The Upper World - Femi Fadugba

Genre: Science Fiction | Young Adult | Fiction

Release Date: Expected 19th August 2021

Publisher: Penguin Random House Childrens UK

South London, 2020.

A young boy called Esso gets hit by a car and the impact is life-changing. Not his injuries, he'll recover from those, but during his accident he is transported to The Upper World. Here, he catches a horrifying glimpse of a not-so-distant future fifteen years from now. London looks the same, but feels different, more dangerous. And then he sees Rhia, a lonely young girl in foster care trying to navigate struggles that feel all too familiar to him.

Now, he's only got a few days to figure out how to escape the future he's seen and stop the single bullet that will not only destroy his life, but of this girl he won't even meet for another fifteen years.

The Upper World was the perfect blend of science, unnerving realism and something just slightly magical that gave it it's uniquely otherworldly quality. Learning that Femi Fadugba was indeed a physicist came as no suprise, the world-building and the science behind it all felt so very real and I think I've even learned a thing or two along the way without there being anything too complex to confuse the reader.

Esso and Rhia were both so viscerally real that I couldn't help but connect with them instantly. As we see their struggles with family, gangs, violence and just trying to grow up, it's clear that the characters were the highlight of this novel and they continued to grow and learn on every single page. Most of characters spoke using colloquial language and slang, which if you don't understand could be confusing but just immerses the reader further in the world our duo are living in.

Innovative, engaging and unforgettable - this book is soon to be adapted by Netflix so pick up a copy now and you can say you read it before it was cool.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Femi Fadugba, Penguin and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

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