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pantsyreads's review against another edition
2.0
Finally I'm reviewing a book that I just read for shits and giggles (not a bookclub/challenge pick or a book I read for school.) I signed it out at work because I wanted to make a conscious effort to read more releases from 2011 (I don't know why I had this thought, but I rarely read new releases, so I wanted to try something different I guess.) With that said, I had absolutely no idea what to expect when diving into this novel. Unfortunately, I didn't really buy into this dystopia society, which really hampered my reading.
It's no secret that dystopias have become one of the new "it" things in YA literature, and while I do like me some dystopia, I find that this upsurge in interest has really diluted the quality of dystopia titles coming out in the YA market. The premise of this novel sounded interesting, what with the tattoos and the sex, and how the main character wanted to take no part in it, but there were a few things I just couldn't buy into. For one, why did these girls need to get tattoos when they turned sixteen? It was supposedly as a means to protect their young and innocent selves from being taken advantage of or something, but I never got that feeling; all the tattoos did was make girls targets for sex offenders because they knew that they were "of age". Maybe I'm just not remembering the reasons for the tattoos correctly because I read this about 3-4 weeks ago.
Another thing that bothered me was that the characters dialogue wasn't really distinct. Everyone kind of sounded the same, but their personalities were enough to differentiate them from one another. Speaking of characters, I have to say I did like Nina, and she is a good role model for younger to mid-teens who will probably end up reading this novel, what with her values of not wanting to have sex the very moment she's legal. However, she doesn't completely ignore her feelings and urges; she acknowledges them, but doesn't let herself get carried away. Her best friend on the other hand, drove me nuts, which I guess was the point. There was very little that was likable about her, but I suppose she was meant to be an example of what happens when you become obsessed with sex: you start dressing like a bimbo, putting boys over your best friend, become a brainless airhead, etc etc. She did have some redeeming moments though, which added a bit of depth to her character, until she was killed off.
Another small plus for this novel was the role that the parents had in the story. It's a common complaint that YA books focus too much on the teen characters and there's little to no coverage on the parents of any of these characters. With this book, it's definitely not the case. These kids know that they're in over their heads and ask their parents for help, though the only parents we actually see are Nina's mother (who dies near the beginning of the book), her grandparents, and her asian friend's parents (sorry, I can't remember her name at the moment.) Anyhow, it was still nice to see the inclusion of parental units within the story.
My last complaint is with the writing: there's nothing particularly BAD about it, but there's nothing very good about it either. It's very plain, very simple and rather bland. I don't think that'll bother the target audience too much, but I like a little more something-something in my writing. The overall plot was a little meh as well, but there's definitely enough to keep it going at a decent pace: Nina's trying to figure out who her father is while protecting her little sister from her crazy dad. The sister-sister bond was definitely super-cute and something else I appreciated.
The last thing I wasn't sold on was the romance. Nina and her love interest start off disliking each other (of course) and while their reluctant friendship was genuine enough, the flat writing never really brought it to life for me. Also, I felt like their feelings progressed pretty quickly given how much time they actually spend together. Granted, their in a pretty heavy situation together, so maybe that's what brings them together so quickly, but there was just something off about it, for me.
The book ends on a cliff-hanger of sorts, so I do believe that there's going to be a sequel. I don't think I'm going to continue with this series though.
Final Verdict: I didn't really buy into this dystopic world, or the romance, so while the premise sounded kinda cool to me, it ultimately ended up falling flat. The main protag is someone that girls will be able to relate to and I think she's a good role model for said target audience which is a definite plus, but I think I was a little too old for this book. This was perpetuated further by the simplistic writing, which isn't actually bad, but it just didn't do anything for me. As far as dystopia titles go, I've read much better, but this isn't all bad. Still, I'm a little hesitant to recommend it, unless you're between the ages of 14-17.
It's no secret that dystopias have become one of the new "it" things in YA literature, and while I do like me some dystopia, I find that this upsurge in interest has really diluted the quality of dystopia titles coming out in the YA market. The premise of this novel sounded interesting, what with the tattoos and the sex, and how the main character wanted to take no part in it, but there were a few things I just couldn't buy into. For one, why did these girls need to get tattoos when they turned sixteen? It was supposedly as a means to protect their young and innocent selves from being taken advantage of or something, but I never got that feeling; all the tattoos did was make girls targets for sex offenders because they knew that they were "of age". Maybe I'm just not remembering the reasons for the tattoos correctly because I read this about 3-4 weeks ago.
Another thing that bothered me was that the characters dialogue wasn't really distinct. Everyone kind of sounded the same, but their personalities were enough to differentiate them from one another. Speaking of characters, I have to say I did like Nina, and she is a good role model for younger to mid-teens who will probably end up reading this novel, what with her values of not wanting to have sex the very moment she's legal. However, she doesn't completely ignore her feelings and urges; she acknowledges them, but doesn't let herself get carried away. Her best friend on the other hand, drove me nuts, which I guess was the point. There was very little that was likable about her, but I suppose she was meant to be an example of what happens when you become obsessed with sex: you start dressing like a bimbo, putting boys over your best friend, become a brainless airhead, etc etc. She did have some redeeming moments though, which added a bit of depth to her character, until she was killed off.
Another small plus for this novel was the role that the parents had in the story. It's a common complaint that YA books focus too much on the teen characters and there's little to no coverage on the parents of any of these characters. With this book, it's definitely not the case. These kids know that they're in over their heads and ask their parents for help, though the only parents we actually see are Nina's mother (who dies near the beginning of the book), her grandparents, and her asian friend's parents (sorry, I can't remember her name at the moment.) Anyhow, it was still nice to see the inclusion of parental units within the story.
My last complaint is with the writing: there's nothing particularly BAD about it, but there's nothing very good about it either. It's very plain, very simple and rather bland. I don't think that'll bother the target audience too much, but I like a little more something-something in my writing. The overall plot was a little meh as well, but there's definitely enough to keep it going at a decent pace: Nina's trying to figure out who her father is while protecting her little sister from her crazy dad. The sister-sister bond was definitely super-cute and something else I appreciated.
The last thing I wasn't sold on was the romance. Nina and her love interest start off disliking each other (of course) and while their reluctant friendship was genuine enough, the flat writing never really brought it to life for me. Also, I felt like their feelings progressed pretty quickly given how much time they actually spend together. Granted, their in a pretty heavy situation together, so maybe that's what brings them together so quickly, but there was just something off about it, for me.
The book ends on a cliff-hanger of sorts, so I do believe that there's going to be a sequel. I don't think I'm going to continue with this series though.
Final Verdict: I didn't really buy into this dystopic world, or the romance, so while the premise sounded kinda cool to me, it ultimately ended up falling flat. The main protag is someone that girls will be able to relate to and I think she's a good role model for said target audience which is a definite plus, but I think I was a little too old for this book. This was perpetuated further by the simplistic writing, which isn't actually bad, but it just didn't do anything for me. As far as dystopia titles go, I've read much better, but this isn't all bad. Still, I'm a little hesitant to recommend it, unless you're between the ages of 14-17.
marirey's review against another edition
2.0
This book when by fast before I knew it was the climax and then the epiloque. This book was so-so. I really wanted the main character to spend a page, paragraph, anything really explaining the world or gov't. It didn't even tell what year it was. I wouldn't really suggest this book to anyone who really loves dystopian books.
seemeghanread's review against another edition
5.0
So good! Awesome mix of dystopia, science fiction, thriller and murder mystery. So glad Julia Karr wasn't afraid to take on a topic as controversial as teenage sexuality. Couldn't put it down!
library_brandy's review against another edition
1.0
Nina is just a few months out from her 16th birthday. Her best friend is excited about it: when they turn 16, they'll be legal to have sex! And be chosen for the FeLS program! [Female Liason Somethingorother, basically escorts, I think, for government officials?] It's a way out of their Tier 2 lives, anyway. Nina is less than thrilled: being 16 means men can force themselves on her pretty much whenever they want with no repercussions. Things are going poorly enough for her already, but then her mom is killed, and right before she dies she tells Nina that her late father is actually still alive and she needs to bring him a particular book. No easy task, since her mother was possibly working for a resistance movement while Mom's abusive boyfriend is a government agent. Kidnapping, stalking, conspiracy, you name it, until the book mercifully ends.
I want to say there's a big point here in the whole "at 16 girls can legally have sex" and in the caste system, but that part of the world is never really explored. There's talk (in the "As you know..." style of dialogue) about how the world is vegetarian now, but no discussion of when the world became so misogynistic as to openly objectify young women and establish government programs for sex slavery. (Wait, that was supposed to be a big reveal, except it's totally obvious from the beginning, so idk.) Nina's best friend, the boy-crazy airhead, is basically slut-shamed at every opportunity, from the way she dresses to her flirting to her desire to be chosen for the FeLS program (somehow not guessing what the "Female liasons" might do). Advertising is omnipresent (again, no commentary on the society; it's just there), and the class system supposedly allows for no blending among the classes, except that Nina and her friends range across the whole spectrum.
Overall: not something I can recommend in any capacity, really. The dystopian elements are so underrepresented that it seems a stretch to even list this as dystopian. It's not even background; it's just not there.
I want to say there's a big point here in the whole "at 16 girls can legally have sex" and in the caste system, but that part of the world is never really explored. There's talk (in the "As you know..." style of dialogue) about how the world is vegetarian now, but no discussion of when the world became so misogynistic as to openly objectify young women and establish government programs for sex slavery. (Wait, that was supposed to be a big reveal, except it's totally obvious from the beginning, so idk.) Nina's best friend, the boy-crazy airhead, is basically slut-shamed at every opportunity, from the way she dresses to her flirting to her desire to be chosen for the FeLS program (somehow not guessing what the "Female liasons" might do). Advertising is omnipresent (again, no commentary on the society; it's just there), and the class system supposedly allows for no blending among the classes, except that Nina and her friends range across the whole spectrum.
Overall: not something I can recommend in any capacity, really. The dystopian elements are so underrepresented that it seems a stretch to even list this as dystopian. It's not even background; it's just not there.
rachdumais's review against another edition
1.0
Hated this book. gave up reading it halfway through.
maroreads's review against another edition
3.0
To begin, I have to say that I was a little bit hesitant on reading XVI and I don't see why because the book was just wonderful! Julia Karr is a great writer. In XVI, she created a whole knew dystopian world filled with gadgets and uber vocabulary!
XVI is set in Chicago, in the year 2150. In this futuristic world, the government as we know it has been brought down and know the society is run by a Governing Counsel. The GC is pretty much your typical dystopian government. They are very secretive and manipulative. In this case their main way of manipulating the citizens is through media. In the novel when a girl turns sixteen she get the XVI tattoo indicating that she is legal to have sex.
I really liked the world Julia Karr created. The book had a very interesting and intriguing plot. The characters were well developed and realistic. Our main character Nina I thought was very strong-willed and respectable. I liked that in a society where teenage girls were all considered as sex crazed she stood on the contrary because she knew herself and understood that she wasn't ready yet.
The other characters such as Sal, Wei, Mike, Sandy and Derek were also great characters. I sympathized for Sandy because I believe that although she acted like what Julia Karr referred to as a "sex-teen". She didn't really know better as her mother was encouraging her to be that way and pretty much her whole society agreed with what the media was saying. I mean they even taught it at school. Sal on the other hand I thought was a pretty likable character. I found him to be more of the typical love interest but still pretty fun to read about. As for the rest of the characters I really liked them too. I enjoyed reading about their different backgrounds and I wish we got more of that. Also, the main antagonist in this story is Ed. Who is Nina's mothers boyfriend and her little sisters biological father. Ed I thought was also a very typical type character. In this case he was the typical evil bad guy. But still I think it worked for the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, the plot was great and very engaging. One thing I wish there was more of was a more thorough back story as to how this dystopian society came to be. And what was the reason to cause the government to treat young girls this way. But there is a second book to this one so hopefully the questions that are left unanswered here may be answered in the next book. Anyways, as I said before XVI is a great book and I recommend it to those who enjoy dystopian literature.
XVI is set in Chicago, in the year 2150. In this futuristic world, the government as we know it has been brought down and know the society is run by a Governing Counsel. The GC is pretty much your typical dystopian government. They are very secretive and manipulative. In this case their main way of manipulating the citizens is through media. In the novel when a girl turns sixteen she get the XVI tattoo indicating that she is legal to have sex.
I really liked the world Julia Karr created. The book had a very interesting and intriguing plot. The characters were well developed and realistic. Our main character Nina I thought was very strong-willed and respectable. I liked that in a society where teenage girls were all considered as sex crazed she stood on the contrary because she knew herself and understood that she wasn't ready yet.
The other characters such as Sal, Wei, Mike, Sandy and Derek were also great characters. I sympathized for Sandy because I believe that although she acted like what Julia Karr referred to as a "sex-teen". She didn't really know better as her mother was encouraging her to be that way and pretty much her whole society agreed with what the media was saying. I mean they even taught it at school. Sal on the other hand I thought was a pretty likable character. I found him to be more of the typical love interest but still pretty fun to read about. As for the rest of the characters I really liked them too. I enjoyed reading about their different backgrounds and I wish we got more of that. Also, the main antagonist in this story is Ed. Who is Nina's mothers boyfriend and her little sisters biological father. Ed I thought was also a very typical type character. In this case he was the typical evil bad guy. But still I think it worked for the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, the plot was great and very engaging. One thing I wish there was more of was a more thorough back story as to how this dystopian society came to be. And what was the reason to cause the government to treat young girls this way. But there is a second book to this one so hopefully the questions that are left unanswered here may be answered in the next book. Anyways, as I said before XVI is a great book and I recommend it to those who enjoy dystopian literature.
novelgoddess's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the dystopian angle of the story...media as government, but am thinking the whole sex-teen angle was a bit cliched.
But I did like the juxtaposition of Media/Government spinning the whole becoming "sex-teen" as a positive by buy putting out magazines and advertising glorifying being legal and ready for sex versus staying a virgin and signing up for FeLs (Female Liason) training in hopes of escaping the lower tiers of their society.
Overall I liked it and it did give me something to think about...which makes for a good book in my opinion.
But I did like the juxtaposition of Media/Government spinning the whole becoming "sex-teen" as a positive by buy putting out magazines and advertising glorifying being legal and ready for sex versus staying a virgin and signing up for FeLs (Female Liason) training in hopes of escaping the lower tiers of their society.
Overall I liked it and it did give me something to think about...which makes for a good book in my opinion.
lanikei's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up on a whim after a recommendation from a librarian blog that updates sporadically (http://libraryalchemy.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/one-to-watch-julia-karrs-xvi/). The description mentioned it being a YA book that addresses a wide range of social/cultural issues including female sexuality. Having read the book, I don't entirely agree with the description of it 'putting sexuality back in young women's hands', but that was part of what hooked me in the review.
I wasn't quite as hyped about this as the Library Alchemy reviewer, though it certainly wasn't bad. I did enjoy the scifi futuristic aspect (but in a not entirely unrecognizable future), and the societal changes presented some interesting quirks that kept a fairly generic plot interesting.
I can't say it's a brilliant book, but it isn't bad. The approach to teen sexuality raises some interesting issues, and it IS a book that I think could provoke some great conversations, particularly with young women. Karr doesn't just deal with sexuality, she also targets class issues and advertising in unique ways that seem like they might be particularly relevant to her audience.
I wasn't quite as hyped about this as the Library Alchemy reviewer, though it certainly wasn't bad. I did enjoy the scifi futuristic aspect (but in a not entirely unrecognizable future), and the societal changes presented some interesting quirks that kept a fairly generic plot interesting.
I can't say it's a brilliant book, but it isn't bad. The approach to teen sexuality raises some interesting issues, and it IS a book that I think could provoke some great conversations, particularly with young women. Karr doesn't just deal with sexuality, she also targets class issues and advertising in unique ways that seem like they might be particularly relevant to her audience.