynamic shift is very much felt and I did feel tense about it, but also their interactions felt a bit repetitive, especially the small children, so I skimmed some of their paragraphs after a while.

I think the full reason I gave this book three stars instead of four (I don’t think it’s a five star book but it’s not bad) is the ending. It got built up so much, and then just fell sort of flat to me.

It ended up being quite a quick - so I guess this is what happened and now we move on? Kind of vibe, and seeing more of the fallout afterwards would have been really interesting to me. It was a tense finale but even that could have been dragged out a bit more for me.

Basically this is a fun quick read that I just feel misses the mark in a few places and would have benefited from a little extra length. But overall I’m still glad I read it.

Thank you, Guppy Books and NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC of Kenneth Oppel’s, Best of All Worlds.

Kenneth Oppel’s, Best of All Worlds, is thought-provoking and well balanced YA science fiction. It explores the fine line between conspiracy theory and doubt. Two families, two opposing believes, heels dug in, in a seemingly impossible situation. Main character, 16-year-old Xavier, is caught in the middle. Great plot, good pace. A brilliant ending, which begs for a sequel.

My only criticism might be that, in the opening I found Xavier’s voice a bit young for YA. Although in those chapters, which introduce the events, he is three years younger than the sixteen he is in the rest of the book.

As an aside: Gorgeous cover.

Five stars for Best of All Worlds, without hesitation.

Best of All Worlds: Kenneth Oppell

After reading the blurb I was so excited to read this novel. And as an ARC reader I’m very definitely in the can't-wait-to-talk-about-it-with-someone category!

It’s incredibly hard to say anything without giving away details! That Xavier and his family are kidnapped is both shocking and terrible; unless of course those in control know something he doesn’t. And then, three years later, another family arrives, and with it 17-year-old Mackenzie. At last Xavier has someone that understands his struggles and eases his pain. Until her father decides on a plan that’s both exciting and terrifying, in equal amounts.

Xavier’s desire to get back home is finally matched. But is it safe to go exploring? And is he willing to risk everything for the wonderful new life he’s enjoying?

It is hard to tell an engaging story in a confined space but books such as Room show it’s possible. Whilst this doesn’t match Room’s can’t-put-it-down-ability, I was constantly turning the page to see what happened next. It definitely edges towards literary fiction, to me, in pacing and style. It did, however, make me ponder all of life’s technology and its impact. I’d far rather a good story every time!

3 1/2 stars out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

It is a sci-fi novel with a very original idea. It was the prologue page that got me hooked. I did get a bit lost in the first chapter but then things picked up pace. It is a story that teenagers would love.

Astounding, intelligent sci-fi thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, entertained and guessing right up to the very end. I've always admired Oppel's writing. His world-building is vivid, his pacing perfect and his characters are always unique and complex. He writes teenage boys particularly well I think- always with a sense of humour, understanding and love for them which is too often absent in depictions of young men. I can't really say much about the plot without spoilers only to say that the Oak family find themselves in a mysterious dome world, cut off from the outside and with only three small puncture wounds on their backs. It's exciting and it's funny as well as deeply disturbing and I just can't thinking about it. I feel as though I need to discuss this book with others so I will be recommending it to everyone once it is published.

I really enjoyed this book, it hooked me in the second the Oaks woke up to a completely different landscape. I enjoyed the characters ans i enjoyed the tension each character brought. It's well written, with small chapters which I think aids in moving the story along. I'm not sure if it's just the copy I read but there were a few grammatical errors - no space between a period and beginning of a word, that kind of thing. Overall I would give this book a 4 star rating. The story is well thought out and throughout some parts of it i was getting 'Hunger Games' vibes. I would love for there to be more of these books following the same characters and see where the story takes them next!

I love it when a new to me author just blows me away, and that's exactly what happened here! Intriguing, captivating and absolute ride of a book - loved it!