Reviews

Really strong concept but several gaping holes in the plot construction - focuses so much on the three main characters that the legitimacy/believability of the dome is overlooked

donttellmomwhatimreading's review against another edition

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3.5

Being a teenager is hard, Jamal has the added layer of being Black and surrounded by cops and politicians who think his skin color makes him a threat. When a protest turns into the city of Baltimore being covered in a dome he forms a rag tag group with a hacker and a military veteran to try and take down the corrupt government and police force.

thomasreadiii's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

kkbashwoe's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

3.0

corita's review against another edition

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3.0

Dystopian? Thriller?

Kosovo Jackson’s young adult novel, “Survive the Dome,” smashes several genres together and creates an entertaining story that is a mix of thriller, gay romance, and dystopian.

This story isn’t a distant dystopian future—the set up felt contemporary. I could imagine something similar happening now. We live in a crazy world.

Throw in an authoritarian leader, politics, police enforcing the mayor’s plan, and you’ve got action, adventure, danger, romance, and intense conflict.

What I Liked:

The story is realistic in that it’s easy to imagine something like this happening now.

Jamal Lawson is a young black student who goes to a protest, wanting to get a story for his high school paper. He meets Marco and later Catherine and together they try to survive the dome.

You can tell from the title and the book cover that a dome covers a community, and there’s no way out.

The dome reminded me of WWII ghettos the Germans set up in countries they occupied, segregating Jews and other people into small communities separate from the rest of the population, foreshadowing the horror to come. This added chilling, tangible danger to the story.

What I Wasn’t Crazy About:

The story is entertaining, but it has some flaws.

Jamal, Marco, and Catherine lack the deeper character development I like. Jamal is a know-it-all and makes several immature decisions, which was a little annoying, but also typical teen behavior.

The antagonists are flat and evil.

There are some unrealistic events. Especially as the story approaches the end, when there’s a big need to suspend disbelief.

Plus, the dialogue is stilted and sometimes cheesy.

However, I give Jackson credit for boldly addressing authoritarian leaders, racism, police brutality, disabilities, gay relationships, and more.

My Recommendation:

The story is entertaining and sometimes a chilling reality. If the criticism in the “What I Wasn’t Crazy About” section doesn’t bother you. This might be a book you’d enjoy.

A big thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of “Survive the Dome.”

literaryk's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I will say that this was a good young adult, realistic, near-dystopian novel. One thing I usually notice about dystopian books based in our current time is that they can be very heavy handed in bringing in rhetoric about the injustices, bigotry, and racism found in America in today to the point where it pulls away from the plot. It feels less like a story and more like a lesson overview. Which isn't bad, but pick a lane. However, I feel that Jackson did a fairly decent job keeping it balanced.
Characters were interesting, although some were a little flat. The protagonist's romance was cute, and didn't take away from the main point of 'we're in a Dome and we're taking it down.' Ending was a little too formulaic, but leaves room for a sequel where we may see this author grow and thrive.

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