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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
3.5 stars - not sure how I want to rate this one. It kept my attention, for the most part, but dragged in parts too. I wasn't invested in the characters at all but liked the story itself. It was good, just not great. Not sure what was missing for me. Unlikable characters are a big thing for me, so I think that was a big part of it - I want to like the characters I'm supposed to get behind and Maia was alright but the others were unlikable. I think that was the point though. Not sure I'd read more. Will rate up for now, but may rate down as I let it sit.
In all, this book was not terrible. It had a lot of room for improvement with character development and plot consistencies, but it is definitely worth a read in my opinion.
The setting of the story is very interest but I wish there was more world building and knowledge. Another main issue of the book was the main character. She acts fine as a narrator but she's too cliche and inconsistent in her actions to be truly interesting, although I have not read any of the next books to know if this holds true for the rest of the series. The romance in it is also a little too fast-paced for my opinion, especially considering it was just the first book.
However, the writing itself was fantastic, with a quick and action-paced style. The story definitely could've benefited from more fight scenes that really would've shown off the author's skill. The characters are also very diverse! Props to the casual representation shown in the book!
Summary: If you want a simple dystopian YA book to read that doesn't need you to think too much- this is your book. It was flawed, but still enjoyable.
The setting of the story is very interest but I wish there was more world building and knowledge. Another main issue of the book was the main character. She acts fine as a narrator but she's too cliche and inconsistent in her actions to be truly interesting, although I have not read any of the next books to know if this holds true for the rest of the series. The romance in it is also a little too fast-paced for my opinion, especially considering it was just the first book.
However, the writing itself was fantastic, with a quick and action-paced style. The story definitely could've benefited from more fight scenes that really would've shown off the author's skill. The characters are also very diverse! Props to the casual representation shown in the book!
Summary: If you want a simple dystopian YA book to read that doesn't need you to think too much- this is your book. It was flawed, but still enjoyable.
I loved this book, it gave me ATLA vibes, but with so many unique twists. Honestly I was very shocked to find out what happened to Natalya. Other than that, I loved how unique the characters were, so different and yet the same. They all lost something, but besides that and their shared powers, they were different.
This is a highly underrated book. I thoroughly enjoyed this superheroes style story with weird phantom ghost monster things and a dysfunctional magical girl storyline. It was dark sailor moon meets pacific rim and I'm really wanting to go onto the next books but I have others I need to finish before I can but I gotta say, this should have gotten more hype when it came out and definitely deserves more love in the bookish community.
The Good:
* The main mystery thought out the book as to Saul and the other mystery surrounding Natalya was very well written and is what kept me hooked throughout the book. Unlike some of the other reviewers I didn't have a lot of trouble following the revelations.
* The lack of Romance. Romance in YA novel can be very hard to write and be believable. While Maia does have a crush on a boy throughout the novel it never really progress to much farther. There is also so much happening in the story that it was a good call on the part of the author.
* The unique premises really drew me to this book. I have read so many dystopians and YA Novels that I have started to become burned out on them as they all started to blend together. Now I usually am a lot more selective about what books I choose to read. Just the whole concept of the the book really drew me in.
The Okay
* The lack of character development. These really only applies to Maia and Chae Rin. Chase Rin never really moves past her beginnings of a rebel. The lack of character development from Maia is more disappointing because she is the main character. Maia primely just tries to hide in the background for most of the action scenes. After showing some promise at the beginning of the book she once again goes back to her moody, worrying self. At the end of this book we do see a moment where she final becomes a badass. Hopefully Maia can continue this into the next book but truthfully I don't have much hope.
* Too many minor characters. There are quite a few people from Sect that we are introduced to and I did have a hard time keeping them all straight.
* The main mystery thought out the book as to Saul and the other mystery surrounding Natalya was very well written and is what kept me hooked throughout the book. Unlike some of the other reviewers I didn't have a lot of trouble following the revelations.
* The lack of Romance. Romance in YA novel can be very hard to write and be believable. While Maia does have a crush on a boy throughout the novel it never really progress to much farther. There is also so much happening in the story that it was a good call on the part of the author.
* The unique premises really drew me to this book. I have read so many dystopians and YA Novels that I have started to become burned out on them as they all started to blend together. Now I usually am a lot more selective about what books I choose to read. Just the whole concept of the the book really drew me in.
The Okay
* The lack of character development. These really only applies to Maia and Chae Rin. Chase Rin never really moves past her beginnings of a rebel. The lack of character development from Maia is more disappointing because she is the main character. Maia primely just tries to hide in the background for most of the action scenes. After showing some promise at the beginning of the book she once again goes back to her moody, worrying self. At the end of this book we do see a moment where she final becomes a badass. Hopefully Maia can continue this into the next book but truthfully I don't have much hope.
* Too many minor characters. There are quite a few people from Sect that we are introduced to and I did have a hard time keeping them all straight.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I was terribly conflicted with this book. I got frustrated because the pace seemed slow and it took me a while to warm to the characters. I'm not sure I ever really started caring about the characters, but the action certainly picked up. Once it started rolling, it kept rolling to a finish that I didn't exactly expect. Somehow, despite this book being everything I could want in a YA novel, it just didn't end up something that I cared much about.
I was really excited for this book because of the comparisons to things like Pacific Rim, Sailor Moon, and the Avengers. There was also a bit of Buffy thrown in with the 'one Effigy dies and another gets activated' addition. I really liked the concept of it and as a TV show or movie, I think the visuals would have been amazing. As a book, there were parts that ended up falling flat but it was still enjoyable.
Maia, the main character, was an Effigies fangirl. She was a member of their fan clubs, posted in forums dedicated to them, followed their action and their stats online. She was also harsh toward two of the girls she felt less deserving than the other two. So when one of the Effigies regarding as one of the greats was killed, Maia discovered she was chosen to replace her. And her whole world changed. She always wanted to be an Effigy, to be special, but the reality was nothing like she thought it would be.
I liked the other girls and I'm definitely hoping we get to see a lot more of them in the sequel. They were all dealing with becoming Effigies in their own ways, some more successfully than others, and really, they were all just girls who were chosen for something they didn't really want but now they were the only thing that could save the world. It would be a lot for anyone to handle.
There wasn't a whole lot of history or world-building yet. I would have liked a little more at least. Maia wasn't too knowledgeable about why the world became filled with the Phantoms and where Effigies came from so I could understand having no big information moment. There were some moments where they were trying to figure out some mystery where we got some more information on Effigies but I'm hoping for more in the sequel.
Overall, it was an entertaining read and the action sequences were great.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Maia, the main character, was an Effigies fangirl. She was a member of their fan clubs, posted in forums dedicated to them, followed their action and their stats online. She was also harsh toward two of the girls she felt less deserving than the other two. So when one of the Effigies regarding as one of the greats was killed, Maia discovered she was chosen to replace her. And her whole world changed. She always wanted to be an Effigy, to be special, but the reality was nothing like she thought it would be.
I liked the other girls and I'm definitely hoping we get to see a lot more of them in the sequel. They were all dealing with becoming Effigies in their own ways, some more successfully than others, and really, they were all just girls who were chosen for something they didn't really want but now they were the only thing that could save the world. It would be a lot for anyone to handle.
There wasn't a whole lot of history or world-building yet. I would have liked a little more at least. Maia wasn't too knowledgeable about why the world became filled with the Phantoms and where Effigies came from so I could understand having no big information moment. There were some moments where they were trying to figure out some mystery where we got some more information on Effigies but I'm hoping for more in the sequel.
Overall, it was an entertaining read and the action sequences were great.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated