Hi, everyone, and welcome to this week’s Book Review Tuesday!
This book was one of my first “interim” books of the year-the Kindle books I check out in the time when I’ve finished with my current batch of library books and the new batch isn’t ready yet. I initially started reading this because a) I loved A Monster Calls (see 5/16/17 if you want to read my review of that one), and b) EpicReads was, as usual, raving about it, and they even had a quiz or two based off of it. In short, it wasn’t nearly as spectacular as A Monster Calls, but The Rest of Us Just Live Here is still a fantastic book. And to be fair, the two are very different books. Maybe I shouldn’t be making that comparison.
But anyway, regardless of whether my comparison was justified or not, here’s the review! Enjoy!
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
In every story, there is the “Chosen One”. The one who is destined to rid the world of whatever supernatural threat has come to end it, the one who is destined to fall in love with a handsome prince and live happily ever after, until they are called upon to save the world again. Mikey, of all people, should know. His small town is full of them–they’ve faced down vampires, zombies, and even gods, and too many have sacrificed themselves in the process.
But Mikey? He’s just a normal kid. He doesn’t have powers, or the weight of the world on his shoulders; as long as he graduates high school in one piece and gets the girl of his dreams, he’s fine with it. But when supernatural forces cause his high school tp explode, Mikey realizes that the Chosen Ones shouldn’t have to be the ones with the burdens on their shoulders. Sometimes, it’s just too big for one group of kids to handle.
Anyone who’s read their share of fantasy knows all of the tropes like the back of their hand. This witty novel explores-and sometimes mocks-all of them, while simultaneously delving into the world beyond the Chosen Ones. Alternating between snippets of a classic fantasy story, starring the current Chosen Ones (or “indie kids”, as they are referred to in the book), and the not-so-adventurous story of Mikey’s life, Ness has created a well-crafted look at what happens to the normal ones, those who aren’t destined to save the world. Clever, laugh-out-loud, and sometimes very real, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a spectacular read not only for fantasy readers, but also for anyone who’s just looking for something new.
Well, thank you so much for reading this review, and have a great rest of your day!
The Bookish Mutant 