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kaymarieplz's review against another edition
So I'm not going to rate this because this book was literally made for middle schoolers and I feel weird. I'm working on a house project and I was in desperate need of an audiobook and I quickly glanced at the cover and the description was like yeah yeah yeah looks good. Did not take long for me to realize that this book while considered young adult they mean like legit young adult. Not hunger games young adult. But I think if I was 11 and read this book I would have been super into the series.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
2.0
This didn't grab me at all, I did not care about the characters and the plot and honestly I feelt a bit bored. Bit disappointed as I thought this would be an entertaining apocalypse book but in the end it wasn't for me.
emilyjoy828's review against another edition
2.0
I am not the target audience for this book (young teens) so this review may not reflect the true merits of this book. This book wasn't bad by any means, but I was just not able to connect with the story or care about its characters. I never felt like, oh man, I just gotta keep reading to see what happens next! I did, however, enjoy the unique underwater setting and the world that the author created, but the plot just didn't grip me. I would have enjoyed more character development, as well as a more complex and intricate plot. Instead, I kept thinking, ok, this book has got to be winding down soon...And then see I still had several chapters left. It's one of those stories where things are juuuuust about to wrap up but then, oh no! now this went wrong! Here's another four chapters. Ok, almost over...But wait! Now this thing happens! Another hour of audiobook left... Also, the number of smilies was a little excessive for my taste. All that being said, I know the author put a lot of work into this, and had I read it as a young teenager, I probably would've enjoyed it more.
sjeckert's review against another edition
4.0
This was basically the old west under the ocean after climate change causes all the glaciers etc. to melt and sea levels rise. It was kinda cool, def an interesting and unique story, but it was pretty short. While I enjoyed it, I also wish there had been a bit more to the story.
andrea26's review against another edition
3.0
Kid lives under water because earth is over populated.
Gang terrorizing the people under water, police are giving up, making the citizens track them down.
Girl from 'topside' comes below searching for her lost brother.
Gang terrorizing the people under water, police are giving up, making the citizens track them down.
Girl from 'topside' comes below searching for her lost brother.
nerdyfangirl's review against another edition
Mini-Review: The beautiful cover and great premise were not enough to counter the lackluster prose and voiceless characters, but all is not lost.
My Thoughts:
I originally found this book as a hardcover but had to wait until it was cheaper to buy it (yay college!). I saw it on the shelf and fell in love with the cover and the idea that life has become so harsh on the surface that people are living on the ocean floor. It was fascinating.
Once I started reading, it was hard to keep reading, but I am one of those people who has to finish a book unless I just hate it from the beginning. I'm glad I kept going. The writing isn't bad and the characters, while fairly predictable, are interesting, but I felt like the entire thing was being read to me by the teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It was monotonous. The characters were there, but the voice that should have leaped off the pages wasn't. Until the last third of the book.
When things start getting really intense in the plot (which sadly was also fairly predictable, but it is for younger readers so keep that in mind), the characters finally start to sound like you think they would. It's as if the drama breathed new life into them. The last third of the book was how I hoped the entire thing would have been, but I'm glad it got better and redeemed itself. Not sure if I'll be reading any more in the series, especially if I have to struggle through the first half or more, but time will tell.
My Thoughts:
I originally found this book as a hardcover but had to wait until it was cheaper to buy it (yay college!). I saw it on the shelf and fell in love with the cover and the idea that life has become so harsh on the surface that people are living on the ocean floor. It was fascinating.
Once I started reading, it was hard to keep reading, but I am one of those people who has to finish a book unless I just hate it from the beginning. I'm glad I kept going. The writing isn't bad and the characters, while fairly predictable, are interesting, but I felt like the entire thing was being read to me by the teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It was monotonous. The characters were there, but the voice that should have leaped off the pages wasn't. Until the last third of the book.
When things start getting really intense in the plot (which sadly was also fairly predictable, but it is for younger readers so keep that in mind), the characters finally start to sound like you think they would. It's as if the drama breathed new life into them. The last third of the book was how I hoped the entire thing would have been, but I'm glad it got better and redeemed itself. Not sure if I'll be reading any more in the series, especially if I have to struggle through the first half or more, but time will tell.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
Dark Life was pretty excellent. I liked the description of the undersea world and the concept of a pioneer story. Ty is a relatable character and his relationships with his family, neighbors and Gemma are engaging. I most liked talking to one of my students about this story, as he had already read it. I'm all for this trend of natutical dystopian stories, a la Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker.
I'm not too thrilled to learn on Goodreads that this is a series, however. Despite the proflieration of series for middle grade readers, I've noticed that sometimes my students just want a stand-alone title. I thought this did very nicely on it's own, with a semi-open-ended ending that could just as very well left the reader feeling satisfied without needing a second (or third or fourth) title to be writte.
I'm not too thrilled to learn on Goodreads that this is a series, however. Despite the proflieration of series for middle grade readers, I've noticed that sometimes my students just want a stand-alone title. I thought this did very nicely on it's own, with a semi-open-ended ending that could just as very well left the reader feeling satisfied without needing a second (or third or fourth) title to be writte.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
This is a solid, solid YA fantasy. I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more attention. Great cover, great premise, complex plotting, engaging world. I really don't have anything bad to say about it.
The oceans have risen and most of humanity lives in cramped skyscrapers on the scraps of land still above the waters. Ty is the child of two scientists who pioneered living below the water - he was the first child born undersea.
I loved the layerings of subplots here. How as much as Ty is strange topside, the topsiders he meets are strange in his environment. Falls (quite possibly the coolest (and most obvious) pen name ever) brings in issues of prejudice and otherness in a really nice way. She also creates complex characters, cool sci-fi, a fascinating world which I want to explore more... I really could go on and on.
I don't think I would have picked up on the "western" thing if I hadn't read it in another review. But, for me, that's not a bad thing.
TRL-Note: I'm not really sure why this is shelved in J in our library system. It feels very YAish. Budding romance, high action.
The oceans have risen and most of humanity lives in cramped skyscrapers on the scraps of land still above the waters. Ty is the child of two scientists who pioneered living below the water - he was the first child born undersea.
I loved the layerings of subplots here. How as much as Ty is strange topside, the topsiders he meets are strange in his environment. Falls (quite possibly the coolest (and most obvious) pen name ever) brings in issues of prejudice and otherness in a really nice way. She also creates complex characters, cool sci-fi, a fascinating world which I want to explore more... I really could go on and on.
I don't think I would have picked up on the "western" thing if I hadn't read it in another review. But, for me, that's not a bad thing.
TRL-Note: I'm not really sure why this is shelved in J in our library system. It feels very YAish. Budding romance, high action.
beths0103's review against another edition
3.0
This book has good middle grade/YA crossover appeal. I really liked the world building and was intrigued by the wild west feel that Falls gave to life below the sea. The story itself didn't keep me as engaged as the actual world building did so I think I probably won't continue with this series.
sausome's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably mostly due to my geeky fascination with deepsea life and creepy deepsea creatures, like vampire squid, oarfish, gulper eels, etc. but I really enjoyed this book. I think it would be amazing to live underwater, and this world that Kat Falls creates is imaginative and visually stunning in the mind's eye. It's also a very well-researched book, as the fish that are mentioned, as well as the references to the abyssal canyons and benthic zone, are all accurate and true! As if that weren't enough, the storyline makes for a very compelling and engaging read. Hooray books on deepsea life!