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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
I have a thing for awesome B movies. Sure, the graphics aren't the best. The acting may be a little weak at points. The budget doesn't allow for all the blockbuster grandness that you see in Hollywood A-list movie. But what the B movie lacks in grandness, it makes up for with a killer plot and coolness.
I feel the same with some independent or small time published books. Sure, they lack the razzle dazzle of big budget books. They don't have the greatest editing or descriptions. But I love them anyway. That's how I feel with this book. It isn't perfect, not even close, but boy did I enjoy the ride. I liked the two POV characters, even when their internal monologue was pretty flat. I was able to overlook my confusion at how the book didn't explain Josie not being able to recreate the serum because it was a living virus, but then had no trouble recreating living trees. I looked past the things that felt weak because I fell in love with the B movie feel.
I recently had a few bad experiences with books that were hyped and "big budget", and Anomaly was the breath of fresh air I needed. It flew under the radar and didn't have the hype and anticipation of other books I've read so far this year. It was exactly what I needed.
I feel the same with some independent or small time published books. Sure, they lack the razzle dazzle of big budget books. They don't have the greatest editing or descriptions. But I love them anyway. That's how I feel with this book. It isn't perfect, not even close, but boy did I enjoy the ride. I liked the two POV characters, even when their internal monologue was pretty flat. I was able to overlook my confusion at how the book didn't explain Josie not being able to recreate the serum because it was a living virus, but then had no trouble recreating living trees. I looked past the things that felt weak because I fell in love with the B movie feel.
I recently had a few bad experiences with books that were hyped and "big budget", and Anomaly was the breath of fresh air I needed. It flew under the radar and didn't have the hype and anticipation of other books I've read so far this year. It was exactly what I needed.
There are people in this world who can think things into existence, and others who can make this disappear and reappear from thin air. Josie, is a powerful anomaly who can think things into being and make them disappear. Like all other superpowers, there are villains and people who use their powers for evil. These people are tracking Josie down. However, Reid and a few other friends and family will stop at nothing to keep her safe.
Yea, this book was ehn. The story wasn't very compelling. I will not be reading the rest.
Yea, this book was ehn. The story wasn't very compelling. I will not be reading the rest.
ANOMALY was a neat story. It starts off with a nice pace and keeps up the momentum until the end with action, a bit of romance, family dysfunction and a bit of deception to round it all out.
Josie is a bit on the geeky side, but she makes it look super cool. Her parents kept her in the dark about who they really were and what she can do, so when Reid shows up she doesn't know if he's crazy or if she is. She jumps into training with Reid pretty quickly and starts playing with her 'powers'. You can tell right away that both have a spark that pulls them together and further in the book you find out that they have a past together that draws them even closer to each other.
I enjoyed ANOMALY. The world building was great, the characters were well developed, and the storyline was unique. A great debut for Tonya Kuper and I will be on the look-out for book 2.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Josie is a bit on the geeky side, but she makes it look super cool. Her parents kept her in the dark about who they really were and what she can do, so when Reid shows up she doesn't know if he's crazy or if she is. She jumps into training with Reid pretty quickly and starts playing with her 'powers'. You can tell right away that both have a spark that pulls them together and further in the book you find out that they have a past together that draws them even closer to each other.
I enjoyed ANOMALY. The world building was great, the characters were well developed, and the storyline was unique. A great debut for Tonya Kuper and I will be on the look-out for book 2.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 to 3 stars
I enjoyed the beginning, but Josie's endless training quickly became tedious. The plot also felt stale, and I feel like I've read parts of this many times before.
I enjoyed the beginning, but Josie's endless training quickly became tedious. The plot also felt stale, and I feel like I've read parts of this many times before.
I really really enjoyed this book. I was on this contemporary swing for a while so I am glad that I am back on the fantasy train. it was a great book for book-lovers or people just starting to read.
2.5 stars. Fairly cliché YA. Josie was a likeable heroine but pretty much everything and everyone else annoyed me and the Consortium/Resistance thing didn’t seem to be very well thought out or explained. Consortium is the bad guys who want to kill her for being and anomaly and take over the world. Yet they have anolmaly’s working for them and maybe they want her to work for them but then they may try to kill her Huh? Also we see no evidence they want to take over the world. Their mission was to protect humans from the occuli. Then there is the resistance who must fight the consortium only it is never really explained properly. Also the whole training thing was awful. It was lets basically torture Josie ‘for her own good’ so she can learn to use her powers. Umm why not try giving her proper instruction. And this was the guy that supposedly liked her. And instigated by her horrid mother. And don’t get me started on that horrible mother. And a stupid no I really do love you video message in the last chapter does NOT make up for a lifetime of lies, using her to complete a dangerous mission and then setting her up as bait for yur çause’which in my opinion was never proven to be particularly just anyway
BREAKING NEWS: Sophia is finally coming across some good books.
UNBREAKING THE NEWS: Sophia is probably going to find something bad about said book. She wonders why Optimistically Lol Lupe is still friends with her.
Should you find this review on Amazon – haha, I'm behind on Goodreads reviews since July! – those above two sentences will not be found
I loved Anomaly. But I also don't love it. Is it possible to feel both?
The idea behind Anomaly is amazing, despite the names, to which Sarcastic Sophia will be rearing her head (especially at one name...) and Lupe will be shaking her head at Sarcastic Sophia.
~ Occuli – I thought this was "occult." Whoops. Technically, it IS a group of people relating to the supernatural...
~ Planck – I could have sworn I saw the word "Plancks" as planks. Funny thing about the name "Planck?" It's literally pronounced "plank." Oh, and there's a physicist named that. Thus, all us humans, because the Occuli call humans "Plancks," are planks. We're all wood. Why am I writing this review again?
But really, that's only a minor thing. Sort of.
I really feel like the process of using two POVs went well – that Reid's version has a purpose to the entire story rather than just seeing things from Josie's view. He seems to fill in the blanks in her past that readers normally wouldn't find out from Josie alone, ones that even she doesn't know the truth about until later, such as her dead older brother. Nick would have just been a mysterious person if it were only Josie, because we don't actually find out the full story until later in the book, dropped like a bomb instead bits and pieces of little information.
I loved Josie as a character – she's a lot different from other characters I usually come across in books. I love how, despite the fact her world is turned upside down, she actually subconsciously knows about the Oculi world and how it works – she just didn't know about it and thought it's physics. I love her reaction to the entire the situation – it's really nothing I've seen before. Most of the time it's either no panic (99.9% of the time) or panic (even THAT'S rare). Josie reacts by mumbling random facts and trying to make it all rational. She even thinks of the most random facts at the brink of death. It's adorable if you ask me.
I didn't really like the ending though. There's a bit of a moment where I'm understanding everything going on and then one sentence throws me off completely and I'm not sure I'm able to backtrack – I sort of gave up trying to understand what's going on at the particular scene.
The ending also felt like a Hunger Games Arena, only it's "CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE." Sadly, I can't be the main character and choose my fate. It's already written out. Ah, Goosebumps: Choose Your Own Adventure books. Good times, good times.
I feel like Anomaly was more focused on Josie's training to get a serum to the hands of a Vice President at an awards ceremony than much of anything else aside from learning a bit of Nick's past, which I still think I need more information about.
I also want to know more about the Consortium and Resistance and their backgrounds. It seems to be a bit close minded – "The Consortium is bad! The Resistance is good!" It's all based on information from years ago, from Josie's parents, and it seems to be implied that her father is now a part of the Consortium despite the fact we are told Josie's parents are one of the founders of the Resistance. I want to know more about both – is the Resistance who they say they are? Are they really wanting what's best for humankind (us flat wooden boards) AND all Occuli, or is this just a ploy?
With the way the storyline seems to be going in the next book, I'm hoping Kuper will tell us more about the Resistance and Consortium – you can't go wrong with the main character getting a view of one of the Resistance's places, or perhaps the Resistance's base, or can you? Otherwise, Anomaly is a great start to a (hopefully) great series!
---------------------
Advanced copy provided by EntangledTeen for the blog tour
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Original review posted at Bookwyrming Thoughts
UNBREAKING THE NEWS: Sophia is probably going to find something bad about said book. She wonders why Optimistically Lol Lupe is still friends with her.
Should you find this review on Amazon – haha, I'm behind on Goodreads reviews since July! – those above two sentences will not be found
I loved Anomaly. But I also don't love it. Is it possible to feel both?
The idea behind Anomaly is amazing, despite the names, to which Sarcastic Sophia will be rearing her head (especially at one name...) and Lupe will be shaking her head at Sarcastic Sophia.
~ Occuli – I thought this was "occult." Whoops. Technically, it IS a group of people relating to the supernatural...
~ Planck – I could have sworn I saw the word "Plancks" as planks. Funny thing about the name "Planck?" It's literally pronounced "plank." Oh, and there's a physicist named that. Thus, all us humans, because the Occuli call humans "Plancks," are planks. We're all wood. Why am I writing this review again?
But really, that's only a minor thing. Sort of.
I really feel like the process of using two POVs went well – that Reid's version has a purpose to the entire story rather than just seeing things from Josie's view. He seems to fill in the blanks in her past that readers normally wouldn't find out from Josie alone, ones that even she doesn't know the truth about until later, such as her dead older brother. Nick would have just been a mysterious person if it were only Josie, because we don't actually find out the full story until later in the book, dropped like a bomb instead bits and pieces of little information.
I loved Josie as a character – she's a lot different from other characters I usually come across in books. I love how, despite the fact her world is turned upside down, she actually subconsciously knows about the Oculi world and how it works – she just didn't know about it and thought it's physics. I love her reaction to the entire the situation – it's really nothing I've seen before. Most of the time it's either no panic (99.9% of the time) or panic (even THAT'S rare). Josie reacts by mumbling random facts and trying to make it all rational. She even thinks of the most random facts at the brink of death. It's adorable if you ask me.
I didn't really like the ending though. There's a bit of a moment where I'm understanding everything going on and then one sentence throws me off completely and I'm not sure I'm able to backtrack – I sort of gave up trying to understand what's going on at the particular scene.
“I had to make it look like it was me. Needed to be a decoy. I can take it now,” she whispered.
The ending also felt like a Hunger Games Arena, only it's "CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE." Sadly, I can't be the main character and choose my fate. It's already written out. Ah, Goosebumps: Choose Your Own Adventure books. Good times, good times.
I feel like Anomaly was more focused on Josie's training to get a serum to the hands of a Vice President at an awards ceremony than much of anything else aside from learning a bit of Nick's past, which I still think I need more information about.
I also want to know more about the Consortium and Resistance and their backgrounds. It seems to be a bit close minded – "The Consortium is bad! The Resistance is good!" It's all based on information from years ago, from Josie's parents, and it seems to be implied that her father is now a part of the Consortium despite the fact we are told Josie's parents are one of the founders of the Resistance. I want to know more about both – is the Resistance who they say they are? Are they really wanting what's best for humankind (us flat wooden boards) AND all Occuli, or is this just a ploy?
With the way the storyline seems to be going in the next book, I'm hoping Kuper will tell us more about the Resistance and Consortium – you can't go wrong with the main character getting a view of one of the Resistance's places, or perhaps the Resistance's base, or can you? Otherwise, Anomaly is a great start to a (hopefully) great series!
---------------------
Advanced copy provided by EntangledTeen for the blog tour
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Original review posted at Bookwyrming Thoughts