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milkweedwitch's review against another edition
4.0
On a future version of the Earth where nature and animals are not revered and respected, but instead feared and destroyed, the entire planet’s population lives behind massive concrete walls to protect them from the Animal Plague. Into this dystopian world, in dreary future-London, twins Mika and Ellie are born and raised in the damp, moldy lower level of the city until one day Ellie goes missing. Everyone but Mika believes that Ellie is dead. When the Youth Development Foundation begins running a contest using video games, Mika knows that winning the contest is the only way to rescue his twin from the clutches of sinister Mal Gorman. As Mika moves through the contest levels, he discovers secrets that were never supposed to be revealed. Secrets that change lives and shake the very foundation upon which life behind the wall has been built.
The Roar by Emma Clayton is a fast-paced futuristic adventure with likable characters and an interesting setting. The Sci-Fi aspects are non-technical enough to appeal to those opposed or unfamiliar with the genre.
The Roar is a very kid-centric novel, which is a large part of its appeal. Parents take a back seat and while some might bristle at the portrayal of the parents as uninterested, naive, and oblivious, with the parents out of the way, the kids can take a more prevalent role, allowing them to not be in positions where adults can rush in and save them. This is a kids against the world story and that’s what makes it fun.
The Roar is also a nice social commentary on the treatment of the natural world, the influence of the media, and classism.
This entertaining novel has a wide-open ending, ripe for a sequel.
The Roar by Emma Clayton is a fast-paced futuristic adventure with likable characters and an interesting setting. The Sci-Fi aspects are non-technical enough to appeal to those opposed or unfamiliar with the genre.
The Roar is a very kid-centric novel, which is a large part of its appeal. Parents take a back seat and while some might bristle at the portrayal of the parents as uninterested, naive, and oblivious, with the parents out of the way, the kids can take a more prevalent role, allowing them to not be in positions where adults can rush in and save them. This is a kids against the world story and that’s what makes it fun.
The Roar is also a nice social commentary on the treatment of the natural world, the influence of the media, and classism.
This entertaining novel has a wide-open ending, ripe for a sequel.
icecreamjane's review against another edition
2.0
It was a pretty good story. It felt a little thrown together at parts. It felt long...
sun_god_aiden's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
i dont recomend it is long and not very entertaning
alexis_explored's review against another edition
5.0
Some people didn't like this book all that much, but I loved it. It's one of my all-time favorites. It's sort of crossed with the Hunger Games and mixed with Maximum Ride. Mutants and competing. Who can't love that? And don't forget to throw in some of Hidden Talents. This book is great and it touches me right here *points to heart*. It's of description and heart racing excitement.
carnisht's review against another edition
2.0
Way too slow for my liking and much too sci-fi. The story had an interesting concept, but it was too long winded and I couldn’t get into it at all.
airclay3's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! Forgot I read this book already and glad to remember it again! I loved it even more this time around, love the environmental aspect included in it!
gigidiva's review against another edition
5.0
i first read this book in 4th grade and rereading it now just amazes me in how its still so relevant. for a middle grade book, this is such an excellent analysis and criticism of classism and poverty. at moments is does read a bit childish and corny but that has more to do with the fact that im grown. i was eating this book up in 4th grade make no mistake.
i would give it 4 stars but when i think about how much this book meant to younger me and how this book was always such a source of comfort to me i genuinely can't give it any less than 5 stars.
mika joins the very short list of male protagonists i love very much. like yeah ny nostalgia is working wonders for my enjoyment of his character but idc
the full list being:
1. Percy Jackson
2. Henri Haltiwanger (charming as a verb)
3. Monty (gentleman's guide... you have to walk with me here ik its a bit unserious)
4. Mika
i would give it 4 stars but when i think about how much this book meant to younger me and how this book was always such a source of comfort to me i genuinely can't give it any less than 5 stars.
mika joins the very short list of male protagonists i love very much. like yeah ny nostalgia is working wonders for my enjoyment of his character but idc
the full list being:
1. Percy Jackson
2. Henri Haltiwanger (charming as a verb)
3. Monty (gentleman's guide... you have to walk with me here ik its a bit unserious)
4. Mika
librovert's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook comments at the end
I want to preface this by saying that the book is aimed for kids in grades 5-8 and it definitely felt more juvenile than young adult. There are explanations that are repeated throughout the book to facilitate the young reader and the prose definitely has a juvenile feel to it. If that's not something you like this probably isn't the book for you and you should move on.
That said, I really enjoyed The Roar. The world that Clayton created, though it did draw from some generic dystopian tropes, was unique and well-developed. Her characters are believable and had me rooting for them from the start. In addition to all that, I was never quite sure what was going to happen next. I had my ideas and most of them were close - but I was never 100% dead on.
My only complaint was that the pacing wasn't consistent. There are definitely some points in the book that seem to drag out for an unnecessary amount of time that I felt could have been shortened up a bit.
The sequel, The Whisper, was recently released and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of it. I get the feeling this will be a series to be read together as there are some major cliff hangers and some loose subplots that need tying up!
Audio: I thought Jane Collingwood was an excellent narrator. She had a great range of voices for the characters and the right amounts of emotion.
I want to preface this by saying that the book is aimed for kids in grades 5-8 and it definitely felt more juvenile than young adult. There are explanations that are repeated throughout the book to facilitate the young reader and the prose definitely has a juvenile feel to it. If that's not something you like this probably isn't the book for you and you should move on.
That said, I really enjoyed The Roar. The world that Clayton created, though it did draw from some generic dystopian tropes, was unique and well-developed. Her characters are believable and had me rooting for them from the start. In addition to all that, I was never quite sure what was going to happen next. I had my ideas and most of them were close - but I was never 100% dead on.
My only complaint was that the pacing wasn't consistent. There are definitely some points in the book that seem to drag out for an unnecessary amount of time that I felt could have been shortened up a bit.
The sequel, The Whisper, was recently released and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of it. I get the feeling this will be a series to be read together as there are some major cliff hangers and some loose subplots that need tying up!
Audio: I thought Jane Collingwood was an excellent narrator. She had a great range of voices for the characters and the right amounts of emotion.
kaydowning's review against another edition
1.0
I could not finish this book. It dragged on and on. I tried to finish this book as it is or was on a summer reading list for my school. Mika loses his twin, Ellie, and cannot cope with her loss. He believes she is still alive, and he must figure out how to find her through this pod fighting game. The author calls the parents by their first names throughout the book which is bothersome to me. No child calls their parents by their first names. The YDF changes the game from pod fighter to a diving and harpooning game. It dragged, and I could not stay interested.
debborahmay's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this! A definite page-turner for anyone who loves The Maze Runner or The Hunger Games series of books/films. Also, eerily predictive of the modern world and the way it could head if we aren't careful. Straight onto the sequel for me to find out what happens next. To be continued.......