Scan barcode
antimony's review against another edition
4.0
this book was weird. i loved the premise but nano felt kind of bland, plus multiple infodumps. on the other hand i did nearly cry during the second infodump when she explains what happened to dogs, so i guess that makes up for it. billy (the robot dog) was very cute and i feel like he got more dog action than donut (the live puppy), which is kind of disappointing since donut was kind of the catalyst, but still! dogs!!
also, at the beginning when rain gave nano billy [the dog] and nano was like "RAIN. what a DUMB name. UGH her name is SO STUPID." girl you are named NANO. you have no authority on what is a bad name.
also, at the beginning when rain gave nano billy [the dog] and nano was like "RAIN. what a DUMB name. UGH her name is SO STUPID." girl you are named NANO. you have no authority on what is a bad name.
aimswiszreads's review
5.0
This story had me experiencing so many emotions. One minute I was smiling ear to ear and the next I was wide eyed and horrified at the thought of some of the events that took place. I will admit, I also bawled my eyes out. So good!
cosbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked a lot of this book - the premise, while horrifying, is very unique and unnervingly believable. It's a quick read, in a bizarre and interesting setting. I believe Wes Anderson could have made his own little bizarre sci-fi movie based on this rather than that other dog movie he tried.
But the second half of the book starts to fall apart for me. It's rushed and clunky, and unsatisfying. The reader needs more time with the villain of the piece to understand how their motivation becomes warped. It is hard to read about animals being mistreated, so I don't think a lot of people will pick it up for that alone. But if you're interested in a very different dystopia that makes you think about animal rights, you might pick it up. No dogs you get to know in the book actually die, contrary to the title and my description. But it isn't exactly an easy read either.
But the second half of the book starts to fall apart for me. It's rushed and clunky, and unsatisfying. The reader needs more time with the villain of the piece to understand how their motivation becomes warped. It is hard to read about animals being mistreated, so I don't think a lot of people will pick it up for that alone. But if you're interested in a very different dystopia that makes you think about animal rights, you might pick it up. No dogs you get to know in the book actually die, contrary to the title and my description. But it isn't exactly an easy read either.
rainbowreader's review against another edition
the entire time i read this, i felt like i was missing something. even as explanations for dog island and how the rest of the world got into this state eventually materialized....it *still* felt like i was missing stuff.
basically: too much stuff, not enough pages.
basically: too much stuff, not enough pages.
an_sunie's review
3.0
I can honestly say that I found the first half of the book to be a bit dull, the only parts that interested me being the introduction of Billy (the robot dog) and the puppy. This book touched on topics of animal abuse, activism, and rebellion in the presence of cults (or cultish behaviour). Even with those hard hitting topics the novel was still funny and lighthearted at times, not dwelling on one or the other too long (unless you talk about dog puns, that's ruff). If this was expanded and the writing was a bit more developed (I do not remember the word I wanted to use originally), I believe that this plot would have transitioned nicely into an adult book.
Recommending for fans of animal activism, dog puns, and robot dogs.
FINAL THOUGHT: conspiracy
Recommending for fans of animal activism, dog puns, and robot dogs.
FINAL THOUGHT: conspiracy
smartin1991's review against another edition
4.0
this was such a cool quirky novel that I just fell in love with. I found out about it by chance on the hey ya podcast and i am so happy i grabbed it. it was really fast paced. I loved all the characters and really felt like their stories were told enough that you knew why they were acting how they were. such a great fun book.
readingrobin's review
1.0
I wasn't very impressed with this one. The world-building was very confusing, reiterating certain details constantly while also neglecting some other aspects that could have been more touched upon. There are a lot of details that don't really make sense, such as how the aggressive traits in dogs spread to those who weren't genetically modified. I know a disease is cited as a reason, but how did it break out?
The ending was horribly rushed to the point where I couldn't keep up with what was happening. The entire climax takes place over just a couple of pages and how it ends isn't explained with any kind of logical sense.
It kind of feels like the book just went "And That's the End. Bye!"
The ending was horribly rushed to the point where I couldn't keep up with what was happening. The entire climax takes place over just a couple of pages and how it ends isn't explained with any kind of logical sense.
It kind of feels like the book just went "And That's the End. Bye!"
literarymarvel's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a different book from anything I’ve read in the past few years. Kind of reminds me of a Carl Hissan “Hoot” type story but with a futuristic, dystopian feel.
Essentially, in the near future, dogs are nearly extinct after a failed genetic experiment wipes them out. On Dog Island, six sacred “organic”dogs remain secluded. Nano, one of a small population on Dog Island, lives a happy life with her two friends and a new robotic dog every year. But when one of the six dogs has puppies and Nano witnesses domestic attributes not seen in generations of dogs (like tail wagging for humans), she secrets one of the puppies away to save his life.
This leads to many huge revelations for Nano and upsets the quiet life she leads in such a short book. It definitely all happened TOO quickly. The main topics highlighted, animal cruelty, ethics, mortality, are all just glossed over but not delved into as deeply as they could have been.
You rarely see the topic of ethical animal treatment in YA, and I was pleased to see this short novel cover many big philosophical questions teens begin to deal with. But it could have been MORE.
Essentially, in the near future, dogs are nearly extinct after a failed genetic experiment wipes them out. On Dog Island, six sacred “organic”dogs remain secluded. Nano, one of a small population on Dog Island, lives a happy life with her two friends and a new robotic dog every year. But when one of the six dogs has puppies and Nano witnesses domestic attributes not seen in generations of dogs (like tail wagging for humans), she secrets one of the puppies away to save his life.
This leads to many huge revelations for Nano and upsets the quiet life she leads in such a short book. It definitely all happened TOO quickly. The main topics highlighted, animal cruelty, ethics, mortality, are all just glossed over but not delved into as deeply as they could have been.
You rarely see the topic of ethical animal treatment in YA, and I was pleased to see this short novel cover many big philosophical questions teens begin to deal with. But it could have been MORE.
charliebookfanatic's review
3.0
The book is somewhat futuristic. It plays out in the middle of the 21st century where organic dogs are mostly extinct. People make use of robot dogs for companionship now. An experiment caused dogs to become hyperintelligent and aggressive so people couldn't keep them anymore. The last existing dogs are being kept on a separate island called Dog Island. They're being protected there and they're stuck in a huge cage. The robot dogs are also being testing among the inhabitants of Dog Island before they're being sold to the masses. The main character, Nano, gets a new robot dog every year and this year is no different. She gets the newest model and calls him Billy after her brother. Brother Billy recently disappeared from the island and Nano has no idea what happened to him. One of Nano's friends, Wolf, is her biggest comfort and their friendship grows into something more to Jack's regret who is the other best friend in this triangle. It wouldn't be an actual story if there weren't any issues. Nano finds out about a nest of living puppies where one puppy wags its tail. At that moment, she knows that she has to protect this one.
This is maybe one of the weirdest books I've ever read. The concept is completely unique. The synopsis is precisely why I wanted to read it since I don't add that many books to my TBR anymore. After reading the summary again, I think there are a couple of plotholes that I hadn't noticed before. This is almost par for the course with such a small book of only 200 pages. I think this is way too short for a well-developed story and that is the case with this one as well. Not a whole lot happened. The first half of the story is a description of Nano's life on the island and how it all flows. The second half is what drove the plot. I don't know what to think of this book. I didn't think it was great, but it's also not like I didn't have while reading it. I thought the ending of the book was bizarrely violent and the dark turn it took shocked me. I didn't see any of that coming when I started reading, but the book has some cult happenings going on (if that gives you an indication of how dark this book is). It felt very sudden for me and the 'villain' wasn't very well-developed. She could have gotten more motivation and intention behind her actions. No one is fully good or bad and I think I would have liked to see a little more good so I could better understand why people would want to follow her.
This is maybe one of the weirdest books I've ever read. The concept is completely unique. The synopsis is precisely why I wanted to read it since I don't add that many books to my TBR anymore. After reading the summary again, I think there are a couple of plotholes that I hadn't noticed before. This is almost par for the course with such a small book of only 200 pages. I think this is way too short for a well-developed story and that is the case with this one as well. Not a whole lot happened. The first half of the story is a description of Nano's life on the island and how it all flows. The second half is what drove the plot. I don't know what to think of this book. I didn't think it was great, but it's also not like I didn't have while reading it. I thought the ending of the book was bizarrely violent and the dark turn it took shocked me. I didn't see any of that coming when I started reading, but the book has some cult happenings going on (if that gives you an indication of how dark this book is). It felt very sudden for me and the 'villain' wasn't very well-developed. She could have gotten more motivation and intention behind her actions. No one is fully good or bad and I think I would have liked to see a little more good so I could better understand why people would want to follow her.