Reviews

Jelly by Clare Rees

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melgonvyn's review against another edition

4.0

Just like a jellyfish, the flesh is there but it’s missing the skeleton

Who would think you could write an entire book about people living on top a giant floating jellyfish? Clare Rees did. This story has a unique and whimsical premise that immediately got me hooked. And I was not let down when I started the first pages, by immediately getting caught into a very intriguing post-apocalyptic waterworld-like setting following a group of survivors.

I struggled getting any attachments to the characters in the book, but perhaps a younger reader could empathize more with the teenage protagonists. Despite that, I enjoyed learning about this strange futuristic world where the oceans (full of plastic pollution) have risen. Every chapter seems to explain a little more about how humanity got to where it is, but in the end I did feel wanting a little more history and explanations. Even though I was interested and somewhat captivated by this book, there was a point towards 80% in where I was ready to put it down. I won’t lie, I struggled to get through the last 20%. If it weren’t for that, I might consider a 5-star instead of 4-star rating.

All in all, it has a interesting plot with a unique setting (I mean, hard to beat the top of a giant jellyfish) that skims the surface of today’s environmental issues. I am sure a lot of young readers will enjoy!

jenaneter's review against another edition

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5.0

Jelly, by Clare Rees, has a somewhat unusual premise: a group of people are trapped upon the back of a giant jellyfish, just off the coast. They can see the coastal town, though it has long since been abandoned, by try as they might, they cannot escape the back of the jellyfish.

This book is odd through and through, from the strange premise to the funny little details that are included, like the fact that they spend much of their time aboard the jelly playing rugby. It is clearly written for a younger audience, with a non-zero number of bodily humor jokes, and little romance to be found. However, it is undeniably fun, laugh out loud funny at times, and bewilderingly enjoyable at others.

It is also at times almost uncomfortably relevant for this pandemic world we are all living in. The folks on the jelly are stuck together, with little hope of escape and essentially no privacy. As with the best science fiction, in spite of this almost otherworldly premise, certain elements feel extremely close to home.

I found myself in turns laughing and almost tearing up while reading Jelly. Rees has created something truly unique and truly brilliant, and I know I will revisit it again and again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the ARC!

riverlasol's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5/5 Stars

This book needs to win some sort of award for originality because it seriously takes the cake (or should I say jellyfish haha). It chronicles the story of a group of people in a post-apocaleptic world who are stuck on top of a giant jellyfish… yes you read that correctly. I was totally in love with the concept of this novel from the get-go and I thought that it was done really well. I thought that the plot was especially handled well. It could’ve easily gotten repetitive, but new developments kept on coming up and I definitely could never have guessed where it would end up. I also enjoyed the unique cast of characters.

The thing that I didn’t love about this book was the way that time was approached. The author never really made it clear how long these people had been stuck on the jellyfish for or how long it had been between each new plot element. There also wasn’t much discussion of how they had gotten onto the jellyfish or what the main characters’ life had been like before (or even their exact ages, though it was implied that they were teenagers). This all ended up making me feel a little disconnected from the plot and the main character.

I do wish that this book could’ve wowed me a bit more, but it was still definitely worth the read and I was inspired by the author’s creativity. Thank you so much to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!

riverlasol's review against another edition

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3.0

*Posted on my bookstagram account on June 13th, 2021*
3.5/5 Stars

This book needs to win some sort of award for originality because it seriously takes the cake (or should I say jellyfish haha). It chronicles the story of a group of people in a post-apocaleptic world who are stuck on top of a giant jellyfish… yes you read that correctly. I was totally in love with the concept of this novel from the get-go and I thought that it was done really well. I thought that the plot was especially handled well. It could’ve easily gotten repetitive, but new developments kept on coming up and I definitely could never have guessed where it would end up. I also enjoyed the unique cast of characters.

The thing that I didn’t love about this book was the way that time was approached. The author never really made it clear how long these people had been stuck on the jellyfish for or how long it had been between each new plot element. There also wasn’t much discussion of how they had gotten onto the jellyfish or what the main characters’ life had been like before (or even their exact ages, though it was implied that they were teenagers). This all ended up making me feel a little disconnected from the plot and the main character.

I do wish that this book could’ve wowed me a bit more, but it was still definitely worth the read and I was inspired by the author’s creativity. Thank you so much to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!