I wanted to love this book it was descriptive and the writing is incredible but I just wasn’t grabbed by the story! I would still highly recommend this book as maybe it was me!

Beautiful writing and imagery however I found it a bit difficult to get into a first as it is quite slow paced. I do think I would like to give it a second read as I really do think the prose was so beautifully written.

Thank you for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

A mysterious quest set throughout a magical landscape, searching for some of the things of life and the secrets of what might come next.

This arc was graciously given by NetGalley for an honest review.

This book was a doozie and unfortunately one I could not finish. The writing style seemed overly templatized in the beginning, following the same sentence format over and over which made it daunting. Once the story moved a bit, settings changed and dialogue was introduced, it became easier, flowed florally with beautiful imagery. However, it never really hooked me. And after days of reading with no advancement in the story (kindle literally only advanced 6% after dozens and dozens of pages), it began to feel forced and something I wasn't eager to read. I'd love to see the movie adaptation of this book, and feel the characters and settings really lend itself to a ton of options for plot. Thanks for the arc and the opportunity but this wasn't one for me.

Jaan receives a present on his birthday from his grandfather. It is an old compass with symbols on it. Some symbols he doesn’t know. He also gets a letter from his grandfather asking him to do something he could not fo himself. What is it? His uncles gives him some advice about the journey Jaan will be taking. On his journey many things are a surprise for him. Will he make the journey by himself and succeed with his grandfather’s request?

It is a lyrical, smooth writing novel. Jaan is an interesting character. His choices and decisions that he makes, does make one wonder while reading this novel is the best one to take. The novel reminded me a book I read I’m college. It is “The Hero’s Journey.” I was fascinated with this book even though I felt it was a little slow . I admit I don’t normally read this type of novel.

I'm smitten with this book! The storyline is irresistible, and the characters are so well-crafted. It's a read that lingers in your thoughts. Highly suggested!

I really wanted to love this book. I received a free copy through NetGalley and attempted to read it three separate times. It was so difficult to get into the story. Each time, I wondered if it was just that my life was too busy or hectic, and if I would enjoy the book more if I returned to it at a calmer time. After six months and three attempts, though, I think I'm ready to move on.

This story started out really compelling, with the main character starting out on this epic journey. I was interested and intrigued by the backstory and the mystery surrounding his mother. The problem was that nothing actually happened. At 25% of the way through the book, I still felt like I was waiting for the action to kick in. He was still journeying by foot and the author had yet to tell us why. The curiosity I felt at the beginning of the book couldn't hold up for that long.

I also struggled with the author's writing style. The script was very flowy and there were so many commas. Many sentences started with transition words that didn't really seem to make sense. Rather than reading as poetic or artistic, I found myself reading and rereading just trying to figure out how the pages were supposed to sound.

Despite everything, I still am curious about this story. Perhaps one day, when my life slows down enough and I find myself without a TBR list, perhaps I'll wander back to this... But only if I can pick up where I left off. I can't take a 4th attempt from the beginning...

This book definitely reminded me of the Alchemist. While I don't think this book would be for everyone, and has a slower pace, I do think the book was written beautifully and had some heartfelt moments.

I really love the cover of the book and was super interested after reading the blurb but the book kind of left me a bit disappointed. It does give off some of the fairytale vibes it was advertised with but I wished for more. The writing style is ok. It's also very slow paced. And I had the same issues with this book as I have with LOTR, the scenery is described in such a detail that it dragged forever. But I liked that it felt like the grandfather was telling the story.

This was a fun and unique read. Very magical and mysterious. I highly recommend you check this out.

To me this book felt like a D&D campaign, in a good way. It was a bit slow at times, but I enjoyed the world building. It was immersive.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This book was an interesting and thought provoking read. I can see this appearing in English curriculum across the country in a few years. The prose was compelling and descriptive enough to provide plenty for students to dig into. However, it was a bit difficult to get through in places, and as a librarian and educator I am worried that it may not initially resonate with a wide range of children. Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile read for it's themes and will be a good teaching tool in the future.

This book is about a young boy who receives a letter and a compass from his grandfather asking him to go on an adventure. In this journey, he goes through many experiences and meets people that help him understand what it is that's important in life and that every good and bad experience is necessary for us to be who we are as individuals.
I didn't know that it had a little fantasy in it, and that was a surprise in some parts, because I was not getting what was going on.
This book was a bit difficult for me as I struggled to get through it, because it can be very descriptive and the author often repeats many many times the same references in the landscapes and the same vocabulary, for exemple:
"Jaan had climbed down into the darkness and he stood now alone in the blackness" - Chapter 6.
"He walked slowly along the warm sands, beyond the shaded palms beside the pale lagoon whose surface flowed with a mercury-like smoothness" - Chapter 10
Besides the addition of an adjective before every piece of landscape, often the words "narrow", "shadows", "darkness", "brightness", were used to describe different parts of the view, and sometimes I thought the scenery was all the same because of that repetition. I don't know how many times I read "the narrow stairs" or "the narrow path", or "the way ahead"...
But, at the same time, it had great writing and teachings about life, like:
"...maybe it was not more than to live, and that this might touch another, and be made meaningful for this." - Chapter 7
Sometimes it seemed that it was written by two different people, if that makes sense.
Definitely not a book to read in a hurry, as it can be a bit "heavy" and it needs to be "digested".

Descriptive and beautiful language that immersed you in the time and place which passed along as the main character, Jaan, set about his journey which lasted throughout the book. While the landscape was intensely detailed, a lot of the 'action' was less descriptive leaving me to wonder what had actually taken place. But, such is life sometimes -- which was what this book was all about; choices on a journey that lead to an outcome while the world still continues to move forward.

Slow paces, but filled magical elements, adventure and beautifully crafted scenes. It's one that will definitely force you to read a bit slower if you are one to consistently devour books (like me!).

This isn’t my usual type of book but I couldn’t help but enjoy this read. This epic adventure and bountiful world has me enthralled and invested. I think the author paint a beautiful world and your left rooting for the mc.

This review does not say anything about this book, these are just my personal opinions and my preferences. I didn't finish this right now, but I do want to give it another try eventually. This felt very slow moving for me. I couldn't really get into the storyline. However, this does not mean I don't recommend it. I will always recommend you try out new books. What wasn't for me doesn't mean it isn't for you!

And Clouds Passed Above, was an interesting novel that focused on Jaan, a young man who was searching for his mother. The novel was set in Estonia, which I thought would be a great setting to engage with through a novel. I found that the story was interesting and the writing style was great! However, it did not provide the type of pacing I was hoping for and was more of a soft and gentle read.

A beautiful tale of intriguing mystery and faraway places. The story was well written and quite picturesque in the mind. All round lovely story

It was so hard to get through this book so I had to DNF this. I was at 30% of the story and yet, nothing much was happening. It was slow and the character wandered around a lot. One good thing is the author's writing! I really enjoyed the writing.