Review: We Are the Ants

Posted March 21, 2016 / Book Reviews / 13 Comments

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Sci-Fi
Published by Simon and Schuster on January 19th 2016
Format: Hardcover (464 pages) • Source: Library
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five-stars

There are a few things Henry Denton knows, and a few things he doesn’t.

Henry knows that his mom is struggling to keep the family together, and coping by chain-smoking cigarettes. He knows that his older brother is a college dropout with a pregnant girlfriend. He knows that he is slowly losing his grandmother to Alzheimer’s. And he knows that his boyfriend committed suicide last year.

What Henry doesn’t know is why the aliens chose to abduct him when he was thirteen, and he doesn’t know why they continue to steal him from his bed and take him aboard their ship. He doesn’t know why the world is going to end or why the aliens have offered him the opportunity to avert the impending disaster by pressing a big red button.

But they have. And they’ve only given him 144 days to make up his mind.

The question is whether Henry thinks the world is worth saving. That is, until he meets Diego Vega, an artist with a secret past who forces Henry to question his beliefs, his place in the universe, and whether any of it really matters. But before Henry can save the world, he’s got to figure out how to save himself, and the aliens haven’t given him a button for that.

my thoughts pink

You know you really loved a book when you find yourself immediately tracking down other books by the author. I did end up checking two out from the library (and was planning on doing an author binge review), but didn’t read them in time. The joys of being a mood reader, amirite? So that’s why there’s a bit of a delay on this book review that I actually read a few months ago. But here we go!

What a book this was! I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story, but I admittedly had high expectations from all the glowing reviews. There aren’t many reviews, but the ones that do exist are damn perfect. This was a really honest, interesting, and heartbreaking book. It covered every possible topic, fully fleshed out every character, and made me feel all sorts of things.

I admittedly do not read a lot of books that fall under the QUILTBAG umbrella, and I plan to change that this year. Really. I think that books about coming out are REALLY important and helpful to those in that situation, but there is much to be said about books that don’t involve that element of the community. It was nice to read a book like this, where the character was already out to his family and it was really never brought up as an “issue.” (You know what I mean; I don’t know what other word to use there.)

I could spend all day talking about the characters. Talking about what Henry went through on a daily basis. Talking about the people who hurt him, supported him, and/or loved him. This book seriously broke my heart on most pages. I really believed his struggle and was so emotionally invested in this story. The whole premise is that aliens have given him the power to push a button and save the world. For most people, the decision is easy – of course you press the button. For him, it’s a little more complicated. When reading his story, you really can’t blame him for not wanting to save everyone. People are terrible to him.

This story was a bit crass and honest and – I’ll say it for a third time – heartbreaking. Even if the synopsis sounds bizarre to you, I recommend reading the first page or two. It’ll grab you and hold you until it’s over – I promise.

feels from friends pink

Friends: Joey's career! Part 1

13 responses to “Review: We Are the Ants

  1. You’re so right, I haven’t seen very many people review this book!! It sounds so powerful and unique. Like an A.S. King book. I love the alien aspect. It definitely puts a unique twist on a this type of story. Great review…. love the Friends GIF, you picked the perfect one!!

  2. Great review! I had this book on my TBR list, but I just bumped it up to a book I need to read in 2016. It sounds SO interesting. I definitely get what you’re saying about reading about gay/etc. characters that aren’t just coming out. I like seeing them as characters in books about other things as well.

    Kate @ Mom's Radius recently posted: Book Review: Time Between Us (YA)
  3. I’ve seen a LOT of conversation about this book lately, that it’s either amazing or it does not work for bloggers. However I read an anthology edited by this author about a school shooting and found it to be a very powerful read. I’m sort of hesitant to read this one thought because it seems a little…I don’t know…out there?

    • Haha it seems VERY VERY weird based on the synopsis, but it reads just like a contemporary. The whole alien thing is obviously the point, but it’s hard to explain how somewhat understated the sci-fi elements are haha.

  4. YES YES YES YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES

    VERY EXCITED THAT YOU LOVED THIS LAUREN.

    I read this in January, and I absolutely loved it as well, even though it was more contemporary than I thought it was going to be. And you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way! I remember talking about this book before its release date, and my friends were like “That book sounds really weird”, and yes, it does, but it is weird in a good way.

    So yay. Also I found The Serpent King to be pretty similar to this, so that might be something for you to check out? If you haven’t already 🙂

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