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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Anastasia (heavy on the Anastasia) + Mad Max + Blade Runner
with a dash of Pinocchio (no, I'm not kidding) =
a super intense thriller and I am so glad I waited until I had my hands on book two ([b:DEV1AT3|43177948|DEV1AT3 (Lifel1k3, #2)|Jay Kristoff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1544311247s/43177948.jpg|62331822]) to read it.
also, every time I read "Mister C" I heard Fonzie's voice in my head. it was weird but somehow, not totally out of place.
with a dash of Pinocchio (no, I'm not kidding) =
a super intense thriller and I am so glad I waited until I had my hands on book two ([b:DEV1AT3|43177948|DEV1AT3 (Lifel1k3, #2)|Jay Kristoff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1544311247s/43177948.jpg|62331822]) to read it.
also, every time I read "Mister C" I heard Fonzie's voice in my head. it was weird but somehow, not totally out of place.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
At the first glance, Lifelike seems like a basic YA coming-of-age dystopian story that has been told dozens of times already. In the last third of the plot, however, the book bombards the main character and the reader with plot twist after plot twist, that just make the book unique enough to spark interest in the sequel.
The basic beginning
In a postapocalyptic dystopian world a teenaged underdog girl finds out she has secret superpowers that put her life at risk. While fleeing for her life, she comes across a perfect-looking boy. Said hottie boy gives the first clue that the girl's whole life has been a lie and that she has actually another identity of offspring of one of the most influential – but now murdered – families of the world. Said hottie was a romantic part of her past. Now the whole world seems to want the girl dead – as she already should be, per the murdered family and secret superpowers out in the open. The girl wants to figure out her identity while running for her life.
No.
No, my name is...
...What
is
my
name?
Getting better: deviations from the basicness
The narration is very descriptive and the plot feels quite cinematic. There are multiple enemies that provide showy and very violent battle scenes to the point I felt the book was feasting with the gore a little too much for a YA book. The narration is in third person, mostly from the pov of the main character Eve. We get a few chapters or fragments within Eve's chapters from the pov of other characters as well; members from the main group or their main personified enemy.
The worldbuilding is intriquing, altough we've already seen multiple dystopian fiction worlds built on the ruins of the USA. The colossal rivaling science companies specializing in AI robots are an interesting ruling force in this world, and I wish there was more focus put on this worldbuilding aspect rather than the superficial gimmick of making up multiple nicknames for every character in the main group.
"Listen," Lemon said. "Eve.Ana . Whatever you want to call yourself. You're still Riotgrrl to me, yeah? And I don't care who's after you. Where you're from or where you're going. It's you, me, Crick and Kaiser. No matter what. Rule Number One in the Scrap, remember? Stronger together, together forever. Right?"
The main character Eve/Ana /Riotgrrl (and her multiple nicknames besides these multiple identities ) likes to think herself a cabable heroine, but for the most part of the book she is just a stubborn and very unforgiving teenager that is forced to react to whatever the world throws at her next.
Hitting a jackpot: fireworks of plot twists
Towards the ending, the main character begins to grasp agency, though, and shaping the course of her own life with decicive actions. In the last third of the book, there comes interesting plot twist one after the other – Regarding Eve/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Torture, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Genocide, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
3.75 Stars rounded up to 4.
What a rip roarer of a story! Overall I enjoyed this book, it keep the plot moving along without losing much nuance and didn't bog the reader down in hefty exposition that we really didn't need. I enjoyed the characters and felt honestly heart wrenched at a few moments with some of what they went through.
I am a big fan of sci-fi so I found this concept enjoyable and well executed. I really enjoyed the ending and did not see the twist coming at all. This book would have been a higher star rating but I found the beginning took just a bit to get its feet under it. Once it was there though, I have few complaints. I will definitely be picking up the next one in the series.
What a rip roarer of a story! Overall I enjoyed this book, it keep the plot moving along without losing much nuance and didn't bog the reader down in hefty exposition that we really didn't need. I enjoyed the characters and felt honestly heart wrenched at a few moments with some of what they went through.
I am a big fan of sci-fi so I found this concept enjoyable and well executed. I really enjoyed the ending and did not see the twist coming at all. This book would have been a higher star rating but I found the beginning took just a bit to get its feet under it. Once it was there though, I have few complaints. I will definitely be picking up the next one in the series.
Holy shit. How can I possibly review this book? It absolutely blew my mind.
Lifel1k3 begins in a post-apocalyptic world where Eve is just trying to survive. The only thing keeping her grandfather alive is the medicine that they can't afford so Eve takes to the robot gladiator fights. Things quickly turn awry when the machine she's spent months building gets destroyed and she suddenly has the power to disable machines with her mind. The Brotherhood hunts down those like her and are quickly after her trail. While running from them, Eve and her best friend Lemon Fresh come across a beautiful android named Ezekiel, otherwise known as a Lifelike, in a plane crash. He ends up turning her world upside down. Thus the adventure across this damaged landscape begins.
This book is insane. I actually had trouble reading it because EVERYTHING that happened was so freaking cool. When I was just sitting and thinking that things couldn't be any more amazing, the book went harder. I wasn't ready for this level of amazing, to be honest.
The only thing I had trouble getting into was the slang at first but once I got it, it was just another layer to this world. The writing was perfect for this book, honestly. Of course I loved [b:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661] that Jay helped write but when I tried to read his [b:Nevernight|26114463|Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1)|Jay Kristoff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500688832s/26114463.jpg|42805826], it was just so overly wordy that I couldn't get into it at the time. This book was all action that never stopped or slowed down, with amazing characters that you will fall in love with, trust me.
The characters are all amazing, with Eve's best friend Lemon being my favorite. All the characters were multilayered and I loved how they all connected. I was honestly here for that level of female friendship that I was getting in this book too. Eve herself is an amazing protagonist, she is literally everything to me and I wanted to protect her from all the bad things that were happening.
The plot was again, INSANE. This book reminded me of so many other amazing stories and yet it's so unique. I didn't see half the plot twists that happened and I think I was too busy screaming in excitement the whole time anyway. My mind was blown and put back together and then blown again. It was an adventure, and I'm still not over it. I just don't get how a book can be so amazing? Someone please explain.
I've never met Jay Kristoff personally but honestly I trust him with my life after this. We are truly blessed by him for this book.
Lifel1k3 begins in a post-apocalyptic world where Eve is just trying to survive. The only thing keeping her grandfather alive is the medicine that they can't afford so Eve takes to the robot gladiator fights. Things quickly turn awry when the machine she's spent months building gets destroyed and she suddenly has the power to disable machines with her mind. The Brotherhood hunts down those like her and are quickly after her trail. While running from them, Eve and her best friend Lemon Fresh come across a beautiful android named Ezekiel, otherwise known as a Lifelike, in a plane crash. He ends up turning her world upside down. Thus the adventure across this damaged landscape begins.
This book is insane. I actually had trouble reading it because EVERYTHING that happened was so freaking cool. When I was just sitting and thinking that things couldn't be any more amazing, the book went harder. I wasn't ready for this level of amazing, to be honest.
The only thing I had trouble getting into was the slang at first but once I got it, it was just another layer to this world. The writing was perfect for this book, honestly. Of course I loved [b:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661] that Jay helped write but when I tried to read his [b:Nevernight|26114463|Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1)|Jay Kristoff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500688832s/26114463.jpg|42805826], it was just so overly wordy that I couldn't get into it at the time. This book was all action that never stopped or slowed down, with amazing characters that you will fall in love with, trust me.
The characters are all amazing, with Eve's best friend Lemon being my favorite. All the characters were multilayered and I loved how they all connected. I was honestly here for that level of female friendship that I was getting in this book too. Eve herself is an amazing protagonist, she is literally everything to me and I wanted to protect her from all the bad things that were happening.
The plot was again, INSANE. This book reminded me of so many other amazing stories and yet it's so unique. I didn't see half the plot twists that happened and I think I was too busy screaming in excitement the whole time anyway. My mind was blown and put back together and then blown again. It was an adventure, and I'm still not over it. I just don't get how a book can be so amazing? Someone please explain.
I've never met Jay Kristoff personally but honestly I trust him with my life after this. We are truly blessed by him for this book.
Metal or meat. Blood or current. Everyone deserves a choice.
I am huge fan of Kristoff's Lotus War Trilogy and was excited to see a new series from his atypical mind. The beginning of the book was a little confusing and somewhat overwhelming, but I was thrilled to see how everything unfolded. I've always been apprehensive about humanlike robots, and Kristoff takes it to an entirely new level. I appreciated this isn't human/good guys versus the evil robots. Neither side is completely one or the other.
In addition to the fascinating world, the relationships make this story even more interesting. I think my favorites characters were Lemon and Cricket. These two nonhumans characters contain so much depth and heart. Kristoff is a master at developing these types of nontraditional characters. I liked Eve but she sometimes angered me. She can be immature and some of her actions are hypocritical. I am anxious to see how her character continues to evolve in the future. I adored Zeke and his humanity, even though he isn't. Sadly, I felt little if any, warm and fuzzies with the romance. I am curious to see what happens down the road in that aspect. I love a plot twist, and there is endless potential for the future.
I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment. It appears book two might even be better than this one. If you are sci-fi/robot taking over the world fan, this is one I would recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for my advanced review copy.
I am huge fan of Kristoff's Lotus War Trilogy and was excited to see a new series from his atypical mind. The beginning of the book was a little confusing and somewhat overwhelming, but I was thrilled to see how everything unfolded. I've always been apprehensive about humanlike robots, and Kristoff takes it to an entirely new level. I appreciated this isn't human/good guys versus the evil robots. Neither side is completely one or the other.
In addition to the fascinating world, the relationships make this story even more interesting. I think my favorites characters were Lemon and Cricket. These two nonhumans characters contain so much depth and heart. Kristoff is a master at developing these types of nontraditional characters. I liked Eve but she sometimes angered me. She can be immature and some of her actions are hypocritical. I am anxious to see how her character continues to evolve in the future. I adored Zeke and his humanity, even though he isn't. Sadly, I felt little if any, warm and fuzzies with the romance. I am curious to see what happens down the road in that aspect. I love a plot twist, and there is endless potential for the future.
I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment. It appears book two might even be better than this one. If you are sci-fi/robot taking over the world fan, this is one I would recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for my advanced review copy.
this book was a wild ride, and has earned a place on my favorites shelf.
Review to come when i can process my thoughts and i am already anticipating the next!
Review to come when i can process my thoughts and i am already anticipating the next!