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hannahreadsadec5's review against another edition
4.0
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has made a decision they thought would turn to great, only to have it blow up in your face. I'm also sure that you've have heard the words, "there's an app for that," on numerous occasions, but what if there was an app that made decisions for you? You would never have to experience heartbreak or embarrassment. You would never have to fall. Sounds perfect, right?
Rory's life has revolved around a new piece of technology created by an organization called Gnosis. For any choice she needs to make, Rory consults an app rather than intuition, a lesson children are taught from a very young age. But when she arrives at a new school, her new friends make her question why she has always put her faith into something other than herself. For nearly the first time in her life, Rory is forced to choose: will she believe what she has always know, or take a risk, and find out the truth?
One of the (many) things I loved about this book was the way there were ideas introduced in the beginning that had no effect until put into context. Names and places from a random excursion could end up being the reason for something huge to happen. I also liked that it debunked the myth that a single person's voice is not heard. In this book, without one person's voice, none of this would have happened.
Free to Fall is a book that will stay in my thoughts for a very long time.
Spoiler
It's been over a week and I am still highly cautious of any electronic device.iphi_kc13's review against another edition
5.0
saluki's review against another edition
5.0
Here is a future population choosing to use an app called Lux to keep control of their happiness and lives 24/7. There are a few coincidences and an aptly timed event that is foreshadowed but obvious. Yet, the idea of technology overtaking decision making and intuition is a clever one, and relevant to our own dependence on technology today.
Great premise, great story, great characters. This one will keep you thinking long after you finish reading it and would encourage interesting book-group discussions.
Simply, mind-blowing!
Dislike the cover though... it's not a reflection of the contents - would be better with something symbolic, like a tree icon for instance IMHO.
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
5.0
I highly recommend
emil_y_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
julit3r's review against another edition
3.0
Free to Fall was as slow paced and eventless as Parallel. Though intriguing and thought provoking, I can't say I enjoyed it. Parallel had an ending that came out of no where and had me thinking of the book for days. Free to Fall was more predictable and less memorable.
aelinwhitethorngalythynius's review against another edition
3.0
maryam162424's review against another edition
4.0
AMAZING
2019:
It’s been 4 years since I read this book and honestly I’m still impressed by it. The plot moved at a very good pace and I liked the concept of this novel as well. I really enjoyed Rory’s character and the resilience she showed during the novel. One thing I thought was weird was the beginning of the relationship between North and Rory. I honestly think it would have been more fitting if the two were a bit older, say 18/19. It’s just that at their age, the kind of knowledge they showed to have seemed unrealistic, but then again, it’s set in the future so what would I know? But still, I enjoyed retreading this novel.
rukistarsailor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
amarylissw's review against another edition
4.0
What people generally define as "slower" books never usually bother me -- it's not the lack of action that is a problem for me, but rather lack of forward plot movement. This book, however, had plenty of story and intrigue to keep me interested throughout the beginning pages.
As a protagonist, Rory was decent enough, yet I didn't particularly care or not care for her. To me, it seemed like everyone was saying she was smart and that they envied her and all, and we were shown on a few occasions that she's able to solve word problems easily enough, but I still wasn't convinced. And I didn't feel like she had no defining personality traits -- she was, in essence, simply a type of character created to fit the plot and move it forward. I wished for dimension.
Our love interest . . . well, he's not the worse, but I believe the romance could've been handled better as well. It moved a bit quickly for my tastes and landed somewhere in the realms of boring/dull/maybe-kind-of-sweet-at-times-but-still. North, at his best, could be defined as someone who helps Rory through her worse times and possesses his own secrets to match her own. At the worst, though, it could be said he's no more than a plot device to help the story, and its protagonist, along, and kind of a stalker as well.
We have a few other scattered characters of importance. A friend who has some hidden agendas and makes some bad decisions. A Snape-like teacher (no kidding). A boy who can't get the hint and ultimately, I don't really care about.
All in all, I might say the characters are the weakest part of the story.
The world-building and plot, however, really make up for whatever is lacking in the character department. It's hard to talk about the world and the plot separately because both are intertwined very closely; it's a very complex and intricate story design that Miller clearly put a lot of work into. There's a lot of foreshadowing, a lot of twists, and a lot of betrayals (or not?), reveals, and so on. The plot is really a thrill to read, and I really enjoyed the story.
The world also presents a really interesting idea -- I mean, I would by lying if I said I wouldn't use an app like Lux. Honestly, I'd probably end up like one of those technology-addicted people. So it's a really intriguing idea and world that Miller has created that presents several thoughts.
The writing is good -- a smooth and easy read. I really actually had no problems with it whatsoever, which is kind of rare.
So overall, a really surprising, but very good read!