Review: The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie

The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had to read a few other reviews to really get a handle on why I can't give this book four stars. I liked it, it was a fast read, and the main character was very well-developed (for the most part). Then I realized - it's the rest of it that didn't add up. Poe was really the only thing that was fully fleshed out (besides the ship). The worldbuilding was vague, not much was known, and not much was discovered. The raiders/drifters have their own society somewhere, but there's absolutely no information about it. Even the Outpost didn't make much sense. And I really wish there had been more about the Palingenesis at the end. I wanted to see what that group was about, I wanted to know about them. Basically, I wanted *more.*

Poe is deeply flawed, but still a character I found myself liking (or at least rooting for). I wish I'd been able to learn more about the others, especially Tam and Brig. Naomi's motivations fell completely flat and I just couldn't really believe how her character development went off the rails at the end.

There's a lot to like here - an interesting story, fast-paced and easy to read. I breezed through it in a few hours, so I definitely liked it. But there's also a lot missing, which really is why I can only give this book three stars.

Thank you to Bookish First for an advanced reader copy of this book for my review.

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