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taliatalksbooks's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
North by Frank Owen was about as good as I expected following my reading of the first book in this duology, South. I will say that I preferred North to South, but I think that’s because the characters weren’t constantly composing about the conditions as they were in the first book. Genuinely, I didn’t love either, and I think that this was an interesting concept on which execution fell through. The characters don’t feel particularly like real people, nor do their motivations make much sense. It seems as though everything is done for the sake of plot convenience, which doesn’t bode well for a novel. If you’re a fan of post apocalyptic fiction, this may be a good fit, but I personally believe there are better post apocalyptic fiction books to be found (Folk of the Fringe, Station Eleven, etc.), but to each their own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Torture, and Death
morgeliz99's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This reminded me so much of Steven King and Cormac McCarthy. Very dark, interesting characters, unpredictable plot. I found myself liking North more than South.
eloisebell's review against another edition
3.0
I am a huge dystopian fan. I was looking forward to the South/North duology and ultimately ended up being disappointed by them both.
I thoroughly enjoyed the concept.... America split into two halves. The losing side ravaged by virus and illness and the winning side tormented by dictatorship. However the execution was not what I expected. I found the writing to be very convoluted and long winded.
The characters were strong, brave and clever, the series just fell short for me due to its general execution, however I think this book would be a massive hit for fans of The Wind Up Girl and The Water Knife
I thoroughly enjoyed the concept.... America split into two halves. The losing side ravaged by virus and illness and the winning side tormented by dictatorship. However the execution was not what I expected. I found the writing to be very convoluted and long winded.
The characters were strong, brave and clever, the series just fell short for me due to its general execution, however I think this book would be a massive hit for fans of The Wind Up Girl and The Water Knife
alannafowler's review
2.0
I feel so bad giving this book a bad review because I haven’t read South which I assume is the prequel. But I felt like the first 60 percent of the book was the in between the original and North and I had no idea what was going on. Usually in sequels you could still pick the book up in the middle of the series and get an idea of what was going on but I never got that... the book got slightly interesting about half way through but then I was bored quite quickly. After finishing the book I realised that the start of the book where they are all on their journey was more fun than the later part which shouldn’t normally be the case. After reading this book I don’t think I’ll go onto read the first book and I don’t think I could recommend this to anyone.
this book was sent to me by readers first in exchange for an honest review.
this book was sent to me by readers first in exchange for an honest review.
bi_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
North is the second and last book in the Divided States duology. The South is ravaged by fatal diseases that ride the winds, after our protagonists, Vida and Dice, survive the peril of the South we join then where we left them, breaching the Wall into the North.
This was such a fantastic sequel. I loved the first book with all the strange situations Vida and Dyce got into but this book ramped up the danger and the fight for survival. I adored how they recapped what happened in the first book with Vida writing a letter to her unborn baby so the child knew where it came from and the people it came from. It was a nice way to remind the reader what happened while also having an air of sorrow to it as it foreshadows what's yet to comes.
You don't know who or what to trust, all you know is that Vida and Dyce have to survive and in doing so they'll come up against untrustworthy people and tricky situations. Even the good guys are shifty, no one is to be trusted, the only people they can trust are themselves. It brings a new sense of tension. With wanting to try and find a way to stop the horror in the South, our protagonists are trying to survive in a world that doesn't want them too. It's stressful and tense situation and you can't help but feel sorry for the doomed lovers.
If you like dystopians reads I'd definitely recommend the Divided States duology to you!
Rated: 4/5 Stars
This was such a fantastic sequel. I loved the first book with all the strange situations Vida and Dyce got into but this book ramped up the danger and the fight for survival. I adored how they recapped what happened in the first book with Vida writing a letter to her unborn baby so the child knew where it came from and the people it came from. It was a nice way to remind the reader what happened while also having an air of sorrow to it as it foreshadows what's yet to comes.
You don't know who or what to trust, all you know is that Vida and Dyce have to survive and in doing so they'll come up against untrustworthy people and tricky situations. Even the good guys are shifty, no one is to be trusted, the only people they can trust are themselves. It brings a new sense of tension. With wanting to try and find a way to stop the horror in the South, our protagonists are trying to survive in a world that doesn't want them too. It's stressful and tense situation and you can't help but feel sorry for the doomed lovers.
If you like dystopians reads I'd definitely recommend the Divided States duology to you!
Rated: 4/5 Stars
nietzschesghost's review against another edition
3.0
North, part of the Divided States series, had so much promise with its post-apocalyptic setting, but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype and excitement I'd created in my mind. First things first, it's essential to have read the first book in the series, South, before this one as very little will make sense otherwise. Right, my initial issue with this novel was being unable to connect and thereby invest in the characters, and this is quite a substantial problem given that we are meant to be able to sympathise with them and the situation they find themselves in. There was also rather a lot of characters to keep tabs on, and I found the plot was often confusing and convoluted. Despite finishing it, it left me feeling deflated and disappointed that a fantastic concept has gone to waste.
Many thanks to Corvus for an ARC.
Many thanks to Corvus for an ARC.
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