Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This was a good book with a cool premise about hum3.5 Stars
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This was a good book with a cool premise about humans and elves living in domes with a dystopian society post-apocalypse.
I think the reason it didn’t fully click with me though was because the book was more focused on plot than characters. It was the characters’ motivation that moved the plot forward, but there were a lot of POVs with related but different things going on so that the reader could get a full understanding of life in the domes, the problems, the history, the secrets, the brewing rebellion, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just didn’t allow for getting to know the individual characters super well. So whether or not that would be an issue depends on your taste. And it is a series, so you might get to know the characters better as it goes on.
One thing I appreciated was that the author didn’t leave the reader hanging with a bunch of mysteries and no answers the way authors often do in the first book of a series.
I also liked the friendship between Ripley and Felix. It’s nice to see strong friendships in books.
Overall, the focus on plot over characters made this book not quite for me, but I did enjoy the story, converging storylines can be fun, and the author clearly has some plans for where this series is headed, what with the way things ended. I think plenty of people will enjoy this.
Recommended For: Anyone who likes post-apocalyptic societies, elves, and multiple POVs.
*I received an ecopy of this book via BookSirens. This has not influenced my review.*
My first thought upon reading a sample for this book was, "Wow, t*I received an ecopy of this book via BookSirens. This has not influenced my review.*
My first thought upon reading a sample for this book was, "Wow, this author can write!" It's such a smooth writing style that sucked me in. Maybe not the prologue so much since I didn't understand everything going on there, but once I got into Chapter One? Fantastic. It's so hard to describe writing style, but give it a try, and I think you'll see what I mean.
The characters were also fantastic! They were complex and imperfect and leapt off the page. Some of them, like Javier, were so lovable and yet still had their flaws. Some, like Ollie, were unlikeable and yet still did things that I couldn't blame them for. Some, like Rina, were unhinged. Some, like Ethan, made me want to tell them off and hug them at the same time.
Their feelings and relationships were complex and imperfect too. And the romance between Ethan and Javier was sweeter and more tender than I was expecting. Neither one would let the other push them away, and that was what they needed. But, though they were the focus, there was also Ethan and Vegas's friendship, Vegas and Ollie's on-and-off again romance, Ollie and Nick's longtime friendship, Nick and Ethan's complete-lack-of-communication-ship, Ethan and Ollie's sorta enemies sorta friends because they share too many people thing, Javier and Rina's toxic twin thing, Rina and Peter's toxic romance or whatever they have going on (basically every relationship Rina is a part of is toxic), and Ethan and his dad's strained-but-trying care for each other. Don't worry, it'll make more sense when you read the book and actually know who these people are. My point is that it's a bunch of people in a web of all different types of relationships, not just a romance.
This was set in the future, though the world wasn't too drastically different from our own. It was a dystopia in the same way our current world is a dystopia. Just a messed up world with those in power reaping the benefits while those with less power and money suffer.
There were also mental powers and abilities. Ethan is a healer. Javier is an empath. Other characters have some other abilities, like pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and invisibility. And it was all thought-out and detailed in terms of both how it worked and how it affected and was integrated into society. Especially healing. And it wasn't all perfect and easy with no consequences.
There was a lot of complex politics and crime and whatnot, and I didn't understand all the details, but that's on me. I always struggle with that kinda thing. It didn't stop me from enjoying the story. And anyone who likes that and is good at understanding it will probably love that aspect, since it seemed well thought-out.
My one real complaint is that the ending was so open that I found it unsatisfying. It's a full-length book and was listed as a standalone where I got my copy, so I was expecting a complete story. But the author has said something about an in-universe sequel focused on different main characters. If it follows and closes the threads from this one, letting readers know the true ending for Ethan and Javier (even if they're not the main characters), then I'm fine with this openness. Anyway, only consider this a standalone if you're ok with open endings. Otherwise, consider it first in a series/duology/something.
I believe the final version will have illustrations throughout, and from the little bit I've seen online, I'm sure it will be beautiful!
This book feels like 4 stars for my personal taste (which is great, I really enjoyed it, don't get me wrong), maybe because I'm not as into the crime fiction stuff, but it's so well-written and complex that it still feels like it deserves more, especially when you factor in the artwork and everything.
Overall, this book pulled me in with its writing and then kept me hooked with its interesting world, complex relationships, and imperfect characters!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes complex characters and relationships, some sweet and some decidedly not-sweet, complex politics, mental abilities like healing and telekinesis, and a bit of climate fiction / dystopia.
I finally read the last book! (It had been a while, I had to reread the previous ones to refresh my memory.)
– I found this whole series to be fairly uI finally read the last book! (It had been a while, I had to reread the previous ones to refresh my memory.)
– I found this whole series to be fairly unpredictable. Most books have predictable elements, these included, but in general I found myself never really knowing where the plot was going to go. And throughout, there were some elements that I wasn’t entirely sure how they’d turn out.
– This one in particular made me feel.
– There was a lot with the tech stuff that you just had to suspend disbelief for because it didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
– There were some things that happened in a way that was just weirdly perfect, a little too coincidental in ways that also didn’t entirely make sense.
– *MAJOR SPOILER* (view spoiler)[I especially felt sad about Caspian. But, although I do think they could’ve tried to find another solution, it at least makes sense why Caspian would sacrifice himself like that. He felt like he sat back and did nothing while his dad and his court were committing atrocities and cruelty, and he wanted to redeem himself. And I’m especially glad his reasoning wasn’t that he couldn’t bear to live without Maia. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER*
– *ROMANCE SPOILER* (view spoiler)[I’m glad Maia ended up with Riser. He was the one she had a spark with. That became more and more clear with each book, but I really did enjoy the sorta love triangle element that was going on for a while. It didn’t always feel so obvious to me how it would turn out, and I wasn’t even sure how I wanted it to turn out at first because I liked them both and felt like she had a connection with both. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER*
Although YA dystopian doesn’t really seem to be my thing anymore, I feel like this deserves credit for being a good series overall and good finale. I had some suspension of disbelief issues for a lot of the technology and things like that, but I enjoyed these characters and was gripped by their violent and unpredictable story.
Recommended For: Fans of Books 1 and 2 in Audrey Grey's Shadow Fall series. Anyone who likes YA dystopian, violence with all the gruesome details, characters who can be feral or cold but also sweet and compassionate, and a bit of romance.
Review: I'll start by saying there's a different between a problematic book and problematic characters or problematic things happening in a book2 Stars
Review: I'll start by saying there's a different between a problematic book and problematic characters or problematic things happening in a book. But sometimes it's hard to tell that difference, and I'm not gonna say what people should or shouldn't explore in fiction. All I can say about this book is that it had a lot of things that would be very problematic in real life, and I don't think they were written in any sort of meaningful way.
This book is described by the publisher as "a science fiction parable about love and sex, wealth and debt, abuse and power." In reality, it was more a combo of slave/master erotica and hitting the reader over the head with spoonfed messages about consent and power.
For a while, I hated this, wanted to DNF it. Now that I've finished, I would say it was more inaccurately marketed and not for me.
I don't know how to organize my thoughts, so here are some bullet points with issues I had.
- All the slave sex and rape. The tagline of the story is, "There is no consent under capitalism." But that can be portrayed in many ways. You don't need erotically written rape scenes, and butt plugs and, "You're not allowed to touch yourself unless I say," and, "I want to hate you, but I can't because you're attractive and I'm turned on by you," and decadent orgies to get that message across. In fact, for me, the messages about capitalism and consent got lost in the over-the-top sex slave stuff. I found the way the rape scenes were written so disturbing that I almost couldn't bring myself to continue. Again, I'm not here to police what people write, but don't make a book out to be something it's not. Call it what it is. This Goodreads review does a good job talking more in-depth about the slavefic feel of the book.
- Side note: People are either going to think I'm really weird or really dedicated for this, but I looked up lockable butt plugs to see if that's a really a thing. And it is! They open up like flower petals, in case you wanted to know. Even if you didn't want to know, now you know anyway. You're welcome. But I think my three minutes of research must have been more than the author did, because the reviews I read about how they work were very different from what happened in the book. Alex was just like, "Don't remove it, I just locked it with my fingerprint," in half a second, and nothing happened, and it made no sense.
- I didn't like any of the characters.
---Elisha was simply uninteresting. I know he was brainwashed, so it's understandable to not have much personality of his own after that, but he didn't have much personality before that either.
---Alex I disliked because he was awful. He did change by the end. And I'm always glad when a character changes for the better, admits their wrongs, and tries to make up for their mistakes. He was actually a great example of the right way to make up for your wrongs because he took full responsibility, spoke up against others who were still doing wrong, and took as much of the consequences for himself as he could, rather than being selfish. But just because a character changes, that doesn't mean I have to forgive them. I just cannot sympathize with characters who keep themselves willfully ignorant and convince themselves that what they're doing is good just because they're uncomfortable with the hard truth and don't want to have to change.
---What Dutch and Onyx (and probably Opal) did was fucked up too. *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[That they felt they had good intentions and that the means justified the ends didn't make it not rape every time they had sex with a docile. They kind of acknowledged it in regards to Elisha, but not enough. And there was no acknowledgement for other dociles they've raped, I don't think. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER* This doesn't necessarily have to be addressed. It's not unrealistic that characters only barely addressed it. But when the book really hits you over the head with all its other messages about what's right and wrong in regards to consent, brushing off this incident seems like an oversight.
- The romance element was not ok. That was kind of the point. I know. But... *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[The ending implied they might still end up together. And I hated that. There is no way that can ever be a healthy relationship. First of all, Alex doesn't even know the actual Elisha. Second, and more importantly, Elisha will never be able to separate the feelings he had from being brainwashed and having some kind of Stockholm Syndrome from the feelings he may develop now that he's recovering. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER* Again, including something in a book doesn't mean it's being condoned. And it's another thing wasn't necessarily unrealistic. It's just, as I said before, in a book that was all about spelling out messages, letting this slide too seems like another odd choice.
- After Elisha was brainwashed, instead of getting him a therapist, they used BDSM to try and cure him. Not only that, but BDSM with someone who once raped / sexually assaulted him (or at the very least, did things with dubious consent) while he was a docile and drugged. I was all for Elisha wanting to have sex that was genuinely consensual of his own free will, and I think that person was a good partner (if we put aside the rape) when it came to teaching him about communicating and discussing limits and giving Elisha the experience he needed. But I still think Elisha really needed a therapist, and it's strange that no one but Alex even so much as suggested that.
- I agree with Tammy in her review when she points out how random the trillionaire thing was. Why was this all about trillionaires? I understand the point being made that the rich just keep getting richer while the rest of the world falls into debt, hence trillion rather than million or billion. But it was like there was just this whole group of trillionaires? And they apparently all hung out and had wild parties and went to the horse races together? Trillionaires, trillionaires, trillionaires. I don't know how to explain, but it just sounded strange.
Anyway, most of the things I disliked were things I personally wasn't comfortable with and didn't enjoy, not poor storytelling. Nothing was necessarily unrealistic. It's fair for characters to act shitty or make irrational decisions or overlook things. It's fair for the author to want to write a book that combines both serious messages and erotic slave sex, and to write about things they wouldn't condone in real life. It's fair for readers to want to explore these topics and types of characters. But, for me, the messages about capitalism and power were overshadowed, and I just felt very uncomfortable with how sexily and sweetly the rape and fucked up dynamics were portrayed. With how Alex was portrayed in a sympathetic light. With the relationship between Alex and Elisha when Alex was the one who owned and abused and broke Elisha, even if Alex did change.
Maybe feeling uncomfortable was the point. I don't know. But this wasn't for me, and if you feel the way I do about the things I've mentioned, or you start this book and dislike it after the first 15% or so, this probably won't be a book for you either.
I just realized I listened to the audiobook but failed to mention my thoughts on the audio. Apparently I was so distracted by everything that I forgot to even put that in my notes/review. I think I enjoyed the narration by Mark Sanderlin and Vikas Adam.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Explicit scenes of rape (or dubious consent at the very least, since Alex had signed a contract). Being drugged without consent. Corporal punishment. Confinement in a small space. Vomiting.
Review: I feel like it’s impossible to talk about these books without discussing the whole series, so I've done quick thoughts for each individu3 Stars
Review: I feel like it’s impossible to talk about these books without discussing the whole series, so I've done quick thoughts for each individual books, plus a spoiler-free semi-series review with my review of Book 4 and a spoiler-filled discussion with this review. I also did the same for Books 1-3.
-----Quick Thoughts on Book 6:
The characters were pretty good. The author wrote some good characters, they were well-developed and complex, and I appreciated that. Some of them, at least. But there wasn't anything I particularly liked about Book 6. I didn't hate it, but I was still frustrated by the weird turn the story took after Book 3.
My thoughts on the audiobook can be found in my review of Book 4.
-----*SPOILER* Discussion of Books 4-6:
(view spoiler)[In my Books 1-3 series review, I complained that everyone always talked about how horrible Warner was, but it was mostly just talk, and we just kept finding out he had explanations for everything that seemed bad (ok I'm now remembering he hurt Kenji and Adam, I think, but whatever). Well we finally found out what it was that he had to do to become the regent whatever of his sector. I feel like I should care more, it was awful, even if he was only doing it to stay with his mother, but I guess I just don't feel invested enough to really care either way. And honestly, I just thought it was funny when he was being such an asshole that he was making people cry.
These books also addressed how weird it was for Juliette to decide she could be the leader of a country, despite having no experience, another thing I mentioned previously. Except, throughout Book 4, she was still doing it, and being incredibly frustrating to read about. She kept refusing help, making bad decisions, and getting distracted by sexy times with her new boyfriend. I was constantly thinking to myself, "This is why you don't have a 17-year-old lead a country."
Also, why didn't anyone kill Andersen??? He had healing powers, so you'd have to do a bit more to kill him, but he wasn't invincible. They kept passing up opportunities to kill him and instead just stabbed him or shot him once and then let him heal. Cut off his head! Shoot so many bullets into his heart that it turns to pulp! Thank goodness for Kenji, he was the only one with enough sense to finally shoot him full of bullets. But they could've been rid of him a lot sooner.
What I liked about these books though was 1) the weird, sorta friendship that grew between Warner and Kenji (especially when Warner was high on too many pills), 2) Warner's slowly growing relationship with Adam and James, and 3) Kenji and Nazeera's romance. Unfortunately, we barely got any scenes about Warner and Adam or Warner and James. I really wanted more of that.
I feel like there were a lot of things that could've been explored more in-depth had these books not gone so far in the strange direction it did. Book 3 was so good with the complex emotions and relationships. I really wanted Books 4-6 to continue with that. To further explore all the relationships that were forming and changing, the character growth that was happening, and the struggles, while the rebels worked on taking down the Re-establishment and ruling over North America. In the end, they did take down the Re-establishment, but I feel like I somehow got further away from the characters (except for Kenji), and we don't even know what's happening with the rest of the world or who's leading or if everything is just chaos.
Overall, though they weren't terrible, Books 4-6 were a disappointment that felt like a different series to me. (hide spoiler)]
Recommended For: Fans of Books 1-5 in Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series. Anyone who likes YA, dystopia, romance, superhuman abilities, dramatic writing, and twisty revelations.
Review: I feel like it’s impossible to talk about these books without discussing the whole series, so I've done quick thoughts for each individu3 Stars
Review: I feel like it’s impossible to talk about these books without discussing the whole series, so I've done quick thoughts for each individual books, plus a spoiler-free semi-series review with my review of Book 4 and a spoiler-filled discussion with my review of Book 6. I also did the same for Books 1-3.
-----Quick Thoughts on Book 5:
I don't have much to say that isn't in my series review or spoiler discussion. This book was very little action and mostly just revelations. I liked when they gave Aaron a birthday party because the poor guy had never had one. I also liked the weird, growing friendship between Aaron and Kenji. But I was also increasingly frustrated with how off-the-rails everything was and numerous little things that didn't quite add up.
My thoughts on the audiobook can be found in my review of Book 4.
Recommended For: Fans of Books 1-4 in Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series. Anyone who likes YA, dystopia, romance, superhuman abilities, dramatic writing, and twisty revelations.
Review: I feel like it’s impossible to talk about these books without discussing the whole series, so I've done quick thoughts for each indivi3.5 Stars
Review: I feel like it’s impossible to talk about these books without discussing the whole series, so I've done quick thoughts for each individual books, plus a spoiler-free semi-series review with this review and a spoiler-filled discussion with my review of Book 6. I also did the same for Books 1-3.
-----Spoiler-Free Semi-Series Review of Books 4-6:
It's my understanding that the series was originally going to be only the first three books, but then the author decided to continue. And I was glad she did! Because the third book ended really abruptly and left a lot unresolved. But those first three books built up into a big climax, which made this one feel almost like starting over. We went from a higher level of intensity and tension back to a very slow-paced, "laying the foundation" kinda book for Book 4, and then Book 5 was very little action and mostly just revelations, and Book 6 was honestly a little anticlimactic.
Worse than that though, I feel like this series really went off the rails. It took such a hard pivot after Book 3. There was this whole wild and complex backstory for the characters and the Re-establishment, there were unexpected betrayals, there was a fated love story, there was memory wiping, there were horrifying and disturbing experiments... It felt like an entirely different series from the one that was about a lovable group of rebels fighting back against an oppressive, dystopian government. I just couldn't get into it. It felt extreme. Random. Out there. It didn't fit with the first three books and their vibe, it felt forced in since it wasn't hinted at in the previous books, and it really threw me off and kinda frustrated me. I found myself not really caring about the story and only kept going because I wanted to know how it would end.
Not only that, these three books were the author's chance to tie up all the loose ends and bring the story to a solid, satisfying conclusion. She had three whole books to do it. But she kind of didn't. It wasn't as abrupt, but the series still ended with a lot of things unexplained and unexplored.
I also found myself frustrated with Juliette often, feeling more disconnected from her and less invested in what happened to her.
I feel like adding more POVs (Warner's and Kenji's) was the only thing that saved these books and made them bearable. It was interesting to see things from Warner's POV (we got his POV in Book 1.5, but the whole situation is different during these books), and I especially enjoyed getting to know Kenji more, between the extra stories and his parts in the main books. I felt for him.
I listened to the audiobooks for these, and I mostly enjoyed them. I felt all three narrators (Kate Simses for Juliette's POV, James Fouhey for Warner's POV, Vikas Adam for Kenji's POV) all did a good job for their respective characters. Kate Simses really embraced and portrayed Juliette's dramatic way of experiencing things. I have in my notes that James Fouhey sounded a bit flat, but, having to listened to and enjoyed more books narrated by him recently, I think that was a choice and just part of Warner's character, which makes sense. Vikas Adam sounded basically the way I imagined Kenji and brought the right amount of energy and emotion. My main issues were that I didn't love how they all voiced the dialogue for other characters, and there didn't seem to be much coordination between narrators or input from the author since they all seemed to voice characters differently, use different accents, and pronounce names differently. But overall the audiobooks weren't bad.
Overall, as I said, the second half of the series felt like an entirely different series and went downhill for me.
-----Quick Thoughts on Book 4:
Some thoughts I have about Book 4 specifically... I like Warner's POV because I enjoyed getting to see the depth and intensity of his love for Juliette, his slowly growing relationship with Adam and James (I wanted more scenes between Warner and Adam since those were some of the best), and his weird frenemies relationship with Kenji. Also that scene where Warner was high on anti-anxiety pills and talking to Kenji was fun. Also, we actually learned something bad that Warner did! (Since in Books 1-3 I found it annoying that everyone kept saying how terrible Warner was, but all we saw was him not being all that terrible.) Last but not least, small thing, but it was kinda nice seeing a female character shave her head and like it.
Recommended For: Fans of Books 1-3 in Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series. Anyone who likes YA, dystopia, romance, superhuman abilities, dramatic writing, and twisty revelations.
Review: This is a novella series extra that takes place before the Feverwake duology but that I recommend reading after (at least, that's when I4 Stars
Review: This is a novella series extra that takes place before the Feverwake duology but that I recommend reading after (at least, that's when I read it, and I think it helped that I already knew who Lehrer was).
It was interesting getting to see into Lehrer's past. You learn some of this vaguely in the main books, but this actually puts you in his POV and makes it more real. I felt terrible for him, for what was done to him. But of course that doesn't excuse his actions. It is interesting though, to have this character whom the reader can both hate and sympathize with. You also get to see Adalwolf and Calix's relationship with him, and that was kind of heartbreaking. I think Calix loved Adalwolf, as much as he could love anyone. And Adalwolf loved him, saw the best in him (or deluded himself into believing Calix was actually a good person), wanted the best for him, despite all his own struggles within himself (mental illness) and with his childhood (growing up with a little brother who always got what he wanted by using persuasion and who was doted on while he himself was ignored).
I don't know how to rate it though, since it's just an extra, and I got it free for preordering Book 2. It was good for what it was, but not particularly special all on its own. I believe this was originally meant to be part of the first book. I gave it 4 stars, but I'm kind of undecided between either 3.5 or 4. I found this one more interesting than The Stars and Everything In Between though. For free, I'd say definitely read it. But I think whether it's worth money might depend on how interesting you find Lehrer or how much you like villain backstory.
Review: This is a short story series extra that takes place after the Feverwake duology.
I enjoyed getting to see a little snippet of Noam and Da4 Stars
Review: This is a short story series extra that takes place after the Feverwake duology.
I enjoyed getting to see a little snippet of Noam and Dara's life after the events of the series. I appreciated that, while their lives were better, they still weren't perfect, because life doesn't happen like that. Trauma and struggles don't just disappear overnight. I also appreciated that they were happy together but still had to work at their relationship. It was a grounded but sweet and hopeful peek into their near future.
I don't know how to rate it though, since it's just an extra, and I got it free for preordering Book 2. It was enjoyable for what it was, but not particularly special all on its own. I gave it 4 stars, but I'm kind of undecided between either 3.5 or 4. For free, I'd say definitely read it. But I think whether it's worth money might depend on just how much you love these characters and how badly you want more time with them.
Review: *This review contains spoilers for Book 1 in the series.*
The first book kind of eased the reader into the more disturbing stuff, but whe4 Stars
Review: *This review contains spoilers for Book 1 in the series.*
The first book kind of eased the reader into the more disturbing stuff, but whew, this book just dropped the reader right into it. Oh, these poor boys.
If I had to describe the tone of this book in a few words, I would say intense and disturbing, but hopeful. Intense because of all the violence and tension. Disturbing because I was disturbed by the relationship between Noam and Lehrer and the things Lehrer put these teenagers through. Hopeful because, despite all the terrible things, Noam and Dara and the others were still trying to bring Lehrer down and to heal from their emotional trauma.
You had Noam, in way over his head---a 17-year-old, vulnerable (and grieving, at first), in a relationship with a dangerously manipulative and powerful 100-something-year-old sociopath, feeling like he had to weather everything alone because there was no one he could trust or talk to, knowing his life was constantly on the line. You had Dara, struggling with depression, alcoholism, an eating disorder, a whole traumatic childhood, and the outcome of the last book's events (leaving Noam and his friends, losing his magic because he had to take the vaccine to save himself from fevermadness), only to then, on top of all that, learn that the boy he loves is in a relationship with the man he hates, caught in a trap without even realizing it.
One thing that really stood out to me, in both books, is how this author was so good at writing Lehrer and his relationship with Noam. He was such a disgusting piece of shit, but he was so good at manipulating everyone and being charming and doing sweet things, and it was so easy to forget how awful he was, to feel for him, to find him endearing. So easy to forget that he was a mass murderer, and a rapist, and a pedophile, and that he used teens to do his dirty work, corrupting and traumatizing them. And that's why I can absolutely understand why it was so hard for Noam to not get sucked in by him sometimes, especially since Noam's situation also included being young, being orphaned, and feeling so alone.
This book also had the same dystopian-ish world, magic, politics, and themes of trauma that the first book had, but I'm not going to re-discuss all of that. You can find that in my review of Book 1, if you want to know more. You can also find the author's list of trigger warnings here, because there are many.
There were a few things that pushed my suspension of disbelief though, that made me think, "But why didn't the characters [do/realize this obvious thing]?" And I know authors don't want to spoon feed readers, but there was a lot of subtext, a lot that was only vaguely hinted at, and it left me feeling lost sometimes. There was also this one part in which Noam, Ames, Bethany, and Taye were commanding and fighting in a war, and it seemed like that part came out of nowhere and didn't quite fit with the rest of the book.
Other than those issues though, the plot was, well, it was somewhat slow and a bit meandering, but it made sense for this book since this was more about the characters and a secretive plan to take down Lehrer, rather than a bunch of action scenes. It wrapped up the story well though.
The audiobook narration by Michael Crouch was good. He sounded natural and did a good job of reading narration in a way that matched the emotion and feel of each scene. The dialogue also had emotion that matched the scene and what was being said. He didn't really do different voices, except for Lehrer, so I did find it hard sometimes to tell who was speaking. Female characters didn't really sound feminine, but it wasn't bad, and there wasn't that much female dialogue anyway. Lehrer had what I'm assuming was a German accent, and the rest of the characters had a Southern accent, though the Southern accent seemed to kind of come and go.
Overall, I really liked the looming, lurking tension that filled this book, but also the hope and the healing. The characters and their relationships (both the sweet and the disturbing) were well-written, and this was a satisfying ending to the duology.
Recommended For: Fans of Book 1 in Victoria Lee's Feverwake Series. Anyone who likes gritty YA, a sci-fi take on magic, and harsh future worlds.
Review: I have very mixed feelings about this book. It's something I might recommend to others if they were interested, but, at the same time, I3 Stars
Review: I have very mixed feelings about this book. It's something I might recommend to others if they were interested, but, at the same time, I couldn't really get into it.
Plot: The plot was kind of unpredictable, which I like. I didn't know what was going to happen, and I didn't know what I wanted to happen. That was cool. But in the end, it kind of disappointed me. There was some growth, it seemed like things were teased at, then it seemed like there was kind of backwards growth, then I'm not really sure. It was also a slow story, and I found myself losing interest. But it was slow in a way that gave it an almost unsettling, otherworldly feel, so props to the author for evoking that feeling.
Romance: Maybe it's just me, but the description made me think this would be more of a romance. It's really not, which was fine for me, but might disappoint some people.
Believability: I had some believability issues with the android stuff. *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[Nell basically just connected some artificial limbs and wires to a special AI computer chip her father just happened to have, and voila! And somehow this android could feel not only his own emotions (which, hello, why did no one acknowledge the whole AI-feeling-emotions thing?) but also emotions that were imprinted on all the limbs he was created with. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER*
Retelling: What I did like about the story was that it seemed to be a Frankenstein retelling, with the way the MC wanted to create life (in this case, an android), the way she became kind of obsessed with it, even the incorporation of lightning.
Characters: I never really understood Nell, or her obsession with creating artificial life, or why she pushed everyone away the way she did. I didn't find her very likeable or interesting, and characters generally need to be at least one of those two things for my enjoyment. I found myself far more interested in side characters. I wanted to know more about Julian with his secrets, and his mysteries, and his brilliance, and his grief. *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[(Or maybe not brilliance and grief, maybe just madness and an obsessive desire for power and prestige, but that still would've been interesting.) (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER* I also wanted to know more about Oliver with his connections, and his ambitions, and his unrequited love.
World: I never fully understood the world. I didn't understand the epidemic (or whatever it was), what it had to do with computers, and why it caused people to be missing pieces of their bodies. I didn't understand this new post-apoc/dystopian place these people had set up and why some lived in the Pasture and some lived in the Pale.
Inclusivity: It was nice to find that the world this book was set in was LGBT+ inclusive. I think the MC might have been bi/pan (it was never directly stated, but there were times when she would think things like, "I've never courted a boy, or a girl for that matter," or wonder if she was flirting or fighting with the pretty barmaid). There was also casual mention of LGBT+ background characters.
Writing: I didn't have anything against the writing itself, it might've been pretty at times (it's hard to me to tell when listening to audio), but I didn't love all the POV choices. The book was mostly in 3rd person limited from Nell's POV, but there were a few short chapters in 2nd person from Nell's POV, and a few in 1st person from Io's POV talking to "you" (Nell).
Audiobook Narration: I enjoyed listening to Alana Kerr Collins and her Irish accent, but all the voices sounded the same, which could be a little confusing. I also didn't see the point in having dual narration, considering the second narrator (Alan Smyth) didn't come in until 6 hours into the 9-hour book and hardly had any chapters.
I feel like there's a lot of negativity in this review, but I didn't hate the book. I liked some things, disliked others, but overall just wasn't that invested or into it. It wasn't quite for me, but I think some people will love it. It does have an unpredictable and surprising, maybe even thought-provoking, story.
Recommended For: Anyone who likes Frankenstein retellings and slow-paced stories that don't necessarily go in the direction you're expecting.
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via BookSirens. This has not influenced my review.*
This is one of those books that I just felt drawn3.5 Stars
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via BookSirens. This has not influenced my review.*
This is one of those books that I just felt drawn to. The cover, the title, the premise. But it's also one of those books for which the blurb is accurate and yet somehow not wholly accurate, so the story turned out to be different than I thought it would be. It was kind of a dystopian/horror combo, although I'm not someone who usually reads horror, so maybe others would disagree. It was essentially about a bunch of teens trapped in a creepy maze-like facility with monsters (both figurative and literal) on the loose, blood and death everywhere. It wasn't super scary or anything, but it still seemed more horror than dystopian for a good portion of the book.
That's not to say the book wasn't good for what it was though! There was a lot of suspense and some creepiness. There was also an element of mystery as to what was really going on in this place.
It also did have a dystopian setting. Not everything was really explained, there are still things I only half understand, so that is one big issue I had. From what I do understand though, the book took place in an underwater bunker sort of place where people were forced to retreat some decades prior, and there was a corrupt and overly controlling government in place with different types of enforcers and conspiracies and whatnot. There was also the whole concept of the Riot Reels (videos the main characters filmed in secret to expose the darkness of the city).
As for the characters, they were pretty interesting. They were flawed and rough around the edges and had a lot of contention between them, but they still looked out for each other. Tommy especially was super passionate about exposing the truth and fighting back against the bad things the city was doing---even at the risk of his and his friends' safety. He had a unique voice to match his personality that included a fair bit of slang. He was also adorably protective of Gibbsy, who wasn't as stereotypically tough as the others, and I loved their friendship. Bonus: Tommy had some feelings for one of the characters, but there was no actual romance plotline.
The ending is not what I would necessarily call open-to-interpretation, but everything is not wrapped up with a neat little bow. According to the site where I got this book, it is a standalone, which means all your questions will not be answered, and I know that might bother some people. I don't mind endings that don't wrap things up too neatly though.
Also just wanted to mention that the book is listed as being 510 pages, but I don't know if that's correct because it was a fairly quick read.
Overall, this wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was a unique take in the YA dystopian genre with a bit of horror and a lot of conspiracy thrown into the mix and characters who were rough but still ones I could root for.
Recommended For: Anyone who likes young adult dystopian and horror, creepy conspiracies, flawed characters, and friendship.
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley & Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
This was one of those books that had a l3 Stars
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley & Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
This was one of those books that had a low thrum of tension throughout the whole thing, that feeling that things were weird and wrong even though you didn’t yet know what. But since I didn’t really know what the plot was working toward, I didn’t have this sense of things building, and the book felt slow for about the first 2/3. The beginning of the book also seemed to be more world-building and descriptions of settings than plot, and the articles and things that were between chapters sometimes only slowed the pace more. That being said, once things did really start building and take off around the last third, they got pretty twisty and complex.
Largo’s characterization was really well done though. He was so flawed, yet also a character I sympathized with. He had dreams, but he just kind of settled with his life as it was. He had a pretty dead-end job and a crappy apartment, and he spent most of his free time and money on drugs, including one called morphia that he was addicted to. Largo didn’t always make great decisions in life, but he had a good heart. He cared about others. He wasn’t as judgmental as many people around him were. And when he came across an opportunity to better himself and maybe one day achieve his dreams, he jumped on it. He also realized some things about himself and changed throughout the story. The supporting characters felt believable too, even if they weren’t explored as much. This book also did a great job showing how situations and lives and people can spiral down or out of control.
I’m not sure if this is considered sci-fi or fantasy or some combo of the two. Personally I’d say it’s kind of dystopian. It’s got robotic technology and government conspiracies and plague and strange creatures made with eugenics all set in a darkly decadent and vice-ridden city.
I struggled with what rating to give this book because it wasn’t a bad book, but it still wasn’t quite right for me. I struggled with all the description and with not knowing where the plot was going, but the characterization of the main character was strong and there was a lot of complexity put into the story, and I think some readers will really enjoy this!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes flawed characters, detailed world-building, lots of mystery and tension, and a slow-building plot.
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
I feel like the ending of this book short-circuited 4 Stars
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
I feel like the ending of this book short-circuited my brain, and now I don't know how to word.
This book is kind of a combination of fantasy and sci-fi with a dystopian-ish or post-apocalyptic world in which the US is divided and separated with wastelands of Quarantine Zone between the livable areas. Outbreaks of magic sometimes spread and kill people, only sparing a few each time who survive and develop supernatural abilities.
It was grittier than I expected it to be, and the whole thing was so unpredictable. I was on edge almost the whole time I was reading because, like Noam, I wasn't sure who to trust or what everyone's plots and plans were. Nothing was obvious, but it also wasn't a forced kind of mystery. There did reach a point when I realized certain things, but even then, there was no lack of tension and unpredictability, especially with that intense ending.
The book is also very relevant to our world. The main character, Noam, is the child of refugees and spends the whole book fighting for their rights, and the author themselves has said the story is about "the intersection of intergenerational trauma and personal trauma." Although I cannot speak to the portrayal of those things, what I can say is that they are very much the backbone of the book. For this reason, there's a fair amount of world-building and politics. Also for this reason, there are a lot of content/trigger warnings, and the author's list can be found here. I would call this mature YA because of all the heavy themes and topics it handles.
But for all its politics, this book is also very focused on and driven by the flawed characters. Noam with all his roughness and passion and righteous anger. Dara with his brittleness that he covers up with coldness and alcoholism. Lehrer with his mysterious past and his smooth control in all situations. There's POC and LGBT+ rep since all three characters are queer and Jewish, Noam is Colombian, and Dara has brown skin. The relationships between characters are well-written too.* And one thing this book does exceptionally well is illustrate the way good people can be pushed into doing bad things. It also makes you question where exactly the line should be drawn if one is doing bad things for a good reason.
The magic adds another interesting element to the story. There are all different ways someone's powers can manifest, and using magic is largely dependent on understanding the science behind it (though I'm not clear on whether any witching could develop any power if they decided to learn the science). For example, Noam is a technopath because he's good with computers and programming.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and the grit and heaviness of it. The characters were three-dimensional and flawed, the mystery and tension pulled me in, and I definitely want to know what's going to happen next!
*A couple *VERY SPOILER-Y* thoughts I wanted to add about the relationships between Noam/Dara and Noam/Lehrer:
(view spoiler)[Normally with the way it happened, I would've thought Dara's love for Noam didn't seem believable because we hardly saw the two of them spend time together, and Dara acted so strangely for most of it. But Dara could read Noam's mind, and I do think you could fall in love with someone if you knew them that intimately.
I also thought the relationship between Noam and Lehrer was very well written. I kind of fell into Lehrer's trap the way Noam did at first, so I can understand why Noam trusted him, even without persuasion power. Noam was desperate to help the refugees, and Lehrer was offering him the opportunity to do that. Not only that, Noam had already lost his mom, recently lost his dad, and Brennan was pushing him away, but Lehrer took him under his wing, complimented him, treated him with respect and admiration, said Noam reminded him of himself. But at some point I realized how wrong it was that Lehrer was using a 16-year-old to do his dirty work. He was putting Noam into dangerous situations. He was manipulating him. He knew exactly what effect he had on Noam. (hide spoiler)]
*END SPOILER*
Recommended For: Anyone who likes gritty YA, a sci-fi take on magic, and harsh future worlds.
Initial Thoughts: Whew. I had wanted to get my review written and posted tonight, but I may need some time to let this one marinate in my mind after that edge-of-my-seat kind of ending!...more
Review: I normally avoid books that deal with time travel because I tend to have a lot of issues with how its portrayed, but the first few pages3 Stars
Review: I normally avoid books that deal with time travel because I tend to have a lot of issues with how its portrayed, but the first few pages of this book were dark and well-written and convinced me to give it a go. I mostly enjoyed this but did have a few issues, so I'll do some lists and get the negatives out of the way first.
Things I Disliked:
- The book felt long. Maybe just too much description for me.
- The plot didn't have a solid goal, and I tend to get impatient with plots like that. But in the end, it made sense why the author started and ended where she did. It was basically one turning point in the main character's life to another turning point.
- Some of Em's decisions frustrated me. They were believable, but they weren't the decisions I'd have made, and I kind of wanted to shake her and tell her not to do that.
- Em used the word 'cripple' to refer to someone in a wheelchair a couple times. It's believable that someone would say that, but I'm not sure it was necessary to the story.
- There were a couple things about the time travel that didn't quite make sense to me.
Things I Liked:
- This book was dark. I like dark. But it wasn't hopelessly dark.
- The characters were realistic, complex, and imperfect. And their relationships were imperfect, both the romance and the sister relationship.
- While there were a couple things that bothered me about the time travel, I was able to just roll with this version because I liked how the author explored the potential consequences and ramifications of such a society, one that allows citizens to travel back in time and do things differently, but with rules and regulations.
- The time travel also made the book thought-provoking. It made me think about whether I would amend if I could, exactly when I'd go back to, what I'd change, what I'd put in my letter. It also made me think about how different society and life would be if people could amend. Would anything you do really matter? Chances are it would just be amended by someone eventually since people were constantly turning back time. That would be an unsettling way to live. And if people were constantly turning time back, how would society move forward? Would the benefits of being able to amend really outweigh the negatives? I love when books make me think.
Other:
- I'm not sure if this will be part of a series. The way it ended felt like closure, but then one little thing happened that created an opening for the story to continue, and it seems like the author might still have more in mind.
Overall:
Although I did have some issues, I thought this was a good story with a unique premise, and I really enjoyed how dark and thought-provoking it was!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes time travel, dark books, thought-provoking books, and imperfect characters.
Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight)
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