Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
medium-paced
This was a slow start for me. Over all if fulfilled my desire to read space book but the the characters weren't that fleshy in my opinion. Still enjoyed this book and i have to wait until the next paycheck to read book two.
This book had such a great start and I had such high expectations as Illuminae files are one of my most favorite series. But sadly the book didn't deliver at all. The ending left me so frustrated thinking like what the hell did I just read? The usual sarcastic tone which the authors are known for just didn't work quite well for this one. There were 6 POVs, but the their tones/personality is so similar that I had to go back to check whose POV I am reading. The biggest drawback I felt was that everything seemed to get solved so conveniently with Auri's mysterious power that the stakes as much as the book insisted to be high, didn't feel convincing at all. The book majorly uses the principle of telling rather than showing. I would have rather been shown traits of characters than being told multiple times as to how great everyone is. Didn't feel like I was reading from the same authors who wrote the illuminae files. Such a let down. The only saving grace this book has was probably poor Finn shouldering the whole weight of the book.
The tropes, the predictable plot, the characters who are so similar you can't figure out who's narrating the chapter without going back to check... Ugh. These are things I can ignore in an audiobook, which often results in a more lenient rating, but when I have an honest book in front of me, I'd rather not roll my eyes quite so often.
The only character who had a particularly distinct narrative voice was Kal (and he had the barest hint of characterization coming, I'm sure). Finian was the only character with any modicum of actual depth, progression, or unique backstory. Scarlett and Cat were essentially interchangeable (except Cat had stereotypical baggage which, theoretically, sets her apart). Aurora was the Chosen One who doesn't want/understand her power (so that explains her entire character). Tyler was the charismatic perfect leader who has to make Questionable Decisions in order to make sure everyone gets out alive (again, no depth there). And poor Zila was the Austistic-coded character who essentially didn't exist except to very rarely (like twice in this whole book) do something shocking or smart. In short: the cast is too big and there wasn't enough attention given to the characters to carry the weight of listing all their names on the roster.
The plot was predictable and unremarkable. The only part of the story I found remotely interesting (since we never get to explore any exciting space culture in any depth except the briefest interactions with alien races just so our characters can feel sufficiently othered) was in the last 100 pages where we finally end up for the inevitable final confrontation. Interesting concept, and there were some great descriptive elements, but the part stood out so starkly against the rest of the book which had little to no description at all. It also triggers Aurora's Chosen One Activation which comes out of nowhere, is badly explained, and doesn't accomplish anything beyond its discovery.
Maybe over the course of several books we'll get some depth to our characters/cultures/governments but probably not.
I'm tired of tropey YA adventure squads, guys. So tired.
The only character who had a particularly distinct narrative voice was Kal (and he had the barest hint of characterization coming, I'm sure). Finian was the only character with any modicum of actual depth, progression, or unique backstory. Scarlett and Cat were essentially interchangeable (except Cat had stereotypical baggage which, theoretically, sets her apart). Aurora was the Chosen One who doesn't want/understand her power (so that explains her entire character). Tyler was the charismatic perfect leader who has to make Questionable Decisions in order to make sure everyone gets out alive (again, no depth there). And poor Zila was the Austistic-coded character who essentially didn't exist except to very rarely (like twice in this whole book) do something shocking or smart. In short: the cast is too big and there wasn't enough attention given to the characters to carry the weight of listing all their names on the roster.
The plot was predictable and unremarkable. The only part of the story I found remotely interesting (since we never get to explore any exciting space culture in any depth except the briefest interactions with alien races just so our characters can feel sufficiently othered) was in the last 100 pages where we finally end up for the inevitable final confrontation. Interesting concept, and there were some great descriptive elements, but the part stood out so starkly against the rest of the book which had little to no description at all. It also triggers Aurora's Chosen One Activation which comes out of nowhere, is badly explained, and doesn't accomplish anything beyond its discovery.
Maybe over the course of several books we'll get some depth to our characters/cultures/governments but probably not.
I'm tired of tropey YA adventure squads, guys. So tired.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm honestly unsure on how to rate this one... It started off kind of meh to me. I've never been a big sci-fi guy, so I attributed not getting sucked into it to that. Who knows if that's what the reason was, but that's what I'm going with.
I've loved everything I've ever read but Jay Kristoff, so I thought this would be just as quick of an "I love it" as everything else. It just wasn't. In the beginning, I feel like I could really tell who wrote which part, as it's a co-authored book. And even by the end, I still feel that way.
However, even after all that. I still found a way to love it in its own way. Halfway through, the way the characters are written, made me love them. Each one has such a unique personality. And I love a good "found family" trope. And the story really starts to kick off at that halfway point.
This is not some huge fantasy epic. Honestly, as I've seen others compare it, it's written more like one of the better shows on the CW. Which isn't an insult. It's just not what I was expecting from Jay Kristoff. That being said, he still found a way to be him, and completely break my heart at the end of the book... Thanks for that.
So, long story short, it's a good book. Is it the best thing I've read? No. Top 10? Still no. But if you go in not expecting it to be a huge epic story, it fits that.
After countless, huge, 800+ page fantasy epics this past year... It was a nice change of pace. And honestly, pretty refreshing.
Now onto the second one!
I've loved everything I've ever read but Jay Kristoff, so I thought this would be just as quick of an "I love it" as everything else. It just wasn't. In the beginning, I feel like I could really tell who wrote which part, as it's a co-authored book. And even by the end, I still feel that way.
However, even after all that. I still found a way to love it in its own way. Halfway through, the way the characters are written, made me love them. Each one has such a unique personality. And I love a good "found family" trope. And the story really starts to kick off at that halfway point.
This is not some huge fantasy epic. Honestly, as I've seen others compare it, it's written more like one of the better shows on the CW. Which isn't an insult. It's just not what I was expecting from Jay Kristoff. That being said, he still found a way to be him, and completely break my heart at the end of the book... Thanks for that.
So, long story short, it's a good book. Is it the best thing I've read? No. Top 10? Still no. But if you go in not expecting it to be a huge epic story, it fits that.
After countless, huge, 800+ page fantasy epics this past year... It was a nice change of pace. And honestly, pretty refreshing.
Now onto the second one!