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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Finished The Giver quartet with this one and none came close to the original Giver. This one concentrated too much on one particular journey through the woods that I thought took up too much of the entire story and wasn't particularly interesting.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
For a series that focused so heavily on the ways society as a whole can be oppressive to those who don’t fit societal ideals, it felt weird that the Trademaster was built up as the big bad in this installment of the series. Especially since he wasn't really focused on in the last book when he was introduced, and he didn’t show up in this book until halfway through. To me, that decision undercut the impact of the series, though I did think the writing overall was fantastic. Something that will stick with me is one character learning her father died when a newchild was given his name. Just, the casual cruelty and alienation that that kind of society produces. You get just enough social interaction to be well adjusted. Your social ties can be cut according to higher authority any time it pleases them. That, to me, was way more impactful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Medical content, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Abandonment, War
Lois Lowry has publicly stated in the past that she never felt [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234] needed a sequel, or any additional stories in that world. I really wish she had stuck to her guns instead of succumbing to the pressure from readers. Because each successive story has declined in quality, until we get to this one. Using a pointless storyline in the book as a comparison:
Spoiler
[b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234] is the top of the cliff, [b:Son|12191246|Second Son (Jack Reacher, #15.5)|Lee Child|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311907335s/12191246.jpg|17156027] is the village at the bottom of the cliff.
challenging
slow-paced
Was satisfied with the conclusion. Really enjoyed this book!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars.
I’m going to be honest, I wish this series had started and ended with The Giver.
I’m going to be honest, I wish this series had started and ended with The Giver.
I loved the end but there was a tiny part of me that wanted a little more... wanted to read about Gabe and Claire together.... I want too much... :)
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Out of the series, this book was the most boring to me. I did like it but I don't know if I finished it out of the completionist in me or I really wanted to lol
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
What an epic conclusion! Tied all three other books together, so darn nicely. There were still many obstacles to overcome, but in the end... it all worked out.