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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
As far as the concept of "aliens creating human zoos" goes, I've already determined no one will top Alan Dean Foster's Lost and Found trilogy. (And not simply because of the injection of humor and pure nonsense) It isn't a new idea - by any stretch - and I wasn't expecting THAT aspect to wow me from Ms. Shepherd. The notion of "saving the human species from itself" wasn't groundbreaking, either. (Of course, I should probably take into consideration this book was published in 2015, and I might have held a different perspective on our species eight years ago)
However, the introduction of wear and tear on the mind and body due to forced perspective was interesting. People tend to take for granted the limits of the human mind, and the constant headaches experienced by the characters - to say nothing of the unraveling of their sanity - added an injection of reality too many authors overlook. We're capable of detecting the difference between "right" and "not quite right," and Ms. Shepherd played with that boundary nicely. I'm not entirely convinced with the Kindred's motivations for doing so (it exceeds my tolerance for plausibility), but the kernel of acceptance is there.
And while the characters are, delightedly, NOT the usual collection of teenagers one tends to find in these group dynamics, they also lack the growth curve to account for their movements. Cora, in particular, shifts from uncertain and weak to defiant in the blink of an eye. Her motivation is weak, at best, leaving her difficult to empathize with from the beginning. Mali ends up the most fully developed of the group, and she's relegated to a secondary role.
It isn't the strongest beginning to a trilogy, to say the least. However, I picked up all three books, so I feel obligated to at least venture one further in the hopes things improve.
However, the introduction of wear and tear on the mind and body due to forced perspective was interesting. People tend to take for granted the limits of the human mind, and the constant headaches experienced by the characters - to say nothing of the unraveling of their sanity - added an injection of reality too many authors overlook. We're capable of detecting the difference between "right" and "not quite right," and Ms. Shepherd played with that boundary nicely. I'm not entirely convinced with the Kindred's motivations for doing so (it exceeds my tolerance for plausibility), but the kernel of acceptance is there.
And while the characters are, delightedly, NOT the usual collection of teenagers one tends to find in these group dynamics, they also lack the growth curve to account for their movements. Cora, in particular, shifts from uncertain and weak to defiant in the blink of an eye. Her motivation is weak, at best, leaving her difficult to empathize with from the beginning. Mali ends up the most fully developed of the group, and she's relegated to a secondary role.
It isn't the strongest beginning to a trilogy, to say the least. However, I picked up all three books, so I feel obligated to at least venture one further in the hopes things improve.
Official Rating: 2.5
Thoughts:
I'm giving this a 3-star rating only because there were some really nice passages on human nature, and overall the story grew on me towards the end.
Update - you know what? Actually, no. 2-stars, based solely on how damn long it took me to finish this book.
Other than that? The book was downright painful.
I feel like it was trying so hard to be mysterious that I was unable to really figure anything out - who to trust, what was going on, where they were. Now, I understand that sometimes that's the point - put a whole bunch of unreliable characters into an unreliable situation with an unreliable time-limit, and leave the audience on the edge of their seats until the last moment. And heck, for some stories, that works.
This one, however? I spent so long at the beginning trying to wrap my head around what was going on that all the sections devoted to explaining the childish games and puzzles that the group was trying to solve felt like I was reading an entirely different novel.
Overall, it seemed like the story was trying its absolute hardest to balance the dystopian elements with the comical and 'look-at-these-teenagers-who-are-totally-teenagers-did-you-know-that-they're-teenagers?'-ness that in the end, the story just became a bit of a jumble. And by the end of the story, there was so much going on, and so many plot twists, that I legitimately got a headache trying to keep up with it all.
In the end, there were some sections of the book that I had to skim and/or read 3-pages at a time to get through, and there were others in which so much was happening that I found myself unable to look away.
And yes, there were some sections that I really, honestly enjoyed reading. I thought the progressing story of Cora's relationship with her father and the entire car-crash backstory were paced very well. Also, I quite liked her relationship with Cassian.
Finally, I wanted to comment on the Kindred. I did like the ambiguity of them - as a reader you wanted to hate them, but I liked that inkling of doubt that we were given by the implication that maybe, perhaps, they saved the group's lives. I also really liked the implication of 'uncloaking' - especially Cassian uncloaked. Wooh.
And, as small as it may seem, I did really appreciate the simplicity of the ranking system, wherein a person's status is denoted by the number of knots in their uniform. It was certainly nice and easy to keep up with, and quite refreshing from the overly-complicated system that tends to grace many dyspotian and sci-fi novels.
All in all, despite how painful I found the majority of the book to be (no pun intended), the ending was intriguing enough that I may yet end up reading the next book.
So long as there's absolutely no mention of Nok.
Thoughts:
I'm giving this a 3-star rating only because there were some really nice passages on human nature, and overall the story grew on me towards the end.
Update - you know what? Actually, no. 2-stars, based solely on how damn long it took me to finish this book.
Other than that? The book was downright painful.
I feel like it was trying so hard to be mysterious that I was unable to really figure anything out - who to trust, what was going on, where they were. Now, I understand that sometimes that's the point - put a whole bunch of unreliable characters into an unreliable situation with an unreliable time-limit, and leave the audience on the edge of their seats until the last moment. And heck, for some stories, that works.
This one, however? I spent so long at the beginning trying to wrap my head around what was going on that all the sections devoted to explaining the childish games and puzzles that the group was trying to solve felt like I was reading an entirely different novel.
Overall, it seemed like the story was trying its absolute hardest to balance the dystopian
Spoiler
/post-apocalyptic?Spoiler
(not unlike those which the characters got about FOUR TIMES A GOD DAMN PAGE)In the end, there were some sections of the book that I had to skim and/or read 3-pages at a time to get through, and there were others in which so much was happening that I found myself unable to look away.
And yes, there were some sections that I really, honestly enjoyed reading. I thought the progressing story of Cora's relationship with her father and the entire car-crash backstory were paced very well. Also, I quite liked her relationship with Cassian
Spoiler
, and to be honest I didn't see the twist of him being the Warden coming. Though to be fair, that might have had more to do with how staggered my reading of the book was, and how disinterested in it I was towards the beginningFinally, I wanted to comment on the Kindred. I did like the ambiguity of them - as a reader you wanted to hate them, but I liked that inkling of doubt that we were given by the implication that maybe, perhaps, they saved the group's lives. I also really liked the implication of 'uncloaking' - especially Cassian uncloaked. Wooh.
And, as small as it may seem, I did really appreciate the simplicity of the ranking system, wherein a person's status is denoted by the number of knots in their uniform. It was certainly nice and easy to keep up with, and quite refreshing from the overly-complicated system that tends to grace many dyspotian and sci-fi novels.
All in all, despite how painful I found the majority of the book to be (no pun intended), the ending was intriguing enough that I may yet end up reading the next book.
So long as there's absolutely no mention of Nok
Spoiler
or her goddamn baby
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I did not enjoy.
This was very predictable and Cora kept getting on my nerves. Also, the romance, not for me and I can't say anything about it without spoilers. I really don't care enough even to go on with the review.
** Not good, but gave 2 stars because I finished the book **
This was very predictable and Cora kept getting on my nerves. Also, the romance, not for me and I can't say anything about it without spoilers. I really don't care enough even to go on with the review.
** Not good, but gave 2 stars because I finished the book **
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
I just didn't care that much. The premise is interesting, but most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional and it's just not executed that well. And I couldn't care less about the potential romances.
I just didn't care that much. The premise is interesting, but most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional and it's just not executed that well. And I couldn't care less about the potential romances.
I don't like these types of mysteries. But it was enough for me to pick up the second book
So honestly I expected this book to be not that good at all. But when I started reading, I just couldn't stop.
The concept of a zoo with just people in it, was very interesting. I loved the way the characters coped with the situations. I will definitly read the next book when it comes out in Dutch.
The concept of a zoo with just people in it, was very interesting. I loved the way the characters coped with the situations. I will definitly read the next book when it comes out in Dutch.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Cora and 4 other teens from various places around the Earth (who all happen to speak English) find themselves trapped inside a bizarre multiple-biome-having area that is rather quickly revealed to be basically a zoo into which they've been put "for their own good and the good of humanity" by some "superior intelligence" aliens. As long as they obey 3 simple rules; they have the "opportunity" to flourish in a fake world filled with puzzles, cheap prizes, and comforts to be enjoyed while constantly being watched through black screens set EVERYWHERE. Rule one: solve the puzzles. Rule two: maintain your health. Rule three: procreate. There is a "generous" 21 day grace period for the teens to comply with rule 3. Despite the seemingly highly sexual possibility laid out from the start; this book is much more about the tension of finding out what's REALLY going on here, as well as the budding romantic tension between Cora and one of the aliens.
Anything you didn’t like about it? Once I thought about how the Super Intelligent Being falling for a human would be akin to Jane Goodall falling in love with an ape the story became rather strange. As long as you can suspend disbelief on that front and deal with a few odd pacing issues this will be an enjoyable read.
To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) Fans of The Fifth Wave will enjoy the similar tension of the unknown aliens and a romance sparking between humans an aliens all while trying to solve the greater mystery of what's going on with Earth.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Anything you didn’t like about it? Once I thought about how the Super Intelligent Being falling for a human would be akin to Jane Goodall falling in love with an ape the story became rather strange. As long as you can suspend disbelief on that front and deal with a few odd pacing issues this will be an enjoyable read.
To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) Fans of The Fifth Wave will enjoy the similar tension of the unknown aliens and a romance sparking between humans an aliens all while trying to solve the greater mystery of what's going on with Earth.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.