ARC Review: And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness, Rovina Cai (Illustrator)

With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…

As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a Physical copy of the book by Penguin India in exchange for an honest review. However, all the thoughts, feelings and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

And The Ocean Was Our Sky is a reverse retelling of Moby Dick – here, I would just like to point out, that beyond knowing the title “Moby Dick”; I have absolutely no idea what it is about. I just know it is one of the lesser known classics. So I went into this illustrated beauty without any expectations.

Right from the first page, it is easy to see that this book is skilfully illustrated, which in itself makes me quite excited for the book – can I get a yay for illustrated adult books!!??

It, however, took me a few pages to get oriented with the writing style and the story itself – it is more metaphorical & philosophical than I had expected – and even though it’s been a day since I completed the book & here, penning down my thoughts – I am still unsure which way to go with my rating (or even my thoughts).

On one hand, this is a book that makes you think – about follies of men, of legends & rumours believed blindly could come to life, of wars fought on perceived grievances – relevant in current times. On the other hand, you have whales narrating the stories – a world that is fully upside down (hint: the title of the book!) and legends are just rumours turned into legends just by believing in them.

Yet I was still surprised with the ending – it almost ended up baffling me; but I also get the reason for the ending; and the message it get across!

This is book, therefore, is for hardcore Patrick Ness fans but not the introduction that any new reader needs to this brilliant, quirky and talented author!