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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
I love so many things about this book! There were things I disliked, but they didn’t necessarily ruin my reading experience. The concept is something I’ve never seen before. It’s very unique. It also tackles dense themes like death and humanity in a fantastic way.
Halfway into this book, I received the news that my youngest uncle had passed away. I was devastated, of course, and set it aside for a couple of days. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle continuing a book about death so soon after losing a loved one to it. I decided to not pick it up again, but I somehow ended up doing so when I was desperately trying to distract myself from the grief.
I’m glad I did. Continuing this book helped me process my grief better, and gave me a chance to contemplate the meaning of death and mortality.
The Writing:
I like the writing. There are some good quotes and nice phrases. The journal entries are a really nice touch too.
The World-Building:
Stellar. This world is built so perfectly done and with such logic that I can actually see it all happening in the future. The author seems to have thought of every little detail. I think the world building is my favorite thing about it all.
The Characters:
Unfortunately, most of the characters fell flat for me. We’re not given much about Citra and Rowan; we just see them go through things. Things keep happening to them, yet you see no dimension. Rowan’s “dark” side was not dark at all, and Citra is....just there. She does clever things and goes through a lot, but I still could not get a sense of her character.
The Villains:
I think the author did a good job of portraying insufferable, cruel bullies. They managed to get on my nerves every single scene they were in. I wish I could say it’s unrealistic for a collective group of people to be this cruel, or that if one of them got too cruel he’d be checked by the others, but sadly, I’ve recently learned that it is, in fact, very realistic. Some people just relish in bringing misery, and sometimes, unfortunately, they find each other and form malicious groups teeming with corruption and cruelty.
The Romance:
Unfortunately, I wasn’t really into the romance. You don’t really see the relationship between Rowan and Citra develop. They just mention that they’ll miss each other and that they’ve grown on each other, but there are no actual instances or significant shared moments that give you insight on how they got close or fell in love before it was declared they had to be competitors for their own lives.
The Plot
Great plot with a few interesting twists. Some instances stuck with me more than others. One of these instances is the scene with with Citra and Rhonda. It makes you realize that you sometimes hold on to unnecessary guilt because the person you wronged has moved on ages ago. The ending loophole that Citra found was also genius.
I love so many things about this book! There were things I disliked, but they didn’t necessarily ruin my reading experience. The concept is something I’ve never seen before. It’s very unique. It also tackles dense themes like death and humanity in a fantastic way.
Halfway into this book, I received the news that my youngest uncle had passed away. I was devastated, of course, and set it aside for a couple of days. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle continuing a book about death so soon after losing a loved one to it. I decided to not pick it up again, but I somehow ended up doing so when I was desperately trying to distract myself from the grief.
I’m glad I did. Continuing this book helped me process my grief better, and gave me a chance to contemplate the meaning of death and mortality.
The Writing:
I like the writing. There are some good quotes and nice phrases. The journal entries are a really nice touch too.
The World-Building:
Stellar. This world is built so perfectly done and with such logic that I can actually see it all happening in the future. The author seems to have thought of every little detail. I think the world building is my favorite thing about it all.
The Characters:
Unfortunately, most of the characters fell flat for me. We’re not given much about Citra and Rowan; we just see them go through things. Things keep happening to them, yet you see no dimension. Rowan’s “dark” side was not dark at all, and Citra is....just there. She does clever things and goes through a lot, but I still could not get a sense of her character.
The Villains:
I think the author did a good job of portraying insufferable, cruel bullies. They managed to get on my nerves every single scene they were in. I wish I could say it’s unrealistic for a collective group of people to be this cruel, or that if one of them got too cruel he’d be checked by the others, but sadly, I’ve recently learned that it is, in fact, very realistic. Some people just relish in bringing misery, and sometimes, unfortunately, they find each other and form malicious groups teeming with corruption and cruelty.
The Romance:
Unfortunately, I wasn’t really into the romance. You don’t really see the relationship between Rowan and Citra develop. They just mention that they’ll miss each other and that they’ve grown on each other, but there are no actual instances or significant shared moments that give you insight on how they got close or fell in love before it was declared they had to be competitors for their own lives.
The Plot
Great plot with a few interesting twists. Some instances stuck with me more than others. One of these instances is the scene with with Citra and Rhonda. It makes you realize that you sometimes hold on to unnecessary guilt because the person you wronged has moved on ages ago. The ending loophole that Citra found was also genius.
dark
reflective
sad
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent read. I love a good dystopia/utopia debate. Can’t wait to read the next two books!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
For a younger crowd, but has a unique take on the future.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
kinda meh for me unfortunately. disliked how almost every conflict was just solved like the next chapter. and the ending pmo…