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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
I remember having a good enough time in this collection, but a few months later and none of it has stuck with me (by contrast to the Roth story in the Forward collection). Even reading more detailed reviews hasn't brought back quite enough of it, though I did just learn that the last two stories were part of a more extended universe and I felt they held up even without that context.
Actual ratings
Inertia, 5 stars
The Spinners, 5 stars
Hearken, 5 stars
Vim & Vigor, 4 stars
Armored Ones, 2 stars
The Transformationist, 2.5 stars
I really enjoyed most of these short stories. The characters are incredibly vivid and memorable and, despite being short, the stories pack a real emotional punch.
Ironically, the weakest stories were the ones set in the Carve The Mark world. Having not read the Carve The Mark duology, I didn't understand the world setting for these stories at all. I found the Armored Ones to be kinda pointless - it doesn't seem to have a plot or purpose. I've since found out that it offers a backstory to the main characters in the Carve The Mark duology, but the stories and characters don't really make sense on their own.
However, the first four stories in this anthology are really something special - it is worth picking up this book for them, and I would just skip the last two if you haven't read Carve The Mark.
Inertia, 5 stars
The Spinners, 5 stars
Hearken, 5 stars
Vim & Vigor, 4 stars
Armored Ones, 2 stars
The Transformationist, 2.5 stars
I really enjoyed most of these short stories. The characters are incredibly vivid and memorable and, despite being short, the stories pack a real emotional punch.
Ironically, the weakest stories were the ones set in the Carve The Mark world. Having not read the Carve The Mark duology, I didn't understand the world setting for these stories at all. I found the Armored Ones to be kinda pointless - it doesn't seem to have a plot or purpose. I've since found out that it offers a backstory to the main characters in the Carve The Mark duology, but the stories and characters don't really make sense on their own.
However, the first four stories in this anthology are really something special - it is worth picking up this book for them, and I would just skip the last two if you haven't read Carve The Mark.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
it's a bit hard to give this book an overall rating because it's 6 short stories and I felt very different about each story.
warning: very light spoilers, I include brief summaries of what the stories entail
Inertia: 4 of 5 stars
- I liked the characters and concept. the characters are given a method to gain closure and deepen their relationship with other people
- very emotional but also cozy
The Spinners: 3 of 5 stars
-love the story and concept with aliens living on Earth. I'm also a huge sucker for non-humans being enamored by human life
- my gripe with this story (and others in this book) is that it feels like it's the start of a much longer story. like the ending isn't satisfying and I wanted the world to be more flushed out before it ended
Hearken: 1.5 of 5 stars
- I didn't like how much exposition there was to this story yet not enough?
- what is the purpose of a hearkener. I still don't know.
- dog I think I just didn't "get" this story at all. like I felt a little slow trying to wrap my head around the purpose of this story
Vim and Vigor: 2.5 of 5 stars
- this one grew on me at the end
- I initially didn't care for the premise, but I love love the characters and their growth
Armored Ones: 2.5 of 5 stars
- very similar to The Spinners in that I felt like there was supposed to be more to this story
- I did get the vibe that it's related to Carve the Mark (which I read but forgot everything about because my brain hates me) but dude. I did not care about the characters and again, it felt like there's supposed to be more and it doesn't work as a short story
- zero closure on both characters that are featured
The Transformationist: 4 of 5 stars
- really happy this was the last short story because I was starting to feel cynical/over it with the past few stories!
- the characters' struggles are meaningful and there's just enough background content without spoiling the end
- again, related to Carve the Mark but I didn't feel like you need to know much about that series in order to get this story
overall my rating is 3.5 of 5 stars:
- glad to see that both the first and last short story in this collection were my favorites!! started and ended on a high note
warning: very light spoilers, I include brief summaries of what the stories entail
Inertia: 4 of 5 stars
- I liked the characters and concept.
- very emotional but also cozy
The Spinners: 3 of 5 stars
-
- my gripe with this story (and others in this book) is that it feels like it's the start of a much longer story. like the ending isn't satisfying and I wanted the world to be more flushed out before it ended
Hearken: 1.5 of 5 stars
- I didn't like how much exposition there was to this story yet not enough?
- what is the purpose of a hearkener. I still don't know.
- dog I think I just didn't "get" this story at all. like I felt a little slow trying to wrap my head around the purpose of this story
Vim and Vigor: 2.5 of 5 stars
- this one grew on me at the end
- I initially didn't care for the premise, but I love love the characters and their growth
Armored Ones: 2.5 of 5 stars
- very similar to The Spinners in that I felt like there was supposed to be more to this story
- I did get the vibe that it's related to Carve the Mark (which I read but forgot everything about because my brain hates me) but dude. I did not care about the characters and again, it felt like there's supposed to be more and it doesn't work as a short story
- zero closure on both characters that are featured
The Transformationist: 4 of 5 stars
- really happy this was the last short story because I was starting to feel cynical/over it with the past few stories!
- the characters' struggles are meaningful and there's just enough background content without spoiling the end
- again, related to Carve the Mark but I didn't feel like you need to know much about that series in order to get this story
overall my rating is 3.5 of 5 stars:
- glad to see that both the first and last short story in this collection were my favorites!! started and ended on a high note
- the art is immersive and adds to the quality of the stories, making it easier to delve into each story as short as they are
- the stories do rely a lot on exposition, some of them more than others due to the nature of the complex world they take place in
- this is me thing, not a book thing, but I didn't enjoy reading 6 short stories in a row. it felt too much of a stop-and-go situation. again, not a flaw in the book or stories itself. if I read any books of short stories in the future, I would spread out
- the stories do rely a lot on exposition, some of them more than others due to the nature of the complex world they take place in
- this is me thing, not a book thing, but I didn't enjoy reading 6 short stories in a row. it felt too much of a stop-and-go situation. again, not a flaw in the book or stories itself. if I read any books of short stories in the future, I would spread out
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm
I did a dumb and clicked "I finished this book" instead of updating my reading progress so bear with me while I add my ratings for each story as I go.
Inertia 3.5⭐️ - a bold choice for the first story in a collection. A story about death, grief, depression, broken friendships. But also a story about hope, love, and second chances. I will say that it felt a little incongruous how much of Matt's Last Visitation ended up being about Claire rather than Matt, but that's just the kind of story Roth was trying to tell.
The Spinners 4⭐️ - this is my favorite kind of scifi story: we have two sisters with a very human problem and connection dealing with the aftermath and a life that is very scifi (ie the older sister is an alien slayer and the younger sister is a space-military cadet). I would 100% read a book with these characters. Mostly because I'm insanely curious about 1) where they go from here, 2) how they got here, and 3) where Eon fits in.
Hearken 3⭐️ - In which a time jump is, as always, my nemesis. I was really intrigued by this, by a world where people's lives (and deaths) are measured in music. Though I guess I was a little lost at why the two songs should be different. Or how such a thing was discovered. Or why it would be important to know one thing or the other. Like... does knowing your life song give you something or mean anything beyond the sentimental? The story felt very surface level without those answers.
Vim and Vigor 3⭐️ - Okay, so I love that this centers female friendship, that we get to see a girl who's defining her whole life around prom (because, let's be real, that's a totally valid state for some high school girls). I will say the different pieces of the story felt a little scattered, like we should have spent a bit more time settling into the before-and-after roles of all the characters involved. Some of the information about the accident came on very suddenly and felt like it wasn't balanced. BUT - love the fanfiction references and the way their friendship centered around a fandom; that was fun and totally believable.
Armored Ones 3⭐️ - I totally missed the ending of this one because it didn't seem conclusive/connected to where we started. This just in, this story relates to Carve the Mark, which I haven't read, so no wonder I felt confused. The story doesn't quite stand on its own without that background knowledge - and breaking it into two halves made no sense to me.
The Transformationist 4⭐️ - This is another one that is supposedly related to Carve the Mark, but this one made a lot more sense. It was a lot more emotional and grounded and gave a real sense for the characters' journey and feelings. It really makes me want to read Carve the Mark
Inertia 3.5⭐️ - a bold choice for the first story in a collection. A story about death, grief, depression, broken friendships. But also a story about hope, love, and second chances. I will say that it felt a little incongruous how much of Matt's Last Visitation ended up being about Claire rather than Matt, but that's just the kind of story Roth was trying to tell.
The Spinners 4⭐️ - this is my favorite kind of scifi story: we have two sisters with a very human problem and connection dealing with the aftermath and a life that is very scifi (ie the older sister is an alien slayer and the younger sister is a space-military cadet). I would 100% read a book with these characters. Mostly because I'm insanely curious about 1) where they go from here, 2) how they got here, and 3) where Eon fits in.
Hearken 3⭐️ - In which a time jump is, as always, my nemesis. I was really intrigued by this, by a world where people's lives (and deaths) are measured in music. Though I guess I was a little lost at why the two songs should be different. Or how such a thing was discovered. Or why it would be important to know one thing or the other. Like... does knowing your life song give you something or mean anything beyond the sentimental? The story felt very surface level without those answers.
Vim and Vigor 3⭐️ - Okay, so I love that this centers female friendship, that we get to see a girl who's defining her whole life around prom (because, let's be real, that's a totally valid state for some high school girls). I will say the different pieces of the story felt a little scattered, like we should have spent a bit more time settling into the before-and-after roles of all the characters involved. Some of the information about the accident came on very suddenly and felt like it wasn't balanced. BUT - love the fanfiction references and the way their friendship centered around a fandom; that was fun and totally believable.
Armored Ones 3⭐️ - I totally missed the ending of this one because it didn't seem conclusive/connected to where we started. This just in, this story relates to Carve the Mark, which I haven't read, so no wonder I felt confused. The story doesn't quite stand on its own without that background knowledge - and breaking it into two halves made no sense to me.
The Transformationist 4⭐️ - This is another one that is supposedly related to Carve the Mark, but this one made a lot more sense. It was a lot more emotional and grounded and gave a real sense for the characters' journey and feelings. It really makes me want to read Carve the Mark
I loved the first three storylines, the worlds she created were so complex and amazing! Inertia and Hearken were my favourites, and the world's were so huge I don't understand why she didn't write a full book of these individually because I definitely would have loved them. The Spinners storyline was a bit too close to The Host for my liking.
Didn't really see the point in more Carve The Mark because I loved the two books as is.
Didn't really see the point in more Carve The Mark because I loved the two books as is.
The first three stories are great! The last three miss the mark for me:/
medium-paced
I love short story collections.
Just wanted to get that off my chest so that it would be clear that any potential low rating is not due to me being a short story hater.
Veronica Roth takes us into the future in this collection.
Just kidding.
While there isn't mention of chrome (that I recall), the future does have improved (?) technology, aliens, class separation (can't quite solve the ol' rich get richer and poor get poorer, huh?), people with powers, and creatures with too many eyes. The future doesn't always look the same, so there was some diversity in the collection with the future being imagined in different ways.
Inertia - 3 Stars
I don't know if it's because I was laying by the pool when I read this but this was a good poolside story. Simple and sweet. There is a last visitation program for folks who are dying where they can connect (through the mind) with a couple folks of their choice. In this story, the boy in the accident and one of his "chosen" were former friends. We don't know what made them drift apart, but we're going to find out when they meet up in their minds. While this is cute, it also touches on mental health, which was a bonus. Wait. Did I just call a story about mental health a poolside read? Is there something wrong with me? (Probably.)
The Spinners - 2.5
Leeches were a different story. They were a predatory race. They attached their silvery, centipede-like bodies to a person's spinal cord and took control of their body and brain.
NOPE. GROSS.
This story was probably the most alien involved with various alien races that humans were now living amongst. The other side of it was a family story, a story about sisters. It was ok but didn't work the best for me as a short story and had a tied up with a bow ending that wasn't necessary.
Hearken - 2 Stars
A Hearkener can play death songs or life songs. They listen to people and get a song for their life or their death and then play it on instruments that they learned while in Hearkener school.
So yeah. I think this was supposed to touch my soul, but I'm apparently callous and just didn't...care.
Vim and Vigor - 2.5 Stars
Cute story about friendship. The futuristic aspect is here is an invention that "aided in the clarity of thought and decision-making for people in high-stress fields." So naturally Edie decides she needs to use the prototype to decide who she should go to prom with because PROM IS A BIG LIFE DECISION THAT COULD ALTER THE COURSE OF...EVERYTHING!
Armored Ones - 5 Stars
I've never read the book(s) that these characters are from, but I really loved this one. Teka and Amos were solid characters and the story was detailed enough that I didn't feel like I had missed everything by having not read the book(s) (yet?).
Teka's mom is in hiding and her brother was killed. As if that isn't bad enough, Teka's right eye was cut out (and is now "bobbing in a jar"). She is on a revenge mission.
Akos is a prisoner who won't escape without getting his brother out as well. He also has a currentgift (you'll pick up what these are pretty easily although I'd love to know the backstory on them and who has them) that serves him well...but you won't get a spoiler from me.
Definitely enough here to peak my interest in reading the series.
The Transformationist - 5 Stars
This broke my heart a bit.
A boy is (wrongly?) imprisoned for...? Can't tell you that. Let me try again.
A boy has a mother who...? Nope, can't tell you that either.
A boy has another boy who is nice to him and the first boy and the second boy and the second boy's family warmed my heart. There. I think I can say that without spoiling too much.
My math (and by my math I mean the calculator) comes out to 3.3333333333repeating.
3 Stars
Just wanted to get that off my chest so that it would be clear that any potential low rating is not due to me being a short story hater.
Veronica Roth takes us into the future in this collection.
Just kidding.
While there isn't mention of chrome (that I recall), the future does have improved (?) technology, aliens, class separation (can't quite solve the ol' rich get richer and poor get poorer, huh?), people with powers, and creatures with too many eyes. The future doesn't always look the same, so there was some diversity in the collection with the future being imagined in different ways.
Inertia - 3 Stars
I don't know if it's because I was laying by the pool when I read this but this was a good poolside story. Simple and sweet. There is a last visitation program for folks who are dying where they can connect (through the mind) with a couple folks of their choice. In this story, the boy in the accident and one of his "chosen" were former friends. We don't know what made them drift apart, but we're going to find out when they meet up in their minds. While this is cute, it also touches on mental health, which was a bonus. Wait. Did I just call a story about mental health a poolside read? Is there something wrong with me? (Probably.)
The Spinners - 2.5
Leeches were a different story. They were a predatory race. They attached their silvery, centipede-like bodies to a person's spinal cord and took control of their body and brain.
NOPE. GROSS.
This story was probably the most alien involved with various alien races that humans were now living amongst. The other side of it was a family story, a story about sisters. It was ok but didn't work the best for me as a short story and had a tied up with a bow ending that wasn't necessary.
Hearken - 2 Stars
A Hearkener can play death songs or life songs. They listen to people and get a song for their life or their death and then play it on instruments that they learned while in Hearkener school.
So yeah. I think this was supposed to touch my soul, but I'm apparently callous and just didn't...care.
Vim and Vigor - 2.5 Stars
Cute story about friendship. The futuristic aspect is here is an invention that "aided in the clarity of thought and decision-making for people in high-stress fields." So naturally Edie decides she needs to use the prototype to decide who she should go to prom with because PROM IS A BIG LIFE DECISION THAT COULD ALTER THE COURSE OF...EVERYTHING!
Armored Ones - 5 Stars
I've never read the book(s) that these characters are from, but I really loved this one. Teka and Amos were solid characters and the story was detailed enough that I didn't feel like I had missed everything by having not read the book(s) (yet?).
Teka's mom is in hiding and her brother was killed. As if that isn't bad enough, Teka's right eye was cut out (and is now "bobbing in a jar"). She is on a revenge mission.
Akos is a prisoner who won't escape without getting his brother out as well. He also has a currentgift (you'll pick up what these are pretty easily although I'd love to know the backstory on them and who has them) that serves him well...but you won't get a spoiler from me.
Definitely enough here to peak my interest in reading the series.
The Transformationist - 5 Stars
This broke my heart a bit.
A boy is (wrongly?) imprisoned for...? Can't tell you that. Let me try again.
A boy has a mother who...? Nope, can't tell you that either.
A boy has another boy who is nice to him and the first boy and the second boy and the second boy's family warmed my heart. There. I think I can say that without spoiling too much.
My math (and by my math I mean the calculator) comes out to 3.3333333333repeating.
3 Stars