The Loneliness of Distant Beings (Paperback)
by: Kate Ling
Published: May 19th 2016 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars ☆
Goodreads blurb: “Even though she knows it’s impossible, Seren longs to have the sunshine on her skin. It’s something she feels she needs to stay sane. But when you’re floating through space at thousands of kilometres an hour, sometimes you have to accept there are things you cannot change.
Except that the arrival of Dom in her life changes everything in ways she can barely comprehend. For a while he becomes the Sun for her; and she can’t help but stay in his orbit. Being with him flaunts every rule designed to keep their home in order, but to lose him would be like losing herself.
In the end they must decide what is most important: loyalty to the only home they’ve ever known, or to each other?”
I was randomly browsing the books at Big W – without an exact book in mind. And then the cover of the book totally took my attention. I mean, it’s so simple yet so gorgeous. Right, right?! Then of course the title. I really loved the title because it totally hooked me right away when I saw it sitting on the shelf – it also literally sums up the whole concept of the story which I very much appreciate.
First off, I loved the concept – it’s refreshing for me, really. This YA sci-fi/romance book is about a 16 year old girl named Seren who was born in a spaceship alongside her family and other people. They are descendants of the people from Earth who volunteered in a 700-year mission to investigate other living species outside Earth (or if there is any). Inside the ship, there are the assigned rules or assigned ‘way of life’ for each individual, basically. They are given education, assigned jobs afterwards, and even be assigned with a life partner (arranged marriage in space!) and need to undergo the breeding program. It sounds really complicated at first, but the way Kate Ling wrote everything makes it easy for me to grip the whole story.
I also like Seren’s characterisation. For someone whose life is already trapped in a cycle – where most people around her have already accepted their written fate, Seren is a hard-headed, strong and stubborn young girl who does the opposite. She refuses to embrace a fate that does not have a room for personal choices. Unlike the others in the ship, Seren is the type of person who questions everything around her. It is definitely her rebellious attitude that drew me to her character. She is flawed, yes, but I find it understandable due to her age. At some point her character has undergone some development – but I would’ve liked it more if Kate Ling did something more about that development.
Seren’s conviction reaches its peak when she meets Domingo Suarez. Dom, Dom, Dom~ oh yes, I’m fangirling right now XD Many people hate instalove (I am one of them) and this book definitely has one. However, for some reason, I didn’t mind it with Seren and Dom. Teenage romance, yes, but because both characters are exposed in an environment where the emotion of love practically does not ‘exist’ or being tolerated (since birth) – them having been feeling that love is definitely an alien emotion to them. And that is why I totally understand the intensity of their feelings regardless of the short time since their meeting. I just found myself gushing over these two while reading lol.
I also found some minimal problems (for me):
- The ending – feels like it was rushed
- Character depth and development of the other characters
- Some loop holes – there are things left unanswered or I don’t know, maybe I just missed them
Conclusion
Overall, despite the minimal problems I found, I definitely loved reading this book and I recommend it to people who are interested in a quick YA sci-fi with great romance.
The Paperback Heaven 