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blurrypetals's review against another edition
5.0
There is a part of me that knows this book kind of sucks. It's not very well-written, the conversations are stilted and awkward, we drift from scene to scene with seemingly no through lines, and we hear the word "zero" said as a swear word way, way, wayyyy too many times.
But then there's a part of me that just likes fun shit, and man, this shit was fun. The audiobook was a breezy listen (Emma Galvin with a little bit of Zachary Webber thrown in makes that a given) and it was just fun YA garbage that turned into fun YA garbage that I liked and cared about.
As I said in one of my updates, this book is sort of a Frankenstein's monster of a hodgepodge of things from a lot of other books I love and maybe that's why I ended up liking it so much, but there are definitely elements from several books I've read in the past 5 years including but definitely not limited to the Matched trilogy, The Darkest Minds, Angelfall, and any dystopian novel written since The Hunger Games with the lead character being the tipping point in a struggle much bigger than herself. And damn, Matched aside, I love those books! They're proudly displayed as favorites all over my bedroom and because of that, I can't hate this book for taking so many of the things I love about YA and wrapping them up in a package that still felt like its own thing.
I'm really impressed in a different way with this one. When I started it, I thought I was going to hate it, that these cliches were going to weigh it down, but nope. It was fun and I can't wait to see what happens next.
(as an aside: Because of all the YA it borrows from, I found myself going back through a lot of the books I've read this year so far and even though I realize I've read a lot of trashy stuff this year, I feel like this book has made me realize that even if it IS just YA trash, if I have fun and love it, I'm going to rate it a 5 out of 5, my sense of pride be damned. I'm going back and rating The Dark Elements Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout 5's because I love them and they are fun THE END)
But then there's a part of me that just likes fun shit, and man, this shit was fun. The audiobook was a breezy listen (Emma Galvin with a little bit of Zachary Webber thrown in makes that a given) and it was just fun YA garbage that turned into fun YA garbage that I liked and cared about.
As I said in one of my updates, this book is sort of a Frankenstein's monster of a hodgepodge of things from a lot of other books I love and maybe that's why I ended up liking it so much, but there are definitely elements from several books I've read in the past 5 years including but definitely not limited to the Matched trilogy, The Darkest Minds, Angelfall, and any dystopian novel written since The Hunger Games with the lead character being the tipping point in a struggle much bigger than herself. And damn, Matched aside, I love those books! They're proudly displayed as favorites all over my bedroom and because of that, I can't hate this book for taking so many of the things I love about YA and wrapping them up in a package that still felt like its own thing.
I'm really impressed in a different way with this one. When I started it, I thought I was going to hate it, that these cliches were going to weigh it down, but nope. It was fun and I can't wait to see what happens next.
(as an aside: Because of all the YA it borrows from, I found myself going back through a lot of the books I've read this year so far and even though I realize I've read a lot of trashy stuff this year, I feel like this book has made me realize that even if it IS just YA trash, if I have fun and love it, I'm going to rate it a 5 out of 5, my sense of pride be damned. I'm going back and rating The Dark Elements Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout 5's because I love them and they are fun THE END)
pandorea's review against another edition
I read this book in 2019 and remember loving it, but this time I couldn't get through it. Unfortunately I think I've aged passed the target audience
erikajay's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book from B&N because I was looking for something different to read and I'm glad that I did! This is a novel that has an interesting way of incorporating religion and the afterlife into it.
I really did enjoy this book, despite giving it only 3 stars. It just isn't one of the best books I have ever read. I do plan on reading the other two books in the series though!
I really did enjoy this book, despite giving it only 3 stars. It just isn't one of the best books I have ever read. I do plan on reading the other two books in the series though!
cosymilko's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the premise. The idea that your Firstlife has the potential to impact your Secondlife/Everlife is something I find really appealing.
The two factions to choose from; Myriad and Troika... those I didn't like as much.
Too easily you can lump them into a good and bad - they're essentially light and darkness.
I just wanted there to be a bit more to each than what was hinted at through the various characters.
Initially I thought that Ten was going to be a pretty stock standard Mary Sue style teen lead but she definitely has depth to her. In regards to choosing between two boys trying to get her to sign with their faction she's still a standard YA character. It was the non-romance bits that I wanted more of. I wanted more of Many Ends and more of the information about the world.
I'm looking forward to the next one!
The two factions to choose from; Myriad and Troika... those I didn't like as much.
Too easily you can lump them into a good and bad - they're essentially light and darkness.
I just wanted there to be a bit more to each than what was hinted at through the various characters.
Initially I thought that Ten was going to be a pretty stock standard Mary Sue style teen lead but she definitely has depth to her. In regards to choosing between two boys trying to get her to sign with their faction she's still a standard YA character. It was the non-romance bits that I wanted more of. I wanted more of Many Ends and more of the information about the world.
I'm looking forward to the next one!
stefhudon's review against another edition
4.0
Why didn’t I give this book 5 stars? The romance/love aspect and Tens persona at times seemed overworked. Overlooking the romance that seemed too “good” (random, super intense very fast) to be true I found the storyline to be intriguing and I had to know how it ended. As Ten struggled to decide where she would make her alliances, we were taken on that journey as well and I found myself trying to figure out where I’d want to be if I were in her shoes. I’m not sure where Lifeblood will take me but I’m looking forward to finding out.
sampauwels's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
3.0
De boeken die ik tot nu toe allemaal van Gena Showalter gelezen had, vond ik stuk voor stuk geweldig. Haar karakters hebben een bepaalde pit en de verhalen kennen vaak een hoog tempo. Ik had echter wat gemixte verhalen over deze serie gehoord en dus heeft het even geduurd voor ik deze opgepakt heb. Maar gisteravond had ik hier ineens zin in en als ik een hunch heb...
En ik snap eerlijk gezegd in dit geval wel waar de gemixte recensies vandaan komen. Is dit een slecht boek? Zeer zeker niet. Net als haar andere boeken heeft ook dit boek een hoofdpersonage met pit. Ten laat zichzelf niet op haar kop zitten, doet er alles aan om ongedwongen haar eigen beslissingen te kunnen nemen en ze lijkt niet te breken te zijn door dokters of onder invloed van marteling en manipulatie.
Daarnaast heeft Showalter ook heel veel aandacht besteed aan het bouwen van deze wereld en de mythologie. In dit boek krijgen we heel veel stukken van de wereld te zien, maken we kennis met veel karakters en leren we stukje bij beetje hoe dit nu eigenlijk werkt en wat er gebeurt als er geen keuze wordt gemaakt tussen de twee koninkrijken in het hiernamaals.
Maar, er zitten ook een paar kanttekeningen aan het verhaal: Er zijn momenten dat het wel erg overduidelijk is dat dit deel als doel heeft ons kennis te laten maken met alle aspecten van deze wereld. Er wordt veel van hot naar her gereisd en gerend, terwijl er plottechnisch eigenlijk gedurende het hele boek vrij weinig gebeurt.
De meer dan 400 pagina's lezen heerlijk en vlot weg, maar ik denk dat er meer vaart in het verhaal had kunnen zitten en net iets meer plot. Maar, nu we deze ene belangrijke beslissing helemaal uit de weg hebben EN we weten hoe de wereld in elkaar steekt, kan het verhaal in deel twee hopelijk WEL echt beginnen!
En ik snap eerlijk gezegd in dit geval wel waar de gemixte recensies vandaan komen. Is dit een slecht boek? Zeer zeker niet. Net als haar andere boeken heeft ook dit boek een hoofdpersonage met pit. Ten laat zichzelf niet op haar kop zitten, doet er alles aan om ongedwongen haar eigen beslissingen te kunnen nemen en ze lijkt niet te breken te zijn door dokters of onder invloed van marteling en manipulatie.
Daarnaast heeft Showalter ook heel veel aandacht besteed aan het bouwen van deze wereld en de mythologie. In dit boek krijgen we heel veel stukken van de wereld te zien, maken we kennis met veel karakters en leren we stukje bij beetje hoe dit nu eigenlijk werkt en wat er gebeurt als er geen keuze wordt gemaakt tussen de twee koninkrijken in het hiernamaals.
Maar, er zitten ook een paar kanttekeningen aan het verhaal: Er zijn momenten dat het wel erg overduidelijk is dat dit deel als doel heeft ons kennis te laten maken met alle aspecten van deze wereld. Er wordt veel van hot naar her gereisd en gerend, terwijl er plottechnisch eigenlijk gedurende het hele boek vrij weinig gebeurt.
De meer dan 400 pagina's lezen heerlijk en vlot weg, maar ik denk dat er meer vaart in het verhaal had kunnen zitten en net iets meer plot. Maar, nu we deze ene belangrijke beslissing helemaal uit de weg hebben EN we weten hoe de wereld in elkaar steekt, kan het verhaal in deel twee hopelijk WEL echt beginnen!
oksypanda's review
5.0
Love love love!!!
I could not put this book down! Every page came with a new surprise and the unpredictable events just keep you interested beyond your control! I give it 10 thumbs up!
I could not put this book down! Every page came with a new surprise and the unpredictable events just keep you interested beyond your control! I give it 10 thumbs up!
emmae_05's review against another edition
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
3.5