To save the girl he loved, he’d have to endanger the entire human race.
Pick up your shit and get with the fucking program, Wells. You’r
To save the girl he loved, he’d have to endanger the entire human race.
Pick up your shit and get with the fucking program, Wells. You’re on what appears (objective word here) to be a post-apocolyptic toxic (but not fucking explained) dystopian Earth. How about you save the selfishness for a rainy day and take out some of that much needed self preservation.
If The 100 was anything, it surely, not even in it’s dreams, wouldn't be a post-apocolypitic dystopia. It’s a fucking romance novel. Do not be fooled (I took the bait for you. I’m saving you the time and trouble, right now, if that’s what you’ve wandered here for. It’s not too late to save yourself).
Now, in terms of the world building spiel I’m about to embark on, I have no idea as to whether or not I am correct in my assumptions. As perceptive as I am, the lack of information really hinders what a girl can do. In the context of The 100, Earth has undergone “the Catacylsm�. Let’s start off with what the fuck that is. I assume that it was some pivotal event to do with toxic fumes, radiation, and genetic mutation, but that’s just going off general slips of mouths. There isn’t even a semblance of fucks given to world-buillding. It’s exactly like when I was six and my babysitter dumped a shit tonne of disjointed lego pieces at my feet and told me to conjure some award-winning princess castle. How the fuck was I meant to do that?! I had the fucking pieces, sure, but did I look like a fucking architect? I’d never played with lego before, get fucking real. Take this story and apply to The 100.
I should have seen the signs of a poor dystopia. They were fed to me, straight from the start.
…setting fire to the Eden Tree, the sapling that had been carried onto Phoenix right before the Exodus.
That was thrown straight at my face from the very first pages. I wouldn’t swallowed my complaint had it been explained, but no. I got no explanation, and the stupid special tree was never again heard from.
What the fuck is an Eden Tree, the heck is Phoenix, and I get that it’s before some Exodus event, but what the fuck is it? I just got into the book. I don’t have a repository of information about shit I’ve never read before.
The 100 crafts its storyline on the basis that 100 convicts are banished into the seemingly toxic lands of Earth (from a fucking floating spaceship) in order to be guinea pigs. Fair enough. But the point of their journey is to prove that “Earth was safe…�. SAFE FROM WHAT?! Just explain it, a little, just a little to me. I’ve got no idea what the fuck this society fears except for vague hints that are worse than a teenager's attempt to discreetly hint at the fact that they know some special secret. I drop better hints than that.
…second nuclear winter�
All the livestock had been eliminated in the middle of the first century.
That’s just great and all but I’ve got no compassion to give to something that I have no idea about. And jeebus, looks like they’ve been on that fucking ship for over a hundred years. That’s quite the history. So why won’t you just fucking tell me some of it?
Apart from the lack of world building, the main problem with this fucking book was the TSTL EVERYONES. Everyone is fucking motivated by love. Get dropped on a toxic Earth potentially ridden with a multitude of diseases, radiation, and a fucked up climate�YES! LET’S DO IT FOR LOVE.
I felt no relation, compassion, care, empathy and whatever the fuck describes the connection between reader and character. I just wanted to bang their heads together and sit them in a lifelong seminar entitled, “HOW TO GAIN COMMON SENSE AND USE IT�.
Love’s a big theme in the book. The amount of I love you’s was astounding—far beyond what you would find in a YA book, in general, (especially in a first-in-a-series) let alone a fucking dystopia. It was bloody drowning in declarations of love, from start to fucking finish.
Case in point:
“I love you,� she whispered, needing desperately to say it. I love you I love you I love you�..
Generally we build up to the climatic, tension oozing declaration that is just a little bit shy, apprehensive and mostly out of place, but I’ll give props to this book for fucking conventionality. It goes for the full frontal force of love. And you know why?
Because there were FOUR Point of Views.
That’s right. No need to pull out the fingers to count. Its all the fingers on your hand (bar the thumb). That is ridiculous. And can you tell how chuffed I am that everyone single bloody one of the four has a lovely element of romance in their fucking storyline (here’s a clue: I had to pick up my eyeballs because they rolled right out of my eye sockets). (PS. Having four prominent characters means that I have to write four separate sections of criticism. How beautiful.)
Two characters who have no business being on this, seemingly, suicidal mission, jump on it anyway, because fuck death, it’s all about love. Everyone has a fucking hero syndrome.
Wells is the most idiotic and boring character that I have had the misfortune of reading. Something possesses him, luring him into thinking that by adding himself to the list of potential casualties by whatever the fuck Earth has in stall, he’ll be forgiven and earn the love of his ex-girlfriend—who he fucking betrayed. That stupid quote at the top of this review? That’s Wells and his selfish as fuck of an attempt at logic.
The girl he though he’d lost was still in there, somewhere, and in that instant, he knew: He could make her love him again.
If she doesn’t fucking love you Wells then let life develop at it’s own pace. There’s no need to play God. You’d think the idiot has better things to do, like worry about the fact that he’s surrounded on a toxic Earth with 98 other criminals.
This was where he’d kissed Clarke for the very first time on Earth—and for what was surely the last time in his life.
Take the hormones down a notch you idiot. Keeping in mind that that stupid thought was the one occupying his mind when people just died in the aftermath of a fucking fire. If only he put half that effort into surviving, he certainly has the motivation to. Society could be fucking thriving.
Even if she kissed someone else—even if she wanted to be with someone else—he would always be there for her.
First things first, as fucking if. Second—I don’t give two fucks. It’s obviously been affirmed that Wells cares deeply for Clarke. I only had to read about it interlaced throughout his soppy thoughts, which amounts to 8 solo chapters.
Bellamy, in essence, is also empowered to risk his life, jumping on the suicidal expedition to Earth all for love. But, it’s slightly more noble. It’s a big brother looks out for the kiddie sister sitch, if you feel. So I’m not hating. I can understand that kind of bond because I’m not heartless.
That being said, Bellamy is not excused from the wrath of hate. He is a fucking douchebag.
...[he] titled his face toward the sun, exhaling as the warmth seeped into his skin. It was almost as nice as being in bed with a girl. Maybe even better, because the sun would never ask him what he was thinking.
Now I believe in equality, equal rights and whatnot (and that’s both ways, mind you). Am I to assume that Bellamy is a sexist pig who is condemning the female population for having a brain and using it to fucking think? I know the facade for that nonchalant phrase was most probably to establish Bellamy as a philandering dick but honestly, it missed the mark. All I see is a face that I desperately want to punch (that’s right, lest I be too feminine with a girly slap).
And who is to deny Bellamy a chance at love. Certainly not a dystopia!
He’d never known a girl who was so beautiful and intense at once…[he wondered] how long it would take until she stopped being the last person he thought about before he fell asleep.
So of course, if we’re doing the YA dystopia, time’s a ticking, and thus in comes the insta!love. What a fucking joke. Let’s be honest here Bellamy, it’ll be pretty fucking easy to forget her since, you know, y’all don’t know each other, bar one lustful encounter. Barely even that.
Plus, if we’re doing the whole romance as plot thing of course its obligatory for the almighty transcendental moment. If my eyeballs roll away from me and you find them, please bury them someplace nice and mark it with “Jess� eyeballs out rolled themselves, doomed by the YA transcendental moment. She shall be congratulated for having endured so many, over and over again.� That’d be nice, wouldn’t it.
The world around them faded away as Earth become nothing more than a swirl of pungent scents and damp air that made him press himself close to her�.They were the only two people on Earth.
HAHAHA! (that was done over obnoxiously—it’s better that way) Of course their chemistry has melted away the transient nature of the human condition. Of bloooody course.
Glass, one of the two female POVs, is segregated from the 100, left back on Earth with her former beau or whatever the fuck they are now. She encapsulates the romance plot cliche as well, while we’re at it.
The only way to save Luke’s heart was to break it.
That is it. Who came up with that stupid notion that has seemed to ingrain itself into every fucking YA protagonist’s mind. Stop it. The only way this swings is into a cesspool of complications because her fucking plot line was just romance, romance, romance. You’d think that having a character left on the ship would mean that the audience get to see a deeper explanation into the political drift, socioeconomic divide and general details about the post apocalyptic event, but fuck it. This is about lurrrveeeee.
To be honest, in the end Clarke was the only character I could give any care to. Her characterisation isn’t deep. None of them are. I didn’t empathise with her. Because she put herself into her own situation (I said it, I’m sorry but she’s TSTL). Plus she fucking stole the fickle crown right off my head; just stuck her hand out and ripped it from me. There’s a sad attempt at a love triangle, and of course Clarke oscillates like a fucking pendulum because we need to establish that even in desolation, Clarke remains the apple of everyone’s fucking eye.
And are you honestly expecting me to believe that her best friend, on her fucking deathbed, is just dying to hand out love advice. It's always "Clarke, Clarke, Clarke, you're gorge and he loves you". It's never"Clarke, get over yourself. I, your best friend, am fucking dying. Who gives a fuck about who loves who."
Structurally, I didn’t like it. It read more like something that belonged on the box that projects images to us while we mindlessly gaze into the beyond (and thus I understand the hype of the tv show). It’s written better as a script. It was blandly written so don’t expect anything fancy, like a metaphor that will have you tittering (cause I would’ve reported back if there were any). Now I’m not saying that I want Oscar Wilde to jazz it up, but please, do something creative. Instead of “he said quietly�, why don’t we try “he whispered, voice tickling the air� (I don’t know, don’t judge me on that).
That being said, I will praise it’s consistency. It was consistently written in this action manner. It isn’t clunky and the author is not indecisive. She knows her style and she stuck through with it, right up until the end.
Keep in mind that this is written just as you would watch it on the television screen. Scenes cut off so that you will have to imagine them. Cliffhangers occur as the POV moves onto another person, and the storyline is never returned to. And each POV is written in present tense with a jarring flashback smack bang in the middle, à la Arrow. It tells a large chunk of the storyline through flashbacks (but of course that has nothing to do with world building. It’s a large chunk of the romantic storyline that we are graciously bequeathed with).
The point is, I’m sick of the arbitrary use of romance. Stop stuffing it down my throat. If I’m reading a dystopia, I want to read a fucking dystopia. I know y’all will say, “Don’t be a hypocrite. You read Shatter Me and ate that up like you hadn’t seen food in months.� Sure, to an extent, you’re right. BUT (there’s always a but), whilst Shatter Me does the whole romance thing, AT LEAST I WAS GIVEN AN EXCUSE FOR THE DYSTOPIAN WORLD.
If you’re a dystopia, it’s not too hard. Just attempt some world building. You can keep your obvious love for romance. JUST DO THE FUCKING WORLDBUILDING.
It’s better as a TV show (that’s what nobody wants to hear). Here’s hoping that the sequel does what Throne of Glass did, and comes back brilliantly.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All quotes used were obtained from uncorrected proof that is subject to change in the final publication.
Let’s get real here. Time to announce a big fat DNF.
The last time I touched The Testing was half a year ago and that was out of desperation due t
Let’s get real here. Time to announce a big fat DNF.
The last time I touched The Testing was half a year ago and that was out of desperation due to my eco lecturer boring me to bits as he depicted the inner workings of microeconomics. Suddenly a story rather reminiscent of The Hunger Games but for a bunch of intelligent kids (sorry Katniss, that ain’t a jab at you, girl) became rather appealing. And yet, even then, it couldn’t retain my attention. That should have been the big warning sign.
I picked up The Testing out of both necessity, and the fact that those that I was close to raved on. It seems to be one that sat on the better side of this dystopia fence. And yet I couldn’t warm up to it. It bored me to death. How I even survived this long to be writing this review is beyond me. When it became clear that I could cut The Testing from my thesis, I chucked away the lifeline that was all those positive reviews and just buried this one away. I couldn’t bring myself to declare a DNF. That just wasn’t me.
Well I’m reformed now. This girl is low on time and out to bitch about things that don’t hold her attention. Sadly, The Testing must go. Do I see myself picking this up in the near future? Hell to the no. I wouldn’t prob it with a ten foot pole unless I craved something to lull me to sleep. And even then I’d give this a miss.
I'm clearing this off the currently reading shelf because this gal needs a new start for 2015. ...more
Another year, another dystopian. Ceri A. Lowe’s Paradigm, however, is something to look out for. Paradigm is able to do what many other dystopias in tAnother year, another dystopian. Ceri A. Lowe’s Paradigm, however, is something to look out for. Paradigm is able to do what many other dystopias in the genre fail: credible world building. Being a debut I went into the book without expectations—I had nothing to compare it to—however, I was pleasantly surprised by the descriptive and flavoursome writing. This book manages to differentiate itself from all the other fish in the sea. Initially, the blurb alone managed to pique my interest. Whilst I don’t like dual POVs (but that is a personal preference—I find that it detracts from my already miniscule attention capacity) I have to admit that the idea of writing a dystopia from two points in time—the beginning and what seems to be the close—is a gem. What I must applaud Lowe for is her ability to weave and conjoin the decisions of the past with the consequential future.
The first thing that stood out to me was Alice’s passages. Alice watches the world, as she knows it, fall apart. This is something that I never see fully addressed in other books—the sheer devastation of loosing everything. It was so stark to see how desperate humanity got. Things like scientific knowledge, technology and personal possessions no longer mattered, nor defined a person. People became stripped to the core of their existence—the inherent trait that urges you to�survive.
"This is a situation of war. And in situations of war there are often things that we don’t want to do, but we do them anyway.�
Everyman was in it for himself. It is survival of the fittest and, as unfair as it is, sometimes it’s the selfish who survive because they have the drive.
“He lived in a high tower above the city and was forced to watch as the world died.�
Alice’s POV used neutral tonality that corroborated to place emphasis upon the austerity of the bleak and dreariness of a post-apocalyptic event. Despite what people may think I think her ability to be impersonal is what helps her character undergo Bildungsroman. There is definite character growth and strength.
”In the months that followed, there were at least twenty more suicides�
She becomes an Alice who is hardened by the knowledge that casualties and consequences were just a part of life. She learns early on that your experiences are there for you to grow on, and perhaps this is what allows her character to grow quicker than the “norm�. The Alice that we end up with is far removed from the Alice of the past.
Another element of the story that stood out was the romance. It is so, so rare nowadays to find a YA anything that doesn’t depend on romance. Whilst this story does still maintain this element what was surprising was how little it actually affected the story itself. Think of it in terms of playing jenga. If love (and by that I mean romance, not love in terms of passion for life etc.) were to be pulled from the tower then it would still stand, and stand strong. It is so refreshing to finally read a story that isn’t dependent on tragic and dramatic transcendent love, or love triangles or whatever the variation is now. Effectively this allows the reader to become more involved in the dystopian element itself instead of your typical “Let’s-save-the-world-lol-just-kidding-we-need-to-unnecessarily-make-out� (and yes, you know what I mean by this).
The ideas that Lowe brings up in her story were extremely resonant, and this was not because it was uber didactic or whatnot. It was due to the fact that the very same ideas that exist in a dystopian society can have the capacity transcend the barriers of fiction and be applicable in our own society. These are ideas that not many stop to think about, but when they were brought up I had a moment of realization at how much truth there was in it.
”There’s surviving and then there’s living…None of us just want to survive…We want something more, something joyful. Something to survive for�
The passage where the two characters discuss the difference between surviving and living struck a real chord in me. It was just so true. To live just to exist is pointless—there is no ambition and ambition drives survival. Once again it comes down to the idea of “survival of the fittest�. We are programed to want more, to strive for more, to improve over time, to seek answers. If we didn’t want, if there was no drive for competition, then perhaps humanity would not be where it is now. I really appreciated how Lowe managed to integrate these mini passages of philosophical ponderings into her book—it gave it a different flair.
I do have a bit to say about the structure though. Whilst it is a dual POV, I found myself a tad more involved in Carter’s side as opposed to Alice’s. Like I mentioned before Alice is a tad impersonal and thus warming up to Carter was, to me, inevitable. Word of warning though, there seems to be a lot of page breaks in the story throughout the chapters. The page breaks made it extremely hard to immerse yourself in the story itself because it just detracted from the flow. I would understand if the breaks had a stylistic purpose but no matter how much I obsess over “why� I simply cannot understand the need. It wasn’t as though the page breaks signaled a move into a different scene. It was as if I just stopped writing the sentence
and then subsequently continued on with it, but with a gap in between. That however is simply comes down to a structural preference.
Overall it was a great debut. Lowe manages to skilfully meld the past with the present. It was delectably enjoyable to be able to see something different, especially in the overdone dystopian genre. What many books critically fail to do is address world building, however you needn’t worry with Paradigm. The book transports the reader from the beginning of the end to the end of the beginning.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All quotes used were obtained from an uncorrected proof that is subject to change in the final publication....more
I need time people, and time I do not have. I'll be back to read this, once again. See you in November is all I can say. I need time people, and time I do not have. I'll be back to read this, once again. See you in November is all I can say. ...more
I've been slugging my way through reading this book, putting it off and caving to procrastination. So, out of sheer determination, I set it into my miI've been slugging my way through reading this book, putting it off and caving to procrastination. So, out of sheer determination, I set it into my mind that this would be finished tonight, regardless of the constraints of time, and so it was. This was a great dystopian. Not a 5/5 but definitely a 4, and possibly a 4.25.
A large majority of YA dystopias are written by women. There is no denying it because it's a fact. YA is generally ruled by women. It's always a pleasure to see a man write a female protagonist because there is generally a different tone and stylistic craft applied (and I'm not not critising this-- in fact, it's a lovely breath of fresh air). This applied in the case of The 5th Wave, whereby the female character was written with a certain flare that I feel was applicable in this very same series. Kiera is a headstrong protagonist who, let's be honest, is essentially the moral compass. Actually, that's giving her a tad too much credit... In essence, she is a moral compass, however like all heroines, she's got flaws, and hers is a tendency to succumb to complacency. Kiera registers that certain situations and plans are "inhumane", but whilst to protests it in her POV, she fails to project these views into reality, which is where all the difference is made. However, it suppose those faults are in place to be reverted in the upcoming books as a sign of character development.
What I loved about the book was it's realistic tone. Well's does realism well (no pun intended). I've read my fair share of YA dystopians, and let me tell you, at times the events and beliefs that are presented are a little short of "yeah right, like that happens...ever'. Well's introduces classic YA dystopia tropes, and low and behold, actually makes them realistic. His didactic message is resonant.
"Let it be because our enemies finally beat us, not because we beat ourselves"
In the context of the tale, this was extremely relevant, however the succinct speech that the senator proclaims is extremely fluid and succinct, and is able to arouse empathy within the audience because the theme that it carried is so universal. Not only does it deal with the deadly consequences of division, but Well's also addresses the inherent "fear of the unknown" and dangerously seductive allure of power, especially in desperation.
Great ending of an arc. Most complications were explained and enough were opened up for the next two components of the trilogy. Only complaint would be that the first half is stricken by a sluggish pace, but boy, when things picked up halfway, it really kept speeding on. This book concentrated a lot on the scientific complications, and at times I found myself wondering a) why I didn't share the same brain waves as Gwen Stacy (can you tell I just watched TASM2-- great sequel, btw) b) why I completely dropped any form of science in my senior studies.
The mahoosive amounts of genetic molecular (blah blah, whatever the heck it was) detail can, at times, be severely overwhelming. ...more
It was as though the first book started off promising, the second dipped, and then the third cane back rejuvenated, action-packed and full of witty ThIt was as though the first book started off promising, the second dipped, and then the third cane back rejuvenated, action-packed and full of witty Thorne lines.
It was a good book, but it wasn't an AMAZING, my-life-changed and reality-will-never-be-the-same type of book. Like Sue forewarned, the sequel was quite anticlimactic, however the third was much snappier. It kept my attention and it helped me from dozing off.
The novel developed well, but at times the inconsistent pattern that was the switch between narrators bugged me, to an extent. This is because i like a book to maintain a relatively explicit and consistent pattern when doing alternate POV. This made it hard to look forward to particular chapters and made it difficult to get back into certain storylines, especially when a certain one ended on cliffhanger and then goes on to start the chapter ambiguously.
There was little Scarlett and Wolf in this. To me it felt like their "love arc" ran its course and now all that was left was the rest of the tragic climax before a reunion. Thorne and Cress were sweet, i loved Cress' little quirk about being an actress. It gave her a nice flair. Not to say that didn't enjoy their relationship, but i didn't quite understand. It was as though all the MC's must be "matched up" (i foresee a same such future for Winter and Jacin and most probably Iko will find herself a little someone).
I loved the whole idea that the book portrays-- the retelling of the well-known and loved fairytale. It's not conventional and the role reversal of Cinder as the saviour of the day as opposed to Kai adds a certain sass to the book.
Overall it was a yet another solid book and as always, high hopes are in place for the next....more
First things first, if you haven't read this then what in earth are you waiting for. A true gem this.
I want to say this that this is a dystopia, and iFirst things first, if you haven't read this then what in earth are you waiting for. A true gem this.
I want to say this that this is a dystopia, and in some ways it is, however the time manipulation elements let it fall more into the science fiction genre. I must give the author appraisal for the magnificent work she went into to ensure the plausibility of the world she creates. Despite it being sci-fi the events that lead up to the said time manipulating machine are all carefully justified and explained in a beautifully crafted manner- the become so realistic that perhaps they would even scare the audience. I suppose in that manner the creation becomes a dystopia. As a society we are indeed craving for a knowledge that could salvage the world and this book encapsulates this as an analogy for the moment where salvation clouds and distorts moral fortitude.
I honestly don't want to comment too deeply on the book in fear of spoiling it- its definitely one to tread lightly around in a review. All i can say is there are some crazy plot twists and convulsions. The mains melded impeccably and it just made the entire novel even more terribly tragic.
I am however very interested about how this pans out into a sequel. Personally i just want to keep this first novel in my mind because it was just so well done. Nevertheless, if the author is able to justify the need for a second book, and not make it appear to be an attempt to extort the popularity of a first book, then i'm all game....more
Hmmm i'm actually quite caught, so i may say this falls more into the 3.5 star category.
I went into this with low expectations and i'm quite glad i diHmmm i'm actually quite caught, so i may say this falls more into the 3.5 star category.
I went into this with low expectations and i'm quite glad i did. It didn't blow me away. I suppose i just wanted to see more Kai and Cinder interaction- which was kept at a bare "didn't even happen". Scarlett and Wolf were all great and everything but i just didn't connect to them as characters.
Everything we learn in this book is seemingly predictable- there is no shock really. It was an anticlimatic book. ...more
Hardly anything happens and yet I was skilfully manipulated into concealing any distaste thro
°�.�.:*・Actual Rating: 4.5 stars °�.�.:*�
Hardly anything happens and yet I was skilfully manipulated into concealing any distaste through tasteful uses of profanities (inner cheering), desperation-seeped philosophical statements and overall gesticulations of hope for humanity.
Since I like to get real with these reviews, I’m going to just admit it: I was clouded and confused for the first quarter of this book. Why? Because waiting for books in a series—may that be a couple of months, a year, two years—does fuzzy things to my brain. Something fries the bit where the memory game should be strong and I end up remembering pretty much nothing. I read those recaptions and whatnot, but you can’t condense a book into 800 words or less. And so, the gaping hole remains.
That didn’t stop a stubborn Jess who was determined not to reread (and who, quite frankly, had no time to indulge in one). I sucked it up like the big girl that I am, turned on the brain and tried to piece together a puzzle despite having no knowledge of my final aim. Sometimes I’m ambitious, aren’t I?
In the Afterlight returns with the same intensity that I vaguely remembered from the first two books. All our favourites, Ruby (shall she be named first? She is the protagonist but�), Liam, Zu, Vida and Chubs return, alongside those who we mingled here and there with in Never Fade (aka Cole) and some new faces like Senator Cruz. The fight for democracy, freedom, justice, is just as imminent as ever. Time is scarce, children are being picked off, and humanity is running low. More than ever, this is about saving the kids, giving a voice to the generation whose opinions have been cast aside in this adult-ruled society.
The Darkest Minds and I have this conflict: we mildly hate one another but love each other all the same. That’s odd, isn’t it? The thing is, this series, unlike anything else I’ve ever read, takes me a week to read. I can’t process it in one go; it’s chunks or nothing. And I honestly have no idea why. Perhaps you could reason that I’m incapable of processing vast amounts of action into my puny little brain; perhaps it’s a tad to military for me. Who knows? The point is, you could never get me to read this in one night. I didn’t account for this when I picked up In The Afterlight. Mostly, it was because I forgot how this series could weigh me down. I was overambitious, thinking that I could get this scrapped up in one, two days at most but look at me now, six days later.
While I wasn’t engrossed by the series, I still loved it immensely. If we’re judging it as an overall series, this one was a cracking dystopia; it has a brilliantly developed cast of characters, a beautiful example of a female hero, a complimentary romance where the male is respectful, with none of that “women are for saving and trophies� mindset (if you get what I mean on this), and a mildly (plot holes are always a given with dystopias) good explanation for all the shenanigans. But for once, I couldn’t give this one a five star.
So what changed? What makes In The Afterlight, which achieved what the other two could not—make a newly established cold-hearted Jess shed a bucket or two of tears�, an underachiever? An objective bird’s eye view of the chain of events which unearthed a sad truth: hardly anything happens.
Now, you wouldn't know this but minus the first 1/6 or so, three quarters of this book was pretty much stagnant. The thing is, Bracken masks this brilliantly and that’s a talent when you’re writing in circles. We can’t tell because the pacing remains tempered and fast. Words are being said, things are being teased, but big events aren’t given room to play. Never Fade was notorious for its action; it wasn’t afraid to shy back from the intensity, the “death, pain and fear do not wait� element of a dystopia. In this case, we have a little less action, a little more word play. It was a bang sandwich; the opening pages were like, go-go-go, and the last quarter wrapped up nicely, but the middle? It was all about the fillers; a little too much lettuce, a little skimpy on the protein.
Another problem: Cole. The thing is, I wasn’t too up for this Cole business. In fact, it took a while for me to place him. When I did in fact rescue him from the pools of outcasted information, à la my brain, I was a tad bummed when I realised that he would be a central figure. In fact, it’s hard to go a couple of pages without an honourary appearance from Cole. I wanted more of the characters that I had begun with. If you weren’t his biggest fan, you’ll be disappointed. Cole, along with everyone who is anyone, becomes the biggest cockblock to the underpinning romance.
So we’ve arrived at the love. The one that blooms between Ruby and Liam has got to be one of my all time favourites. Albeit, if you really wanted to get technical about it, perhaps in The Darkest Minds it was a tad insta!love but let’s look past this for now (because they’ve got a rare dynamic, these two). You see, unlike other romances in YA fiction, where it remains a man’s world, it is Ruby who is the dominant figure in this relationship. There is no damsel in distress. We’ve just got two kids, who have been damned by humanity’s propensity to perpetuate fear, that find an untainted solace in one another . It is Ruby who urges Liam to be safe, Ruby who fears day and night for his kind soul. It is Liam who craves sensibility.
And they compliment one another. Liam Stewart has got to be the sweetest soul in the young adult world (which makes him not the best for a dystopia but let’s look over that). We have no hero-syndrome when it comes to Liam. There’s is no degrading of a female’s talent, none of that “you can’t go there� nonsense.
“You’ve been gone all day,� he said. “I was starting to get worried.� “It took a while to find someone I could use,� I said. “I wasn’t just out there running around being reckless.� “I didn’t say you were,� Liam said. “I just wish you had told me you were heading out.� “I didn’t think I had to.� “You don’t have to. I’m not your keeper. I was scared, okay?�
I want to kiss this book because of its “damn patriarchy� mindset. It’s beautiful.
Another quirk that I particularly love is when the title unearths its meaning. We’ve read them, you and I, those titles that have absolutely no relation to the book itself. But when the title is interwoven throughout the story, I put on my happy smile.
“The’d never fade, not even in the after light of all of this.�
How nice is that one? The title of this series creates a sentence, sure, but it’s a tad more profound than that; it creates an overarching metaphor that beautifully unwinds throughout the process of In The Afterlight until it’s raw and exposed and it just stirs something in the audience.
Don’t quote me on this (because if we all know something for sure, it’s that my memory is not one to be trusted) but, the writing in In The Afterlight became a tad more lyrical. It also should be common knowledge that I love myself some lyricism. I care not if it’s purple prose. I eat it up because I appreciate a good metaphor. To me, it’s the spice. And I’d rather have a meal equivalent to an explosion of flavours than to have a bland one. Do keep this in mind though. The first two books are written in a manner that was more “to the point�, with a sprinkle of metaphors here and there. This time the metaphors make a comeback but there’re sentences written for the sake of conjuring empathy from the audience, engaging them throughthe repetition and the natural roll of the tongue. That sounds weird, but that’s what lyrical prose does for me. I welcomed this change (while rare), naturally, but for others it may be a surprise.
In the Afterlight is a brilliantly solid conclusion to a Young Adult dystopian series. I stand by what I’ve always said: if you’re sick of the trend, go onto this one and use it to close the chapter on a good note. The Darkest Minds is one of the strongest dystopian series' that I’ve read up to date. The romance (as a requisite of YA) is healthy. The action is constant. The darkness, helplessness, desperation is palpable. It’s painful, poignant, and (thanks to those metaphors and the veer towards lyricism) a tad poetic. ...more
It was pretty good but i won't lie- there was a lot of hype surrounding this and post-completion i must say that i am quite underwhelmed.
It was simplIt was pretty good but i won't lie- there was a lot of hype surrounding this and post-completion i must say that i am quite underwhelmed.
It was simply your typical cinderella novel, with strong (major major emphasis on strong) allusions to sailor moon. Not that i'm complaining- my childhood was sailor moon. I definitely can pin point her inspiration though.
A proper review will come once i tackle the bulk of my crazy exams urgh
Ok so heres the review. It was quite a good establishing point. Oh course i loved the characterisation of Kai. Quite a swoon worthy character.
I still however can't wrap my head around the cyborg thing. Maybe i just can't imagine this half human, half metal being- quite odd. That's just one thing that annoyed me.
The plot twist though i managed to call. In fact, i may even believe that in the final book she will master her skill well enough to conceal her metal "parts".
The plot was interestingly developed- it blended fluidly with the traditional plot line. Overall, it was definitely a solid starting point. ...more
I really wanted this trilogy to be an all five stars series for me- i truly did- and in some ways, i must admThe actual rating for this is 3.5 stars.
I really wanted this trilogy to be an all five stars series for me- i truly did- and in some ways, i must admit it was. The plot was great, fast paced, snappy, but well…here are my two only complaints. (And stick with me, they are the same two consistent complaints i had for the other two books)
TIME LINE Yes time must run linear. Time must stay consistent and unless we have, by the context of this story, developed so sincerely that we can literally make time fly, there must be some explanation for this. We enter Legend with June, who is clearly fifteen years old. Must have this established. In fact, here are a few quotes to back this up.
"Such is the life of a fifteen-year-old senior […]"- June "Of course. You're fifteen."- Metias, to June
At this point in time, Day is too fifteen and the following quotes entail exactly that.
"How old are you?" "Fifteen.""- June, with Day's reply. "[…] fifteen-year-old criminal known as Day […]"
Yes, this is established, in Legend, both protagonist are a youthful fifteen years of age.
Skip forward to Prodigy. This opens quote "Thirty-five days after Metias's death". That is 35 days, roughly, following June and Day's crossing of paths* (THIS IN ITSELF IS INCONSISTENT AND I GO INTO DETAIL FURTHER DOWN ABOUT HOW HE COULDN'T HAVE DIED on November 30th). June remains 15 years of age, on January 4th- that is detailed when they stumble into Vegas and see her MISSING sign. Day then turns 16 years of age on the following day, January the 5th. She remains 15 years of age in her interrogation, on the 8th of January, in which she say's she is "Fifteen years, five months, and twenty-eight days"- all from her July 11th birthday.
Champion, however, is where all the dates go HAYWIRE. LITERALLY. The book begins with Day referring to himself as 17 years of age.
"The Republic's gotta take care of its seventeen-year-old most-[…]"
This is where the alarm bells ring for me. Seventeen years already, how can that be- but wait it gets worse. He then is requested that same night to be at a ball the following night. The ball falls on a date that is described by June to be
"289 Days and 12 Hours since Metias's Death"
It is worked out that Metias must have died between either the 4th or 5th of December. It has to be. This is figured because it took approximately 15/16 days, as assumed by the descriptions of day and night, to locate Day and catch him. Day was caught on December the 21st, wish an exception date set for the 27th, only to be moved to the 26th, with Legend ending on December the 29th. Keeping that all into account, fast forward those 290 days or so from the 4/5th of December, the date of that Ball would fall to the 20th of September the following year. So approximately two days before, around the 18th of September, Day refers to himself as 17 years of age. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. He would only be sixteen years of age and a half, at most. He would only turn 17 come that next January. He also says that the last time that he and June had met was 8 months prior, making the ending of the whole fiasco of Prodigy end around the 15th of January. That is not enough time to skip the year that was their sixteenth birthday. When did he even turn seventeen? June would have only turned 16 years of age as well- i know that throughout the book there are also references to June being 17 years, only i'm too lazy to locate them. The following events span out within 2 months or so, at the most (i'm too lazy to do my calculations by now). Therefore the 10 year epilogue would also have not made a single piece of sense. June would have been barely 16 years, no way would 10 years later make her 27 years old. WHERE IS THAT MISSING YEAR GONE. HOW DID THEY BOOST THEIR AGES UP LIKE THAT.
Who on earth decided that they could all just skip being 16. What happened to the good ol' sweet sixteen? Does the Republic not condone?
URGH THAT DROVE ME INSANE.
Sorry, me pulling that apart actually makes me look insane. Another thing off course was Day's hair. I went into great detail in my last review about Day's hair, and to make it look like i've got a tiny ounce of sanity left, i'm going to leave this alone for now.
*BEEN EDITED YET AGAIN. OMG i can't believe i keep going back to this stupid time and it's inconsistency matter. I SHOULD JUST LET IT GO. The book didn't make sense. Lets leave it at that and be happy.
"Edit 28/05 Sorry guys. The more I think about the inconsistent time issue the more it bothers me-- and this happens every time I scroll past my reviews. I just couldn't understand why I gave it such a high score if this bothered me as much as it did (and trust me, it was a post-week of restless nights)...more
Once again, a solid book. The characters come back, pretty much the same.
It was face paced, consistent with the first. Sometimes a tad too face pacedOnce again, a solid book. The characters come back, pretty much the same.
It was face paced, consistent with the first. Sometimes a tad too face paced, as though the characters never took a break, showered about once and never slept. The days had no beginning and end, the just kept going and going. But i guess that's just a small factor that bugged me.
There however is one thing i must address- Day's hair. Day's hair has left me with a lot of confusion. First things first, i can't seem to grasp what colour his hair is. I'm pretty sure in the first book it was long, black hair, but then it was blond? Snowy? Red streaks? That really confused me. And then i supposed his long hair would be shoulder length to begin with, but when he got his haircut, it only just reached shoulder length. This means his hair must have been crazy long. LIKE CRAZY LONG. Long hair on male characters is a major major pet peeve for me. Then i couldn't help but think, doesn't his long rapunzel-esque hair throw off his supposed perfect agility and balance? Doesn't his glorious locks fall into his eyes? Oh his hair bothered me so much.
But apart from that it was great. The June and Day chemistry was fine, but the ending, oh my goodness, what a classic trope.
I've heard great things about the last one- it's supposed to be quite the tearjerker, so we'll see. ...more
I liked it, honestly did. Did i like enough that it blew my mind away and the characters stopped my heart beating- not particularly.
I've scoured and hI liked it, honestly did. Did i like enough that it blew my mind away and the characters stopped my heart beating- not particularly.
I've scoured and have been reading my fair share of YA Dystopias lately, and this is just one of the many. I however liked the differentiating factors that made up this book. It's not often that the female protagonist is on the richer side of the fence, whilst the male dabbles on the other side. That, i'll be honest, at times can bug me, but this was portrayed fine, and i actually found myself liking it.
I like that June is skilled, calculative and somewhat a moral compass- she knows what she believes in, and isn't clouded by the propaganda. I give props to her character for this. However, be it may a characteristic, at times her POV was a tad impersonal (same goes with Day). I mean this in a way where their minds never linger across stray thoughts, they don't get distracted, its always Family, Family, the Republic, the Plague... and then a bit of their chemistry towards each other. What i like about other books that I've come across is that they emit a sense of realism through their characters- their thoughts are relatable, scattered, distracted as humans are. But it's hard to write in that manner, and perhaps that isn't where this series is headed.
The timeline however jumps a tad quick for my liking. One moment we are at an event, the next we've been whisked away yet again- the romance barely having time to actually develop. It was like a headlong jump in.
The authors writing however was great, the action scenes fluid. Can't wait to pick up the next one. ...more
I need the next book- pronto. That's all there is to it. It ended as a cliffhanger, the arc unfinished and once again i was both satisfied and cheatedI need the next book- pronto. That's all there is to it. It ended as a cliffhanger, the arc unfinished and once again i was both satisfied and cheated.
Action packed. This book was just that, from start to finish. In a single chapter alone, shit was just convulse around her and at times, i'll be honest, i just wanted to bang my head on the wall and scream out "Give the girl a break". However it is a dystopian, and i suppose in that sense more realistic than others. In such desolated situations i suppose life and death are constantly statically rubbing shoulders and this just a more intense version of the YA stuff that in a sense, romanticises the situation. It's weird for me because i spent the night before with Ignite Me which is honestly more romantic-centric as opposed to its dystopian categorisation.
With that being said, i expect an ending to the series that satisfies ALL details brought up and that is NOT open ended. ...more
All that Warner goodness- i could just eat him up. To have his POV was amazing- to have access to the complex workings of his mind is perfect. The bitAll that Warner goodness- i could just eat him up. To have his POV was amazing- to have access to the complex workings of his mind is perfect. The bit with clothes- urgh major swoon ...more
UMM WHAT. I never feel this but that ended- inconprehensible. It was unclosed, unfinished, as though the author purposely left the story half-heartedlUMM WHAT. I never feel this but that ended- inconprehensible. It was unclosed, unfinished, as though the author purposely left the story half-heartedly finished so that some time in the future she may want to come back and pump out another three books. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN. Everything in this was illogical. They bang on so much about how powerful love is, the fear behind, as though love has been elevated into this power beyond earth. YET the protoganist is so damn fickle. She contradicts everything the Invalids are fighting for. Fighting to have strength to love and be free and what ever the hell else. But i didn't see anything radiate about the way she loved. If anything i feel like Juilian was the only one who ever came close to experiencing love.
Where, oh where did the protagonist find it within herself to be so inconsistent with her emotions and her regard for others. One minute she craved Alex, whilst the next she would run to Julian. This isn't even like anything else i've read. This i just can't stand.
I can't even go on.
The writing was beautiful- is that a saving point? I don't know. I don't think anything can save the protagonist. ...more
This got one star above the rest because honestly it was so much better- nothing that would warrant 5 stars though. The character development was muchThis got one star above the rest because honestly it was so much better- nothing that would warrant 5 stars though. The character development was much better- the protagonist became much stronger and wiser as a character. I liked Julian. Normally i he wouldn't be the side of the love triangle that i ship but lets be honest- both boys don't have that sarcastic sass. Haha i don't even know why i look for that in a character. ...more
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