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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Quick and easy read. It was just too shallow a story to be more than 3 stars. I didn’t get to know any of the characters very well, and the story happens so quickly. I think another 100 pages would’ve helped flesh it out. Overall interesting enough though.
The biggest disappointment in this book was the slow start, and believe me, it was slooooooooooow. For the first 100 pages or so Eli is just wandering around the Compound, talking about how their life is. It was interesting for a while, but you expect something to happen before 100 pages into the book.
Eli was another very annoying thing. I got that they Bodeen was trying to get the spoiled rich kid down but it was laid on way too thick. You can make someone a spoiled rich kid who's mainly looking out for himself and have him actually love his family, too. But instead he had absolutely no feelings for his family, and then when the major plot came into focus he instantly loved them with all his heart. It was like an instant transformation. Same thing with his touching fetish. One minute he hated to be touched and the next he was touching people constantly.
With these major flaws, it seems like this would be an awful book, but it actually turned out pretty good. The ending was slightly predictable but it was written well and I thought overall it was satisfying.
Eli was another very annoying thing. I got that they Bodeen was trying to get the spoiled rich kid down but it was laid on way too thick. You can make someone a spoiled rich kid who's mainly looking out for himself and have him actually love his family, too. But instead he had absolutely no feelings for his family, and then when the major plot came into focus he instantly loved them with all his heart. It was like an instant transformation. Same thing with his touching fetish. One minute he hated to be touched and the next he was touching people constantly.
With these major flaws, it seems like this would be an awful book, but it actually turned out pretty good. The ending was slightly predictable but it was written well and I thought overall it was satisfying.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexism, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great YA book (middle grades) to explore ethics and abuse of power.
When Eli's father ushers his family into an underground compound before a bomb goes off, the excitement is just beginning. Eli's twin brother didn't make it to the compound and got left outside with their grandmother. Inside, his secretive and controlling father is up to all sorts of no good.
This is the best book I've read in a LONG time. (And it is a Young Adult book.) I haven't read any "grown up" books that kept me turning pages like this one in quite some time.
This is the best book I've read in a LONG time. (And it is a Young Adult book.) I haven't read any "grown up" books that kept me turning pages like this one in quite some time.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting premise but the ending was really rushed.
Err ... the plot idea is pretty good and fairly unique, but the writing seems a bit immature and the characters pretty one dimensional. I was glad that it didn't take thousands of pages to reach only a semi-resolution and I would like to hear more from this author as she continues improving her writing.