by Katya de Becerra
Published on January 7, 2020 by Imprint
Format: ARC
Pages: 320
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Alif had exciting summer plans: working on her father’s archeological dig site in the desert with four close friends ... and a very cute research assistant. Then the sandstorm hit.
Their camp wiped away, Alif and the others find themselves lost on the sands, seemingly doomed ... until they find the oasis. It has everything they need: food, water, and shade—and mysterious ruins that hide a deadly secret. As reality begins to shift around them, they question what’s real and what’s a mirage.
The answers turn Alif and her friends against each other, and they begin to wonder if they’ve truly been saved. And while it was easy to walk into the oasis, it may be impossible to leave ...
Review
Have you ever read a book that made you actually cringe? Because that is exactly what Oasis did to me. I was moderately excited for this one, and to say it disappointed me doesn’t quite give the right vibe. It more lied to me in a really awkward way and then I in turn awkwardly walked away from it.
Indiana Jones, The Mummy… no. And I don’t even like Indy’s movies. But at least things happen in them. I read over half of Oasis and not ONE SINGLE THING of import happened. Ok well one thing did happen to set everything in motion, but it was very quick, almost glossed over. Even when the most bland group of characters stumbled upon this mysterious oasis it didn’t matter because NOTHING HAPPENED. But that isn’t what made me decide to throw in the towel with this one, oh no.
The characters were all so unbelievably cringy. Either they were blandly written and one-dimensional, or the author tried too hard to make them interesting. But the thing is, you can tell me a person is interesting all day and I won’t care a bit unless they actually are interesting to read about. Even worse were their interactions. At one point the main character has an argument with her love interest. It’s basically resolved. Then, two chapters later, they have the exact same argument! And it’s written in a way that almost seems as though the author forgot they wrote it the first time. That’s what finally broke me, I couldn’t bring myself to read anymore.
The setting was equally as bland for me. I needed more detail! There was so much potential. A dig site and a beautiful-yet-sinister oasis? Those scream, “Tell me more!” But I felt like I was getting the bare minimum of world-building, and what was given was told, not shown, for the most part. Which is okay when there’s balance, but there really wasn’t enough of anything for there to even be balance as far as the world-building went.
The one compliment I can give this book is that it’s a fast read. I was able to get through half of it in just over an hour, which is unusual for me. Me and Oasis, though, we just never clicked, and I truly think it wasn’t for me. I hope it finds its way into the hands of someone less cynical. I’ve heard the author’s first book is better, so maybe I’ll give it a shot eventually, if only to get the taste of this one out of my mouth. If you want a quick, easy read that doesn’t require full attention and is a little weird, this is the book for you.
Great review, Katie! I gave up at 5% and am really glad that I didn’t try to force myself to read more of the book than I did, because it doesn’t sound like it got any better. I hope you enjoy the author’s debut more, I do hear good things about it!