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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This was a tough finish for me. I put it down for over a year and picked it back up because I hate to leave books unfinished. I thought the plot was a great idea I just didn't care for the writing style. I found myself skipping whole paragraphs.
I think Carol Plum-Ucci is one of those authors out there that no one really knows about, but everyone should read. Streams of Babel is intriguing in concept for a YA novel (how many bioterrorism novels have you read?), and strikingly well developed in terms of the plot. She takes a very real issue facing the United States and makes it tangible to teens' minds. Finally, we have a novel in which the main focus isn't some overused love triangle. Hallelujah!
Streams of Babel. Good book. Good and bad news.
Bad news, the book ending is horrible. No satisfaction whatsoever.
Good news, there is a second one!
Bad news, the book ending is horrible. No satisfaction whatsoever.
Good news, there is a second one!
Fast paced and mildly interesting, everything wrapped up a little too neatly for me. Obviously as "Book 1" it was left open for a sequel, so everything wasn't tied up completely, but the climax left me feeling pretty blah. I felt like there were too many characters partly developed, but on the whole everyone felt sort of one dimensional....
As for the take on the role of teens in a post 9/11 world, I for one felt all of the kids were pretty blasé about the potential for terrorist attack. Maybe that's because I remember being 14, terrified and enthralled by the never ending footage of the World Trade Center crumbling. None of that fear and awe were present in these characters, living 3 hours from NY less than a year after the attacks. 9/11 is my generation's "Where were you when" moment, and terrorism was the buzzword for much of my adolescence, This novel left me feeling as lackluster as the characters...
As for the take on the role of teens in a post 9/11 world, I for one felt all of the kids were pretty blasé about the potential for terrorist attack. Maybe that's because I remember being 14, terrified and enthralled by the never ending footage of the World Trade Center crumbling. None of that fear and awe were present in these characters, living 3 hours from NY less than a year after the attacks. 9/11 is my generation's "Where were you when" moment, and terrorism was the buzzword for much of my adolescence, This novel left me feeling as lackluster as the characters...
Too long. Plotted out to be a page-turner, might be good to get teens talking about terrorism but not a fun read by any means. By the end, I was extremely tired of turning the pages and reading what was written on them.
Well, it was better than the sequel. But I can't tell if that's because it was actually better or because I already knew the answers to all the questions it was asking due to accidentally reading them out of order. Still, it was shorter and less bloated. The changing points of view were easier to keep up with (though both of Rain's chapters were totally unnecessary).
There was, however, the same issue of a bunch of slightly strange phrases that kept grabbing my attention ("look like a million dollars", "yee", "he is on the psych ward"). Pacing was better, though.
There was, however, the same issue of a bunch of slightly strange phrases that kept grabbing my attention ("look like a million dollars", "yee", "he is on the psych ward"). Pacing was better, though.