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tronella's review
3.0
I received this ebook through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme.
A steampunk/dystopia novel, which seems to be a winning combination for me. The protagonist suffered from a few moments of plot-necessary stupidity but otherwise this was a very enjoyable and well-paced story.
A steampunk/dystopia novel, which seems to be a winning combination for me. The protagonist suffered from a few moments of plot-necessary stupidity but otherwise this was a very enjoyable and well-paced story.
mscoutj's review against another edition
3.0
Engn is a mashup between two of the hottest trends in young adult fiction right now: dystopian worlds and steampunk. The titular Engn is both a city and a machine. The machine needs feeding and a la the reaping of The Hunger Games Ironclads go out to outlying districts and capture local teens to support the machine. One such is Finn, mistakenly assured he was exempt as his sister had previously been taken. Finn and his two best friends, Connor and Diane, all are taken to Engn after having made a vow to destroy the city if ever taken. The story details Finn's time of capture and his years in Engn, always scheming to keep that promise. The question becomes, will Diane and Connor live up to their vows as well?
harveyjoy53's review against another edition
3.0
I was really intrigued by this book because of the synopsis and the beautiful cover. I had high hopes but I soon realized this book would not be one for me. The writing itself was well done (there were only a few errors that I think are caused by kindle formating errors) and descriptive enough to easily picture the world Kewin had created. The characters were realistic and believable and there were times when I was rooting for one or scowling at another.
I was really intrigued about the city of Engn. What was it’s purpose? Why were these people taken from their homes, never to be seen again? Would Finn and Connor be able to destroy Engn? I kept reading the book to see if the answers to those questions were answered. But the story felt dragged on and really boring at times. I liked that it started with an action scene and then went back to tell Finn’s story of how he got from point A to B while he is being transported to Engn, but then when he arrived there were many parts that just feel dull. On a few occasions I felt myself falling asleep while reading it. But still I kept on because I really wanted to know why is Engn there and why did it all start? Sadly I would never learn the answer to my burning question. Especially near the end I had a sinking feeling I would never get my answer. The story started to just feel dragged on and on. Not getting to know the reason that Engn was around (which I felt was the entire point of the book because they want to destroy it because people are being taken there AND YOU NEVER LEARN WHY) was the nail in the coffin for me not liking the book (and the reason it will not be getting a full 3 star review).
It ended up not being my cup of tea, but by all means try it out if it sounds like something you’d enjoy.
My Rating: ★★.5
I was really intrigued about the city of Engn. What was it’s purpose? Why were these people taken from their homes, never to be seen again? Would Finn and Connor be able to destroy Engn? I kept reading the book to see if the answers to those questions were answered. But the story felt dragged on and really boring at times. I liked that it started with an action scene and then went back to tell Finn’s story of how he got from point A to B while he is being transported to Engn, but then when he arrived there were many parts that just feel dull. On a few occasions I felt myself falling asleep while reading it. But still I kept on because I really wanted to know why is Engn there and why did it all start? Sadly I would never learn the answer to my burning question. Especially near the end I had a sinking feeling I would never get my answer. The story started to just feel dragged on and on. Not getting to know the reason that Engn was around (which I felt was the entire point of the book because they want to destroy it because people are being taken there AND YOU NEVER LEARN WHY) was the nail in the coffin for me not liking the book (and the reason it will not be getting a full 3 star review).
It ended up not being my cup of tea, but by all means try it out if it sounds like something you’d enjoy.
My Rating: ★★.5
carolikesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted at: A Girl that Likes Books
Why I read this book?
I received this book as part of the LybraryThing Early Review and here is my review.
What's the book about?
The book tells us the story of Finn, a boy who grew up in a peasant society with the fear of being taken to Engn, a frightening place, full of machines, dark spirited men and uncertain perspectives of ever coming out again. As a I child, Finn sworn to destroy the very heart of it if ever he was to be taken in.
What was the thing I liked the most?
I enjoyed the relationships built in the book, Finn and his family, with the woman in charge of communications and with his best friends, Diane and Connor.
What about the main character?
Finn is a boy that has settled his mind in doing what he promised, always. While this is a very nice quality, he is also stubborn in his ways. It pays off, sure, but I felt like there was no growth of the character, he was always right, he did no wrong. He is also very loyal to the people he loves, and also very bright. He is a good character, but as I mentioned he is a bit one dimensional and that makes him predictable.
Final thoughts
A lot of people said this is a steam punk/dystopian book, but I'm not sure about the steam punk part; yes there are some machines mentioned, I mean the name of the book references engines, but the whole steam part was not that big (not to my eyes) I would call it more industrial than steam punk, and even so. I'm also not sure it is settled on Earth, because at a certain point they talk about 18 hours shifts and called it half a day. Not that the book was suposed to be on Earth, but it was just never fully explained...but that's just tiny details.
As for the story itself, I thought the premise was interesting, but the whole machine world was not exploited (in my opinion) it served more like a background; I kept thinking that a similar situation for the characters could've taken place without the machine idea.
The end was ok, not very exciting and unfortunately presented a lot of questions that were never answered, questions that would've given the whole machine perspective a better "aftertaste" for me.
Why I read this book?
I received this book as part of the LybraryThing Early Review and here is my review.
What's the book about?
The book tells us the story of Finn, a boy who grew up in a peasant society with the fear of being taken to Engn, a frightening place, full of machines, dark spirited men and uncertain perspectives of ever coming out again. As a I child, Finn sworn to destroy the very heart of it if ever he was to be taken in.
What was the thing I liked the most?
I enjoyed the relationships built in the book, Finn and his family, with the woman in charge of communications and with his best friends, Diane and Connor.
What about the main character?
Finn is a boy that has settled his mind in doing what he promised, always. While this is a very nice quality, he is also stubborn in his ways. It pays off, sure, but I felt like there was no growth of the character, he was always right, he did no wrong. He is also very loyal to the people he loves, and also very bright. He is a good character, but as I mentioned he is a bit one dimensional and that makes him predictable.
Final thoughts
A lot of people said this is a steam punk/dystopian book, but I'm not sure about the steam punk part; yes there are some machines mentioned, I mean the name of the book references engines, but the whole steam part was not that big (not to my eyes) I would call it more industrial than steam punk, and even so. I'm also not sure it is settled on Earth, because at a certain point they talk about 18 hours shifts and called it half a day. Not that the book was suposed to be on Earth, but it was just never fully explained...but that's just tiny details.
As for the story itself, I thought the premise was interesting, but the whole machine world was not exploited (in my opinion) it served more like a background; I kept thinking that a similar situation for the characters could've taken place without the machine idea.
The end was ok, not very exciting and unfortunately presented a lot of questions that were never answered, questions that would've given the whole machine perspective a better "aftertaste" for me.
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