Scan barcode
ravensandlace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
You can find this review and others like it at aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com
I’m really quite disappointed by this book. I truly thought it was going to be something different than what it was. I expected some truly thrilling dystopia or at the very least, some action/adventure but I didn’t get that at all. I had to go back and read the synopsis of this book because I write out my reviews and then type them out later. I couldn’t remember what this book was about. That’s how unremarkable this book was. I am not trying to be mean at all but when I don’t remember what a book is about and have to look it up, that is not a good sign.
One of my problems with this book was that I didn’t quite care of any of the characters. The main character, Jinx, was okay but I didn’t have any particular feelings for her. I didn’t bond with her even though she shared similar interests with me, such as being a gamer and interest in martial arts. She was just alright. *shrugs shoulders*
As for the other characters, they were meh. They were just there. They didn’t push the story forward. I couldn’t stand Mackenna, Jinx’s stepsister, for most of the book. She was whiny, nossy and very demanding along with being incredibly demeaning. She never listened to Jinx when it came to survival, even though Jinx clearly knew what she was talking about when it came to that. I was frustrated with her. The only positive about her was she was interested in politics, which you don’t see a lot of in young adults, especially for girls.
The political parties, Spark and Opposition, confused me and they were a big part of the plot of this book. I think the Opposition was bad but I really have no idea. I just got this big paragraph about the history of the Spark and Opposition. I didn’t retain much of it so during the whole book, I was pretty confused. It’s unfortunate because it would have been such a cool thing but when you info dump things like that, the reader isn’t going to get the information they need for the story to make sense.
One last thing that bugged me about this book was the potential love interest. I won’t say who it was is as to not spoil it for anybody wanting to read the book. Although, when I went to look up the synopsis of this book to do this review, the author herself named the love interest so I guess you all can find it on the Goodreads page if you truly want to know. But wow, did it feel incredibly forced. Jinx and the love interest had no real chemistry and barely knew each other. Why can’t there be a young adult action/adventure/dystopia book without a love interest? It’s so very tiring.
Okay, so overall, this wasn’t the worst book I’ve read but as you all could tell, I had a lot of problems with it. However, this book piqued my interest just enough that I might (and that’s a big miiiiiight) read the second book. I’m curious to know how it all will end. As for recommendations, if the problems I listed don’t bother you or they actually appeal to you (I won’t judge you, pinky promise), then have at it. Maybe this book will be right for you. It just wasn’t right for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
More...