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In Other Lands
by
“What’s your name?”
“Serene.”
“Serena?” Elliot asked.
“Serene,” said Serene. “My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.”
Elliot’s mouth fell open. “That is badass.”
The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border—unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoi ...more
“Serene.”
“Serena?” Elliot asked.
“Serene,” said Serene. “My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.”
Elliot’s mouth fell open. “That is badass.”
The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border—unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoi ...more
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Hardcover, 437 pages
Published
August 15th 2017
by Big Mouth House
(first published June 10th 2014)
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Start your review of In Other Lands

One of the aspects of the long conversation writers have been having with literature that I find most interesting is what some call deconstruction. We read a given genre with pleasure, eventually discovering patterns to which we respond in various ways. The fictional deconstruction I tend to gravitate to reads like a conversation, and like a conversation can vary from critical engagement to sly tweaks and riffs. I’m not really into the slamdunks, though many readers I know are.
In recent years th ...more
In recent years th ...more

um hello i reread it (listening to the audiobook actually) and im still absolutely in love with this book,,, also the audiobook is good
DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND READ THIS BOOK ASAP
this (not-really-a) review is going to be in a bullet point thingy style because i can't stay coherent even if my life depended on it
• I HAVEN'T BEEN EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW BOOK SINCE LIKE THE LAST NOVEMBER AND TKM
• i fell in L ...more
DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND READ THIS BOOK ASAP
Normally, Elliot refused weird propositions from potentially demented strangers.
this (not-really-a) review is going to be in a bullet point thingy style because i can't stay coherent even if my life depended on it
• I HAVEN'T BEEN EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW BOOK SINCE LIKE THE LAST NOVEMBER AND TKM
• i fell in L ...more

Jan 17, 2018
C.G. Drews
added it
Okayyyy I have not finished this book. NOT BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO. It was up on Edleweiss and I didn't realise it was a sampler? I am so very confused. Why would they do this to me. I am sweet and kind and didn't deserve to fully enjoy like 100pgs of an excellent book and then have it rudely snatched from me. I'm so MAD right now.
Anyway! It's wonderful and hilarious and I want more. Super feminist (!!) and magical and Elliot is a nasty little pacifist bookworm and honestly just the worst and I ...more
Anyway! It's wonderful and hilarious and I want more. Super feminist (!!) and magical and Elliot is a nasty little pacifist bookworm and honestly just the worst and I ...more

4ish stars.
This is a warts-and-all type of story. Far from perfect, but so much of it worked for me. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and it caught me off guard when I realized I liked it so much. Loved these characters, as awful a person as Elliot is. Can you even blame him though? HE'S SO MUCH SMARTER THAN YOU IT'S NOT HIS FAULT. Great dialogue and lots of snark really elevate it from other "magic school" or "portal fantasy" books and deconstructions of the same, and make up for what it l ...more
This is a warts-and-all type of story. Far from perfect, but so much of it worked for me. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and it caught me off guard when I realized I liked it so much. Loved these characters, as awful a person as Elliot is. Can you even blame him though? HE'S SO MUCH SMARTER THAN YOU IT'S NOT HIS FAULT. Great dialogue and lots of snark really elevate it from other "magic school" or "portal fantasy" books and deconstructions of the same, and make up for what it l ...more

Jun 08, 2018
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
fantasy,
coming-of-age,
dnf,
faerie,
whatever,
not-my-cuppa-tea,
your-mileage-may-vary,
lgbtqia
DNF. I read several chapters, started suspecting that it wasn't going to be my type of read, and skimmed about half of the rest of the book, which confirmed my suspicions. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Thirteen-year-old Elliot is pulled from his geography class one day, packed into a van with three other students, and driven to a random field in Devon, England, where he watches his French teacher exchanges money with a woman standing next to a high wall.
Thirteen-year-old Elliot is pulled from his geography class one day, packed into a van with three other students, and driven to a random field in Devon, England, where he watches his French teacher exchanges money with a woman standing next to a high wall.
The woman in odd clothing “tes...more

NOTHING HAS EVER BROUGHT ME MORE JOY THAN THIS BOOK IN MY ENTIRE LIFE

Hands-down one of the most hilarious narrators I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Think Percy Jackson, if Percy Jackson was a pacifist and also kind of a huge asshole. Elliot is intelligent, gutsy, and out to save the world through learning trollish, throwing knives (in a uniquely pacifist way that's also a dick move), and talking to (flirting with) people instead of hitting them, good lord guys. He is my absolute favorite person: I laughed during "In Other Lands" more than I have in ages.
Al ...more
Al ...more

I absolutely LOVED this book. If it was 2017 still I'd be saying this is the best bisexual book I've read all year. But it'll probably be the best one I read in 2018 too (we'll see?). It took me a little bit to get into this, but once I was on board with the dry humour and understood who Elliot was (obnoxious little turd that he is who has never been loved), I could not stop reading this book.
I found it to be a wonderful nuanced portrayal of a bisexual boy and about a kid who goes away to a port ...more
I found it to be a wonderful nuanced portrayal of a bisexual boy and about a kid who goes away to a port ...more

this book is my happy place

/ugly crying
(The more proper review)
Let’s start with a confession: I really like reading books that my friends like. I love being a part of a fandom or a community, so usually a hype is something that pulls me closer and not away. Unfortunately, sometimes I talk myself into believing I like something much more than I really do and then the realization is disturbing and I feel kind of fake or stupid. It happened to me already once this year so when I started reading In Other Lands I promised mys ...more
(The more proper review)
Let’s start with a confession: I really like reading books that my friends like. I love being a part of a fandom or a community, so usually a hype is something that pulls me closer and not away. Unfortunately, sometimes I talk myself into believing I like something much more than I really do and then the realization is disturbing and I feel kind of fake or stupid. It happened to me already once this year so when I started reading In Other Lands I promised mys ...more

this book was a fucking DELIGHT and I have truly never loved anything more
UPDATE:
this book continues to be the Best Everything My Two Eyes Have Ever Read!!!!!! I LOVE!!!
UPDATE:
this book continues to be the Best Everything My Two Eyes Have Ever Read!!!!!! I LOVE!!!

2.5/5 stars (rounded down)
I just realized that the book has been long published and I can finally update my partial review here as well. It was originally posted on my blog: HERE
I must say that the blurb of this book is a little misleading. I was expecting a fantasy book – full of adventures, mermaids, elves, dwarves, maybe even some dragons – you know, the usual stuff. That was not what I got. Granted there were elves and mermaids, and some other mythical creatures – it just wasn’t fantasy. It ...more
I just realized that the book has been long published and I can finally update my partial review here as well. It was originally posted on my blog: HERE
I must say that the blurb of this book is a little misleading. I was expecting a fantasy book – full of adventures, mermaids, elves, dwarves, maybe even some dragons – you know, the usual stuff. That was not what I got. Granted there were elves and mermaids, and some other mythical creatures – it just wasn’t fantasy. It ...more

I LOVED this book! It's funny, thoughtful and wonderfully inventive. My only gripe is that it's over now;-) Such a bright, satisfying read. My copy came from the library, but I liked it so much I just ordered my own. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com ...more
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com ...more

Oct 12, 2018
Elle (ellexamines)
marked it as on-my-shelf

I ADORE SARAH REES BRENNAN AND HER MAGICAL WRITING
seriously magical and wonderful and so angsty but also I love my smol kids Elliot and Luke and brb I need to sob over them because this book was a true delight I don't even have WORDS TO DESCRIBE ...more
seriously magical and wonderful and so angsty but also I love my smol kids Elliot and Luke and brb I need to sob over them because this book was a true delight I don't even have WORDS TO DESCRIBE ...more

Feb 16, 2020
may ➹
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
read-2020,
pov-male,
rep-lgbtqiap-bi,
rep-lgbtqiap,
diverse,
rep-lgbtqiap-mlm,
young-adult,
pov-3rd,
my-heart,
4-star
I loved this book for many reasons but one of my favorite parts was that Luke(view spoiler) like a boner, except it’s much more embarrassing because it’s really really noticeable
...more

so after my fifth reread i can safely say this is my favorite book of all time.
___________________________
so after my fourth reread i can safely say this is one of my favorite books of all time. like. top 3. read it. thanks.
___________________________
i'm so shook,,, this keeps getting better and better the more times i read it hhhh
___________________________
honestly i'm so overwhelmed right now and i'm crying a lot and i'm probably not making much sense ...more
___________________________
so after my fourth reread i can safely say this is one of my favorite books of all time. like. top 3. read it. thanks.
___________________________
"storybook strange and known by heart"
i'm so shook,,, this keeps getting better and better the more times i read it hhhh
___________________________
honestly i'm so overwhelmed right now and i'm crying a lot and i'm probably not making much sense ...more

Mild general spoilers about premise/characterisation in review; more specific spoilers under cuts.
There are some great books I love and then there are books that, regardless of any possible imperfections, strike a chord right in my heart. No, let's be real: as a Polish poet once said, with pathos I'm sure Elliot would appreciate, what they do is (with apologies for the godawful translation) "tear out veins to use for chords, and pull them, and strike as chords".
This is such a profoundly funny, ...more
There are some great books I love and then there are books that, regardless of any possible imperfections, strike a chord right in my heart. No, let's be real: as a Polish poet once said, with pathos I'm sure Elliot would appreciate, what they do is (with apologies for the godawful translation) "tear out veins to use for chords, and pull them, and strike as chords".
This is such a profoundly funny, ...more

this book is so hard to rate istg
my heart says 5 but my head says 3
and 4 just feels wrong???
for all you fellow thomas sanders fangirls, basically my very own patton and logan are having a fight


and yes, i do believe thomas sanders is the most precious gay to ever exist
here's a summary of the discussion i had with myself for the last 3 days since finishing this book:
heart: this was DELIGHTFUL AND ADORABLE
head: yeah but the story was really predictable
heart: elliot is a great pov, he is sassy a ...more
my heart says 5 but my head says 3
and 4 just feels wrong???
for all you fellow thomas sanders fangirls, basically my very own patton and logan are having a fight


here's a summary of the discussion i had with myself for the last 3 days since finishing this book:
heart: this was DELIGHTFUL AND ADORABLE
head: yeah but the story was really predictable
heart: elliot is a great pov, he is sassy a ...more

“Two harpies, one stone,” he added, and then saw the way Serene was looking at him. “A diplomatic stone! A diplomatic stone.”
Quirky, hilarious main characters are lost treasures to the reading world, and no one’ll ever be able to convince me otherwise. Elliot Schafer is the funniest main character I’ve stumbled across without a doubt, and now I’ve realized just how much I needed someone as funny as him to read about.
In Other Lands was such a perfect book. The characters were absolutely lovel ...more
Quirky, hilarious main characters are lost treasures to the reading world, and no one’ll ever be able to convince me otherwise. Elliot Schafer is the funniest main character I’ve stumbled across without a doubt, and now I’ve realized just how much I needed someone as funny as him to read about.
In Other Lands was such a perfect book. The characters were absolutely lovel ...more

my heart is so full of feelings I want to claw my face off because I don't know how to deal with it. this book is so, so good.
...more

Mar 19, 2018
Laura
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
ya,
bi-bi-bi,
romance,
lgbtqiap-ya,
best-of-2018,
fantasy,
magic,
best-gay-rep,
my-otps,
ultimate-best
“Oh no,” Elliot moaned, and sat down heavily on his bunk bed. “This is magic Sparta.”
In Other Lands is genuinely one of the sweetest, most entertaining novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Sarah Rees Brennan has created an intricate world full of drama, humour, fantasy and queer romance that I can’t recommend enough.
By far the best thing about this novel is it’s protagonist, Elliot Schafer, a bisexual, Jewish boy. When In Other Lands begins, Eliot is 13 years old and it follows him ...more
In Other Lands is genuinely one of the sweetest, most entertaining novels I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Sarah Rees Brennan has created an intricate world full of drama, humour, fantasy and queer romance that I can’t recommend enough.
By far the best thing about this novel is it’s protagonist, Elliot Schafer, a bisexual, Jewish boy. When In Other Lands begins, Eliot is 13 years old and it follows him ...more

This book sang the song of my people and that song is one of the disaster bisexuals. It's delightful, endearing, witty and hurted but in a good way. I would lay down by life for Elliot and co. I highlighted so many parts of this books to quote, it's impossible to chose my favourite.
"I don’t need you to explain to me the concept of a magical land filled with fantastic creatures that only certain special children can enter. I am acquainted with the last several centuries of popular culture...more

TRULY DELIGHTFUL

Jul 09, 2018
Silvia
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
rep-bi,
rep-gay,
mm-romance,
ya,
friendship,
best-squad,
wishlist-audio,
fantasy,
favorite,
best-worldbuilding
THIS is a book

rep: bi mc, gay li
GREAT FUN but also, why on earth is it this long?? at least 1/3 could've been cut & no actual plot would be missing
anyway it's actually really hard to take this book seriously when u realise that elliot is literally just [redacted] [redacted] & luke is [redacted] [redacted] (well, her interpretation of those characters, down to the idiosyncrasies we all rmbr from her earlier fandom stuff) and this whole thing is lowkey a ** ***'** * ***** **** au..... ...more
GREAT FUN but also, why on earth is it this long?? at least 1/3 could've been cut & no actual plot would be missing
anyway it's actually really hard to take this book seriously when u realise that elliot is literally just [redacted] [redacted] & luke is [redacted] [redacted] (well, her interpretation of those characters, down to the idiosyncrasies we all rmbr from her earlier fandom stuff) and this whole thing is lowkey a ** ***'** * ***** **** au..... ...more

"You know, you're kind of a dramatic person, Elliot," she said mildly.
"I am not! How dare you!"
"It's not a bad thing," Myra said, "but when a boy calls a girl the nightlight of his soul, other people might be forgiven for thinking he's being intentionally over the top."
Elliot Schafer, irritable resident of Earth, finds himself in a quasi-Medieval magic school. People are talking about warrior-training (UGH, says Elliot) and all of it looks a lot like child endangerment. BUT, there are elves. S ...more
"I am not! How dare you!"
"It's not a bad thing," Myra said, "but when a boy calls a girl the nightlight of his soul, other people might be forgiven for thinking he's being intentionally over the top."
Elliot Schafer, irritable resident of Earth, finds himself in a quasi-Medieval magic school. People are talking about warrior-training (UGH, says Elliot) and all of it looks a lot like child endangerment. BUT, there are elves. S ...more

. : ☾⋆ — 5 ★
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2AXEB49
oh my, this is it.
this is the cutest, warmest, coziest, most wholesome, nourishing, organic, pleasant, sincere, wholeheartedly pure, most adorable book in the entire world.
In Other Lands is not a perfect book, though, and I’ll give you that. but it’s a book that pulls sharply at your heartstrings and strikes a chord deep in your tummy and just gives you this all-encompassing feeling of absolute and excellent warmth and pleasantne ...more
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2AXEB49
oh my, this is it.
this is the cutest, warmest, coziest, most wholesome, nourishing, organic, pleasant, sincere, wholeheartedly pure, most adorable book in the entire world.
In Other Lands is not a perfect book, though, and I’ll give you that. but it’s a book that pulls sharply at your heartstrings and strikes a chord deep in your tummy and just gives you this all-encompassing feeling of absolute and excellent warmth and pleasantne ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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YA LGBT Books: * Feb 2021 BotM - In Other Lands (poss spoilers) | 1 | 18 | Feb 09, 2021 09:19AM | |
Dixon Homestead L...: Book Group Selection for August 2020 | 1 | 2 | Jul 29, 2020 08:20AM | |
YA Book Club for ...: * July Book Discussion | 37 | 13 | Jul 01, 2020 05:03PM | |
Shaped by a book: In Other Lands | 11 | 13 | Apr 26, 2020 04:14PM | |
FYA Book Club of ...: September 2018 - In Other Lands | 2 | 7 | Feb 17, 2019 05:57PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Recent YA book, kind of like Percy Jackson. Boy goes on field trip with class and crosses a wall only people with special powers can cross. [s] | 3 | 48 | Sep 12, 2018 09:51AM |
Sarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. She's been writing YA books for more than ten years, which is terrifying to contemplate! She hopes you (yes you!) find at least one of them to be the kind of book you remember.
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“And he did not want to be loved as a second choice, as a surrender. He had spent his whole life not being loved at all, and he had thought being loved enough would satisfy him. It would not. He did not want to be loved enough. He wanted to be loved overwhelmingly. (...) He had never been chosen, so he had never had a chance to know this about himself before now: he wanted to be chosen first.”
—
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“You will never find me in trouble. You will find me in the library. If you can remember where that is.”
—
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