Scan barcode
katiegrrrl's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! I loved how this ended and can’t wait for the next one! Arika can be hard to like for most of the book, though I understand why she is the way she is.
amysreading_nook's review against another edition
2.0
I would like to thank Titan Books who provided me with an ARC copy of this book for my honest review. All reviews and opinions discussed here are my own.
I did struggle with this book in all honesty. I found that there was quite a lack of world building and were just thrown in and told to make sense of what was going on. If I don't understand the world or the way it is built I really struggle to enjoy the book. I just couldn't quite find my feet with this world and at times it left me very confused and I had to skip back and forth every now and again.
One of the main reasons I rated this book a two is the characters. I am extremely character driven and if I don't connect with the characters in the book I can't connect with the story. I wasn't particularly gripped by any character or their arc during the book, and often I was just confused about their motivations. I did find myself very frustrated with Arika throughout and at times he just became slightly annoying. She was so focused on her own aims that I felt she was just a bit lost in the wind at times.
There's no denying that Gomillion is a beautiful writer and really thought out the plot. There are some really important themes explored throughout this book and I would recommend it to people even though I didn't really connect with it.
I did struggle with this book in all honesty. I found that there was quite a lack of world building and were just thrown in and told to make sense of what was going on. If I don't understand the world or the way it is built I really struggle to enjoy the book. I just couldn't quite find my feet with this world and at times it left me very confused and I had to skip back and forth every now and again.
One of the main reasons I rated this book a two is the characters. I am extremely character driven and if I don't connect with the characters in the book I can't connect with the story. I wasn't particularly gripped by any character or their arc during the book, and often I was just confused about their motivations. I did find myself very frustrated with Arika throughout and at times he just became slightly annoying. She was so focused on her own aims that I felt she was just a bit lost in the wind at times.
There's no denying that Gomillion is a beautiful writer and really thought out the plot. There are some really important themes explored throughout this book and I would recommend it to people even though I didn't really connect with it.
hotj1llypepper's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jozefsyndicate's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to turn the final page of "The Record Keeper" without experiencing a significant moment of reflection and revelation. To sum it up as a dystopian novel that examines race relations is minimizing. Agnes Gomillion delivers such a profoundly well-written, meticulously crafted epic debut in "The Record Keeper"--and you can bet you missed chunks of backstory, personal/cultural strife, intellectual deceit, character flaws, conflict after conflict.
Expect excited book club discussions and reader debates stemming from the themes on societal "rules", education, class-ism/colorism, and family/community. Even historical and present day references (i.e Niagara Compromise, war strategies, white-face, population control, international racism) will challenge readers to probe into whether beliefs and behaviors of groups of people--including their own--are forced, assimilated truths, or intentional deception of the "greater good." And what should happen when the answer is revealed? Warning, don't put "The Record Keeper" down.
4.5-stars. @JozefSyndicate #JozefBookandBrew
ARC received from Titan Books
Expect excited book club discussions and reader debates stemming from the themes on societal "rules", education, class-ism/colorism, and family/community. Even historical and present day references (i.e Niagara Compromise, war strategies, white-face, population control, international racism) will challenge readers to probe into whether beliefs and behaviors of groups of people--including their own--are forced, assimilated truths, or intentional deception of the "greater good." And what should happen when the answer is revealed? Warning, don't put "The Record Keeper" down.
4.5-stars. @JozefSyndicate #JozefBookandBrew
ARC received from Titan Books
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
The protagonist of Agnes Gomillion’s The Record Keeper, Arika Cobane, prides herself on her knowledge of the Compromise and the laws of a post-World War III world. She’s in the running to be valedictorian at the brutal school that is training her to be a Record Keeper, with her eyes on the prize of becoming a senator for the Kongo—a dark-skinned people who have mostly been relegated to slavery. She has been told all her life that Record Keepers are a step above the rest of the Kongo people. Arika has been told a lot of things, to be honest. It’s only now that she’s about to take her Final Exam that she finally has the blinders pulled off her head to see how much of what she’s been told are manipulative, racist lies...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
lu_wilson's review against another edition
4.0
“There were no fences in Cobane, they were considered barbaric. A properly trained worker respected the law – or, at least, he used to”
A fantastic, thrilling dystopia set in the aftermath of World War III. What is left of the southern-east coast of America is split into three factions where strict rules must be obeyed to ensure peace and the existence of the remaining human race. Arika has spent her childhood training for an elite position in society when a new student questions everything she thought she knew and believed in. Arika must choose between following what she thought was her dream or facing the impossible fight for liberation.
I was sent this book as part of the Willoughby book club, and it’s not one I had heard of before. I don’t usually go for sci-fi/dystopian genre’s, but I was gripped with this one. Whilst set in an imaginary future, the author is blatantly honest about racism, and draws on examples from both the present and that of the deep-south salve trade. It was refreshing and interesting to read such a sincere account of prejudice.
Arika’s character was one of strength, determination and integrity. Yet, she was not without her flaws and often showed self-doubt and fear, which made her all the more realistic and engaging. I was initially concerned that this would be another Hinger Games, but it turned out to be refreshingly different. It was dark and gritty, and worryingly believable – it would not be such a leap for this to be our very near future. I’m certainly looking forward to the next instalment, The Seed of Cain.
A fantastic, thrilling dystopia set in the aftermath of World War III. What is left of the southern-east coast of America is split into three factions where strict rules must be obeyed to ensure peace and the existence of the remaining human race. Arika has spent her childhood training for an elite position in society when a new student questions everything she thought she knew and believed in. Arika must choose between following what she thought was her dream or facing the impossible fight for liberation.
I was sent this book as part of the Willoughby book club, and it’s not one I had heard of before. I don’t usually go for sci-fi/dystopian genre’s, but I was gripped with this one. Whilst set in an imaginary future, the author is blatantly honest about racism, and draws on examples from both the present and that of the deep-south salve trade. It was refreshing and interesting to read such a sincere account of prejudice.
Arika’s character was one of strength, determination and integrity. Yet, she was not without her flaws and often showed self-doubt and fear, which made her all the more realistic and engaging. I was initially concerned that this would be another Hinger Games, but it turned out to be refreshingly different. It was dark and gritty, and worryingly believable – it would not be such a leap for this to be our very near future. I’m certainly looking forward to the next instalment, The Seed of Cain.
ariellediaz1227's review against another edition
4.0
This book was slow in the beginning, I really struggled to get into it. But once I did, it was off to the races. I knew about halfway through that the story was leading us to a second book, there was just so much going on that was unanswered. The story was so in parallel with the US history that I easily related it to the current political climate. I also love an unlikable narrator, Arika really was human. We all have our darkness and our light, she was relatable in that way. Also a product of her environment, so you couldn't be mad at the way she handled things but also you wanted to tell her to get her shit together. Can't wait to watch Arika grow into her power.
katymm's review against another edition
3.0
3.5* This debut tackles relevant topics and succeeds in its character depth, but the worldbuilding is scant and the plot meanders. I liked this well enough and may read more from this author, but The Record Keeper did not need to be 450+ pages.