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In Other Lands

Sarah Rees Brennan (Goodreads Author)

4.35 · Rating details · 7,697 ratings · 1,951 reviews

“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

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Hardcover, 437 pages

Published August 15th 2017 by Big Mouth House (first published June 10th 2014)

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· 7,697 ratings · 1,951 reviews

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Aug 11, 2017 Sherwood Smith added it

Shelves: exploring-gender-in-fiction, fantasy

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

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Sep 04, 2017 rin (￣ヘ￣) read/watch mo dao zu shi rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: y'all

Shelves: 2017, actual-otp, better-than-expected, favourite-male-character, lgbt, feelz, humor, favorites, nice-romance, girls-or-women-who-kick-asses

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

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

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Jan 17, 2018 C.G. Drews added it

Shelves: read-2018, magical-fantasy, young-adult, ya-male-narrators

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

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Mar 31, 2018 Philip rated it really liked it

Shelves: hugo, fantasy, author-woman, ya, 2017-releases

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

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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.

The woman in odd clothing “tes

The woman in odd clothing “tested” him by asking him if he could see a wall standing in the middle of a field. When he told her, “Obviously, because it’s a wall. Walls tend to be obvious,” she had pointed out the other kids blithely walking through the wall as if it was not there, and told him that he was one of the chosen few with the sight.

When the woman asks Elliot to come with her to the magical land on the other side of the wall, he promptly tells her no one will miss him (Elliot’s problematic home life is explored later in the book) and heads over the wall with her. There he finds, somewhat to his disappointment, that he’ll be attending school to be trained as either a warrior or councilor. Elliot, more inclined to using sarcastic words than his fists for fighting, quickly opts for the council course. He equally quickly begins to mock Luke, the handsome blond guy who seems inclined to act as the leader of the group of new students at the Border, and Luke’s smiling sidekick Dale, mentally dubbing them Blondie and Surfer Dude. And Elliot immediately falls in love with an “elvish maiden” warrior who introduces herself as Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.

So begins Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, which has been nominated for the 2018 World Science Fiction Society award for best Young Adult book ― a new category for the WSFS, which administers the Hugo awards. It’s a magical school set in a magical land peopled with the usual suspects: pointy-eared elves, short dwarves with beards and hammers, unicorns, mermaids. The fantasy worldbuilding is paper-thin; Brennan’s real attention here is focused on teenage relationships and growing pains. We follow Elliot and his friends and classmates over the next four years as they learn to navigate magic school, friendships and romances. There’s lots of sleeping around, and Elliot’s emerging bisexuality is one of the things he explores through several sexual relationships with both sexes. Gay, bi and straight relationships and sexual exploration are all accepted in this magical world with equanimity.

Elliot is a deeply insecure protagonist who gets along by being relentlessly antagonistic, hurling sarcastic insults at others at every opportunity. Many readers may enjoy his constant snark; it got old for me fast because there was so much anger and meanness underlying it. It takes Elliot years, not to mention way too many pages of this book, to grow up emotionally. Elliot’s dedication to obnoxiousness, combined with the superficial, chatty writing style Brennan uses in this book (one review I read compared it to fanfiction) and the lack of any originality or depth in the fantasy aspects of In Other Lands, were enough to make me abandon the book. I wasn’t ever able to lose myself in the story.

In Other Lands wasn’t my type of YA book, but if bisexual characters, gender-bent societies (the elves have a firmly matriarchal society where the women are the warriors and the men keep house), and a primary focus on teen relationships are particularly interesting to you, give it a shot.

Content notes: lots of teen sex, but nothing beyond the kisses is explicit. ...more

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Oct 18, 2017 Emma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbt-characters, favourites, ya, fantasy-paranormal

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

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Aug 13, 2017 lottie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017, fantasy, 2019, rereads, lgbtq, ya

if you ever wanted a crash course in things I love then read this book

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May 08, 2017 Clare Vaughn rated it it was amazing

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

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Jan 02, 2018 CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: irish, bisexual, young-adult, queer, fantasy, fiction, 5-stars

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 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 portal fantasy world that isn't quite the idealized thing he imagined and who's built up so many walls around him to protect himself from a world who doesn't care about him. Just like the people around him in the book (and maybe some of you as well?), when I first met Elliot I found him abrasive and obnoxious; but it didn't take me long to love him once I understood where he was coming from. It was so amazing to watch his journey, where he gets to a point of finally opening up and making himself vulnerable:

"Elliot could not help but think of how often he had struck out wildly to defend himself, when just saying what he felt would have worked. Except it would not have worked, not on his father, or his mother, or on Jase or Adara. It only worked when someone cared how you felt. He did not know how to act, if Luke cared what he felt." I was NOT expecting this book to make me cry, but that part did.

I also loved the final romance and love scene and found it really moving. I think I squealed while I was reading that part of the book. On the one hand, it would have been nice if the bi content had been more explicit in the earlier parts of the book, but this also felt realistic to me since Elliot is only 13 when the book starts and there are many things we don't know about him (for example, why he can be so mean).

I also wonder too how much our expectations of representations of bisexuality depend on same-gender feelings always being explicit? Should we ask that a character or a person IRL express same-gender feelings or out themselves as bi constantly so that we know? Or should we change our expectations and not assume because a boy like Elliot has a raging crush on a girl that he is straight? If his first crush was on a boy and we didn't hear anything about him liking girls, would we count that part as the start of the bi content? Is he assumed straight or gay unless proven otherwise? Anyway, this book got me thinking about those things. I found it so refreshing that we got to see Elliot date and have genuine feelings for people of many genders; I don't remember the last time I read a bi book that really showed that. Someone described this book to me as "aggressively bisexual" before I read it and I totally feel the same way. This moment with Elliot's boyfriend Jase hit me like a brick, and felt so specific to bisexual experiences:

" 'Ohhhh. Does he, ah, "like girls as well"?' Jase repeated what Elliot had said in a voice with just an edge of a sing-song lilt, a savor of mockery that Elliot could not pin down and be mad about."

Brennan's writing style is a bit complicated (she seems to like to write long sentences!) but I never had any trouble untangling her meaning. This is probably a personal preference of mine, as I know I like other writers who also tend to be a bit convoluted.

Did I mention how much I liked the humour? I thought it was so great; it had me laughing out loud many, many times, most of all Serene's matriarchal elf speeches about protecting fair gentlemen and how women are especially suited for the battlefield because of their experiences with menstrual blood (I also loved how Brennan interrogated that matriarchal way of thinking and didn't idealize it, having Elliot point out that any society that treats any gender as less than human is not okay). Serene and all the supporting characters, especially Luke and his family, were wonderfully drawn and felt like unique, interesting people. Do I need to gush more? I already said I loved it. ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 prag ♻ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: deserves-a-shrine, so-funny-much-laugh, lgbtqiap-plus, favorite, prose-excellence, fucked-me-up, adora-ble, queer-fantasy

this book is my happy place

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Sep 01, 2017 Joanka rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq, ya, fantasy-scifi-and-co, romance, uk, women, europe, favorites, fiction

/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 /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 myself to be careful. All my friends seemed to like it or love it, so I didn’t want to jump on the hype train just for the sake of sharing if the book wasn’t really for me. So I was cautious and at first I turned up my nose a bit – the novel seemed to be a little too much, I wasn’t sure if I really find it funny, if I really can get into Elliot… And then, around page 30 I laughed aloud for the first time and decided I like it a lot. Around page 60 I cried for the first time and decided I love it.

This is a kind of a book that will make you smile and laugh, then you will want to hug it and sleep with it under your pillow only to have your heart broken several times. But in the end it will take all the pieces, glue it together and you will love it with no end. Or at least it happened to me, and believe me, I didn’t know what an emotional ride it would be for me.

I could talk about this book for hours so I will try to write about at least a few things I loved. Generally, the premise is pretty simple. A guy gets to a school in a magical land where there are representatives of different races. The school isn’t about magic but it is a soldier training course. Elliot, our hero, is not interested in combat at all, being a book lover and a little nerd. He is also insufferable, nasty and hilarious, despite often he is the only one who laughs while the others run away. He makes some unexpected friendships and grows up to make decisions about himself and maybe influence in some way the whole magical world. Sounds original? Not really. But that’s not the point, because the author concentrated on making the issues she touched deep, cohesive and thorough. I’ve recently complained that in many YA books the author decides to incorporate some themes to their novel and then when it should become darker, deeper, uncomfortable – they back off as if shrugging, “hey, it’s just for teens!” Well, this book does nothing like that. If the character acts certain way because this is his protecting mechanism or anything else – fine. You will get to know about his trauma. But he will also pay a price and have to learn how to deal with his issues. If there is an action, there will be a reaction.

Another thing – I loved the characters. Elliot was heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, I was mad at him and I understood him so well. I believe most people will find a piece of him in themselves, especially when they were teens. His path, his growing up, his decisions… All touched me deeply. Serene was irresistible, even if also made me uncomfortable with her comments. I wasn’t sure at first what to think about the elven society. Gender reversal may be funny but it made me uneasy in a way “okay, I love Serene so what, should I think that all those chauvinists are in fact loveable guys like Serene is?” – but don’t worry, the author addresses that. Generally, the author has a beautiful tendency to address all the issues she writes about. So when a character is nasty or does something awful don’t worry, she won’t brush it off as “problematic but cute”, no. There will be consequences, there will be addressing.

And no, I don’t forget to mention Luke, my prince of sunflowers. I’m just so much in love I can never stop if I start writing about him.

Then there is an anti-war message, as clear as it can be, which is a nice thing after all these dystopias that of course criticize wars but also make their heroes look so wonderful in uniforms and all. Then there is explicit bisexuality, discussed and treated beautifully. Then there is demisexuality – not named but made clear and described by a person who ‘feels that way’. There is a whole lot of chosen family theme, friendship, romantic scenes, teens being teens and the whole message of trying to learn about ‘the other’ and respect them that is so close to my heart.

Is it a book without flaws? No, probably not. There are no POCs as far as I remember [edit: there is one character, I was corrected, but still it feels like some minimum, right?] as if the different races thing was enough. I don’t think so, I’m afraid. But then, the author really does a good job with representation so it feels like complaining it's not perfect while it's very good. The book is also a bit heavy on angst in the middle of it, which for me was fine and only logical but I guess not everyone will like it. Finally, I’m myself not a big fan of misunderstandings as a basis of a romantic plot so I guess it may be a problem for some people. But then I believe this romance here was much, MUCH more than that and the misunderstanding made sense. Also, I shipped them from the first scene they appeared in so sue me. I might not be very objective and I don’t care.

It’s easier to criticize books. When you love something and talk about it, it’s wonderful but also makes you a bit vulnerable. But I can’t really make any disclaimers here to make myself distant from this opinion. I truly believe that though it’s not flawless, it’s beautiful. I’d like you all to read it and join me in being happy what a great book it is. And then we could talk about it for hours, pretty please. ...more

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Sep 04, 2017 ˗ˏˋ eg ˎˊ˗ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2018, lgbt, favorites, read-2019, read-2017, read-2020, audiobook

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!!!

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Apr 01, 2017 Iryna *Book and Sword* rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc-s

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

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Feb 19, 2018 Malia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-2018, favorites, fantasy-sci-fi

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

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

you know you're going to love a book when you get five pages in and see this:

“Are you telling me that I have magical powers?” Elliot asked. “Because I can’t walk through walls? That doesn’t seem right.”

I can't.

Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
...more

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Jan 25, 2017 Eri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: would-sell-soul-for, physical-wishlist, unwritten-reviews, white-author-diversity, wistful-writing, quality-otp, squad-to-dream-of, lgbtq-rep, die-hard-ships

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

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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

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Jul 08, 2018 •°• gabs •°• rated it it was amazing

Shelves: achillean-main-ch, my-heart-and-soul, re-reads, found-family

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.
___________________________

"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

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Aug 21, 2017 Teleseparatist rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, re-reading, 2017, young-adult

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

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Sep 21, 2017 Anja V rated it liked it · review of another edition

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
description

~~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

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Mar 27, 2019 Lauren Lanz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: shed-some-tears, hilarious, young-adult, 5-stars, need-to-reread

“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 “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 lovely, each one delightful in their own sense. The plot was definitely revolving more closely to the characters if anything, though I for one really can’t get enough of character driven stories.

One of the best things about this book is the way Sarah Rees Brennan analyzes relationships through the main character. I feel as if I learned so much about how people in the real world deal with relationships, versus ways that they could and probably should be handled.

With me still being fairly young, In Other Lands really taught me that a first crush, first kiss, first love or first intimacy can make people feel obligated to want to sustain a relationship. Even when things are obviously not working out. Some people don’t have the right intentions, others aren’t invested enough, some try too hard to make things work out when they know things are falling apart.

The analyzing and representation of bisexuality in Elliot, the main character, was also done in such a way that makes it wonderful to experience. Elliot is character that has never once questioned sexuality or why he’s attracted to both sexes. It’s really refreshing for me to read about a character like him, who is so sure about who he is and what his goals are in life.

Female empowerment is also a very prominent subject, as one of Elliot’s best friends, Serene, makes sure to constantly bring up the topic of female superiority. Sarah Rees Brennan cleverly twists elven history so that the women are superior to men in their culture. When Serene interacts with human boys such as Elliot and Luke, she is often confused by the way humans are used to having men go to war and fight battles. I found this to be a really interesting take on things, a really unique way of demonstrating female empowerment.

The fantasy element is one of the most pure and fun I’ve been immersed into, by far. Nearly every mythical creature that comes to mind is stuffed into this book. Elliot, Luke and Serene come face to face with multiple fantasy races along the course of the story, their way of dealing with situations and problems was arguably one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about.

“I don’t know why you would suggest the possibility of me being in trouble,” said Elliot. “Because I am a retiring and bookish individual, and I don’t like being in trouble, in danger, or in proximity to weapons. You will never find me in trouble. You will find me in the library. If you can remember where that is.”

Overall, this was a surprisingly delightful read, and I’m really shocked that not many have discovered this gem of a novel. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who needs a lighter fantasy to read. The characters and message this book delivers will not disappoint. ...more

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Aug 24, 2017 Meg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: super-favorites, favorites

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

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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 “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 through five years of magic school, concluding when he’s seventeen. We get to read as Elliot grows up, watching him as he begins to understand his sexuality, making friends, and go through incredible character development. Elliot is the definition of a little shit: he’s doesn’t listen to authority figures, he constantly thinks he knows best, and he’s stubborn as hell. He’s also very intelligent, bossy, and rude, which makes him off-putting to some people in the novel, and he’s a pacifist … which is pretty difficult when you go to a magical school that trains children to become warriors. So he uses his brains to find solutions to the wars and skirmishes the Borderlands have, which tends to piss off a lot of adults in charge. But Elliot is so very loveable — you can’t help but adore him as you realise he’s just a kid trying to make his way in a world he doesn’t understand yet.

What I love most about Elliot is that he’s bisexual, and I cried over how bisexuality is represented in the novel. In Other Lands has the most positive representation of bisexuality I’ve ever read in my life. I can barely put my thoughts in order, but I’ll try. Elliot figures out he’s bi from a pretty young age — 14 or 15 — and he has crushes, relationships and sex with girls and boys. It’s such a healthy representation of teens discovering their sexuality and sex, which is what many teens do. I love how much Elliot falls for someone as well: wholeheartedly and completely. The best description I have of Elliot is this: my beautiful, disaster bisexual son. I love him.

"If you must know, she is the one soul destined for my own, and we are going to be together forever,” he declared loftily.
“That’s weird,” Luke told him. “We’re thirteen.”

I think it’s safe to say that the novel doesn’t have much of a plot: it simply follows Elliot through five years of magic school and how he and his friends prevent wars along the way. But it’s also safe to say that Elliot’s friendship is the heart of the novel’s plot — his amazing friendships with Serene, a female elf, and Luke, a human boy who comes from a powerful warrior family. The friends go through the normal issues teenagers do, a very realistic portrayal of life-long friendship, and I adored all three of them. When the novel starts, Elliot has a massive crush on Serene — he believes they’re going to be together for the rest of their lives — and as he grows, his feelings for her develop and change. And I adore his friendship with Luke: he starts off really hating Luke, believing the boy to be just a dumb jock and a bit of a bully, but resigns himself to being friends with him for Serene’s sake … until his feelings for Luke start changing too.

One of the best parts of In Other Lands is undoubtedly the representation of the elf society. The elf society is a matriarchal one and showcases “reverse sexism”: it’s a society where the males stay at home, care for children, and must be virgins by the time marriage come around, while the female elves are warriors, protectors and encouraged to engage in sexual relations before marriage … and even during. While at the beginning of the book, this kind of reverse sexism is quite funny, but as the novel develops, you begin to see Brennan’s reasons for including this society: pointing out how ridiculous a sexist society is, which makes you think about our own patriarchal world. Brennan shows how gender roles and stereotypes are not only horrible, but ridiculous too – and she does so in a clever, humorous way that will get you thinking. But, more importantly as this novel is catered to teens, it will get teenagers thinking.

“I am not winning any arguments because I know how to hurt someone. How does that prove that you’re right? How does being stronger or more vicious prove anything, except that all this talk about honor is stupid? Where’s the honor in being better at hurting somebody? Telling me I have to do this is insulting, as if I can’t win any other way. As if I can’t win in a better way.”

In Other Lands is the best book I’ve read all of 2018 (and I’ve read 94 books!). The plot was fun and entertaining, but as Elliot grows up, it becomes darker as he moves towards adulthood. Sarah Rees Brennan’s writing perfectly complemented the tone of the book, and Elliot as the MC. I will reread this book again and again, and I highly recommend you do too! ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 Ash | Wild Heart Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtqia, queer-side-characters, fantasy, young-adult, bi-rep, bi-bi-bi

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

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Jul 14, 2017 georgia ☽ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, characters-i-love-a-lot, favourites, stand-alone, lgbt, love-love-love, g-urban-fantasy-paranormal, age-young-adult, read-2017

TRULY DELIGHTFUL

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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

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Jun 10, 2019 anna (½ of readsrainbow) rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-found-families, 2-mlm, 1-urban-fantasy, 3-slowburn, 2-lgbt, 5-young-adult, 2-bi-pan-protags, 1-fantasy, 4-boarding-school

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

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Aug 16, 2017 Sha rated it it was amazing

"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 "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. Specifically, there is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, the Border Guard's first elven recruit, and Elliot falls in love at first sight. So he decides to stay despite the presence of musclehead types like that really annoying Luke Sunborn person.

Let me be clear. This is not an epic journey through the otherlands or a massive worldbuilding adventure with quests goals. This is a very personal, very emotional journey of HOW DO YOU DO RELATIONSHIPS starring Elliot Schafer, who is to conversations what machine guns are to knife-fights. Every other word out of his mouth is an insult and I am continuously amazed that people don't try to strangle him more than they actually do. Elliot is... SPIKY. He is so spiky. He is a hedgehog in human form. I love him so much that I sometimes stare at the ceiling and have feelings about Elliot trying to make sense of relationships. It's very teenage, and I usually hate that, but there's so much WANT and NEED and NEVERTHELESS YOU ARE MY FRIENDS that I am touched rather than annoyed.

The other two spokes of the trio are just as dear to me. Luke is a sweetheart of a Disney Princess who is nevertheless bound by the thought processes of his world and his life, and Serene is the most hilarious method of calling out the patriarchy that I have ever encountered. Her sincere confusion about all the sensitive human men killing people in the face and not doing manly things like embroidery never ceases to be a delight, and I'm continuously thrilled by the fact that Serene is the elven version of the too-cool-for-you Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold. Gender roles get lined up and shot at a lot, and I'm always a fan of that.

This collected and remastered version of the original The Turn of the Story features a few extra filler scenes, as well as Elliot-PoV version of Wings in the Morning, so you have new reading material even if you have the entirety of The Turn of the Story saved into your laptop like I do. ...more

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Nov 10, 2018 - ̗̀ DANY ̖́- (danyreads) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-reads, lgbt, audiobook

. : ☾⋆ — 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

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Jun 22, 2019 ;3 rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, lgbt, audiobooks

main character the most obnoxious ass rat ever omg

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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

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About Sarah Rees Brennan

Sarah Rees Brennan

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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. ...more

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Quotes from In Other Lands

“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.” — 53 likes

“You will never find me in trouble. You will find me in the library. If you can remember where that is.” — 52 likes

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