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yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
“This one has similar elements to his Maze Runner series (a great series), no existent parents, teens who are smarter than the adults and a world that is on the brink of death, and a computer based world. Where it changes is that this one takes place in a virtual world, mostly. It's perfect for the gammer who breaks away long enough to read. I loved it, the mystery and the content twists and me guessing wrong all through the book.
I thought I knew the answer.I thought I saw the pattern in the game. No, I was blindsided, and holy nightmare twist ending ! I loved it, never expected it and can't wait for book 2”
I thought I knew the answer.I thought I saw the pattern in the game. No, I was blindsided, and holy nightmare twist ending ! I loved it, never expected it and can't wait for book 2”
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't much care for the first half of the book, but things picked up toward the end. More complete review to come.
Full review:
This was not a book I took to immediately. For a good chunk of the first section of the book, I was not immersed in the story for a variety of reasons. As interesting as the concept was, I didn't think it was executed all that well for a good stretch. Some spoilers to follow.
The writing for a good portion of the beginning part of the book is not very good. The dialogue often felt stilted and unnatural. I also thought some sections were not just superfluous, but boring. There's too much mundane activity going on, things that don't have any real reason to be in the text.
Hand in hand with this, I didn't find the characters particularly compelling, and some of them just felt silly. The descriptions of them are laden with heavy details that serve as flags to let the reader know at an instant what sort of character they're dealing with. Agent Weber in particular struck me as ridiculous, and the description of her is so heavy with cliche that it almost dripped right off her.
After a while, though, both Michael and Sarah began to grow on me, and their strongest moments took place when I saw what they were doing instead of listening to them talk or explain themselves. I still take some issue with Michael, though, as there is heavy implication of how special he is, yet at no point did I feel like there was anything overly extraordinary about him. If he's so special, show me him being special, don't keep insisting that he is without providing any evidence to back the claim up.
Setting was also disappointingly weak for a good chunk of this novel. I loved The Maze Runner because the setting was so well imagined. This book seems like an even better setup for a fantastic setting, but it's not until Michael and his friends start their active pursuit of Kaine that things get interesting. I'm an avid gamer and was looking for a book that reminded me of all the reasons why that augmented reality is so appealing, but I very much failed to understand the appeal of Lifeblood. Fortunately, things took a turn for the better when the book provided a pretty fascinating and disturbing glimpse into the human mind when the teens sneak into a war game that turns out to be even more sinister than its setup implies. I also enjoyed the twisted nature of the Path, which gets weirder and seemingly more random the deeper Michael goes.
Pacing also improves at this point. There's are so many things of a mundane nature going on at the beginning of the book that reading through them was a slog. Once Michael was really on Kaine's trail, though, things got considerably more lively. Really, this is where I think Dashner fares the best. His action scenes zip right along with just enough detail--I could picture what was happening but didn't feel like I was reading a manual.
The big reveal wasn't a total shock for me, but I did like the ending. There was something sort of sinister about it, and by that point the book had sucked me in enough that I'd be interested in reading the second installment. Yet that makes me wonder about this book, and about YA lit in general. Everything has become a series, which doesn't necessarily translate into a bigger and better plot. Instead, books like this one seem like an overly elaborate setup for the actual plot, which is likely why I wasn't engaged until I was around halfway through the book. The old adage that "less is more" holds a lot more truth than publishers seem to realize, and this series in particular would have benefited from trimming much of the fat and preserving the meat.
Full review:
This was not a book I took to immediately. For a good chunk of the first section of the book, I was not immersed in the story for a variety of reasons. As interesting as the concept was, I didn't think it was executed all that well for a good stretch. Some spoilers to follow.
The writing for a good portion of the beginning part of the book is not very good. The dialogue often felt stilted and unnatural. I also thought some sections were not just superfluous, but boring. There's too much mundane activity going on, things that don't have any real reason to be in the text.
Hand in hand with this, I didn't find the characters particularly compelling, and some of them just felt silly. The descriptions of them are laden with heavy details that serve as flags to let the reader know at an instant what sort of character they're dealing with. Agent Weber in particular struck me as ridiculous, and the description of her is so heavy with cliche that it almost dripped right off her.
After a while, though, both Michael and Sarah began to grow on me, and their strongest moments took place when I saw what they were doing instead of listening to them talk or explain themselves. I still take some issue with Michael, though, as there is heavy implication of how special he is, yet at no point did I feel like there was anything overly extraordinary about him. If he's so special, show me him being special, don't keep insisting that he is without providing any evidence to back the claim up.
Setting was also disappointingly weak for a good chunk of this novel. I loved The Maze Runner because the setting was so well imagined. This book seems like an even better setup for a fantastic setting, but it's not until Michael and his friends start their active pursuit of Kaine that things get interesting. I'm an avid gamer and was looking for a book that reminded me of all the reasons why that augmented reality is so appealing, but I very much failed to understand the appeal of Lifeblood. Fortunately, things took a turn for the better when the book provided a pretty fascinating and disturbing glimpse into the human mind when the teens sneak into a war game that turns out to be even more sinister than its setup implies. I also enjoyed the twisted nature of the Path, which gets weirder and seemingly more random the deeper Michael goes.
Pacing also improves at this point. There's are so many things of a mundane nature going on at the beginning of the book that reading through them was a slog. Once Michael was really on Kaine's trail, though, things got considerably more lively. Really, this is where I think Dashner fares the best. His action scenes zip right along with just enough detail--I could picture what was happening but didn't feel like I was reading a manual.
The big reveal wasn't a total shock for me, but I did like the ending. There was something sort of sinister about it, and by that point the book had sucked me in enough that I'd be interested in reading the second installment. Yet that makes me wonder about this book, and about YA lit in general. Everything has become a series, which doesn't necessarily translate into a bigger and better plot. Instead, books like this one seem like an overly elaborate setup for the actual plot, which is likely why I wasn't engaged until I was around halfway through the book. The old adage that "less is more" holds a lot more truth than publishers seem to realize, and this series in particular would have benefited from trimming much of the fat and preserving the meat.
obanlord's review
2.0
debo decir que este libro me metió en un bloqueo lector del que dure casi 6 meses en salir, es absurdo Como the maze runner me hayan encantado y este libro meh.... no está mal, sin embargo no siento empatía con los personajes, el estilo en que lo escribió me parece excesivamente lento y sin sentido para el tema tan interesante y razonablemente amplio que tendia, me hizo hacer algo que no había hecho en la vida, saltar líneas y hasta capítulos cortos pq es que no aguantaba más, si seguía como iba nunca iba a acabar ojalá el libro que llegue me saque de toda esta monotonía y deporte
kkoerth613's review against another edition
4.0
Well that was unexpected. Slow at first but once you got about 1/3 of the way through, you'll find your mind being blown. Or artificial? Mwahahah
erinricks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I really enjoyed this book! Great job, James Dashner!
mcr314's review against another edition
3.0
The book is a Matrix-like. Except without the self-awareness of the bending of spoons.
The twist at the end was unsurprising, and very much unsatisfying.
The technology involved was insufficiently explained to believe in. Perhaps 12yr olds will enjoy it.
The twist at the end was unsurprising, and very much unsatisfying.
The technology involved was insufficiently explained to believe in. Perhaps 12yr olds will enjoy it.
dnietoperafan's review
4.0
The Eye of Minds is a great easy read for people who want a fun and fast paced story. This has it's advantages and disadvantages. You are easily hooked and you don't get bored, but getting fond of the characters can take some time. The descriptions are didactic, the ships are great, the plot is hooking. It's a very basic read apart from the themes it touches (what is real?).
I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it.
I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it.
kaikai1618's review against another edition
2.0
Future me--I'm giving this book 2 stars just
Ugh no I'm sorry I don't remember liking it
3.6 stars~This book was pretty good, and it has interesting concepts and ideas inserted in it, but sometimes got boring. The ending was a big twist that changed everything. Like in the maze runner, Dashner leaves the reader with questions, and tries to leave the reader confused like the character for affect. By the end more and more questions keep piling up, and you want to know how the journey continues in the next book.
Ugh no I'm sorry I don't remember liking it
3.6 stars~This book was pretty good, and it has interesting concepts and ideas inserted in it, but sometimes got boring. The ending was a big twist that changed everything. Like in the maze runner, Dashner leaves the reader with questions, and tries to leave the reader confused like the character for affect. By the end more and more questions keep piling up, and you want to know how the journey continues in the next book.
amartz's review against another edition
3.0
A YA novel that'll appeal to many teens, but not to my personal taste
noa_23's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5