In the analysis of the trilogy "Syntonyms", I wrote that the next Russian YA book that I will analyze will be good. And this book is called Morpho by Amelia Gramm.
At first I thought it was a foreign book, but after checking if there were foreign editions, it turned out that it was still a book by a Russian writer.
Let's talk about the world of this book. After death, a person enters the afterlife, which is a city, in which he is given a coin that will determine whether he will go to Heaven or Limbo, and those whose coin does not fall on one side must pass three tests and the last judgment.
I like that with a small volume of the book (349 pages), the author described her world in great detail and interestingly. Every little thing was explained, even what would happen if you lost the coin (it would come back). I also like the moment with what happens to the souls of miscarriages, namely, they act as curators who monitor those who need to pass the tests.
The plot here is interesting. Flynn Morpho finds himself in the afterlife, where he has to go through three trials related to his inner demons, and he is also haunted everywhere by a symbol in the form of a Morpho butterfly, which hints at a terrible act committed during his lifetime.
This story turned out to be tragic, the author did the dramatic part very well, you believe in it. Every Chekhov gun shoots, there were no huge plot holes and the tests were done very well and with a certain amount of morality. For example,
I liked the second test, or rather the moment when the hero decides to help an old man who cannot pass the test and blames everyone for his failures. Sitting on his shoulders, the old man begins to suck energy out of Flynn and rejuvenates himself, and makes him old, along the way, the man continues to blame everyone for his failures. This is a very good allegory that it is not necessary to help a person who is not trying to do something himself, but blames others. And there are many such well-made moments in the book.
Main characters here are good.
Flynn turned out to be an interesting character who can be understood, but not forgiven for some actions, and suffering from youthful maximalism, which is why he ended up in the world of the dead.
Tylo, his friend and assistant, turned out to be a funny character who immediately evokes sympathy.
The text is good, considering that this is the author's debut, it is amazing how clear, beautiful, and detailed the descriptions here are. Even things that don't exist in our world.
It's a very good book. We can say that she is one of those who gives at least a little faith in good YA books. It is a pity, of course, that it was not distributed around the world.
by mystery5009