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odurant8's review against another edition
3.0
Received from Libro.fm in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting addition to the vast library of teen dystopian novels out there. Macleod Andrews is an excellent narrator, which kept me listening. I liked some of the characters, even though at times they felt a bit like checkboxes (nerd, jock, outcast, etc.)
Ultimately, the end of the book falls flat because it takes a surprise twist and the spoils it with too much explanation, à la Scooby Doo or traditional mysteries.
I expected there to be a sequel to this book, because it’s left open enough, but there isn’t one. I would have been interested enough to see how the characters dismantle a harmful system.
An interesting addition to the vast library of teen dystopian novels out there. Macleod Andrews is an excellent narrator, which kept me listening. I liked some of the characters, even though at times they felt a bit like checkboxes (nerd, jock, outcast, etc.)
Ultimately, the end of the book falls flat because it takes a surprise twist and the spoils it with too much explanation, à la Scooby Doo or traditional mysteries.
I expected there to be a sequel to this book, because it’s left open enough, but there isn’t one. I would have been interested enough to see how the characters dismantle a harmful system.
mlottermoser's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Dystopian society based on ratings
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Cancer, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
heather_19's review
3.0
I'm the kind of person that likes facts and definitive answers. So while I really liked the idea behind this book, I hated that it was left so open ended. Would love to read a sequel if there is one in the future.
aliena_jackson's review
3.0
This book could have been really interesting. Unfortunately, the rating system wasn't well developed, plot points were left unfinished, and the character development feels half-baked at best.
I have so many questions about the rating system, the biggest one being, "How does this work?" It's never explained in the book. Who all can give you ratings? Is there a limit to the number of ratings you can give a person in one day? How long do you have to wait until you give someone another rating? Theoretically, since Javi is a pro gamer, he should have ratings from fans pouring in. But we never see this. We instead see him getting docked by the school librarian for having his phone out during class, recieve one from Noah as a sign of approval, and is paid in positive ones by the company he endorses, Panthera. At one point, Javi says that the ratings are more valuable than currency. But how? Obviously they allow you to get into nicer private hospitals and access fancier grocery stores, but other than that, how are they more valuable than currency? In a way, we see this partly threshed out by Cece's storyline, and we are told that if she is forced to switch to Jackson General Hospital, the quality of care she will recieve will not be up to the standards of Magnolia Children's. Obviously, Noah's father loses his job, and as such, his ratings dip. But how is he not concerned about the cost of healthcare? Even if he were ot get his ratings up, who's going to pay for Cece's care. Both of Noah's parents don't have jobs. And speaking of Noah's father losing his job, this leads us into what I really want to discuss. The unfinished plot points in this book.
Obviously, we need to discuss the fact that Noah's father lost his job. Why, you ask? Because the newspaper he worked at shut its doors despite the fact that it's subscriptions were at "an all time high" according to Noah's father. When questioned about this, he simply says, "The press is a dying medium." Or something along those lines. When Bex learns of this, she notes how peculiar it is that both the school and the local newspaper have been shuttered. Neither one reopens before the end of the book. Additonally, Javi offers to break into the Magnolia Children's Hospital so he can improve Noah's dad's rating, but he never actaully does it. He talks about it in the end, but no action is taken. The only way I could think that this is acceptabel is if this was meant to be a series? Nothing I've seen indicates that this book will be continued. When Headmaster Wood welcomes the six to the resistence, we don't really know anything about it.
In addition to the woefully underdeveloped plot points, I was also upset by how little exposure each character is given. The book rotates between the six characters in a cycle, and when something happens to one chacter, it feels rushed, because the last time you heard from them was SIX CHAPTERS AGO. Noah and Javi could have had a really interesting romance, if they hadn't started dating 72 hours after they met and confessed their deepest darkest secrets to each other within the first 24. It could have been really interesting to see how their ratings were affected as a result of their relationship, but it's never even mentioned.
This book feels underwhelming. It took me awhile to get through it, because I just got bored with most of the characters. Hana has an eating disorder and briefly mentions in the epilogue that she's going to see a specialist for eating disorders. Tamsin- what is she? What is her character supposed to be? And how does her mom afford to send her to Maplethorpe? Chase just- moves out of his abusive father's home and moves in with his secret girlfriend? What is happening. If this book wasn't so mediocre I would be outraged, but I'm too tired to pretend I care at this point. If you're reading this review and you haven't read the book, skip it. It's not worth the time.
I have so many questions about the rating system, the biggest one being, "How does this work?" It's never explained in the book. Who all can give you ratings? Is there a limit to the number of ratings you can give a person in one day? How long do you have to wait until you give someone another rating? Theoretically, since Javi is a pro gamer, he should have ratings from fans pouring in. But we never see this. We instead see him getting docked by the school librarian for having his phone out during class, recieve one from Noah as a sign of approval, and is paid in positive ones by the company he endorses, Panthera. At one point, Javi says that the ratings are more valuable than currency. But how? Obviously they allow you to get into nicer private hospitals and access fancier grocery stores, but other than that, how are they more valuable than currency? In a way, we see this partly threshed out by Cece's storyline, and we are told that if she is forced to switch to Jackson General Hospital, the quality of care she will recieve will not be up to the standards of Magnolia Children's. Obviously, Noah's father loses his job, and as such, his ratings dip. But how is he not concerned about the cost of healthcare? Even if he were ot get his ratings up, who's going to pay for Cece's care. Both of Noah's parents don't have jobs. And speaking of Noah's father losing his job, this leads us into what I really want to discuss. The unfinished plot points in this book.
Obviously, we need to discuss the fact that Noah's father lost his job. Why, you ask? Because the newspaper he worked at shut its doors despite the fact that it's subscriptions were at "an all time high" according to Noah's father. When questioned about this, he simply says, "The press is a dying medium." Or something along those lines. When Bex learns of this, she notes how peculiar it is that both the school and the local newspaper have been shuttered. Neither one reopens before the end of the book. Additonally, Javi offers to break into the Magnolia Children's Hospital so he can improve Noah's dad's rating, but he never actaully does it. He talks about it in the end, but no action is taken. The only way I could think that this is acceptabel is if this was meant to be a series? Nothing I've seen indicates that this book will be continued. When Headmaster Wood welcomes the six to the resistence, we don't really know anything about it.
In addition to the woefully underdeveloped plot points, I was also upset by how little exposure each character is given. The book rotates between the six characters in a cycle, and when something happens to one chacter, it feels rushed, because the last time you heard from them was SIX CHAPTERS AGO. Noah and Javi could have had a really interesting romance, if they hadn't started dating 72 hours after they met and confessed their deepest darkest secrets to each other within the first 24. It could have been really interesting to see how their ratings were affected as a result of their relationship, but it's never even mentioned.
This book feels underwhelming. It took me awhile to get through it, because I just got bored with most of the characters. Hana has an eating disorder and briefly mentions in the epilogue that she's going to see a specialist for eating disorders. Tamsin- what is she? What is her character supposed to be? And how does her mom afford to send her to Maplethorpe? Chase just- moves out of his abusive father's home and moves in with his secret girlfriend? What is happening. If this book wasn't so mediocre I would be outraged, but I'm too tired to pretend I care at this point. If you're reading this review and you haven't read the book, skip it. It's not worth the time.
nyeran's review
1.0
"Good grades mean good ratings. Good ratings mean a good college. A good college means a good life.”
Prendete Riverdale, unitelo ad Elite, aggiungete il trash tipico di ogni serie televisiva adolescenziale che si rispetti e otterrete questo libro. Non sarebbe un problema se non fosse che a differenza di una serie tv non ci sono stati infilati dei flashback per provare a spiegare almeno un po' il passato dei protagonisti ne tanto meno il contesto in cui ci troviamo. È meno approfondito di un teen drama, per la miseria. Ci sono tante, troppe cose, che sarebbero dovute essere spiegate e non lo sono, tante cose che avvengono senza senso.
Non sappiamo ne capiamo, tanto per cominciare, come funziona tutto il sistema dei rating, l'inventore è lo stesso che ha fondato la scuola dei protagonisti, inventato poi è un parolone perchè scarichi TripAdvisor ed ecco i rating, e la Cina sta già un bel pezzo avanti pure nella realtà quindi vabbè, diciamo che ha ampliato questo sistema di dare o togliere punti ad una persona in base a ciò che fa o non fa. Che come concetto distopico ci stava pure il problema è che non si capisce come mai questo meccanismo sia venuto in essere, chi ha deciso che era un concetto fattibile e lo ha accettato? Non si capisce neppure ne sia una situazione solo della scuola o proprio di tutto il mondo, penso la seconda perché vengono nominati gli unrated, gente senza voto o con un voto sotto al 30 mi pare, che protestano contro questo sistema e nient'altro. Non sappiamo se chiunque può toglierti voti o no, se un avvocato perde una causa il cliente può togliergli dei punti? Se un cliente rimanda indietro un piatto in un ristorante poi tolgono punti al cuoco? Non è spiegato perché il togliere o dare punti dipende da chi c'hai davanti. Tamsin viene scoperta a bigiare una lezione da un professoressa che non le toglie punti, poi però le chiede una sigaretta e allora si. Non c'è un criterio per cui questa cosa non la devi fare, dipende chi ti scopre a farla. Va a culo.
Non si capisce perché questo clown, in tutti i sensi della parola, scelga questi sei poracci. A cui rompere i coglioni. Non hanno assolutamente nulla in comune, non si conoscono, non si sono mai visti/incontrati/parlati, non hanno amicizie ne interessi in comune, niente. A metà libro ancora non si sono ancora nemmeno parlati. Il tutto poi finisce in uno stupidissimo cliffhanger.
Prendete Riverdale, unitelo ad Elite, aggiungete il trash tipico di ogni serie televisiva adolescenziale che si rispetti e otterrete questo libro. Non sarebbe un problema se non fosse che a differenza di una serie tv non ci sono stati infilati dei flashback per provare a spiegare almeno un po' il passato dei protagonisti ne tanto meno il contesto in cui ci troviamo. È meno approfondito di un teen drama, per la miseria. Ci sono tante, troppe cose, che sarebbero dovute essere spiegate e non lo sono, tante cose che avvengono senza senso.
Non sappiamo ne capiamo, tanto per cominciare, come funziona tutto il sistema dei rating, l'inventore è lo stesso che ha fondato la scuola dei protagonisti, inventato poi è un parolone perchè scarichi TripAdvisor ed ecco i rating, e la Cina sta già un bel pezzo avanti pure nella realtà quindi vabbè, diciamo che ha ampliato questo sistema di dare o togliere punti ad una persona in base a ciò che fa o non fa. Che come concetto distopico ci stava pure il problema è che non si capisce come mai questo meccanismo sia venuto in essere, chi ha deciso che era un concetto fattibile e lo ha accettato? Non si capisce neppure ne sia una situazione solo della scuola o proprio di tutto il mondo, penso la seconda perché vengono nominati gli unrated, gente senza voto o con un voto sotto al 30 mi pare, che protestano contro questo sistema e nient'altro. Non sappiamo se chiunque può toglierti voti o no, se un avvocato perde una causa il cliente può togliergli dei punti? Se un cliente rimanda indietro un piatto in un ristorante poi tolgono punti al cuoco? Non è spiegato perché il togliere o dare punti dipende da chi c'hai davanti. Tamsin viene scoperta a bigiare una lezione da un professoressa che non le toglie punti, poi però le chiede una sigaretta e allora si. Non c'è un criterio per cui questa cosa non la devi fare, dipende chi ti scopre a farla. Va a culo.
Non si capisce perché questo clown, in tutti i sensi della parola, scelga questi sei poracci. A cui rompere i coglioni. Non hanno assolutamente nulla in comune, non si conoscono, non si sono mai visti/incontrati/parlati, non hanno amicizie ne interessi in comune, niente. A metà libro ancora non si sono ancora nemmeno parlati. Il tutto poi finisce in uno stupidissimo cliffhanger.
stella_28's review
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
big_m54's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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
3.0
This book is something that had been on my mind for a while. I got it near 2 years ago but couldn’t ever put my all into reading it. Despite this I loved the vibe and the characters my mind would often wander to it. In a fuel of jealous rage to read more books than [REDACTED] I pushed my way through. I finally finished it on the bus, having fun annotating and writing my thoughts. Unfortunately the ending absolutely ruined this experience. The whole point of the book was finding out who was vandalizing the school but for some reason that was abandoned to push forward this new plot point of ruining the school mean girl. The main plot, the one thing the book was all building up to was shoved into the epilogue, a maybe 5 page resolution to all of this. Somehow the characters even managed to seem OOC by the end something I’m amazed at. How do you mess up your own characters?? I loved the experience of reading the book but the book itself could have been better.
carryonamelia's review
4.0
4.5 stars
ARC was provided at BookCon by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really didn’t expect to like this book, if we’re being honest. It was being pushed out at BookCon for free and I took it because there were a lot of them. However, I really ended up liking this book. The character dynamics were so well done and the plot was really engaging. To be quite honest, the ending was cliffhangery and I hope there’s more to come.
ARC was provided at BookCon by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really didn’t expect to like this book, if we’re being honest. It was being pushed out at BookCon for free and I took it because there were a lot of them. However, I really ended up liking this book. The character dynamics were so well done and the plot was really engaging. To be quite honest, the ending was cliffhangery and I hope there’s more to come.
prathaaaaaaaaaaa_'s review against another edition
4.0
I just love this book so much for no clear reason