I… think I just wasn’t the right reader for Oasis. Reading it was definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me,” which is a bummer because I loved the author’s debut What the Woods Keep.

I never connected with Oasis or its characters. The story itself was okay and felt like it was reliant on the Twilight Zone-esque world that Alif and her friends find themselves in. Which I think will appeal to some readers but not me. I knew this book was a bit of a risque for me based on the genre (supernatural thriller, which I generally avoid) and the synopsis despite the Indiana Jones feels it gave off. But I liked her first book so much I wanted to try it.

Oasis was one of those books I kept putting down every handful of pages. I was bored and around the halfway mark I thought quite a bit about DNF-ing and moving on. But I remembered her last book took a bit for me to warm up to so I pushed forward.

For starters, we have a group of five friends plus a student working with the protagonist’s (Alif’s) father. Alif, however, is the point-of-view character narrating the story which I felt limited the story’s impact (and my general interest in the book). She wasn’t a boring character, but I never felt like she gave much insight to catch my interest either. Her commentary throughout felt one-note.

Combined with that is the fact that it took around 100 pages for things to start picking up. All the build-up at the beginning of the book lacked any sort of suspense for me. And again, that might just be my personal view of what happened. I think I just needed something more from this book and wasn’t getting whatever it was.

It’s disappointing (to me) that this book didn’t work out but I’ll keep an eye on future books from this author! I think, in this case, others will definitely enjoy this book but it wasn’t for me.

Wow! This book had my emotions all over the place. I was intrigued, confused, on edge, questioning, guessing, assuming, gasping etc. Some parts I never saw coming and some I figured out along the way. Overall a great read.

OASIS features people lost in the desert, in an immensity of sand that never ends. That is, until they find a luscious oasis, thus the title. But is it real or not? This mind-bending novel will keep you guessing, double guessing, and triple guessing. The book will also make you think hard and surprise you with a lot of crazy twists.

Overall, an engaging novel that kept my interest from the very interesting introduction to the craziness of the oasis.

One of the first things that stood out to me about this book was the pitch comparing it to Lost and The Twilight Zone. I loved Lost and was super interested to see how it all came together.
One of the most intriguing things about this story is the oasis. It’s the group's savior, but it also brings strife and trouble. It gives them everything they need, and everything that they want most, but it also destroys them in the process. Since the story is from Alif’s perspective, we only are able to see the effect of her mind change due to the oasis, but we’re able to see the physical/emotional change of others. It’s really interesting to see how everything that happens on the oasis, and after, takes a toll on the six.
I also really liked the contemporary feel that the story included. It’s modern places, modern countries, and modern teens that their life is then infused with this science fiction element. There was also a slight feeling of horror and it made it all the more interesting. I never could figure out what was going to happen next. There were so many twists and turns that it was impossible to think ahead. Alif’s story is one that I can’t wait to jump into again.

This book was a fun and fast read. Indiana Jones meets The Mummy. This is one trippy and hallucinating venture. Beware nothing is as it seems. I still don’t know what the heck to make of this book but I think that is the point. If you like an out of the box read that does not color in the lines so to speak. This is the read for you. If you are the type of person that needs everything on paper and wrapped up in a neat box at the end then this book may not be for you. I am giving Oasis 4 out 5 stars since I enjoy the unknown.

Fans of Indiana Jones will be drawn to Oasis. Archaeology, romance and sinister other worldly elements collide to create an edge of your seat romp. It's a fun read with a winning heroine and an ending that is both satisfying as a standalone but worthy of a sequel. I'll be on the look out for the next in the series!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Katya de Becerra

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Publication Date: January 7, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, some gore, some mature scenes, nothing you see is real)

Publisher: MacMillan

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: The oasis saved them. But who will save them from the oasis?

Alif had exciting summer plans: working on her father’s archaeological dig site in the desert with four close friends . . . and a very cute research assistant. Then the sandstorm hit.

With 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, 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 one another, 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: For the most part this was an interesting book. The setting was really cool and the plot was intriguing. The book was well written as well.

However, the characters just felt really flat for me. There wasn’t much about them that I liked and I just couldn’t root for any of them. They also didn’t really engage me as a reader.

Verdict: A pretty good fantasy from an archeology site!

From the beginning I loved Alif, passionate about archaeology, but also torn between her passion for creative writing. Oasis transports us to a world of sand and danger. Immediately things begin to go awry, whether it be an article that hints at a mysterious danger, injuries, or stranded strangers. Dangerous omens whirl around a sea of sand from the beginning. Throughout Oasis we are asked about reality - what is merely a mirage? Oasis is a book about illusions and images we can't trust.

There is desperation mingled with survival and suspicion. I was completely swept away with the first half of Oasis, but towards the end I found myself with more questions than answers. It's not so much the lack of a concrete resolution than it is the pacing at the ending. Throughout the first half Oasis was ripe with suspense. The arrival of an mysterious oasis that hides thorns behind juicy fruit. The ways that survival and desperation turn them against each other, inhabits their dreams, and grants their desires. You can't help but wonder what is everyone's true nature?

Book Review:
Oasis by Katya de Becerra
Pub Date: 07 Jan 2020
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com

I so wanted to like this as much as I started out liking it. It really pulled me in quickly. I can see how it was initially described as Lost mixed with Twilight Zone, but I guess I was hoping for more Twilight Zone mixed with Lost. I personally enjoy more scifi than fantasy, and Oasis was definitely more fantasy than scifi.

Confession: At first I thought the "diversity thing" was over the top, but I quickly understood the setting was absolutely appropriate for scholars from all over to participate in an archaeological dig. I was glad to find the mix of characters was not just a ploy for inclusiveness. I did have a bit of a struggle with some of the characterization (Would a 13 year old boy run to greet an older teenager girl and hug her? What about a brooding, moody, slightly older assistant would appeal so strongly to a teenage girl?) On the other hand, I give de Becerra props for being able to provide two different personalities to each character depending on the plot influences.

From what follows you might get the feeling I really didn't like the book, but I did. I just liked the beginning and where I thought the dig plot was going more than I did where it ended up. So what follows in this review are things that detracted from my fuller enjoyment of the book:

*I get the teen hormone thing, but the kissing did seem to appear at random (or inopportune) times. I guess that's how it is with teens. I know the kissing was the plot device to imbue the main character with self-consciousness and doubt, but it seemed to belie her strength and wisdom as a strong female character.
*In one scene, the brooding, moody character tells the main character, "It'll be all right," after she says she has doubts about their situation. It reminded me of the insurance commercial where the frightened teens agree to run into the chainsaw shack instead of escaping into the running car. A bit too obvious that danger lurked ahead.
*Another short scene was full of psychobabbly, new-agey philosophy. I wondered at the time I was reading it if teens like that mumbo-jumbo and would buy into it.
*For me the depth of the stolen tablet's insight into the characters was lessened by the fully developed characterization of the main players previously by the main character. I just thought the part where the tablet "made things clearer for its host" really just reiterated the things that main character had already revealed about her friends.
*When the characters each experienced the tablet in different ways, why was Rowen's depiction one of a tree? Nothing else in the story implied that vision, so it felt random to me.
*Is it me, or was it too obvious for the author to use the terms "alternate reality" and "parallel universe" toward the end of the story. Did that need to be spelled out so blatantly? And what about the use of "alien threat"? That TOTALLY changed what the dark essence was for me and took me even further out of what I had come to find comfort in while trying to stay engrossed with the story. An alien threat is a very specific choice of words that restricts the reader's imagination.

The book had a really strong beginning; I'll give it that. I was compelled to read it, and then I was compelled to read it to see if it dug its way out of the hole it fell into. If you're a fantasy fan, it did. If you're a scifi fan, it stayed buried.

How do I even start to describe Oasis? Absolutely brilliant, haunting, and a favourite book of this year. I finished this earlier today and can't stop thinking about it.

'What The Woods Keep' is an all time favourite of mine and Oasis did not let me down. If anything, it was even better. The perfect combination of suspense and horror. Katya De Becerra crafts this story with interwoven pieces that tie up perfectly in the end, and leaves you wanting more.

Oasis is memorising and I could not put it down. It sucked me in and wouldn't let me out.

Oasis by Katya de Becerra took me a while to get into and by a while I mean, I started, stopped and would read another book, start up again, stop and read yet another book and then finally I finished Oasis. I just wasn’t impressed, the characters were not engaging and I found Alif the main character, (and only point of view) frankly annoying. There was also minimal character development, since it was all Alif all the time and she pretty much had the same thought pattern throughout the whole book it just didn’t make me want to like her. Maybe I would have liked the story better if I could have also heard more thoughts from the other characters on what they were experiencing during the whole ordeal. However, I really wanted to stop reading at 50% of the book as I was not engaged but I powered on hoping that it would take off and engage me but it just fell flat. I hate writing about books that just don’t do it for me as I know how much effort is put into books and I hope that many people enjoy it but it really wasn’t for me. 2 stars.
I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a surprise. I was expecting a wandering, post-apocolyptic journey, but this was so much more than that. It was dark, strange and wonderful, and made the reader think about life and humanity as a whole. I really enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it! Happy reading!

I was hooked on OASIS from the start. Alif's voice is fresh, youthful and engaging. The beginning of the book was campy and fun, an authentic look at how New Adults talk and behave. The characters were all well-developed and portrayed realistically throughout. OASIS is also excellently paced, and the writing maintains the tension in the story even when it seems that our heroes are saved. Overall, a satisfying read that nonetheless left me wanting more. I am giving this 4 stars rather than 5 because I found the ending mildly disappointing. However, the journey there was compelling and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My reviews are honest and unaffected by the free copy.

This is definitely a niche kind of book. It won't appeal to everyone, and there's a lot going on that might confuse some readers. There are no clear answers in this book. So much about what happens is left open for interpretation. I personally like that but some people might not. But if you go into this book expecting something that feels inspired by the X-Files with some psychological horror/thriller aspects, you'll probably enjoy it fine.

The first fourth of the book is mainly about setting up the characters. You're introduced to all the key players and how they're connected with each other. The next part is the oasis itself, and then the rest is the aftermath. Readers should know that once it gets to the oasis, things get a lot more confusing and strange. Reality is put into question and never given a solid answer. It's definitely the sort of story that will spark great conversation and debate in book clubs.

The only thing I can really critique this book on is that it's told in first person. I only say that because reality and perception are messed with, and it's a shame that we're only stuck with Alif's version of events. I would have loved seeing how the other characters were seeing and experiencing what happened. Focusing on the other characters would have allowed them to be fleshed out more, too. And it would have added to the psychological thriller/horror aspect of the novel, to see so many different angles and never know for sure which one is correct.

In a way, I like this book more for the idea and the concept than the story itself. But it was still very interesting to read, and I like the more open-ended conclusion so readers can come up with their own theories and ideas on what happened.