There have been quite a few dystopian YA novels centred around a Green theme recently. This one stands out in the way that it does not try to make it "modern". The world described in the book is simple and it is that simplicity that makes it feel real. The writing is beautifully done. I agree that the world-building is a tad thin but that is what makes it beautiful -- readers can fill in the blanks at times with their own interpretation.

The Danger of Small Things is a YA dystopian novel about girls who know they deserve more and the quiet power of rebellion started by the young.

It's set in the near future (almost sobering with how close it is to becoming our reality) where the bees are extinct, books are burned, and girls are used for labour and childbearing. I feel like the first chapter alone sets a powerful tone for the rest of the book, highlighting how bleak and controlled the world the characters live in is and setting an unsettling vibe for the rest of the book. But despite the bleakness, there's also quiet hope slowly sparking resistance after Jess, the main character, uses her art as a form of protest.

This definitely reads on the younger end of YA, sometimes bordering on middle grade (however, I'd still classify it as YA due to the heavy themes), and it's very character driven. I wish the worldbuilding would have been expanded on and that there was more depth in places, but emotionally, it still landed and would be a good pick for a school curriculum due to the fear it instills about the future. (climate collapse, girls' autonomy being taken away, and censorship- it all feels painfully relevant nowadays.)

For fans of The Handmaid's Tale, Girls with Sharp Sticks, and YA stories about rebellion, this is a thoughtful and haunting read. Not perfect, but powerful in its message and exactly the kind of dystopian that makes you sit with your discomfort!

This is a YA dystopian novel that imagines a frighteningly plausible future in which the extinction of bees has caused our ecosystem to collapse. The story follows Jess, a young woman forced to spend her adolescence pollinating flowers by hand until she will eventually be assigned a husband. Slowly, she and the other girls begin to realise that even the smallest things - a handful of paint, or refusing an apple - can shake the system they’ve been led to believe is their only possible reality.

It’s an urgent story, and I read it obsessively; Lewis’ writing is equally beautiful and captivating. However, I did find the world-building a little thin and the politics somewhat simplistic, even for YA. But that doesn’t make the book any less vital, especially for its target audience.

A dramatic dystopian, set in a time where nature has been pushed to the point, that the food chain has utterly collapsed.
This book was immensely captivating and I enjoyed it very much. Though at times my skin prickled at the thought, that one day this may all come true.

Although this was a very slow paced book, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
It took it's time building the story and enough of the background to the world and characters, but without filling it with unnecessary tripe. I often find in these kinds of books (post-apocalyptic, post-society break down etc), that they are took focused on telling you everything that led up to what happened, everything that is going on all over the world and so much more. But this book bypassed this, and stuck to a very simple message. The bees are gone and society is a mess. There are a few moments where the outside world is mentioned, but mainly it just focuses of Jess, a girl who, along with many others, is forced to pollinate trees by hand with small brushes, because there are no bees, insects or birds to do so. The girls are forced to do this until they have their first period, after which they are taken away and married off to produce the next generation.
Again, the book doesn't go into too many details here, keeping it vague. The author seems to be content to let the reader understand things for themselves and just how dark this world really is.
The main story centres around Jess and her friends slowly coming together, growing, and eventually trying to find a way to escape this hellish life they are subjected to.
I would say, normally a slow paced book with this kind of story wouldn't be for me...but there was something about how the author never over did things, never pushed a huge agenda, but also let your imagination explore the world in and outside the compound where the girls were kept. And I appreciated this greatly.
It makes you think, and also is very relevant to current times. Definitely worth a read.