Linguistically, these words come from Mesopotamian folklore. It has something to do with control over destiny. Or was it control over the universe? I absolutely loved the glittering and lush imagery that Katya provided throughout the whole book, but especially those relating to the oasis – they were just absolutely stunning. And, really, these beautiful descriptions just made it even more unsettling when truths about the oasis were revealed. One thing that I find amazing in regards to her writing is Katya’s ability to evoke such strong feelings; even when things were all hunky-dory, there were little aspects of her writing that made me feel nervous and unsettled. I was second-guessing everything. I poured some water into the tray and began the meticulous process of cataloging the finds from the dig. In the tradition of The Twilight Zone or Tales Of the Unexpected, De Becerra skillfully presents the reader with the known world with its laws of nature, time and space then carefully bends reality, drawing you inexorably deeper into a narrative both terrifying and irresistible. Tense, electric storytelling that makes you wonder what you would be willing to sacrifice to have your deepest longings fulfilled. 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 . . .

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. I really enjoyed Katya de Berrera's seemingly effortless writing style and the way she kept my attention throughout the book. I did wonder quite often whether the events were just a hallucination brought by the gruelling journey through the desert under the unforgiving sun or whether the (post)-oasis events are manifestations of PTSD and then the author surpassed all my expectations by giving us a mind-bending explanation. I will say that the Video Game that shaped most of the storyline for this book was way too confusing for me to understand. How did Phoe know there was a video game in her system somewhere that, if won, could restore all of her knowledge? If Phoe didn’t remember who or what she was, how did she know this? And how in the world does a video game do all of that? Who set the video game up to accomplish what it accomplished? There isn’t enough development on that part of the story for me and I often found myself skimming those parts of the story simply because they didn’t make as much sense as I wanted them to. When Alif and her group of friends travel from Australia to Egypt to join her father on an archeological dig, they expect to have a fun and productive summer excursion. A few days in, a man wanders into the camp from the desert. Delirious, battered, and in desperate need of medical attention, the man targets Alif in one of his rants. Mentioning something about “Dup Shimati waiting for her,” Alif begins to wonder if the local rumors are true. Is the dig sight cursed?There are Youths, Adults and Elders and you become an adult at 40. There is no swearing, vulgarity and you do not ask questions as that will earn you some time in Quietude in the Witch's Prison. Second, as previously mentioned, the story is written in the first person where Theo is the narrator. When a book is written in the first person, it makes you feel more engaged in the story. In addition, the in depth world building transports the reader further into Theo's world. Many a times I was almost too distracted wondering where the story would head to pay attention to the many nuances and references to the popular culture and cult classics. Personally, I always end up reading a story with a female protagonist, but welcome and enjoy stories that include male protagonists and especially one that is as easy to understand as Theo. If you were to ask me what my favourite genre of book to read is, hands down it would be dystopian.

Also, the chapters end in awkward and sometimes jarring ways. It's confusing, because often it's in the middle of a scene, and then the next chapter continues the exact same scene, which makes it a strange time for a chapter break, in my opinion. I would understand if there was more than one POV character and we were switching from one perspective to another within the scene, but this is all from Alif's perspective, so it really made no sense. Who were these people? As I observed my friends, I could barely recognize them. Or maybe they were like this all along, their true natures merely were hidden by the excesses of Western civilization, only showing through now, in this extreme situation of life and death.

Side guide

Alif - an interesting narrator. She's pretty honest, even if things get a little messy in that head of hers. I liked her, and that she was kind of a peacekeeper without being a total doormat. At the core of Oasis is a group of friends who’ve been close all through high school. Off for their break between graduation and college this is their last time to be all together. There should be natural rapport between the different friends and their closeness and support of one another should shine through. There were times I had no idea where this book was going - and at times I was nervous to peek around the corner and see what was next. If you were a fan of the Mazerunner series, it will feel very similar. I sort of wanted to hide from my family to finish it, if that's any indication of how good it is.