Scan barcode
emilyusuallyreading's review
4.0
What I Liked
The dystopian world of Breeder is fascinating. Women rule this place, taking on every job and leaving men to rot in the Pit with "breeding" as their only responsibility. Historically, men were the causes of wars and fighting and destruction. So now men barely deserve to live. For YA fiction, this is a fun scenario and a good read. I read Breeder in a single sitting of about two or three hours because I was hooked. Hays is a good writer.
The characters portrayed here are interesting and all likable in their own way. There is Mona, the cold ruler who must have something horrific in her past to allow herself to transition from tenderness to cruelty in a heartbeat. There is Mia, the best friend who has found her place in this difficult world - and even if she's not quite content, she doesn't see the problems the way that Kate does. There is Diana, who has endured unspeakable damage. And there is the Woman who secretly taught Kate how to read (why didn't we ever learn more about who she was...??). I was intrigued by Justin and Jesse (Max didn't exist much). And Ian... yes, Ian was a dream. The perfect YA hero dreamy love interest. I could read about Ian forever.
I love a good YA novel that doesn't contain graphic sex or gratuitous cussing because "teens do that stuff so how could they possibly go without reading it?" Sometimes YA fiction is littered with far more swear words than adult fiction because it's classified as a YA thing. Breeder is clean of profanity, and even though the subject matter is obviously mature, there aren't explicit sex scenes. And I appreciate that.
What I Didn't Like
I love Jesus and don't mind a well-written piece of Christian fiction. I wasn't expecting this to be Christian fiction... and it wasn't. I don't think. That's what was confusing. Before the first chapter is Isaiah 25 in its entirety, and at the start of every chapter was a verse. Romans 1:25, Micah 6:8, etc. And I really never saw the connection in this. The members of the Village believe in astrology and the Fates. Everyone's destiny is determined by the set of the stars. The Archer decided that Kate would be a breeder, which meant that she would mate with men (the outcasts imprisoned in the Pit until they're no longer useful) - and it doesn't matter if Kate wants to be a breeder or not. Few people in the Village actually seem to believe in the Fates (except for Mona herself), and ultimately Kate's decision-making shows that there isn't a set destiny for her... or is there? With the Bible verses placed all through the text, I was confident that there would be a shocking reveal that Fate wasn't real because God was, but there never was. If anything, the "religious" characters were left looking a little bit ridiculous or all-around corrupt. And the characters who wanted their own free will apart from the stars religion were the ones who seemed intelligent. So, as happy as I was to see Bible verses in a YA book, I never really understood why they were there.
At times, this world contradicts itself. This is a feminist society. Women are the rulers, the warriors, the jailers, the everything... and yet women don't have control over their own bodies when it comes to sex. Another example is how dictatorial Mona and the Council are supposed to be, yet how open people can be about their distaste of them, like Diana, for example. To me, it's weird that there are books about good men in the library at all, even if only accessible by teachers.
I found a handful textual errors. Mostly punctuation, but once there was the word "was" instead of "what." Not huge problems, but an issue with the editor and not with the author herself.
I wish I could have a little more world-building. Like I said above, I loved the idea of this dystopian world. If it's been done before, I sure don't know about anything like it. The all-female Village is an interesting concept to me and Hays created an enjoyable story. I just wish I knew more about why this world got to be the way it is.
(By the way, some of my answers to my questions here might be answered in future books, which I would be interested in reading - but in terms of world-building and Scripture placement and etc, I would like Breeder to stand out as a story arc on its own. For the most part, it does that job.)
The dystopian world of Breeder is fascinating. Women rule this place, taking on every job and leaving men to rot in the Pit with "breeding" as their only responsibility. Historically, men were the causes of wars and fighting and destruction. So now men barely deserve to live. For YA fiction, this is a fun scenario and a good read. I read Breeder in a single sitting of about two or three hours because I was hooked. Hays is a good writer.
The characters portrayed here are interesting and all likable in their own way. There is Mona, the cold ruler who must have something horrific in her past to allow herself to transition from tenderness to cruelty in a heartbeat. There is Mia, the best friend who has found her place in this difficult world - and even if she's not quite content, she doesn't see the problems the way that Kate does. There is Diana, who has endured unspeakable damage. And there is the Woman who secretly taught Kate how to read (why didn't we ever learn more about who she was...??). I was intrigued by Justin and Jesse (Max didn't exist much). And Ian... yes, Ian was a dream. The perfect YA hero dreamy love interest. I could read about Ian forever.
I love a good YA novel that doesn't contain graphic sex or gratuitous cussing because "teens do that stuff so how could they possibly go without reading it?" Sometimes YA fiction is littered with far more swear words than adult fiction because it's classified as a YA thing. Breeder is clean of profanity, and even though the subject matter is obviously mature, there aren't explicit sex scenes. And I appreciate that.
What I Didn't Like
I love Jesus and don't mind a well-written piece of Christian fiction. I wasn't expecting this to be Christian fiction... and it wasn't. I don't think. That's what was confusing. Before the first chapter is Isaiah 25 in its entirety, and at the start of every chapter was a verse. Romans 1:25, Micah 6:8, etc. And I really never saw the connection in this. The members of the Village believe in astrology and the Fates. Everyone's destiny is determined by the set of the stars. The Archer decided that Kate would be a breeder, which meant that she would mate with men (the outcasts imprisoned in the Pit until they're no longer useful) - and it doesn't matter if Kate wants to be a breeder or not. Few people in the Village actually seem to believe in the Fates (except for Mona herself), and ultimately Kate's decision-making shows that there isn't a set destiny for her... or is there? With the Bible verses placed all through the text, I was confident that there would be a shocking reveal that Fate wasn't real because God was, but there never was. If anything, the "religious" characters were left looking a little bit ridiculous or all-around corrupt. And the characters who wanted their own free will apart from the stars religion were the ones who seemed intelligent. So, as happy as I was to see Bible verses in a YA book, I never really understood why they were there.
At times, this world contradicts itself. This is a feminist society. Women are the rulers, the warriors, the jailers, the everything... and yet women don't have control over their own bodies when it comes to sex. Another example is how dictatorial Mona and the Council are supposed to be, yet how open people can be about their distaste of them, like Diana, for example. To me, it's weird that there are books about good men in the library at all, even if only accessible by teachers.
I found a handful textual errors. Mostly punctuation, but once there was the word "was" instead of "what." Not huge problems, but an issue with the editor and not with the author herself.
I wish I could have a little more world-building. Like I said above, I loved the idea of this dystopian world. If it's been done before, I sure don't know about anything like it. The all-female Village is an interesting concept to me and Hays created an enjoyable story. I just wish I knew more about why this world got to be the way it is.
(By the way, some of my answers to my questions here might be answered in future books, which I would be interested in reading - but in terms of world-building and Scripture placement and etc, I would like Breeder to stand out as a story arc on its own. For the most part, it does that job.)
emmarj's review
1.0
Nooooope. This boy is captured and thrown in a jail cell, right? Then this girl is forced to spend 3 days and 3 nights with him against her will for purposes of procreation, okay? The first night she's allowed to go back home, she can't sleep because she misses him sooo much.
This is the grossest case of instalove I've ever read.
I was doubly out when she says to him, "I know it seems crazy." Really? How do you know that? Prior to meeting this boy FOUR DAYS AGO you had no idea any human beings even existed outside of your village and way of life so... Why would it seem crazy? Illogical and infuriating.
This is the grossest case of instalove I've ever read.
I was doubly out when she says to him, "I know it seems crazy." Really? How do you know that? Prior to meeting this boy FOUR DAYS AGO you had no idea any human beings even existed outside of your village and way of life so... Why would it seem crazy? Illogical and infuriating.
belindaclemons_123's review
5.0
This was a really good Christian/Dystopian book. On the Day of her 16th birthday Kate is assigned to be a Breeder by Mona and the 12 Council members,something she really doesn't want,and speaking out she is forced by the leader of the Village Mona to stay in the Pit for three days instead of the required hour.
When sent to the Pit to meet her mate Ian instead of mating they talk. Ian isn't what he seems he isn't from Kate's village he's from Eden another village far away from hers. Kate starts falling in love with Ian and helps plan his escape.
Mona keeps telling Kate that she is special, having had a higher learning experience by being able to read all the books in the library, and finally tells her that she's been picked to be the next leader. I'm really happy with Mona's outcome, I really disliked her she killed innocent people and babies I can say I actually hated her,in this first book she got her just desserts. I really loved this book and can't wait to read book 2 The Archer
When sent to the Pit to meet her mate Ian instead of mating they talk. Ian isn't what he seems he isn't from Kate's village he's from Eden another village far away from hers. Kate starts falling in love with Ian and helps plan his escape.
Mona keeps telling Kate that she is special, having had a higher learning experience by being able to read all the books in the library, and finally tells her that she's been picked to be the next leader. I'm really happy with Mona's outcome, I really disliked her she killed innocent people and babies I can say I actually hated her,in this first book she got her just desserts. I really loved this book and can't wait to read book 2 The Archer
meganpyper's review
4.0
Breeder is the first book in Casey Hays YA, dystopian series called the arrows flight. Breeder is post apocalyptic and offers a unique storyline of a dystopian society in which woman dominate a village. The men are considered "stock"and live the "pit", an uncomfortable cramped to put it frankly prison cell. The woman however have different jobs but they are determined by fate. The main protagonist, Kate has been chosen to become a breeder meaning that she will produce offspring with the "stock" for the rest of her life. She rebels hating the idea of being used and is determined to not become just another woman in the village. Breeder offers suspense, romance, humor and has a small theme of catholic beliefs within the novel. Personally I thought this book was really good, it was young adult as stated and kept me guessing a lot of the time. Casey's writing style gives an equal amount of dialogue and scenery describing and is overall enjoyable to read.I am excited to read the next installment of this and see where the story goes.
lina_reads's review
2.0
Yo can also find this review on my blog: The Little Book Pixie
*I recieved a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
This book for some reason didn’t work for me; it really never captured my attention, I didn’t really like the characters.
What I liked:
-World building: unlike many dystopias I’ve read this book actually explains why and what things happened to the world as we knew it. The concept of a village runs by women and with men only used as breeders was a very good idea.
-Mona: she is the leader of the village which she rules with an iron fist; as far as oppressive leaders go she is a pretty well written one.
What I didn’t like
-The use of biblical passages: this really didn’t work for me I really think the book didn’t need them.
-Kate being very naïve at times. You live in a village where absolute obedience is expected yet she thinks her leader is going to change her profession just because Kate wants her to.
-I don’t really think this book was for young adult even if the characters were 16, I would recommend it to an older audience.
I’m willing to give Breeder the benefit of the doubt and call it one of those books you have to be in a certain mood to enjoy.
*I recieved a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
This book for some reason didn’t work for me; it really never captured my attention, I didn’t really like the characters.
What I liked:
-World building: unlike many dystopias I’ve read this book actually explains why and what things happened to the world as we knew it. The concept of a village runs by women and with men only used as breeders was a very good idea.
-Mona: she is the leader of the village which she rules with an iron fist; as far as oppressive leaders go she is a pretty well written one.
What I didn’t like
-The use of biblical passages: this really didn’t work for me I really think the book didn’t need them.
-Kate being very naïve at times. You live in a village where absolute obedience is expected yet she thinks her leader is going to change her profession just because Kate wants her to.
-I don’t really think this book was for young adult even if the characters were 16, I would recommend it to an older audience.
I’m willing to give Breeder the benefit of the doubt and call it one of those books you have to be in a certain mood to enjoy.
abitcloudy's review
5.0
Today is Kate's 16th birthday, the day she is to become a Breeder. In her village, the ways of the Council and Fate must be followed. Kate mostly does her duties among the other women. The problem is... Kate doesn't want to be a breeder. She wants to defy Fate and be her own person. On this day her world changes and she begins to learn there is more to life and the outside world then she could imagine.
More...