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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
ok
so
rosie is stupid
what just happened
this story is weird
wtf
help
help
ok so the writing
wasn't that great i feel like
it wasn't a very thought-out story
the romance was really cliche and sucked a lot i'm sorry
i felt like the story didn't make sense
it didn't feel right
and the ending wasn't complete
this is a first novel
i should be able to have a clear understanding of what happened in this book without reading the other ones
jesus this wasn't great at all
so
rosie is stupid
what just happened
this story is weird
wtf
help
help
ok so the writing
wasn't that great i feel like
it wasn't a very thought-out story
the romance was really cliche and sucked a lot i'm sorry
i felt like the story didn't make sense
it didn't feel right
and the ending wasn't complete
this is a first novel
i should be able to have a clear understanding of what happened in this book without reading the other ones
jesus this wasn't great at all
This was a superb buildup of suspense, but as with a lot of literature, I was disappointed by the climax because it was built up so big. There were a couple of cheesy moments, which is expected of YA and I really cannot stand books that are just a set-up for the sequel so it lost points there. I also found that the characters were very "adult" in one scene and then comically juvenile in the next, which reduced some of the credibility for me. Overall I did enjoy it - enough to be worried that the sequels will feel like a letdown.
"Dream hard.
Work harder.
Shine."
This had a very solid beginning. Rosie is in an art school. But it's not just an art school. It's an elite, top end art school and is very hard to get into. It's also a walking, talking, fully active reality show. And you can be voted off in the first round.
From then on, it's interesting to think about Rosie's day, as she fights to try to stay under 50 so she isn't voted off. And then her struggle to try to stay relevant but also forget all about the cameras
I loved the addition of Linus, although I did roll my eyes just slightly at the kind of/almost love triangle. It was sorted out, even if it was messy.
but this book lost me about 2/3 of the way in. It went a route I just couldn't end up backing. It just made less sense than anything else and then completely jumped into it. The end left me kind of rolling my eyes. I can't imagine where this could keep going as a series, but I'll wait to see the update as book 2 is revealed....
Work harder.
Shine."
This had a very solid beginning. Rosie is in an art school. But it's not just an art school. It's an elite, top end art school and is very hard to get into. It's also a walking, talking, fully active reality show. And you can be voted off in the first round.
From then on, it's interesting to think about Rosie's day, as she fights to try to stay under 50 so she isn't voted off. And then her struggle to try to stay relevant but also forget all about the cameras
I loved the addition of Linus, although I did roll my eyes just slightly at the kind of/almost love triangle. It was sorted out, even if it was messy.
but this book lost me about 2/3 of the way in. It went a route I just couldn't end up backing. It just made less sense than anything else and then completely jumped into it. The end left me kind of rolling my eyes. I can't imagine where this could keep going as a series, but I'll wait to see the update as book 2 is revealed....
It was okay. It felt a little generic. Also I felt like it couldn't decide what was the most horror-ful part of what was happening. The ending was... understandable for a planned series, but not a great way to have a book end. Yikes.
I was rather disappointed with the last quarter of the book. It became far less plausible and ended abruptly. I felt cheated.
Firstly, the cover is stunning. Secondly, this story really grabbed my attention and held it there. The main theme is science fiction, but there is drama and mystery. The characters are well rounded and the plot had a nice flow to it. Some aspects of it were a little intense. The ending was a little weird for me, (desperate characters will do desperate things). The end wasn't necessarily a cliff hangar, but the character did not get a happy ending. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, and did so in one sitting.
dark
The idea that this book revolves around is good, but poorly executed. This book could have been a lot shorter, because it is so repetitive - Rosie escapes, Linus, Rosie escapes, Linus, etc etc. The writing was decent, but the story was really dry and there wasn't a lot of back story before we jumped right in to Rosie escaping from the sleep pod thing. Also, the plot-twist-that-wasn't-really-a-plot-twist-because-they-told-you wasn't very exciting. Also the ending felt like it was just plugged in from a different book that is supposed to be more of a thriller and a mystery. This book was okay but definitely could have used something more.
I felt like the pacing was very off. It moved very slowly then very quickly. I think I read that there's another book planned which might account for some of the dangling (well, abandoned) plot threads.
Credit where credit is due, I was surprised by the directions that this book went.
Credit where credit is due, I was surprised by the directions that this book went.
Imagine the TV show "Big Brother", the one where there are cameras everywhere recording everything, but instead of a house, put the "contestants" in an art school and you have the setting for this book. In this reality show, the viewers "vote" for who gets to stay in school by watching the video feed of their favorites. The most popular students stay. And for some, like our protagonist, Rosie, who comes from extreme poverty, this could be life changing. Rosie's life does indeed change, just not in the way she imagined. There is something nefarious going on behind the scenes. How can Rosie find out what, when her every move is watched? This concept leads to a lot of suspense and tension and like in her previous book, Birthmarked, this author doesn't shy away from the darker side of young adult fiction. What Rosie finds is truly disturbing, in the way organ trafficking and illegal human genetic engineering are. This is the kind of sci-fi dystopia I enjoy and although it is YA and a quick, easy read, it is stimulating and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.