Review of The Mutant and The Mule

[Gabriela Contreras Gonzalez]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Mutant and The Mule" by A. A. Blair.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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The Mutant and The Mule by A. A. Blair follows Helia, a mutant soldier, as she infiltrates the Norm compound of Cincuneta Yuno, a place where mutants are not welcomed and mules are simply tolerated. Not long after her infiltration, Helia met Ari, who saved her life and decided to do everything in her power to help Helia complete her mission. But the mission has bigger and greater threats and surprises than either of them could imagine. Read The Mutant and The Mule to discover what happens to Helia and Ari. 

There are several aspects I love about this book. Blair’s writing style is captivating; it kept me curious about the story from the beginning. The descriptions are vivid, and the language is simple. Helia is a realistic character with flaws, feelings, and a powerful personality. Her relationship with Ari is interesting, as it does not follow the typical patterns of a romance novel. I enjoyed reading that the place where the events unravel is called Cincuenta Yuno, as in Spanish, this means fifty-one (cincuenta y uno). I do not know if the author did this intentionally, but in my mind, he did.  I adored the ending; it left me waiting for more, and I hope the author writes a second part (or more).

As much as I enjoyed the book, and as captivated by it as I was, it has some flaws. The editing is one of them; it has several errors. The second problem I had with the book is that the author added some details about minor characters, which I cannot understand why they were part of the story, as the flow would not have been altered without those details. The final problem I have is a love-hate situation, as the author switches points of view throughout the story, and as much as I loved it because it creates a more detailed story, I also found it frustrating when the same scene was narrated a second time to fit another character’s perspective. Maybe it would work better if the story were longer and the perspective changes were done by having different characters narrate different chapters.

Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. The plot is great, and the author created a powerful story, but ultimately, I feel that it can be improved.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy action and adventure, who are into dystopian novels, and who are not shy about queer relationships or graphic descriptions of violence.

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The Mutant and The Mule
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[Julie Marie Basil]

I do not read a lot of sci-fi novels and based on the drawbacks that you listed for this book, I think I will pass on this one. Thank you for your thorough and honest review.

[Onyemuwa-dave]

This is a super insightful review of The Mutant and The Mule. I love how you highlighted Helia's realism and the unique relationship with Ari. Your point about the POV shifts and minor character details is really valuable feedback. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this captivating dystopian read. I hope there's a second part too.