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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, this is more a 2.5 rating. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would've given it 3 stars except for one petty reason: on the top of page 345, the author misuses the word "mortified." This is a serious pet peeve of mine. Feeling mortified means feeling embarrassed or ashamed NOT horrified. While I hold my tongue when people misuse this word in daily conversation because it's not that big of a deal, I cannot believe the author and the editor failed to notice this.
I genuinely sat there for a couple minutes after finishing the book, just trying to process what happed.
2016 favorisi.
Distopya okumayı gerçekten çok seviyorum ancak bu türden okuyup da çok beğendiğim bir kitap henüz olmamıştı. Sonra Engame Çağrı'yı okudum ve gönül rahatlığıyla söyleyebilirim ki şu ana kadar okuduğum en iyi distopyaydı.
Kitapta 13 farklı karakteri okuyoruz ve bu başlarda biraz zorlanamam neden olsa da, kimin tam olarak kim olduğunu hatırlamaya çalışmak yorucuydu, sonradan karakterlere tamamen alışınca böyle bir sıkıntım kalmadı. Garip bir şekilde bütün karakterleri de sevdim. Daha doğrusu Sarah hariç bütün karakterleri sevdim. O kıza karşı sonsuz bir nefret duyuyorum. Ancak favori karakterlerim An Liu ve Chiyoko oldu. İkisine de uzun süre fangirling yaptım.
Kitap geniş bir karakter kadrosuna sahip olduğundan olaylar hızlı ilerlemiyor ancak yavaş da değil. Her bölümün sonunda kendimi ne olacak şimdi diye merak ederken buldum. Kitap fazlasıyla akıcı ve kesinlikle sürükleyiciydi.
Kitap ilerledikçe çözülen şifreler, ortaya çıkan yeni olaylar kitaba olan sevgimi daha da artırdı.
Konu olarak karakterlerin birbirlerini öldürmeleri gereken bir oyunda olmasından kaynaklanan bir Açlık Oyunları benzerliği olsa da oyunun oynanış şeklinden dolayı bu benzerlik kayboluyor. Kurgu olarak da kendine özgü ve bambaşka bir havası vardı kitabın. Okurken kendimi önceden okuduğum distopyalardan birini tekrar okuyormuş gibi hissetmedim. Kitapta hiç kendini tekrara gitmedi. İçinde bol bol da aksiyon vardı.
Kitabın sonu sinirlerimi alt üst etse de, nedeni spoiler olur söyleyemeyeceğim, bir yandan da daha da meraklanmama neden oldu. En kısa sürede ikinci kitabı okumaya çalışacağım.
Distopya okumayı gerçekten çok seviyorum ancak bu türden okuyup da çok beğendiğim bir kitap henüz olmamıştı. Sonra Engame Çağrı'yı okudum ve gönül rahatlığıyla söyleyebilirim ki şu ana kadar okuduğum en iyi distopyaydı.
Kitapta 13 farklı karakteri okuyoruz ve bu başlarda biraz zorlanamam neden olsa da, kimin tam olarak kim olduğunu hatırlamaya çalışmak yorucuydu, sonradan karakterlere tamamen alışınca böyle bir sıkıntım kalmadı. Garip bir şekilde bütün karakterleri de sevdim. Daha doğrusu Sarah hariç bütün karakterleri sevdim. O kıza karşı sonsuz bir nefret duyuyorum. Ancak favori karakterlerim An Liu ve Chiyoko oldu. İkisine de uzun süre fangirling yaptım.
Kitap geniş bir karakter kadrosuna sahip olduğundan olaylar hızlı ilerlemiyor ancak yavaş da değil. Her bölümün sonunda kendimi ne olacak şimdi diye merak ederken buldum. Kitap fazlasıyla akıcı ve kesinlikle sürükleyiciydi.
Kitap ilerledikçe çözülen şifreler, ortaya çıkan yeni olaylar kitaba olan sevgimi daha da artırdı.
Konu olarak karakterlerin birbirlerini öldürmeleri gereken bir oyunda olmasından kaynaklanan bir Açlık Oyunları benzerliği olsa da oyunun oynanış şeklinden dolayı bu benzerlik kayboluyor. Kurgu olarak da kendine özgü ve bambaşka bir havası vardı kitabın. Okurken kendimi önceden okuduğum distopyalardan birini tekrar okuyormuş gibi hissetmedim. Kitapta hiç kendini tekrara gitmedi. İçinde bol bol da aksiyon vardı.
Kitabın sonu sinirlerimi alt üst etse de, nedeni spoiler olur söyleyemeyeceğim, bir yandan da daha da meraklanmama neden oldu. En kısa sürede ikinci kitabı okumaya çalışacağım.
I'm not cure whether to base my review on my feels, and nothing else, or my scrutinizing eye on the plot and characters. So I kinda went with both.
First, The Feels:
I've been wanting to read this book for weeks, so when I finally had the time, I jumped at it. And this didn't disappoint. While the entire book, was stock-full of gory, bloody awesomeness, the last 100 pages were epic.
Surprisingly, there was romance in this book. I loved some couples, or at least the idea behind it. I liked how there were alliances and enemies, all of them unsuspected. I thought everyone was going to kill each other at first glance, but it wasn't like that. I loved that.
Now The Facts:
I really wanted to the a Screen Junkies' Honest Trailers version of this book, but that's too much effort. P.S: I'm sorry authors, I love this book but really? *Give placating glare*
So this is how this book went, out of all of the diverse characters, we focus on the white girl who is namedKatniss Everdeen Sarah Alopay. We learn about everyone else, some characters cooler, more vicious, and more religious than others. My favorite character happens to die in the first hundred pages, so my new favorite is Peeta Mellarck Jago Tlarloc. And don't forget her non-Player boyfriend Gale Hawthorne Christopher Vandercamp, who tries to follow her like a sick puppy.
I just wished this book did more interest in more characters. I felt like the romance seemed, mind my pun, scripted. I didn't feel their love, I felt lines and words. The most emotions I ever felt from any one of these characters were An, and even then I rolled my eyes a little bit, and the ending.
I'd still recommend this book, because it was a great book. Just don't think too hard about it.
First, The Feels:
I've been wanting to read this book for weeks, so when I finally had the time, I jumped at it. And this didn't disappoint. While the entire book, was stock-full of gory, bloody awesomeness, the last 100 pages were epic.
Spoiler
I was speechless when Sarah shot Christopher, even though I knew he was probably gonna die at the endSurprisingly, there was romance in this book. I loved some couples, or at least the idea behind it.
Spoiler
An and Chiyoko R.I.P - :(Now The Facts:
I really wanted to the a Screen Junkies' Honest Trailers version of this book, but that's too much effort. P.S: I'm sorry authors, I love this book but really? *Give placating glare*
So this is how this book went, out of all of the diverse characters, we focus on the white girl who is named
I just wished this book did more interest in more characters. I felt like the romance seemed, mind my pun, scripted. I didn't feel their love, I felt lines and words. The most emotions I ever felt from any one of these characters were An, and even then I rolled my eyes a little bit, and the ending.
I'd still recommend this book, because it was a great book. Just don't think too hard about it.
(I honestly didn't think of The Hunger Games when reading this book, shame on me.)
But anyway.
This book was difficult to read. People have talked about how wonderful it is that there's no one to root for, but... there is someone we're supposed to root for.
Sarah Alopay and Jago Tlaloc. Possibly one of the most generic girls in the world, and some odd sociopath that somehow happens to fall for her.
I didn't like either of these protagonists. Sarah seemed shallow, Jago inspired little intrigue and most romantic tension they had could probably be observed by shutting two teenagers in a room together for a few hours. Any two teenagers. Regardless of chemistry. Do you know why?
I couldn't see any chemistry between the two at all.
In general, this book was almost unbearable, and the odd references to angles (ooh, look, my fingers are currently at 42 degrees, look at me) were anything but impressive.
There was, however, one single saving grace to this book that saved me from just rage-quitting and shutting it away forever.
Chiyoko Takeda.
Maybe, as an Asian, I was naturally biased towards Chiyoko, but just look at her relative complexity. She's mute and trained to be a killer, trained to save her line at all costs, but she bursts with honour, refusing to kill Jago when he was asleep. She knows something the other players don't about the rock thing, making her interesting. Her odd Asian-Asian possibly racist gross romance with an emotionless-ish An Liu involving ripping off fingernails and sniffing them to curb his twitch was upsetting, but I still really liked Chiyoko due to her personality, skills, and the aesthetic image of her changing from one wig to another, tracking the other players, each time as a different person. And honestly, the fact that she was chosen to represent her line despite her distinctive muteness speaks volumes of her skill and sheer, utter talent.
But guess what happens to her.
She's killed.
I don't mind it when characters I like are killed, but upon visiting the wiki, I discovered that her death fuels An Liu's later motivations as a character. I.e. the sole reason for her death was to give An Liu power, to make him more interesting, to give him motivation. So essentially, Chiyoko Takeda, the most interesting character in the novel, was used as fodder for the boring manspain of a racially insensitive caricature of a Chinese man.
...
In short: I won't be reading the sequel.
But anyway.
This book was difficult to read. People have talked about how wonderful it is that there's no one to root for, but... there is someone we're supposed to root for.
Sarah Alopay and Jago Tlaloc. Possibly one of the most generic girls in the world, and some odd sociopath that somehow happens to fall for her.
I didn't like either of these protagonists. Sarah seemed shallow, Jago inspired little intrigue and most romantic tension they had could probably be observed by shutting two teenagers in a room together for a few hours. Any two teenagers. Regardless of chemistry. Do you know why?
I couldn't see any chemistry between the two at all.
In general, this book was almost unbearable, and the odd references to angles (ooh, look, my fingers are currently at 42 degrees, look at me) were anything but impressive.
There was, however, one single saving grace to this book that saved me from just rage-quitting and shutting it away forever.
Chiyoko Takeda.
Spoiler
Maybe, as an Asian, I was naturally biased towards Chiyoko, but just look at her relative complexity. She's mute and trained to be a killer, trained to save her line at all costs, but she bursts with honour, refusing to kill Jago when he was asleep. She knows something the other players don't about the rock thing, making her interesting. Her odd Asian-Asian possibly racist gross romance with an emotionless-ish An Liu involving ripping off fingernails and sniffing them to curb his twitch was upsetting, but I still really liked Chiyoko due to her personality, skills, and the aesthetic image of her changing from one wig to another, tracking the other players, each time as a different person. And honestly, the fact that she was chosen to represent her line despite her distinctive muteness speaks volumes of her skill and sheer, utter talent.
But guess what happens to her.
She's killed.
I don't mind it when characters I like are killed, but upon visiting the wiki, I discovered that her death fuels An Liu's later motivations as a character. I.e. the sole reason for her death was to give An Liu power, to make him more interesting, to give him motivation. So essentially, Chiyoko Takeda, the most interesting character in the novel, was used as fodder for the boring manspain of a racially insensitive caricature of a Chinese man.
...
In short: I won't be reading the sequel.
Read the synopsis. Then read the book.
Then read the book again. Then work your way through the clues in the book, and the links that are scattered throughout. Then become utterly obsessed with figuring it all out.
That's Endgame.
Then read the book again. Then work your way through the clues in the book, and the links that are scattered throughout. Then become utterly obsessed with figuring it all out.
That's Endgame.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
DNF @ 25%
I was sucked into Endgame, err... The Calling (I mean really, why is the series title larger than the BOOK title?) because it's pretty and it sounded intriguing. I'd heard the comparisons to Hunger Games. I'd heard the controversy around James Frey. None of that bothered me. I'd been in a reading slump and needed to find something amazing! When this popped up as an available audiobook through my library, I grabbed it and hoped for the best. Nope.
I only made it 25% into this book before almost losing my mind and cutting my losses. I honestly couldn't tell you how many characters I met because there are TWELVE in all. Yes, twelve main characters. Twelve players. Too damn many for me. This is told in such a way that I felt very detached from all of the characters I actually met. At 25% into a book I should know all the protagonists and should at least care whether they live or die.
My main issue with The Calling was the writing. It was all choppy sentences and random numbers and repetition. Listening to this on audiobook, I skipped a solid five minutes of seemingly random noises, apparently some other language that I don't speak. Five minutes. Of another language. Is excessive. I've been irritated by audiobooks before, but I've never had to hit the skip button, even in Shatter Me.
I'll admit, I got a little excited when asteroids started blowing everything up, but that was literally the only time I felt anything about this book other than indifference or irritation. I really wanted to love this. I wanted it to pull me out of my slump. Unfortunately that didn't happen and the search continues!
I think we know what the pitch for "Endgame: The Calling" was: It's like the Hunger Games, but without the realism! And there are PUZZLES! And a fetch quest!
And sadly, the pitch is all there is to recommend the first book of James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton's new series for young adults. The actual execution is like a piece of stale pizza with no sauce -- dry, flavorless and kind of tedious. In addition to the awkward, lifeless writing with its short bland sentences, the characters feel more like game pieces than actual people.
The premise is that there are twelve ancient lineages who have been preparing to save the world for thousands of years... and for some reason, only one person is eligible per line, even though any one person from thousands of years ago is going to have a LOT of descendants. And for some reason, only teens are eligible, even though you would expect people at their peak physical condition to be chosen. But what do I know? Endgame!
Now meteorites are falling on whatever city the ONLY appropriately-aged descendants are living in, signaling the beginning of the vaguely-defined Endgame. Every one of them has been trained in deadly Special-Ops-style combat, so they can kill anyone who gets in their way -- including each other. Their goal: when Endgame starts, they must fetch three keys. And so begins a world-wide, bloody quest for the Great Puzzle of Salvation. If they don't win, they die.
"Endgame: The Calling" is the worst kind of story -- the kind of story that has a brilliant premise... and falls flatter than a tortilla that has been run over by a steamroller. In the hands of a better writer, this would be an epic story. It has backstory that spans all of human civilization, sci-fi/fantasy "Sky People" who have caused all this, a large cast of characters who come from all across the world... it sounds very epic, and a writer like Brandon Sanderson or Garth Nix could have spun a spellbinding tale.
But do we get an epic story? Alas, no. It feels like neither Frey nor Johnson-Shelton even cared.
The biggest problem is the writing, which is as dry and bloodless as a mummy. Often it feels like a screenplay ineptly transformed into a novel -- most of the time, we're simply told the characters' actions and some bland inner descriptions like "she wanted this" or "he didn't like this."
Everything is related in short, clunky sentences in the present tense (presumably a failed attempt at immediacy). They're strung together like dreary little beads ("It's just a gash. It will need stitches, though"), and they never swirl up the passions of the reader. For instance, once scene involves Sarah cheating on her Perfectly Perfect Ken-Doll Boyfriend with one of her rivals, whom she is competing against. How is this conveyed?
"But then they kiss.
And kiss.
And kiss.
And Sarah forgets."
Riveting, isn't it? The heat just radiates off the page.
And Frey and Johnson-Shelton utterly fail at creating any sense of actual tension. The first few chapters contain devastating meteorite strikes that leave countless people dead... and the reaction of all the characters is either glee or dull surprise. Even when a character's brother is impaled on a steel beam and dies in front of her, she barely even seems to care. It's presented in such a dull, vague way that nothing actually seems important.
But that's because these are not characters. They are chess pieces. They are video-game avatars. The backstory, personalities, and experiences of the characters are nonexistent except for their Endrame training. Admittedly it is difficult to flesh out such a large cast, but some of their introductory chapters are only a few pages long -- just long enough to establish the character's nationality/ethnicity, and that they are a main character.
What is there to these people other than their nationality/ethnicity and the fact that they have trained to be in Endgame? Not much. Only one seems to have an actual life outside the Endgame prep, and that is just so her blandly perfect boyfriend can eventually be imperiled.
"Endgame: The Calling" has a shell of a plot, full of the characters' actions and words, but without any kind of narrative soul. The writing is dry, the characters are like paper, and the authors clearly cared about nothing but the movie rights.
And sadly, the pitch is all there is to recommend the first book of James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton's new series for young adults. The actual execution is like a piece of stale pizza with no sauce -- dry, flavorless and kind of tedious. In addition to the awkward, lifeless writing with its short bland sentences, the characters feel more like game pieces than actual people.
The premise is that there are twelve ancient lineages who have been preparing to save the world for thousands of years... and for some reason, only one person is eligible per line, even though any one person from thousands of years ago is going to have a LOT of descendants. And for some reason, only teens are eligible, even though you would expect people at their peak physical condition to be chosen. But what do I know? Endgame!
Now meteorites are falling on whatever city the ONLY appropriately-aged descendants are living in, signaling the beginning of the vaguely-defined Endgame. Every one of them has been trained in deadly Special-Ops-style combat, so they can kill anyone who gets in their way -- including each other. Their goal: when Endgame starts, they must fetch three keys. And so begins a world-wide, bloody quest for the Great Puzzle of Salvation. If they don't win, they die.
"Endgame: The Calling" is the worst kind of story -- the kind of story that has a brilliant premise... and falls flatter than a tortilla that has been run over by a steamroller. In the hands of a better writer, this would be an epic story. It has backstory that spans all of human civilization, sci-fi/fantasy "Sky People" who have caused all this, a large cast of characters who come from all across the world... it sounds very epic, and a writer like Brandon Sanderson or Garth Nix could have spun a spellbinding tale.
But do we get an epic story? Alas, no. It feels like neither Frey nor Johnson-Shelton even cared.
The biggest problem is the writing, which is as dry and bloodless as a mummy. Often it feels like a screenplay ineptly transformed into a novel -- most of the time, we're simply told the characters' actions and some bland inner descriptions like "she wanted this" or "he didn't like this."
Everything is related in short, clunky sentences in the present tense (presumably a failed attempt at immediacy). They're strung together like dreary little beads ("It's just a gash. It will need stitches, though"), and they never swirl up the passions of the reader. For instance, once scene involves Sarah cheating on her Perfectly Perfect Ken-Doll Boyfriend with one of her rivals, whom she is competing against. How is this conveyed?
"But then they kiss.
And kiss.
And kiss.
And Sarah forgets."
Riveting, isn't it? The heat just radiates off the page.
And Frey and Johnson-Shelton utterly fail at creating any sense of actual tension. The first few chapters contain devastating meteorite strikes that leave countless people dead... and the reaction of all the characters is either glee or dull surprise. Even when a character's brother is impaled on a steel beam and dies in front of her, she barely even seems to care. It's presented in such a dull, vague way that nothing actually seems important.
But that's because these are not characters. They are chess pieces. They are video-game avatars. The backstory, personalities, and experiences of the characters are nonexistent except for their Endrame training. Admittedly it is difficult to flesh out such a large cast, but some of their introductory chapters are only a few pages long -- just long enough to establish the character's nationality/ethnicity, and that they are a main character.
What is there to these people other than their nationality/ethnicity and the fact that they have trained to be in Endgame? Not much. Only one seems to have an actual life outside the Endgame prep, and that is just so her blandly perfect boyfriend can eventually be imperiled.
"Endgame: The Calling" has a shell of a plot, full of the characters' actions and words, but without any kind of narrative soul. The writing is dry, the characters are like paper, and the authors clearly cared about nothing but the movie rights.