Scan barcode
aradhnak's review
4.0
I'm very bummed I can't put a half-star because technically, I'm rating it between 3.5 & 3.75. It was good, but there's something about it...
Still trying to get it into words so review to come.
*EDITED*
I received this copy in exchange for an honest review from Pikko’s House publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Pikko’s House!
It's not exactly how I imagined this story going, but I got to say, the time jump made a lot of sense. Instead of spending forever trying to show how time passed for Addy, we get Theo and Maunga's POV, years down the line, with the knowledge that they've been working at getting Addy free in all this time.
Maunga and Theo's relationship also made sense to me! I thought something would end up happening between them when they were the only two left behind with the knowledge of what Addy had given up, but it was much better to be shown their married life than to see them fumbling through falling in love. The stakes were that much higher for them.
Seeing Addy through their eyes was also great, because it showed the stark difference in who she used to be and who she had become. It showed the strength from an outsider's point of view, and it gave a sense of realness to how much she had changed. I think if we had gotten her POV in the novel, it would not have seemed as much as if she had gone through hell. Or it would have been too overdone. This was a good way to show her trauma without too much exposition.
Still, there was something about the novel that did not click with me as much as the first one did. Maybe it was because we were stuck in a building the entire time, or maybe it was just that the physical stakes did not seem as high until the very end. The fate of Caroline was also a little dissatisfying.
It was a good read, but not as good as I had hoped.
Still trying to get it into words so review to come.
*EDITED*
I received this copy in exchange for an honest review from Pikko’s House publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Pikko’s House!
It's not exactly how I imagined this story going, but I got to say, the time jump made a lot of sense. Instead of spending forever trying to show how time passed for Addy, we get Theo and Maunga's POV, years down the line, with the knowledge that they've been working at getting Addy free in all this time.
Maunga and Theo's relationship also made sense to me! I thought something would end up happening between them when they were the only two left behind with the knowledge of what Addy had given up, but it was much better to be shown their married life than to see them fumbling through falling in love. The stakes were that much higher for them.
Seeing Addy through their eyes was also great, because it showed the stark difference in who she used to be and who she had become. It showed the strength from an outsider's point of view, and it gave a sense of realness to how much she had changed. I think if we had gotten her POV in the novel, it would not have seemed as much as if she had gone through hell. Or it would have been too overdone. This was a good way to show her trauma without too much exposition.
Still, there was something about the novel that did not click with me as much as the first one did. Maybe it was because we were stuck in a building the entire time, or maybe it was just that the physical stakes did not seem as high until the very end. The fate of Caroline was also a little dissatisfying.
It was a good read, but not as good as I had hoped.
willdrown's review
4.0
Expression, the sequel to Voiceless, skips several years to deal with the long-term consequences of the sacrifice that Adelaide made at the end of the first book. As her brother Theo and her once-nemesis Maunga gear up to save Addy from the experiments, conducted by the Breach, we are taken into the heads of two characters that stand far apart from noble and selfless Addy. Wilson shifts quite gracefully from hopeful and idealistic Addy to angry and determined Theo, changing from a journey into a virtual reality to a rescue operation in a dark, unstable, Escherian underground facility.
What I failed to praise about Voiceless was its scope. The voice-stealing plague affected only a single country and even then the death toll was not staggering. The book was more of an exploration of power abuse, the ramifications of being attacked by those above you, and the immense strength one needs to keep going after losing an enormous part of themselves. A smartly chosen topic, eschewing the typical “the world is at stake” sentiments, delving into the personal issues of a lone wolf hero instead.
Expression is all about the horrible things that a hero like that may face and the consequences that stem from these trials. Theo and Maunga locate Addy quite easily, having had many years to prepare their rescue mission. Getting her out and acclimated to the real world, though, proves to be surprisingly challenging. Wilson cleverly dedicates the last 10-15 percent of the book to the hardships of battling Addy’s PTSD and helping her settle back into normal life. The selfless wide-eyed teen, in the time that passed between the books, has turned into a grizzled survivalist, ready to claw her way out of any situation when she’s alone but completely broken emotionally.
E.G. mostly avoids writing the rescue effort as some sort of mind-screw adventure in a dangerous complex, leaving just a couple of action sequences in the story, opting instead for confrontational dialogues and introspective narration.
Expression improves on the topics raised by Voiceless and puts a satisfying end to the adventures of Addy, Theo, and Maunga, making for a successfully entertaining duology steeped in the culture of New Zealand.
What I failed to praise about Voiceless was its scope. The voice-stealing plague affected only a single country and even then the death toll was not staggering. The book was more of an exploration of power abuse, the ramifications of being attacked by those above you, and the immense strength one needs to keep going after losing an enormous part of themselves. A smartly chosen topic, eschewing the typical “the world is at stake” sentiments, delving into the personal issues of a lone wolf hero instead.
Expression is all about the horrible things that a hero like that may face and the consequences that stem from these trials. Theo and Maunga locate Addy quite easily, having had many years to prepare their rescue mission. Getting her out and acclimated to the real world, though, proves to be surprisingly challenging. Wilson cleverly dedicates the last 10-15 percent of the book to the hardships of battling Addy’s PTSD and helping her settle back into normal life. The selfless wide-eyed teen, in the time that passed between the books, has turned into a grizzled survivalist, ready to claw her way out of any situation when she’s alone but completely broken emotionally.
E.G. mostly avoids writing the rescue effort as some sort of mind-screw adventure in a dangerous complex, leaving just a couple of action sequences in the story, opting instead for confrontational dialogues and introspective narration.
Expression improves on the topics raised by Voiceless and puts a satisfying end to the adventures of Addy, Theo, and Maunga, making for a successfully entertaining duology steeped in the culture of New Zealand.
More...