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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Firebreak exposes you to a dystopian world which is dominated by 2 major corporation, who completely and utterly own everything you posses, including yourself. There is no social freedom, the world is less real & more real, you have no home, no water, and all this while the 2 corporations are constantly at war. Even in this dreadful situation, we see friendships and platonic love budding at so many places.
I discovered this book only a few days back and I loved the idea behind the plot so much that I grabbed the next immediate opportunity to read it. I must say I was not disappointed. The author establishes the background quite well and makes you want to keep going. Mal's character is not good at dealing with people, but she would anything for them. The story hinges on Mal's ability to care about what is wrong and her desire to do something about it.
Mal & Jessa's friendship is pure bliss. You will love the bond between these 2 characters, & the way their different personalities complement each other. The way they stand by each other's side during the most tiring times is commendable.
I was hoping against all hope that 22 would live, but I knew it was not meant to be. The fact that Mal did not give up & wanted to keep fighting even after losing 22 is what makes her unique.
I only wish this was not a standalone book. I feel like there should be more to the story, because there are still a few unanswered questions.
I discovered this book only a few days back and I loved the idea behind the plot so much that I grabbed the next immediate opportunity to read it. I must say I was not disappointed. The author establishes the background quite well and makes you want to keep going. Mal's character is not good at dealing with people, but she would anything for them. The story hinges on Mal's ability to care about what is wrong and her desire to do something about it.
Mal & Jessa's friendship is pure bliss. You will love the bond between these 2 characters, & the way their different personalities complement each other. The way they stand by each other's side during the most tiring times is commendable.
Spoiler
We might come across many good people. But only rarely do we come across someone who is so utterly brave & selfless. This is the kind of character the author tries to create. A character who does not necessarily want to stand out, but is forced to do it, because things really are that bad. A character who is no longer fine with just being alive. A character who wants to live. A character who is no longer willing to tolerate the injustice they are being subjected to. It is refreshing to meet such characters every now & then because they allow you to see the bigger picture & to be brave. Mal is such a character.I was hoping against all hope that 22 would live, but I knew it was not meant to be. The fact that Mal did not give up & wanted to keep fighting even after losing 22 is what makes her unique.
I only wish this was not a standalone book. I feel like there should be more to the story, because there are still a few unanswered questions.
Fine. When you are learning what the protagonist is thinking I swear to God it takes like 4 pages everything with 20 metaphors and similes, idk if im different but that's a bit much. Overall good.
I liked this better than Ready Player One. My only complaint is that the theme was not subtle at all, and Mal/other characters came to the realization that they needed to fight against the system several times, which felt repetitive. I also felt that the climax was underwhelming. This was a solid dystopian book.
Corporate greed and malfeasance in a future world is an easy sell, mainly because both have been around as long as a group/organization/company decided to make a quick buck off the backs of everyone else, while mistreating their workers. (*cough, cough* Amazon!) I mean, Stellaxis and Greenleaf, which are the mega corps in this story.
Mal and Jessa, two twenty-somethings, live in a hotel along with many others, paying for tiny amounts of water, and buying food from company stores, and being connected, always, to the internet. And living the gig work life, barely scraping by and making some extra cash livestreaming their activities in a massive, multiplayer game. And where the two can make extra cash if they are lucky enough to encounter one of the few remaining (and living) special operatives created by Stellaxis to fight Greenleaf mechs in an ever-ongoing war in their massive city.
It’s a totally sucky life, and Mal and Jessa would still be doing so, and enthusing over the exploits of the SpecOps, if they hadn’t been recruited by a woman who said she would sponsor them to locate all the still living SpecOps' avatars in the game.
Sounds great, and pretty soon, Mal and Jessa have twenty gallons of water to their names (more than they have ever had), and they find SpecOps 08 in-game, and suddenly things start to go wrong for the pair.
Mal and Jessa unmask the evils done by the evil corporations and with the dirty, terrible secrets coming to light, the corporations fight back, despite people protesting the injustices getting killed, cuz the bottom line and an uninformed public are all that matter. Hmmm, am I talking future world, or today?......
Anyway, there were a bunch of ideas in this book, and some great in-game action. I loved that Mal is aromantic and asexual, and that Mal and Jessa’s friendship is central to the book. That said, I never got a good sense of Jessa, except she was a serious SpecOps nerd, and fantastic at positioning their livestream recordings.
I mostly liked the book, though I started checking out a little 3/4 in. I think that’s more due to being in yet another shutdown thanks to the pandemic, and my attention span having been whittled down, month by month.
Mal and Jessa, two twenty-somethings, live in a hotel along with many others, paying for tiny amounts of water, and buying food from company stores, and being connected, always, to the internet. And living the gig work life, barely scraping by and making some extra cash livestreaming their activities in a massive, multiplayer game. And where the two can make extra cash if they are lucky enough to encounter one of the few remaining (and living) special operatives created by Stellaxis to fight Greenleaf mechs in an ever-ongoing war in their massive city.
It’s a totally sucky life, and Mal and Jessa would still be doing so, and enthusing over the exploits of the SpecOps, if they hadn’t been recruited by a woman who said she would sponsor them to locate all the still living SpecOps' avatars in the game.
Sounds great, and pretty soon, Mal and Jessa have twenty gallons of water to their names (more than they have ever had), and they find SpecOps 08 in-game, and suddenly things start to go wrong for the pair.
Mal and Jessa unmask the evils done by the evil corporations and with the dirty, terrible secrets coming to light, the corporations fight back, despite people protesting the injustices getting killed, cuz the bottom line and an uninformed public are all that matter. Hmmm, am I talking future world, or today?......
Anyway, there were a bunch of ideas in this book, and some great in-game action. I loved that Mal is aromantic and asexual, and that Mal and Jessa’s friendship is central to the book. That said, I never got a good sense of Jessa, except she was a serious SpecOps nerd, and fantastic at positioning their livestream recordings.
I mostly liked the book, though I started checking out a little 3/4 in. I think that’s more due to being in yet another shutdown thanks to the pandemic, and my attention span having been whittled down, month by month.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i really loved the first few chapters of this, definitely 5 stars i was SO hooked, but it lost me slightly around half way. definitely interesting characters and plot and world building and i really enjoyed following mal as she wanted so badly to stand up for the operatives despite not believing she had any power to help them
Finally got to finish it (no fault of the book, totally just me and my crazy life) and enjoyed it a lot!
Did you love Ready Player One because of the cool video game aesthetics/rules and attempt at dystopia that got sort of lost amid the "white dudes in positions of privilege can't quite break away from being whites guys in positions of privilege even when trying to write a dystopia"? Did you hate Ready Player One because it was written like a fanfic by a twelve year old boy who'd only ever experienced the 80's via nostalgic YouTube videos written by men drowning in fragile masculinity? Boy, do I have the book for you!
In the world of Firebreak, Jessa and Mal(lory) live under the control of one half of a civil war between two warring corporations. On their side of the divide, water is a finite resource, restricted and controlled by rules and laws that make it a felony to even collect rain water to drink. On the other side, growing plants for sustenance will get you hammer banned. In the middle is a city beset by mechanized machines and near godlike SecOps - vat grown humans who protect Jessa and Mal's side using hyper-speed and strength, with a healthy dose of guns and swords. The SecOps are celebrities, both in the games their NPC characters play in, and in the real world where the few SecOps still alive capture the goodwill of the populace on both sides of the war.
Jessa and Mal stumble into a conspiracy theory claiming the SecOps are not in fact created creatures, but stolen children. What starts as a battle to save what might be displaced children just like Mal and Jessa quickly unfolds into a greater conspiracy theory that undoes everything they know about the war and the world.
Here's the deal - I've got a lovely case of insomnia, which means that adult me now only reads for about 30 minutes a night and then hits the hay by 10pm. I stayed up until midnight to finish this book because I could not put it down. It's written really accessibly and despite the dark subject matter, it was just a blast to read. Also? It's just a fantastic buddy movie, whether you're talking Jessa and Mal watching each other's six or 06 and 22 riffing off each other, it's fun!
Oh? And if you're here because you like "Archivist Wasp" and "Latchkey" and want more from the author, but are a little turned off by all the "Ready Player One" comparison as I was? Do yourself a favor read this book. Trust me when I say, if you love the Ghost and Kit, you better pick this thing up and pour it into your brain. You're welcome.
In the world of Firebreak, Jessa and Mal(lory) live under the control of one half of a civil war between two warring corporations. On their side of the divide, water is a finite resource, restricted and controlled by rules and laws that make it a felony to even collect rain water to drink. On the other side, growing plants for sustenance will get you hammer banned. In the middle is a city beset by mechanized machines and near godlike SecOps - vat grown humans who protect Jessa and Mal's side using hyper-speed and strength, with a healthy dose of guns and swords. The SecOps are celebrities, both in the games their NPC characters play in, and in the real world where the few SecOps still alive capture the goodwill of the populace on both sides of the war.
Jessa and Mal stumble into a conspiracy theory claiming the SecOps are not in fact created creatures, but stolen children. What starts as a battle to save what might be displaced children just like Mal and Jessa quickly unfolds into a greater conspiracy theory that undoes everything they know about the war and the world.
Here's the deal - I've got a lovely case of insomnia, which means that adult me now only reads for about 30 minutes a night and then hits the hay by 10pm. I stayed up until midnight to finish this book because I could not put it down. It's written really accessibly and despite the dark subject matter, it was just a blast to read. Also? It's just a fantastic buddy movie, whether you're talking Jessa and Mal watching each other's six or 06 and 22 riffing off each other, it's fun!
Oh? And if you're here because you like "Archivist Wasp" and "Latchkey" and want more from the author, but are a little turned off by all the "Ready Player One" comparison as I was? Do yourself a favor read this book. Trust me when I say, if you love the Ghost and Kit, you better pick this thing up and pour it into your brain. You're welcome.
Fabulous. Well plotted with four distinct acts. Fantastic characterization Can’t wait for the sequel (please tell me there will be a sequel!).