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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
i loved the easy read and the wonderful description of both the charactors and the plot.
sheen
sheen
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
is this the best dystopian YA book of the 2010s? definitely not. it doesn't surpass the hunger games (obviously) but gives divergent a run for its money IMO.
did i still enjoy it? absolutely. obviously not as much as when i was a teen but i still tore through it.
i listened to it on audiobook and the narrator was pretty good so it was a quick and breezy "read" overall. FMC is understandably naive and annoying at times considering her circumstances (thirsty and brainwashed) combined with her age, and i'm not big on love triangles in general (although this one wasn't so bad to me), but i was still giggling and kicking my feet on occasion over ky. and who doesn't love a "bitches coming to terms with their fascist government" story. also, i love when poetry + the erasure of literature figure into a book. slay dylan thomas slay
did i still enjoy it? absolutely. obviously not as much as when i was a teen but i still tore through it.
i listened to it on audiobook and the narrator was pretty good so it was a quick and breezy "read" overall. FMC is understandably naive and annoying at times considering her circumstances (thirsty and brainwashed) combined with her age, and i'm not big on love triangles in general (although this one wasn't so bad to me), but i was still giggling and kicking my feet on occasion over ky. and who doesn't love a "bitches coming to terms with their fascist government" story. also, i love when poetry + the erasure of literature figure into a book. slay dylan thomas slay
dnf at 55%
this is a mockery of dystopia. and i'm probably being dramatic but i dont care. i tried to give this a chance but the premise is just so stupid and cassia is just so stupid that i just can't finish it.
this book is so boring. literally nothing happens. wah wah some other dude popped up on your matching thing. is this supposed to be *the* moment. the moment the dystopia protagonist is inspired to be strong and stand up? Katniss volunteering? this girl does nothing but fall in love with ky. and hey there's nothing wrong with falling in love along the way but i just don't fucking careeeeeeee.
cassia is a boring ass character with literally no personality. i know nothing about her. she likes sorting or something? idk. every single time i tried to explain the book to people i would forget her name because she was just so so forgettable and so so annoying. her getting mad that ky was talking to that livy girl? did she really think that ky thought he had a chance with her? you are literally matched and he's an aberration. you have no claim over this man for you to be this jealous. smh i hated this girl.
the writing style sucked. it tried so hard and failed so miserably.
now for the line that finally made me crack:
Then, the question I asked myself was: "Do I look pretty?"
"Now the question I ask is: Do I look strong?"
OH MY GOD. THERE IS LITERALLY NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FOR YOU TO SOMEHOW FEEL "STRONG" YOU ARE THE SAME PERSON AS BEFORE. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CASSIA AT THE BEGINNING AND CASSIA 50% IN. SHE HAS NO DOUBTS ABOUT THE SOCIETY. I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN THE LAST HALF OF THE BOOK. THAT'S JUST SHITTY WRITING. YOU WANNA LOOK STRONG JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE RETURNING THE ARTIFACT? JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE HIDING SOMEONE ELSE'S? THIS IS SO SO STUPID.
i can't write about this anymore. this book so far is shit. 2 stars. maybe even less if i get more mad.
edit: ok i ended up getting more mad one star.
this is a mockery of dystopia. and i'm probably being dramatic but i dont care. i tried to give this a chance but the premise is just so stupid and cassia is just so stupid that i just can't finish it.
this book is so boring. literally nothing happens. wah wah some other dude popped up on your matching thing. is this supposed to be *the* moment. the moment the dystopia protagonist is inspired to be strong and stand up? Katniss volunteering? this girl does nothing but fall in love with ky. and hey there's nothing wrong with falling in love along the way but i just don't fucking careeeeeeee.
cassia is a boring ass character with literally no personality. i know nothing about her. she likes sorting or something? idk. every single time i tried to explain the book to people i would forget her name because she was just so so forgettable and so so annoying. her getting mad that ky was talking to that livy girl? did she really think that ky thought he had a chance with her? you are literally matched and he's an aberration. you have no claim over this man for you to be this jealous. smh i hated this girl.
the writing style sucked. it tried so hard and failed so miserably.
now for the line that finally made me crack:
Then, the question I asked myself was: "Do I look pretty?"
"Now the question I ask is: Do I look strong?"
OH MY GOD. THERE IS LITERALLY NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FOR YOU TO SOMEHOW FEEL "STRONG" YOU ARE THE SAME PERSON AS BEFORE. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CASSIA AT THE BEGINNING AND CASSIA 50% IN. SHE HAS NO DOUBTS ABOUT THE SOCIETY. I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN THE LAST HALF OF THE BOOK. THAT'S JUST SHITTY WRITING. YOU WANNA LOOK STRONG JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE RETURNING THE ARTIFACT? JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE HIDING SOMEONE ELSE'S? THIS IS SO SO STUPID.
i can't write about this anymore. this book so far is shit. 2 stars. maybe even less if i get more mad.
edit: ok i ended up getting more mad one star.
To be honest, I never even finished this book. I kept reading, and I got to about half way and gave up. It's so anticlimactic, and I feel like there was no real character development.
I had such high hopes and I this book isn't even in the same league as other Distopian books.
I had such high hopes and I this book isn't even in the same league as other Distopian books.
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
This is such a throwback to classic early 2010s dystopian fiction - and it was so bad, it was good.
The writing is very simple and easy, more of a middle grade than a young adult genre. The characters aren’t incredibly developed, and the plot was fairly minimal, but I still really enjoyed reading it.
The concept and the world is so captivating (although I really wish we knew more about *how* they matched etc), and it’s believable in a way. The love triangle is iconic, and I’m definitely Team Ky with a soft spot for Xander. I will definitely be finishing this series for the ultimate throwback (although I’m not sure if I ever read the third and final book).
The writing is very simple and easy, more of a middle grade than a young adult genre. The characters aren’t incredibly developed, and the plot was fairly minimal, but I still really enjoyed reading it.
The concept and the world is so captivating (although I really wish we knew more about *how* they matched etc), and it’s believable in a way. The love triangle is iconic, and I’m definitely Team Ky with a soft spot for Xander. I will definitely be finishing this series for the ultimate throwback (although I’m not sure if I ever read the third and final book).
adventurous
slow-paced
I can’t let the last two chapters bump this up to a 2.75 bc that was the only two chapters where the plot felt like it actually mattered. It was so slowwwww. Everything the author was doing to build suspense and tension throughout the book just felt stifled and plateaued. But bc I already bought the trilogy I’m gonna see how this series ends lol.
Plot: 1
The whole time reading this I am on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens next.
Characters: 1
I love the characters of Cassia and Xander, and I love Ky. They are all different in their own ways, and I enjoy reading about them.
Description: 1
Ally Condie paints a clear picture for me, making the reading experience fulfilling.
Style: 1
I love a nice sarcastic POV, but this beautiful commentary is something I love to read also.
Symbolism: 1
There are so many examples of amazing symbolism in this novel (the grandfather, the artifacts, climbing the mountain, e. i.) that make this book a unique read.
TOTAL: 5
This book has changed the way I look at reading, and I will turn to this book if I ever need to be feeling poetic.
The whole time reading this I am on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens next.
Characters: 1
I love the characters of Cassia and Xander, and I love Ky. They are all different in their own ways, and I enjoy reading about them.
Description: 1
Ally Condie paints a clear picture for me, making the reading experience fulfilling.
Style: 1
I love a nice sarcastic POV, but this beautiful commentary is something I love to read also.
Symbolism: 1
There are so many examples of amazing symbolism in this novel (the grandfather, the artifacts, climbing the mountain, e. i.) that make this book a unique read.
TOTAL: 5
This book has changed the way I look at reading, and I will turn to this book if I ever need to be feeling poetic.
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A quick, easy read. Dystopian fiction always feels like an escape, and though this was more romance-forward I still enjoyed it, and will read the next book in the series.
I feel like nothing happened in the whole book. Maybe the series is eventful but I didn’t get attached to the storyline because of how nothing happened it seems like it sets up for all other books without giving readers anything.