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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Clearly written as a movie treatment and then fleshed out. It reads like Joss Whedon consulted on it, and by God does it need proof-reading!
I enjoyed this for the most part but didn't love or feel very satisfied with the ending. It felt like a setup for a sequel.
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love the Gundam style mechs...and the idea of a mechanical invasion...and a war to end all wars...with the humans in coralled communities.
This is the start of the adventure...for our main character, Dakota and her older brother,
Sam.
The story is sort of limited in scope, and more of a linear tale. I was hoping for broader implications, though the tension was on overdrive for a while (which was fun to read).
There was a lull for a bit, at Mount Rushmore. Love how Dakota and the other character (no-spoilers) that arrive at the compound...and a lot of the cultural items/themes are not within their scope of knowledge...but the readers get the joke/item's significance.
The ending was interesting, for I had NO idea that this was a beginning of a series. I was thinking this was a one-off (but glad to be wrong).
It's not Gary Whitta's best work, but it would be fun to see it adapted to a TV series...eventually...when there are a few more books. I'd definitely watch it.
This is the start of the adventure...for our main character, Dakota and her older brother,
Sam.
The story is sort of limited in scope, and more of a linear tale. I was hoping for broader implications, though the tension was on overdrive for a while (which was fun to read).
There was a lull for a bit, at Mount Rushmore. Love how Dakota and the other character (no-spoilers) that arrive at the compound...and a lot of the cultural items/themes are not within their scope of knowledge...but the readers get the joke/item's significance.
The ending was interesting, for I had NO idea that this was a beginning of a series. I was thinking this was a one-off (but glad to be wrong).
It's not Gary Whitta's best work, but it would be fun to see it adapted to a TV series...eventually...when there are a few more books. I'd definitely watch it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
Dystopian world? Check. Post-alien invasion hellscape? Check. Giant mechs vs evil robot aliens? Check and check.
So why didn't it work out for me? The whole premise sounds interesting, if not overly tropey. I feel like it's miscategorized and should be under YA sci-fi due to its tone of voice. It's also technically a novel, but it felt more like a novella to me. The supporting characters didn't feel fully developed. While we get to know Dakota, her motives, her feelings, etc., her relationships with her brother, Sam, the newcomer, Falk, and Runyon, the township kid who clearly has a crush on her, were underdeveloped. We barely get to know Sam before he becomes a background character. And while I was rooting for Dakota/Falk, Falk also suffers the same background character fate. Dakota, the MC, is the only one who's fully fleshed out.
The fact that two kids can learn how to operate a machine that's supposed to take months of practice screams YA. Which isn't a bad thing, if only this novel was categorized properly. Because suspension of disbelief and all that.
The penultimate moment in the story and the ending felt very deus ex machina. Even when things went wrong, everything turned out well. The novel tells you that the stakes are high, but it felt very artificial. Like it was hard for me to wrap my head around it because nothing went badly enough for the MC. Everything went by in a breeze. There would be a problem, and then it'd get fixed in a scene or two. That's pretty much how everything unfolded.
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed tbh.
Thank you to Inkshares and NetGalley for this arc.
So why didn't it work out for me? The whole premise sounds interesting, if not overly tropey. I feel like it's miscategorized and should be under YA sci-fi due to its tone of voice. It's also technically a novel, but it felt more like a novella to me. The supporting characters didn't feel fully developed. While we get to know Dakota, her motives, her feelings, etc., her relationships with her brother, Sam, the newcomer, Falk, and Runyon, the township kid who clearly has a crush on her, were underdeveloped. We barely get to know Sam before he becomes a background character. And while I was rooting for Dakota/Falk, Falk also suffers the same background character fate. Dakota, the MC, is the only one who's fully fleshed out.
The fact that two kids can learn how to operate a machine that's supposed to take months of practice screams YA. Which isn't a bad thing, if only this novel was categorized properly. Because suspension of disbelief and all that.
The penultimate moment in the story and the ending felt very deus ex machina. Even when things went wrong, everything turned out well. The novel tells you that the stakes are high, but it felt very artificial. Like it was hard for me to wrap my head around it because nothing went badly enough for the MC. Everything went by in a breeze. There would be a problem, and then it'd get fixed in a scene or two. That's pretty much how everything unfolded.
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed tbh.
Thank you to Inkshares and NetGalley for this arc.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love this book. It was a fast paced book I couldn't put it down. I love the concepts it has a post apocalyptic feel to it. I can't wait to see what happens next. I hope it continues on. It leaves me wanting more.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Mostly tedious with an exciting finale. Clearly better suited to be a movie rather than a novel, the author admits it himself. The audiobook has high production value but unfortunately doesn't elevate the source material. I hope we see the movie one day.