Blog Tour Review: The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He

About the Book:

Title: The Ones We’re Meant to Find
Author: Joan He
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: May 4th 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Perfect for fans of Rick Yancey and Marie Lu, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a sci-fi fantasy with mind-blowing twists, ready to burst onto the YA scene, from the critically-acclaimed Descendant of the Crane author, Joan He.

Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and Cee needs to find her.

STEM prodigy Kasey wants escape from the science and home she once trusted. The eco-city—Earth’s last unpolluted place—is meant to be sanctuary for those commited to planetary protection, but it’s populated by people willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Now, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to use science to help humanity, even though it failed the people who mattered most.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44084665-the-ones-we-re-meant-to-find
Purchase:

• Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sTUL6y
• B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ones-were-meant-to-find-joan-he/1137180770?ean=9781250258571
• iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-ones-were-meant-to-find/id1524297283
• Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-ones-we-re-meant-to-find
• Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=DovsDwAAQBAJ&rdid=book-DovsDwAAQBAJ&rdot=1&

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About the Author:

Joan was born and raised in Philadelphia but still will, on occasion, lose her way. At a young age, she received classical instruction in oil painting before discovering that stories were her favorite kind of art. She studied psychology and Chinese history at the University of Pennsylvania and currently writes from a desk overlooking the city
waterfront. Descendant of the Crane is her young adult debut.

For updates, please sign up for her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/c5rvdL. For business related inquiries, please contact her literary agent, John Cusick of Folio Lit.

Author Links:

• https://www.joanhewrites.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/joanhewrites/
• https://twitter.com/joanhewrites
• https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17243035.Joan_He

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My Review:

I’m thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for The Ones We’re Meant to Find, a dystopian sci-fi about two sisters who will anything to find each other. When Cee wakes up on a deserted island, she has no memory of what happened to her. She does, however, have a strong compulsion to get back to her sister. Casey, desperate to find Cee after she is lost at sea, does everything in her power to find her. Three years later, Casey, who still holds out hope that her sister is alive, is also trying to decide if she should help the world from complete eco-decimation. Is she willing to save humanity even if it doesn’t help save her sister?

Told from both Cee and Casey’s points-of-view, this dual narration is fantastic. Their voices are unique and distinct, and you really get to understand the hopes and motivations of both characters. You empathize with Cee as she tries to figure out a way off the island, and you understand Casey’s desperation to find her sister. Cee and Casey are so different, yet their love for and understanding of each other is strong. Casey is ruled by science and logic and is a bit reserved. Cee is motivated by her emotions and is more outgoing. I thought the author did an excellent job of creating two unique protagonists that readers will relate to. I also like that we get to see snippets of their past, as it shows even more how close Cee and Casey are. I love how the sisters’ stories progressed, and how both held onto the hope of reuniting.

The world-building in this book serves as a good commentary on what could happen if we don’t start addressing the climate crisis more fervently. The story takes place on a decaying planet that humanity has basically been destroyed. Earthquakes, other natural disasters, water pollution, and toxic gasses in the air force people to live in designated eco-cities if they’re lucky, and advanced technology pervades these cities. The world is immersive and vivid and scarily possible to see in our future.

Topics like the ramifications of ignoring environmental crises, the inequities of society, the dangers of technology, and the detrimental effects of prejudice serve as a warning and really make you think about their world and the world we live in. This could be our future if we don’t change.

This story has it all – mystery, suspense, romance, two amazing sisters, thought-provoking messages, and several plot twists that I did not see coming! Above all, this is a story about sisters and hope and what people are willing to do to save themselves and others. That being said, I did struggle initially to get into the story, as I felt the pacing was slow. It definitely picked up in the second half, but I found myself rereading several passages in the first half for clarification.

If you like standalone dystopian sci-fi with compelling protagonists and immersive worlds, then you should read The Ones We’re Meant to Find!

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• The sisterly bond.

• The immersive world-building.

• The strong messages about environmentalism.

Favorite Lines:

None of us live without consequences. Our personal preferences are not truly personal.

We’re at no fault. Even our faults are built into us.

When I dream of her, it’s in vibrant color, unlike the gradients of gray of my monochrome days. But everything is hazy when I wake. The details merge. The colors fade.

Some secrets are best left at sea.

Giveaway:

Enter to win a print copy of The Ones We’re Meant to Find!! Ends May 13th.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251234255/

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