Overmorrow by Lancelot Schaubert

Overmorrow Reviews

• 
  Lancelot Schaubert

  Keeps rising, thanks all. PRO REVIEWERS: Overmorrow’s live on NetGalley:
  https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...
  
  GUYS! We cracked: Top 20 most requested Teen/YA AND Top 50 most requested Scifi / Fantasy AND Top 140 most requested novel across all general fiction for adults. Kinda hard for an indie to do all three in the first week and there's still 6 months to go. Can't thank you enough for the enthusiasm and support in downloading and trying it, even if you absolutely hate the book.
  
  Thanks to everyone who already marked it want-to-read or who downloaded it from NetGalley. It's moving up the ranks. Make sure to do it if you haven't.
• 
  Tessa Walburn

  Thank you for this ARC!
  For starters, I LOVE the cover! I was also surprised to find out that the author wrote and directed a photonovel called “The Joplin Undercurrent” about the history of the town, this town was a hour away from where my hometown is. That was very cool to see along with Carthage Missouri being mentioned in the book several times. ~Now for my thoughts on the book itself, it was very good and I enjoyed the journey they embark on while trying to find their missing brother. The world was so magical and immersive. The beginning was a tad repetitive and slow going. I was also a little lost in the beginning when learning about the characters and during the start of the world building but it made more and more sense the further through I read. Overall a very fun read!
• 
  acupofteaandabookplease

  I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.
  
  This is definitely a different book from everything I have ever read. It's a mix between a rainbow of sparkles, a firework and some out of the ordinary mind! The chapters are a succession of very imaginative thoughts put into words that bring you to a whole other universe. For me it was a little bit too much but if you're searching for a very original story, full of "crazy" references and a touch of drama... you are at the right place!
• 
  Anja Peerdeman

  
  I got a super-early-pre-release version of this novel directly from the author.
  And boy, am I grateful for it.
  
  It is a beautiful novel with a complex, magical feel to it.
  I could easily connect with the main characters : children in search of wonder and excitement, who are not willing to take the road of boredom and routine that the grownups around them seem to be taking.
  
  Schaubert has a very distinct writing style that I absolutely adore.
  Will surely keep an eye out for future novels!
• 
  Toni Morales-Awobokun

  Overmorrow presents a fascinating premise: a world where magic coexists with the mundane, and Ellie, is thrust into a perilous quest to save her brother and the world from oblivion. The concept of a magical rain that awakens people to the wonders around them is truly imaginative. However, the execution falls short of its potential.
  
  The novel suffers from an overwhelming amount of exposition. This heavy-handed approach to storytelling hindered my ability to connect with Ellie and the world she inhabits. The story’s pacing suffers as a result, feeling sluggish and laborious.
  
  Unfortunately, I was unable to finish Overmorrow. Despite my initial interest in the premise, I found myself growing increasingly disengaged as the story progressed. With a lighter touch and a stronger focus on character development, this story could have truly soared.
• 
  Anna Drake

  I deeply wanted to love this book. I have read all of the fantasy books that form part of Overmorrow's inspiration. I could see allusions to multiple works--there was a moment between Ellie, the main character, and her sibling that was reminiscent of Madeleine L'Engle. A situation involving slugs falling out of the mouth reminded me of a scene in Harry Potter where Ron Weasley also spits out slugs. There are some allusions to Narnia as well as a brother is tempted away and drinks a beverage given to him by a magical character (almost like Edmund and the Snow Queen with the enchanted marzipan, centaurs and such, Macbeth's witches, and a whole cast of events/happenings that feel like a nonstop series of mimicry of well-loved books. Except that these events are not at all with the same degree of warmth, connection, heart and cohesiveness that these works have. Meg and Charles' relationship is profound and their telepathic connection important. Their world contains a series of rules and scientific principles that are allegorical in nature. Narnia's four children have a close relationship where they stick together, care for each other and love each other in a way that allows them to conquer over evil. Even the story of Alice had a plot--she fell down the rabbit hole and she reasonably questions what she finds and tries to cleverly invent a way out of it. The plot through Alice's coming-of-age perspective made sense.
  
  Stylistically, the feel of this book is rollicking and a bit nonsensical as though it is imitating the style of Lewis Carroll. While I love Lewis Carroll, I did not love the style of narrative in this book. I struggled to emotionally connect with the characters, whose emotions, motivations and sudden decisions fluctuated very quickly and unpredictably. At times I felt like I was reading a series of shifting plot events without being able to experience any kind of character development at all. I resonated with the opening scene--felt a bit like the opening scene of Harry Potter--but then the parents disappeared, leaving the kids behind. The kids then are frolicking about the park as if there is really nothing frightening or unusual. Their attention is taken up by random turns of events. Sometimes these events come in quick, rapid succession. One minute Ellie is telling her sibling to look at something, and then is questioning why her sibling is looking and what they are expecting to see. They encounter people and have random maladies occur every 2 seconds some of which are unexplainable and confusing as the Mad Hatter's tea party. They do not see panicked or emotionally concerned as they experience some of these things. It's as if they just blink and say "Curioser and Curioser." I do believe that this was a choice the author made, not just a side effect. I just happened to not really like it.
  
  The "Maker" and the "Creator" operate under certain rules, but these rules emerge far later on and it's unclear why anyone is there to begin with. I believe this was a philosophical and allegorical choice, but it was frustrating. It didn't allow for any navigation or clear picture of the world. These children are, in essence, alone and placing themselves at risk. The grown-ups abandon them to their own devices and they are pretty much left to figure it out on their own. The adults in the room might even stare at them unconcerned even when something is happening that is quite disturbing. The older brother, yes, is gone and the plotline to go and find said missing brother is there, but there are many many aspects of Overmorrow in terms of world building that is a huge mish-mash of many different fantasy works that it becomes impossible to imagine it or understand the principles of the world. It's a world of Lewis Carroll contradictions, it seems, a kind of rabbit hole of opposite land and contradictions. The list of characters is enormous and enormously confusing. The plot is scattered to the wind and random.
  
  So I was really doing my best to work through the book, trying to understand its intentions. There are philosophical moments of contemplation and imagination. Sort of "what if reality is different than we thought" moments. The humor can sometimes be clever and tongue-in-cheek. The problem is that I really wanted character development. And I really wanted to imagine the world of Overmorrow and understand some clear principles. I wanted to emotionally experience the magical world and imagine myself in it, which I think is why most teenagers also read fantasy. Instead, more and more and more characters, random events, rules, strange behaviors, surrealistic philosophizing happens, all without any real connection or (from what I could experience, anyway) purpose.
  
  While there are some original things about Overmorrow--the rain, for instance--the book feels like it is jam-packed with allusions and very self-conscious writing. I felt like I was experiencing the author's taste in books and the author's sense of humor and philosophical questions more than I was really experiencing a book with a focused plot, characters that I cared out, and a reasoning behind it that allowed me to connect and put the pieces together.
  
  As a YA book, I cannot imagine an adolescent trying to read this book, which feels even more meandering than Life of Pi. I've read many many YA books, having worked with teenagers throughout my life, and also having a teenage daughter myself. It doesn't really have the real excitement of these well-loved books. Sometimes simpler is just better. I had to put it down and admit it was not my "cup of tea" (And yes, that was an allusoin to the Mat Hatter's tea party.) With apologies to the author, who clearly loves his craft, it's a pass for me.
• 
  TaniaRina

  "YA portal fantasy featuring three children investigating the mysterious disappearance of their brother and some sort of magical theft of memories."
  
  Set in New York City (‘the birthplace of American argument’), there’s a girl. A young girl, who speaks ‘narrative rather fluently’, sets off on a crime-solving adventure driven by questionable circumstances in her family. Instigated by the appearance of Overmorrow in her life…
  
  To me, this had the fantasy-yet-urban feel of 'Wrinkle in Time' and had some elements of 'Narnia'. The comfy-cozy message for kids that things can work out and that they *do* have some control over their lives.
  But this flow was still the author’s...the setting, phrasing (I'm also a fan of compound nouns), the long & complex sentences (I won't use "run-on" 'cause they were exactly as they needed be). I read one of his other books (also with some informalities) and this one topped that.
  
  
  Fave line:
  ‘Books are portable imaginations.’
  
  Fave concept:
  Everyone is ‘stuck inside a tragedy’.
  
  
  No spoilers, but oh! that ending!
• 
  Mariah Graham

  I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I tried with this book, I really did, but I had to DNF. I love fantasy and this book sounded unique and interesting. At least different than anything I’ve read in the past. I tried pushing through, but I couldn’t make it past the first few chapters. The story was interesting, the characters were fine, I just wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I put it down at one point and tried coming back to it later but I still couldn’t get past the first few chapters. If you find yourself intrigued by this book, I encourage you to pick it up and read for yourself to see if you like it or not. Just because it wasn’t for me, it doesn’t mean others won’t love it.
• 
  Piyush Kumar

  This novel took me on a journey through imaginative and ever-changing landscapes that felt truly magical. The story is whimsical and filled with fresh, vivid imagery that kept me engaged from start to finish. While I found it a bit challenging to connect deeply with the characters and navigate the unpredictable world, the book's enchanting and spellbinding nature made it impossible to put down. It’s a perfect coming-of-age adventure with plenty of twists and turns. The cover art is just as beautiful as the story inside, and I think it would be amazing as an audiobook. If you’re looking for something original and inventive, I highly recommend giving this book a try.
• 
  Louise Page

  This is a beautifully written, bizarre, creative book that may entice fans of Harry Potter. The book's cover is beautiful, and it does seem to match the descriptive way the book is written. However, I could also understand if it would initially put some readers off. The book is about looking for a lost sibling in a world you do not understand that is constantly changing around you. A perfect coming-of-age story, with a few twists and turns.
• 
  Ethan King

  Honestly this book is a tad rough. The ideas and the fantasy of it has so much potential but I couldn’t get over the writing and description. I have never DNFed a book until now. If you can overlook the writing style the book seems to be ok. Unfortunately about 30% of the way through the book with little improvement I had to put it down. The authors imagination seems amazing, but the book definitely needs some editing to reach its full potential. #overmorrow #netgalley
• 
  Marlene

  A magical adventure with children on a quest to find their missing brother, but also figure out why someone is trying to get rid of the magical rain, Overmorrow. I did have a bit of a hard time following along as the children's story goes all over the place, but it was interesting to see who they met along the way.
  I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Zoe Leonard

  I just couldn't make it more than 40 pages. I hate DNFing a book, but the writing is all over the place and it is so confusing. The blurb sounds great but the text makes no sense. It's almost like a bad translation, or something AI generated. The language tone changes, the phraseology and grammar is all over. I really wanted to like this as the premise sounds amazing, but it needs a good edit before it's even readable.
• 
  Janna Felix

  This book has an overall magical feel and a unique writing style. It's full of adventure for the main character as she sets off to figure out what happened to her older brother. It reminds me of Chronicles of Narnia or The Magicians.
• 
  Carly

  Publication Date: April 30, 2025
  
  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
  
  The enchanting and whimsical qualities of the book were so captivating that I found it impossible to put down. It would be perfect as an audiobook. I would enjoy experiencing it again in audiobook form.
  
  
  Thank You Netgalley for ARC