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mrs1472's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hayley_ann's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alishacostanzo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
yara_adorablebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Fijn boek, las lekker vlot weg. De recensie komt snel op www.adorablebooks.nl
hodges_wt's review against another edition
2.0
This is my first review, so bear with me. It'll be entirely spoiler-free.
I started this book open-minded. I enjoy most YA dystopian books. It's easy to get immersed in their worlds and like the characters. This story, however, is not a good book.
The plot line is fine. A decent mix of logical and unpredictable, it is engaging. The characters are developed, not to the fullest extent possible, but that's to be expected. It's the first book in a series. But the dialogue...ugh, the dialogue. I'll touch more on this in a bit. The world that Baldacci introduces us to has (had?) potential, but he fails to develop it. The creatures that are mentioned in the book are unbelievable, even for YA. Some have such strange names it hard to remember which are which, and none seem threatening when the main character is Vega Jane.
The dialogue is a strange, stilted mix of new words for Baldacci's dystopian world and British words. Baldacci also will drop letters off the end of a few of his words, and it just seems corny. C'mon, Baldacci. You can add that extra "l". The new words he introduces (sliver, light, and session) feel forced in -- last minute attempts at making it sound cool. Again, he could have done better. This strange dialogue makes the characters hard to connect with because they seem so fake.
I started this book open-minded. I enjoy most YA dystopian books. It's easy to get immersed in their worlds and like the characters. This story, however, is not a good book.
The plot line is fine. A decent mix of logical and unpredictable, it is engaging. The characters are developed, not to the fullest extent possible, but that's to be expected. It's the first book in a series. But the dialogue...ugh, the dialogue. I'll touch more on this in a bit. The world that Baldacci introduces us to has (had?) potential, but he fails to develop it. The creatures that are mentioned in the book are unbelievable, even for YA. Some have such strange names it hard to remember which are which, and none seem threatening when the main character is Vega Jane.
The dialogue is a strange, stilted mix of new words for Baldacci's dystopian world and British words. Baldacci also will drop letters off the end of a few of his words, and it just seems corny. C'mon, Baldacci. You can add that extra "l". The new words he introduces (sliver, light, and session) feel forced in -- last minute attempts at making it sound cool. Again, he could have done better. This strange dialogue makes the characters hard to connect with because they seem so fake.
alyssajcori's review against another edition
3.0
My mother loaned me this book that is popular with her grammar school students. It’s been so long since I read YA and it was fun to jump into an adventure story that was quick and action packed. While it’s not a novel I’d recommend to my peers, I can see why children would love it!
jdodd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tshack's review against another edition
5.0
The book started off a bit weird, but by the end I couldn't put it down. I had suggested this book to my 10 year old daughter and she ate it up - just loved it! She wanted me to read it so, I did. I love David's books for adults and found that I enjoyed his book which is tailored to younger readers as well. It was very very different from what I expected and I admired his ability to write something so different from his other books. I'll be honest, at first I thought it wasn't him writing as the style and wording felt very different and more choppy. But after seeing the plot and where the story is going it does have a Baldacci feel to it. I did have a feeling that is was reaching Harry Potter status with the mystical beings and had a feel of the Hunger Games to it as well but it was different enough to warrant a feel of its own. I recommend this book for young readers 10-15 but it is just as interesting for us adults too.
onceuponacarm's review against another edition
2.0
A highly derivative dystopian novel that I think will have wide appeal to young readers looking for books "like" the hunger games, the giver, the maze runner, etc. Just not well-written or original enough for my liking.