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alicebme's review against another edition
3.0
Well, the way I see it, Bray has sort of two different things she does well: wacky and historical fantasy goth awesomeness. I prefer the latter, but I certainly appreciate the wacky that this book represents. This is likely because it's not weird for weird' s sake. There's a big fat feminist message in there, and it resonates with all the pissed off I personally feel about a woman's role in society. I went to a woman's college in undergrad, and I especially liked this quote from 177. "Maybe girls need an island to find themselves. Maybe they need a place where no one's watching them so they can be who they are." Fo sho.
protoman21's review against another edition
3.0
I have a lot of thoughts on this book, but I'm not sure I can express them all. I wanted something like Lord of the Flies or Hunger Games, but instead the story is a complete parody and I just couldn't take it seriously at all. Ok, maybe it isn't meant to be taken seriously, but with all of the political and social messages Libba Bray injects into the story it's hard to imagine that she doesn't want you to. The characters are so over the top it's hard to really connect with them and the "growth" they experience through the story is predictable at best. I'm also disturbed at some of the mixed messages she sends to young readers. Half the girls fall immediately in love with a guy on the island and then sleep with him within days. Some of them get their hearts broken and some end up happy, but the message is still rush rush rush into love, sex and everything else with no real consequences besides a broken heart (which couldn't be broken too bad since they only knew each other for a day or so). These things took away from the story for me and though there were some amusing moments, overall I was left disappointed.
goodem9199's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, this was so many things. Over-the-top. Ridiculous. Smart. Hysterical. Socially conscious. Did I mention, ridiculous? I would so love to be buds with Libba Bray.
chloexx's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
The story is okay, but the characters make up for everything else.
isabella1018's review against another edition
2.0
I was going to give it 1 star but I liked how all the girls grew and came to realize they are more than just bodies to be shown off. Overall, it was alright. I liked getting to know the different girls but it didn't leave a mark on me.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
2.0
Libba Bray suffered from a too many choices in what she could satire about this story, so instead of judiciously choosing a few, she chose to just squeeze them all into this 400 page book.
Gender Identification,
sexism in advertising,
the beauty industry,
beauty pageants,
politicians,
reality TV,
sexual double standards,
millennials general apathy to anything but the shallowest of topics
Is that enough? Because there were just so many more. The story got horribly bogged down. There is probably something to this writer, but this was not a good start for me.
Gender Identification,
sexism in advertising,
the beauty industry,
beauty pageants,
politicians,
reality TV,
sexual double standards,
millennials general apathy to anything but the shallowest of topics
Is that enough? Because there were just so many more. The story got horribly bogged down. There is probably something to this writer, but this was not a good start for me.
renuked's review against another edition
5.0
Freaking brilliant. It's funny, bold, and makes a thousand different points. An absolute favorite. Review to come.