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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Lily, Mel: bleh
Carter, Sebastian: yay
Lily’s like the person in a horror film that keeps doing stupid shit.
Carter, Sebastian: yay
Lily’s like the person in a horror film that keeps doing stupid shit.
Overall:
I am not impressed by this book. It sounds promising and I was excited when I bought it, but I am now regretting it. This is the type of book I would check out of the library. Not one I would particularly want to own (to bad our local library sucks.. otherwise I would have avoided this mistake). This series has a lot of promise, it just needs to fix some vital areas.
Good:
I particularly liked the main character(Lily) and her sister Mel. Lily is determined and strong willed and intelligent. She is brave and will do what is necessary in order to survive. This is my kind of girl.
The Ticks is an interesting version of the vampire. The only thing I really didn't like about them was they weren't *really* vampires. Sure they had the whole blood sucking and avoiding sunlight, but that was about it. It was more of a mixture of vampires/zombie/ werewolf. Not a bad combination. Glad they are called Ticks rather than vampires.
Bad:
Sadly, there is more bad about this book than good. The writing was very meh. Emily had some interesting ideas, but she needs to work on her writing. It was too much concentration in some areas and too little concentration in others. We hardly saw the characters interacting(besides Lily, Mel, and Carter). For instance, they spent quite a bit of time in the car but we never hear of any conversations between Joe and Carter, or Carter and McKenna, Joe and Lily, etc.
I would have like to know more about their world. What happened to the adults? Are they any other types of "super powers" besides being an abducturae? How exactly do abducturae come into being? What do the greens do in between meals?
I highly doubt I'll continue on with this series.. If I see it in a bookstore I might flip through it or read spoilers, but I definitely won't waste my money on a sequel.
I am not impressed by this book. It sounds promising and I was excited when I bought it, but I am now regretting it. This is the type of book I would check out of the library. Not one I would particularly want to own (to bad our local library sucks.. otherwise I would have avoided this mistake). This series has a lot of promise, it just needs to fix some vital areas.
Good:
I particularly liked the main character(Lily) and her sister Mel. Lily is determined and strong willed and intelligent. She is brave and will do what is necessary in order to survive. This is my kind of girl.
The Ticks is an interesting version of the vampire. The only thing I really didn't like about them was they weren't *really* vampires. Sure they had the whole blood sucking and avoiding sunlight, but that was about it. It was more of a mixture of vampires/zombie/ werewolf. Not a bad combination. Glad they are called Ticks rather than vampires.
Bad:
Sadly, there is more bad about this book than good. The writing was very meh. Emily had some interesting ideas, but she needs to work on her writing. It was too much concentration in some areas and too little concentration in others. We hardly saw the characters interacting(besides Lily, Mel, and Carter). For instance, they spent quite a bit of time in the car but we never hear of any conversations between Joe and Carter, or Carter and McKenna, Joe and Lily, etc.
I would have like to know more about their world. What happened to the adults? Are they any other types of "super powers" besides being an abducturae? How exactly do abducturae come into being? What do the greens do in between meals?
I highly doubt I'll continue on with this series.. If I see it in a bookstore I might flip through it or read spoilers, but I definitely won't waste my money on a sequel.
I liked the premise of this book--or at least the promised premise of Hunger Games meets Resident Evil but I couldn't finish it. Poor writing and cartoonish renditions instead of interesting characterization.
3.5/5 stars
This novel has a unique and interesting storyline. I don't feel that McKay did a very good job with the world-building. She didn't explain enough about the Farm or the Ticks, in my opinion. I never really got a very good grasp on what the Farm was all about. I guess I got the basics, but not really the structure (if that makes sense). I didn't get why the Farm was strict on some things, but not on others. And I felt there wasn't a detailed description of the Ticks until near the end. Even now, I have a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around a clear visualization of them.
The Farm kept my interest for the most part. Though, I have to say that my mind was easily distracted from it. My sister is currently reading Divergent and we were talking about it and how awesome it is. After that conversation, I went on to continue reading The Farm and noticed myself thinking about Divergent instead. I had to re-read some parts during my distraction. So, the story wasn't completely captivating. That wouldn't happen with a really good book!
I thought the characters were okay. None were extremely likeable or memorable. Though, you can't help but root for them. Lily is strong-willed and courageous. She is admirable for trying her darndest to protect her twin (and autistic) sister, Mel. I didn't find Carter to be the most likeable of characters, but he did grow on me toward the end.
The writing was good. There were more mistakes than I would like to see in a published novel, though. The story is told in three different perspectives, through Lily, Mel, and Carter's POVs. The chapters mostly consist of Lily's POV though. I loved Mel's chapters. I thought that McKay did an excellent job in portraying the type of thoughts that run through the head of a person with autism. Sure, one can never truly know what a person with autism thinks or how he/she views the world, but I though it was very well done and I found Mel's chapters to be very interestingly done. Very clever and probably my favourite chapters in the book. Carter's chapters are told in third person, whereas Lily and Mel's are told in first person. This threw me off at first! Very strange, but unique.
I will be reading the next book of this series once it comes out, so it captured my interest enough for that. I thought, overall, the book was okay. The uniqueness, along with the cleverness of Mel's chapters, pulled me in. And the ending was also really good.
*Side Note: My husband and I read this novel together and he did not like the book. He thought the characters were unlikeable and annoying and that the story wasn't very good. He also agreed with me on the weak world-building. And he, unlike me, did not like the ending and has no interest in reading the rest of the series. So, each to his/her own!
Read more of my reviews on SIK Book Reviews
This novel has a unique and interesting storyline. I don't feel that McKay did a very good job with the world-building. She didn't explain enough about the Farm or the Ticks, in my opinion. I never really got a very good grasp on what the Farm was all about. I guess I got the basics, but not really the structure (if that makes sense). I didn't get why the Farm was strict on some things, but not on others. And I felt there wasn't a detailed description of the Ticks until near the end. Even now, I have a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around a clear visualization of them.
The Farm kept my interest for the most part. Though, I have to say that my mind was easily distracted from it. My sister is currently reading Divergent and we were talking about it and how awesome it is. After that conversation, I went on to continue reading The Farm and noticed myself thinking about Divergent instead. I had to re-read some parts during my distraction. So, the story wasn't completely captivating. That wouldn't happen with a really good book!
I thought the characters were okay. None were extremely likeable or memorable. Though, you can't help but root for them. Lily is strong-willed and courageous. She is admirable for trying her darndest to protect her twin (and autistic) sister, Mel. I didn't find Carter to be the most likeable of characters, but he did grow on me toward the end.
The writing was good. There were more mistakes than I would like to see in a published novel, though. The story is told in three different perspectives, through Lily, Mel, and Carter's POVs. The chapters mostly consist of Lily's POV though. I loved Mel's chapters. I thought that McKay did an excellent job in portraying the type of thoughts that run through the head of a person with autism. Sure, one can never truly know what a person with autism thinks or how he/she views the world, but I though it was very well done and I found Mel's chapters to be very interestingly done. Very clever and probably my favourite chapters in the book. Carter's chapters are told in third person, whereas Lily and Mel's are told in first person. This threw me off at first! Very strange, but unique.
I will be reading the next book of this series once it comes out, so it captured my interest enough for that. I thought, overall, the book was okay. The uniqueness, along with the cleverness of Mel's chapters, pulled me in. And the ending was also really good.
*Side Note: My husband and I read this novel together and he did not like the book. He thought the characters were unlikeable and annoying and that the story wasn't very good. He also agreed with me on the weak world-building. And he, unlike me, did not like the ending and has no interest in reading the rest of the series. So, each to his/her own!
Read more of my reviews on SIK Book Reviews
Booklist review:
Seventeen-year-old Lily remembers the Before, a time before the Ticks—genetically mutated, vampirelike beings—took over and teenagers were corralled like livestock onto government-run farms for their blood. But, as in Logan’s Run, there’s an expiration date on the teens’ usefulness, and 18 is only a few days away. Lily is planning a desperate escape with her autistic twin sister, Mel. When Carter, a boy from her past, suddenly shows up, she discovers that escaping is the easy part. Lily’s no-nonsense first-person point of view contrasts sharply with Carter’s more clinical third-person perspective. But it’s Mel’s tangled psyche that carries the heart of their struggle, as her simplistic autistic behaviors and complex interior thoughts mirror the story’s surface survivor tale, which is framed by a layered philosophical core. Other characters are painted in broad sketches, leaving potential avenues for later exploration. Fast-paced, brutal, and bloody, this novel’s alternating points of view keep the action moving and the suspense ratcheting up to an unbearable pitch. Grades 9-12, --Charli Osborne
Seventeen-year-old Lily remembers the Before, a time before the Ticks—genetically mutated, vampirelike beings—took over and teenagers were corralled like livestock onto government-run farms for their blood. But, as in Logan’s Run, there’s an expiration date on the teens’ usefulness, and 18 is only a few days away. Lily is planning a desperate escape with her autistic twin sister, Mel. When Carter, a boy from her past, suddenly shows up, she discovers that escaping is the easy part. Lily’s no-nonsense first-person point of view contrasts sharply with Carter’s more clinical third-person perspective. But it’s Mel’s tangled psyche that carries the heart of their struggle, as her simplistic autistic behaviors and complex interior thoughts mirror the story’s surface survivor tale, which is framed by a layered philosophical core. Other characters are painted in broad sketches, leaving potential avenues for later exploration. Fast-paced, brutal, and bloody, this novel’s alternating points of view keep the action moving and the suspense ratcheting up to an unbearable pitch. Grades 9-12, --Charli Osborne
Really Good. I think Emily McKay should write a second one because it could carry on.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"If he is not a Tick, does that make him a Tock?”
I don't know, I'm torn on this one. It's an interesting story - the vampires and the Farms full of people to feed them. Their bare-minimum existence, their life in the building. I liked the sisters. I even liked Carter. I'm not sure I needed all 3 perspectives but it did round out the story.
I just didn't feel a connection here. Or anything new in the story. I thought it was interesting but not enough to keep me really wanting to know what was happening. I wish I'd loved it more.
I don't know, I'm torn on this one. It's an interesting story - the vampires and the Farms full of people to feed them. Their bare-minimum existence, their life in the building. I liked the sisters. I even liked Carter. I'm not sure I needed all 3 perspectives but it did round out the story.
I just didn't feel a connection here. Or anything new in the story. I thought it was interesting but not enough to keep me really wanting to know what was happening. I wish I'd loved it more.
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I love post-apocalyptic novels and I love romance novels, why not combine them? The answer is The Farm. While I really wanted to like this book it was really bad. This may be because I expected this book to be a stand alone novel so when it took forever for the kids to break out of the farm, I got bored. It might be because none of the characters are likeable. It might be because the way the author handled autism really riled me up since it was really problematic. It is probably all of those things, but add in an abusive, power structure in yet another YA romance novel and you got most of the reasons I don’t like this book. I will go through a few of these reasons more in depth.
None of the characters are likable: the characters are really flat. One is a military brat, one is a stoner, one is a pregnant popular girl, one has autism (literally her only character trait), one is a strong girl who listens to no one. None of them really break out of that. The closest characters to having depth are the stoner and the pregnant popular girl. Everyone else is lucky to be called 2-D.
Autism: So one of the main characters has autism, but parts of the story are told from her perspective. Not only does the author make the character so offensive that I almost stopped reading, she also makes autism something that should be pitied. Many people with autism are living successful lives and can live without any assistance. However, of course the character has to have so much assistance that she is a hindrance to all the characters. SPOILER: she gets turned into a vampire. So now you have a character with little to no impulse control as a vampire. I am literally too afraid to read the next book in the series.
Abusive, power structures: So the main girl is almost raped by a male guard in the farm. Why is female rape a plot driving event in so many media outlets? There is no reason for her to be almost raped. The entire idea that the teen girls would get pregnant on purpose to save themselves was problematic in so many ways. I can’t even get into how angry that plot line got me. Add in the main romance plot has a guy who is using the girl to save the world and is using a girl with autism to get with her sister. It is not cool how much the male is seen as a hero when he is literally lying and trying to control the girl he supposedly loves (of course, this is against his will because she has powers of emotional control).
I love post-apocalyptic novels and I love romance novels, why not combine them? The answer is The Farm. While I really wanted to like this book it was really bad. This may be because I expected this book to be a stand alone novel so when it took forever for the kids to break out of the farm, I got bored. It might be because none of the characters are likeable. It might be because the way the author handled autism really riled me up since it was really problematic. It is probably all of those things, but add in an abusive, power structure in yet another YA romance novel and you got most of the reasons I don’t like this book. I will go through a few of these reasons more in depth.
None of the characters are likable: the characters are really flat. One is a military brat, one is a stoner, one is a pregnant popular girl, one has autism (literally her only character trait), one is a strong girl who listens to no one. None of them really break out of that. The closest characters to having depth are the stoner and the pregnant popular girl. Everyone else is lucky to be called 2-D.
Autism: So one of the main characters has autism, but parts of the story are told from her perspective. Not only does the author make the character so offensive that I almost stopped reading, she also makes autism something that should be pitied. Many people with autism are living successful lives and can live without any assistance. However, of course the character has to have so much assistance that she is a hindrance to all the characters. SPOILER: she gets turned into a vampire. So now you have a character with little to no impulse control as a vampire. I am literally too afraid to read the next book in the series.
Abusive, power structures: So the main girl is almost raped by a male guard in the farm. Why is female rape a plot driving event in so many media outlets? There is no reason for her to be almost raped. The entire idea that the teen girls would get pregnant on purpose to save themselves was problematic in so many ways. I can’t even get into how angry that plot line got me. Add in the main romance plot has a guy who is using the girl to save the world and is using a girl with autism to get with her sister. It is not cool how much the male is seen as a hero when he is literally lying and trying to control the girl he supposedly loves (of course, this is against his will because she has powers of emotional control).
I was surprised that I enjoyed this book so much. I figured it would be just another Hunger Games wannabe; however, this book had many unexpected twists and turns. It gets 4 stars because 1) my copy had too many distracting typos and 2) I figured out the 'surprise' ending way too quickly which, in a way, ruined the final few chapters for me.