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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I preordered this book in APRIL. That's how excited I was. Unfortunately, when I got it, I was really worried about not liking it, since I loved the original Uglies series so much, but THIS DIDN'T DISAPPOINT, THANK YOU SCOTT WESTERFELD. I'm gonna get kinda fangirl-y in this review, and I haven't reviewed a book thoroughly in a while.
First off, I loved the characters. It took a little longer to get used to them, especially since they weren't Tally and co, but I still eventually fell in love with them. They have forever imprinted themselves on me. Frey was such a great main character, and she's so cool, but it's not like, "I'm a badass female that can kill and stuff, so I don't have any feelings because that's what makes me a strong female lead." She was REAL, and had feelings. She didn't always know what to do, and she wasn't perfect, but it's not like she was imperfect in a perfect way, you feel me? I feel like in YA books, characters started to become imperfect, but then there started to be a format for the imperfect main character, but Frey wasn't that. I also reallllllyyyyyy liked Rafi and I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER. She seems really 2D at first, but her character gets built really well even though she wasn't even focused on that much. Col and his brother Teo were great. I feel like they weren't just there to play a role for the book, and Teo was honestly so realistic for his age. Whenever authors add a younger sibling, I feel like they're portrayed as so young and naive, and while they may be to a certain extent, these 11 and 12 year olds feel like 7 or 8 years old. (sorry if my grammar was incorrect, i can't figure out a way to word it) Of course, this isn't to discredit Col. He didn't fall under this certain stereotype that I can't say because of spoilers, but I will say he didn't change as much as some of the other characters.
The plot was insane. I read this book in one sitting, and I haven't done that in the longest time. While, I have been getting better at predicting the plot (which makes books worse for me sometimes), this book took so many twists and turns that I just forgot about trying to feel the book out, and I just enjoyed it. I can't tell you how often I read the story, but I never get fully immersed in the story, because it doesn't have that extra push, and I just end up reading it to eventually review it. While I haven't been reading or reviewing as much as before, I have noticed that as I review more, the way I read changes. It's not always a bad change, but it takes more for a book to just get me to enjoy it.
The writing style was honestly just fine, but I feel like I don't read books for their writing style, but it's often a reason I don't read books. I find that I don't really enjoy a certain writing style a lot, so if I don't hate it, I'm probably going to continue reading that book. An important part of books is "showing, not telling", because that definitely puts you in the scene so much better, as if you're with the characters, or viewing everything from a bird's eye view, and Scott Westerfeld definitely did that. I felt like the descriptions weren't so heavy that I had to double check it, which is not ideal for me, but I could read and get a full picture of what was going on the first time reading it. ]
If you haven't read the Uglies series, you do not have to read it to read the "follow-up" series. There are some parts that allude to the first series (although they're technically the same series), and you might understand it if you've read them, you can still figure out what's going on. If you've read Uglies, and loved it, I highly recommend this book, but even if you didn't like it this much, I still think you should try it, because it doesn't rely heavily on the original series, and it's not dystopian, if you've grown tired of that.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, there was almost nothing that I could say wasn't good, which I try to do, but I legitimately couldn't find or think of anything that ticked me off. I'm so glad I decided to push aside my fear and just read this book, because it just made me happy, and I felt some semblance of relaxation from my busy life and I could escape reality. And in the end, isn't that why we all read books?
2022 Reread!!
I have a lot of thoughts. I was almost scared to reread this book, since it has been awhile since I first read it, and not only have several years passed, I've also changed and grown a lot. Idk, it's weird to not really read for three years and then return to reading. I will say though, that reading my review was almost as interesting as rereading the book. I really enjoyed seeing what past me had to say about the book, and seeing what current me agrees with and disagrees with. For me, I'd knock down the rating to a 4.5 star, but rounded up to a 5 star. I still really enjoyed it, which I was happy about, and somewhat relieved. I think when I was younger, not only was I less critical of what I read, I was also kind of scared of not liking a book by my favorite author. I tried to put that all behind me this time as I read it.
Surprisingly enough, I really did not remember any major plot points from the book, which was refreshing, because it was like I was encountering all the twists and turns for the first time, which made it just as fun. But that also means that I have awful memory or something, because I thought I would have remembered a bit more.
Starting off with some things I didn't like. Mentions of Tally Youngblood seemed to be forced a little bit too much for my taste, especially at the beginning of the book. While I do enjoy an easter egg or two, I think it would've been more effective if they were sparse and more like hints, rather than in your face. And while it was somewhat of a negative for me, I will also say that the idea of reading about Tally again is exciting, because I grew up with her in my favorite book series of all time. I wish the tease was a little more subtle, but it makes me more excited for the future books in this series.
The romance was not my favorite, and I am coming to the conclusion that I just really like a good slow-burn and not much else. I think it would've been so much more satisfying to read a more drawn out enemies-to-lovers, but instead, it happened all kind of quickly, leaving me wondering how they even fell in love in the first place. Some more tension and witty banter would have been fun. It's a little cheesy, but nothing that I couldn't stand, and I also figured that I'm starting to grow out of YA's intended age range, so I just had fun with it.
Some things I absolutely LOVED:
I loved the pacing of the story. I seem to enjoy fast paced books, and this book definitely delivers in that aspect. The plot picks up really quickly, and from then on, it twists and turns, and like I said earlier, I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen next. Of course, some parts were somewhat predictable, but it's not like everything can be a major twist, or else they wouldn't even have any actual impact.
Same as last time, I really enjoyed the characters, and this time I found a lot more to enjoy in Frey and Rafi together, and I was able to pick up on some more finer details and nuances about the twins that really brings this book to the next level for me. It's a bit spoiler-y so I won't say too much, but I was surprised how much more complex they were than I remembered. On the other hand, I like Col less than before, and maybe this has more to do with how I feel about the romance, than him as a character. The side characters were good. They were interesting, and fulfilled their role in the book. Nothing too exciting, but I appreciated their presence.
Another thing that I found myself enjoying more than before was the politics of it all. There were times that Frey feels stuck between a rock and a hard place, because she doesn't know who to trust, doesn't know which step to take, doesn't know which direction to go, and I found myself loving the tangled web that was drawn up. It wasn't the most complex ever, but I enjoyed it as it is. I think it was a good balance of delicate political tension, and action packed fighting. It made me feel a good type of frustrated.
The ending was the right mix of resolution and cliff hanger for the second book. I was at the edge of my seat, turning my page, both excited and scared to see how it all turned out. The last chapter was done really really well, at least for my tastes.
So I'm really happy I've returned to reading regularly for fun and to one of my favorite authors. I already have the second book in possession, and I'm very excited to see where the story leads Rafi and Frey. And if you've read all of this... you deserve a gold medal or something because I wrote so much more than I expected to.
First off, I loved the characters. It took a little longer to get used to them, especially since they weren't Tally and co, but I still eventually fell in love with them. They have forever imprinted themselves on me. Frey was such a great main character, and she's so cool, but it's not like, "I'm a badass female that can kill and stuff, so I don't have any feelings because that's what makes me a strong female lead." She was REAL, and had feelings. She didn't always know what to do, and she wasn't perfect, but it's not like she was imperfect in a perfect way, you feel me? I feel like in YA books, characters started to become imperfect, but then there started to be a format for the imperfect main character, but Frey wasn't that. I also reallllllyyyyyy liked Rafi and I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER. She seems really 2D at first, but her character gets built really well even though she wasn't even focused on that much. Col and his brother Teo were great. I feel like they weren't just there to play a role for the book, and Teo was honestly so realistic for his age. Whenever authors add a younger sibling, I feel like they're portrayed as so young and naive, and while they may be to a certain extent, these 11 and 12 year olds feel like 7 or 8 years old. (sorry if my grammar was incorrect, i can't figure out a way to word it) Of course, this isn't to discredit Col. He didn't fall under this certain stereotype that I can't say because of spoilers, but I will say he didn't change as much as some of the other characters.
The plot was insane. I read this book in one sitting, and I haven't done that in the longest time. While, I have been getting better at predicting the plot (which makes books worse for me sometimes), this book took so many twists and turns that I just forgot about trying to feel the book out, and I just enjoyed it. I can't tell you how often I read the story, but I never get fully immersed in the story, because it doesn't have that extra push, and I just end up reading it to eventually review it. While I haven't been reading or reviewing as much as before, I have noticed that as I review more, the way I read changes. It's not always a bad change, but it takes more for a book to just get me to enjoy it.
The writing style was honestly just fine, but I feel like I don't read books for their writing style, but it's often a reason I don't read books. I find that I don't really enjoy a certain writing style a lot, so if I don't hate it, I'm probably going to continue reading that book. An important part of books is "showing, not telling", because that definitely puts you in the scene so much better, as if you're with the characters, or viewing everything from a bird's eye view, and Scott Westerfeld definitely did that. I felt like the descriptions weren't so heavy that I had to double check it, which is not ideal for me, but I could read and get a full picture of what was going on the first time reading it. ]
If you haven't read the Uglies series, you do not have to read it to read the "follow-up" series. There are some parts that allude to the first series (although they're technically the same series), and you might understand it if you've read them, you can still figure out what's going on. If you've read Uglies, and loved it, I highly recommend this book, but even if you didn't like it this much, I still think you should try it, because it doesn't rely heavily on the original series, and it's not dystopian, if you've grown tired of that.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, there was almost nothing that I could say wasn't good, which I try to do, but I legitimately couldn't find or think of anything that ticked me off. I'm so glad I decided to push aside my fear and just read this book, because it just made me happy, and I felt some semblance of relaxation from my busy life and I could escape reality. And in the end, isn't that why we all read books?
2022 Reread!!
I have a lot of thoughts. I was almost scared to reread this book, since it has been awhile since I first read it, and not only have several years passed, I've also changed and grown a lot. Idk, it's weird to not really read for three years and then return to reading. I will say though, that reading my review was almost as interesting as rereading the book. I really enjoyed seeing what past me had to say about the book, and seeing what current me agrees with and disagrees with. For me, I'd knock down the rating to a 4.5 star, but rounded up to a 5 star. I still really enjoyed it, which I was happy about, and somewhat relieved. I think when I was younger, not only was I less critical of what I read, I was also kind of scared of not liking a book by my favorite author. I tried to put that all behind me this time as I read it.
Surprisingly enough, I really did not remember any major plot points from the book, which was refreshing, because it was like I was encountering all the twists and turns for the first time, which made it just as fun. But that also means that I have awful memory or something, because I thought I would have remembered a bit more.
Starting off with some things I didn't like. Mentions of Tally Youngblood seemed to be forced a little bit too much for my taste, especially at the beginning of the book. While I do enjoy an easter egg or two, I think it would've been more effective if they were sparse and more like hints, rather than in your face. And while it was somewhat of a negative for me, I will also say that the idea of reading about Tally again is exciting, because I grew up with her in my favorite book series of all time. I wish the tease was a little more subtle, but it makes me more excited for the future books in this series.
The romance was not my favorite, and I am coming to the conclusion that I just really like a good slow-burn and not much else. I think it would've been so much more satisfying to read a more drawn out enemies-to-lovers, but instead, it happened all kind of quickly, leaving me wondering how they even fell in love in the first place. Some more tension and witty banter would have been fun. It's a little cheesy, but nothing that I couldn't stand, and I also figured that I'm starting to grow out of YA's intended age range, so I just had fun with it.
Some things I absolutely LOVED:
I loved the pacing of the story. I seem to enjoy fast paced books, and this book definitely delivers in that aspect. The plot picks up really quickly, and from then on, it twists and turns, and like I said earlier, I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen next. Of course, some parts were somewhat predictable, but it's not like everything can be a major twist, or else they wouldn't even have any actual impact.
Same as last time, I really enjoyed the characters, and this time I found a lot more to enjoy in Frey and Rafi together, and I was able to pick up on some more finer details and nuances about the twins that really brings this book to the next level for me. It's a bit spoiler-y so I won't say too much, but I was surprised how much more complex they were than I remembered. On the other hand, I like Col less than before, and maybe this has more to do with how I feel about the romance, than him as a character. The side characters were good. They were interesting, and fulfilled their role in the book. Nothing too exciting, but I appreciated their presence.
Another thing that I found myself enjoying more than before was the politics of it all. There were times that Frey feels stuck between a rock and a hard place, because she doesn't know who to trust, doesn't know which step to take, doesn't know which direction to go, and I found myself loving the tangled web that was drawn up. It wasn't the most complex ever, but I enjoyed it as it is. I think it was a good balance of delicate political tension, and action packed fighting. It made me feel a good type of frustrated.
The ending was the right mix of resolution and cliff hanger for the second book. I was at the edge of my seat, turning my page, both excited and scared to see how it all turned out. The last chapter was done really really well, at least for my tastes.
So I'm really happy I've returned to reading regularly for fun and to one of my favorite authors. I already have the second book in possession, and I'm very excited to see where the story leads Rafi and Frey. And if you've read all of this... you deserve a gold medal or something because I wrote so much more than I expected to.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Murder, War
Minor: Child death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Could not put this down. Stayed up all night reading it. I love Scott Westerfeld in all of his work!
I read this book in one sitting. I have always been in love with this universe, and being able to return was the most magical gift. I love how Scott has used his earlier series to inform this new series while still keeping everything new and exciting. The protagonist is lovely, complex, and interesting. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series, and I highly recommend this book!
Originally read November 2018
reread january 2020
Originally read November 2018
reread january 2020