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calamitywindpetal's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Gun violence and Death
haley49's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really liked the dystopian genre lately and this fit the bill. I enjoyed the characters and how they all had their own strengths. I think it did a great job of implying that real world isn’t too far off, even if it was a bit hand-fisted in with it’s main theme(s).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Racism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Homophobia
kc_onmybookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Really important and powerful topics. Good characters, though I wish they'd had a little more development.
It felt like maybe this book had a rushed editing process because there were quite a few errors or storyline inconsistencies and some things felt rushed.
It felt like maybe this book had a rushed editing process because there were quite a few errors or storyline inconsistencies and some things felt rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Death
1quillb's review
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book has a really good idea attached to it, but was executed very poorly. The editing needs some work—at one point Marco is referred to as Jamal by the narrator, and there’s a couple strange spellings of words—and the whole idea isn’t very believable. If a giant impenetrable dome surrounded a city and martial law went into affect, things like clubs and hotels wouldn’t still be open. That’s just not realistic. It would be like the Purge, not a regular Tuesday. I appreciate what Jackson was trying to do, it just wasn’t written in a way that made sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Hate crime, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Violence, Classism, and Blood
Minor: Classism, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Cursing, Death, and Gun violence
noahelijah's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The idea really intrigued me and this was a really anticipated release for me.
Sadly I’m a bit disappointed… I liked reading a very plot driven, fast paced book for once since I usually like to read more character driven books. But this was hard for me to go through. I didn’t connect to the characters at all. I do like Jamal and his thoughts and motivations but after the fourth time of him telling us, he wants to become a journalist I just couldn’t help getting a bit annoyed, because I got it! Anyways I like the concept but couldn’t feel any chemistry between any characters. Not just the romance but also platonic characters. I felt like there was so much potential for some relationships that weren’t explored later on. And it left me feeling like I don’t even get why these characters were introduced. The fast pacing turned into rushing towards the ending, which was surprising not in a positive way.
I really wanted to enjoy this but I hoped for more.
Sadly I’m a bit disappointed… I liked reading a very plot driven, fast paced book for once since I usually like to read more character driven books. But this was hard for me to go through. I didn’t connect to the characters at all. I do like Jamal and his thoughts and motivations but after the fourth time of him telling us, he wants to become a journalist I just couldn’t help getting a bit annoyed, because I got it! Anyways I like the concept but couldn’t feel any chemistry between any characters. Not just the romance but also platonic characters. I felt like there was so much potential for some relationships that weren’t explored later on. And it left me feeling like I don’t even get why these characters were introduced. The fast pacing turned into rushing towards the ending, which was surprising not in a positive way.
I really wanted to enjoy this but I hoped for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Death
pey333's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Classism, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Cursing, Hate crime, and Murder
Minor: Racial slurs
taliahsbookshelf's review
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
TL;DR: Ehhh. I think I would recommend this to everyone, but with the expectation to not expect anything going into it.
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It had a powerful narrative surrounding the struggles of POC in America, particularly when faced with police violence. Starting even before the very first word of the novel itself is read, readers are forced to confront, and acknowledge, the names of Black Americans who have died at the hands of the police. Pages upon pages, written in harsh reality, this can’t, and shouldn’t be ignored.
I do think everyone and their grandma should read this book, primarily because it provides a stark view into the reality of police violence and the structures of power that make this a continuous fight. Reading from the perspective of a Black gay teenager fighting to get the truth out there was poignant and moving.
However, I think that was the end of the power of this book for me. While that part of the story felt well written, pointed, and impactful, the story itself fell flat. I didn’t find myself connecting to any of the characters except Jamal, who is telling the story from a first-person perspective. But even Jamal drove me absolutely insane. I get it. He’s a journalist. Thank you. I am aware, and I was aware the first ten times. Plus the writing wasn’t well-edited, and missing punctuation, random capitalization, and pretty glaring misspellings made immersion jumpy at best, and impossible at worst.
I think I could have gotten over my immersion issues if it weren’t the lack of believability for the ending. I’m sorry, but what? I won’t spoil it, but I’m just confused. The direction taken with three teenagers was absurd, and I just don’t see in what world that would actually happen. In a normal novel, there is some expectation you can suspend belief, at least for a little while. But this? It just felt over the top and completely outside the realm of reason. The ending could have been so much more powerful, and instead felt like it was intentionally faulty for the possibility of seeing a sequel that isn’t needed.
Overall, it was one of those reads where the reasoning behind writing it will stick with me. There’s pretty important language surrounding POC voices and the police brutality that gets excused by people in power. The story wasn’t the best, but it’s still something I would recommend to people.
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It had a powerful narrative surrounding the struggles of POC in America, particularly when faced with police violence. Starting even before the very first word of the novel itself is read, readers are forced to confront, and acknowledge, the names of Black Americans who have died at the hands of the police. Pages upon pages, written in harsh reality, this can’t, and shouldn’t be ignored.
I do think everyone and their grandma should read this book, primarily because it provides a stark view into the reality of police violence and the structures of power that make this a continuous fight. Reading from the perspective of a Black gay teenager fighting to get the truth out there was poignant and moving.
However, I think that was the end of the power of this book for me. While that part of the story felt well written, pointed, and impactful, the story itself fell flat. I didn’t find myself connecting to any of the characters except Jamal, who is telling the story from a first-person perspective. But even Jamal drove me absolutely insane. I get it. He’s a journalist. Thank you. I am aware, and I was aware the first ten times. Plus the writing wasn’t well-edited, and missing punctuation, random capitalization, and pretty glaring misspellings made immersion jumpy at best, and impossible at worst.
I think I could have gotten over my immersion issues if it weren’t the lack of believability for the ending. I’m sorry, but what? I won’t spoil it, but I’m just confused. The direction taken with three teenagers was absurd, and I just don’t see in what world that would actually happen. In a normal novel, there is some expectation you can suspend belief, at least for a little while. But this? It just felt over the top and completely outside the realm of reason. The ending could have been so much more powerful, and instead felt like it was intentionally faulty for the possibility of seeing a sequel that isn’t needed.
Overall, it was one of those reads where the reasoning behind writing it will stick with me. There’s pretty important language surrounding POC voices and the police brutality that gets excused by people in power. The story wasn’t the best, but it’s still something I would recommend to people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Racism
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! This book was on my radar after reading Kosoko Jackson's book, Yesterday Is History, and it hits all of the right notes. If you're looking for a timely YA book that highlights real world issues, this is the book for you!
Kosoko Jackson has a really easy to read writing style that's fast paced and pulls you along in the story. This specifically works well for this particular story, because everything is happening at a rate that adds stress and anxiety to the characters. What also makes this book work well is the fact that (unfortunately) this is something you could see playing out today. Which honestly makes it feel all the more real.
While the writing and story is relevant, some of the dialog and other writing elements could have used a bit of tweaking. Some of the conversations between characters just didn't feel realistic to me, and I wanted a bit more character development in the story. It felt like, at times, there was more telling than showing. But I do think that's something that gets better the more that you write!
All in all, this is a fast-paced, dystopian-esque story that will definitely get you thinking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Confinement, and Police brutality
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Blood, Child abuse, and Death
sarahmreads's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Jamal is a journalist from his local high school set on using photos from a Black Lives Matter protest to help push his application for colleges. However, the last thing anyone expects is for a massive dome to encompass all of Baltimore and leave everyone there victim to the police inside. Through the help of unlikely allies and determination, Jamal will have to find a way to make it out alive and bring the dome down.
This story is set in our world, but more futuristic, where advanced technologies make it more possible for institutionalized racism to be carried out. As a result, this story is slammed with a lot of powerful messages and images that need to be heard. However, because these make up a majority of the book, it does make it extremely heavy emotionally, and I highly recommend reading this if you feel you are emotionally and mentally prepared for this kind of book.
As dark as it is, I really loved the concept. The horrifying reality of what this kind of situation would be like and the repercussions it would have on marginalized communities was terrifying to think about, that in some world, this could be our future. Reading how cops and higher authorities treated the characters of color was disgusting and immediately threw me back to June 2020 when all the protests occurred and how things took a turn for the worse when cops got involved. It could be our future, and sometimes even fictionalized renditions of real life events have just as powerful as an impact, which I felt this did. However, I will say I cannot speak to the accuracy of this representation of police brutality and racism as I am not a person of color, and instead push you to read reviews from people of color and marginalized communities to understand the quality of the representation.
When it came to characters, they felt pretty two-dimensional for me. Jamal had his moments that broke through from this, but otherwise he read to me, especially at the beginning, as just being defined by the fact that he is a journalist and he needs to break down the truth. I'm a journalist and I also understand that drive. However, it's not something that fully defines a person, and I felt it was Jamal's main character trait for a while. He breaks away from it a bit at the end, which I liked. Catherine was absolutely badass, and I liked Marco. I will admit that I wasn't a huge fan of the romance between Jamal and Marco, and felt the story could have been better off without it, even though it never took a major forefront of the story.
The ending for me felt... kind of anticlimactic? It's weird for me to describe. I don't want to say it was predictable but it kind of was? I like how it doesn't end with "racism is solved hooray" because that will take so long to fix. It gives us and the characters this hope that they'll be able to make a bigger difference, and maybe sets up for a sequel but I don't think this book needs it. But a part of me also thought it went too smoothly. I don't want to get into too much without reaching into spoiler territory, but it felt like the ending could have been more solid.
Survive the Dome is a powerful, jaw-dropping story about community, love, power, and the brutality of the real world we find ourselves in.
I received a copy of this story as an e-ARC from NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This story is set in our world, but more futuristic, where advanced technologies make it more possible for institutionalized racism to be carried out. As a result, this story is slammed with a lot of powerful messages and images that need to be heard. However, because these make up a majority of the book, it does make it extremely heavy emotionally, and I highly recommend reading this if you feel you are emotionally and mentally prepared for this kind of book.
As dark as it is, I really loved the concept. The horrifying reality of what this kind of situation would be like and the repercussions it would have on marginalized communities was terrifying to think about, that in some world, this could be our future. Reading how cops and higher authorities treated the characters of color was disgusting and immediately threw me back to June 2020 when all the protests occurred and how things took a turn for the worse when cops got involved. It could be our future, and sometimes even fictionalized renditions of real life events have just as powerful as an impact, which I felt this did. However, I will say I cannot speak to the accuracy of this representation of police brutality and racism as I am not a person of color, and instead push you to read reviews from people of color and marginalized communities to understand the quality of the representation.
When it came to characters, they felt pretty two-dimensional for me. Jamal had his moments that broke through from this, but otherwise he read to me, especially at the beginning, as just being defined by the fact that he is a journalist and he needs to break down the truth. I'm a journalist and I also understand that drive. However, it's not something that fully defines a person, and I felt it was Jamal's main character trait for a while. He breaks away from it a bit at the end, which I liked. Catherine was absolutely badass, and I liked Marco. I will admit that I wasn't a huge fan of the romance between Jamal and Marco, and felt the story could have been better off without it, even though it never took a major forefront of the story.
The ending for me felt... kind of anticlimactic? It's weird for me to describe. I don't want to say it was predictable but it kind of was? I like how it doesn't end with "racism is solved hooray" because that will take so long to fix. It gives us and the characters this hope that they'll be able to make a bigger difference, and maybe sets up for a sequel but I don't think this book needs it. But a part of me also thought it went too smoothly. I don't want to get into too much without reaching into spoiler territory, but it felt like the ending could have been more solid.
Survive the Dome is a powerful, jaw-dropping story about community, love, power, and the brutality of the real world we find ourselves in.
I received a copy of this story as an e-ARC from NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
jadekling's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
content warnings about, but an absolutely phenomenal book I devoured.
Content Warnings
Minor: Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Gun violence, Death, Blood, Violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Confinement