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jennifermreads's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa. This book tackled some serious issues. Sex. Religion. Abuse. Privacy rights. Rights period.
Julia Karr developed Nina as a character so that the reader could grow and change with her. Nina’s unending faith in her life and society are a bit naïve – but this is the innocence of childhood, right? And, as the author shows, turning 16 can mean more than hormonal changes, there can be a wider growth as well.
I fear that a number of teens may be pulled away from the powerful messages by parents who are being a tad overprotective – and the religious jabs may be an additional deterrent for parents. Is it uncomfortable to think about being “ready for sex” at 16? Heck yeah! Is it difficult to face a questioning faith? Oh yeah! Is it tricky to question society and societal norms? Sure is! But Ms. Karr approaches all this with a reality and honesty that is refreshing. If even one teen questions their beliefs, ethics, and decisions, she will have succeeded.
I liked this enough to want to read the next installment and discover what happens when Nina meets her father. I requested the purchase for my library.
Julia Karr developed Nina as a character so that the reader could grow and change with her. Nina’s unending faith in her life and society are a bit naïve – but this is the innocence of childhood, right? And, as the author shows, turning 16 can mean more than hormonal changes, there can be a wider growth as well.
I fear that a number of teens may be pulled away from the powerful messages by parents who are being a tad overprotective – and the religious jabs may be an additional deterrent for parents. Is it uncomfortable to think about being “ready for sex” at 16? Heck yeah! Is it difficult to face a questioning faith? Oh yeah! Is it tricky to question society and societal norms? Sure is! But Ms. Karr approaches all this with a reality and honesty that is refreshing. If even one teen questions their beliefs, ethics, and decisions, she will have succeeded.
I liked this enough to want to read the next installment and discover what happens when Nina meets her father. I requested the purchase for my library.
rainmisoa's review against another edition
1.0
I am going to start off by saying I couldn't even finish this book. I just couldn't. I normally try to finish every book I start, but I've gotten to the point where if I am not enjoying a book, I shouldn't force myself through it. I am just making myself miserable and ruining my reading experience. This book was the last straw. It pushed me over the edge and I just had to stop.
There is not a single thing I liked about this book. The writing is mediocre. I never once felt like I was being pulled in to this world through the writing. It felt very bland. Also, this is supposed to be a finished copy and there were so many typoes! I counted more than five! If it was just one or two, I could let that slide. But more than five? Come on now! Also, this world is just so unbelievable. There is no way people, in a society that's constantly under surveillance, can have sex under a bush. Also, SEX UNDER A BUSH WOULD BE THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE THING EVER! How can you have sex with branches prodding your butt? No. Just no.
The characters were just... boring. Nothing about any of them made me love them. They were so flat with only sex on the brain. I am not a prude. I don't mind sex in my books. But I want a little more to my characters than just sex. The parts where Nina, the main character, should have been worried about her family because of her father being wrapped up in something against the government, she was more worried about her love interest, Sal, not wanting to be with her or kiss her. No one in their right mind would do that. People will put everything aside to help their family. Not think about getting it on with some guy they only knew for a few days! I got more than half-way through the book and there were no signs of character development whatsoever. Nothing was happening except her wanting Sal and, for me, that's not a story about a dystopian world.
If this sounds like something you want to read, then go ahead. I believe every book deserves to be read. I could not get into this book. I do not like this book. But that is just my opinion. You may love this book. If you do, then great! If not, then stop reading it and find something you do love. Me? I am going to find something else because this book just... wasn't for me.
There is not a single thing I liked about this book. The writing is mediocre. I never once felt like I was being pulled in to this world through the writing. It felt very bland. Also, this is supposed to be a finished copy and there were so many typoes! I counted more than five! If it was just one or two, I could let that slide. But more than five? Come on now! Also, this world is just so unbelievable. There is no way people, in a society that's constantly under surveillance, can have sex under a bush. Also, SEX UNDER A BUSH WOULD BE THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE THING EVER! How can you have sex with branches prodding your butt? No. Just no.
The characters were just... boring. Nothing about any of them made me love them. They were so flat with only sex on the brain. I am not a prude. I don't mind sex in my books. But I want a little more to my characters than just sex. The parts where Nina, the main character, should have been worried about her family because of her father being wrapped up in something against the government, she was more worried about her love interest, Sal, not wanting to be with her or kiss her. No one in their right mind would do that. People will put everything aside to help their family. Not think about getting it on with some guy they only knew for a few days! I got more than half-way through the book and there were no signs of character development whatsoever. Nothing was happening except her wanting Sal and, for me, that's not a story about a dystopian world.
If this sounds like something you want to read, then go ahead. I believe every book deserves to be read. I could not get into this book. I do not like this book. But that is just my opinion. You may love this book. If you do, then great! If not, then stop reading it and find something you do love. Me? I am going to find something else because this book just... wasn't for me.
caszriel's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this one. Awesome concept, had a lot of potential, but kinda like Die For Me which I read recently in that it's something I would've liked at a younger age, but not so much anymore. My favourite parts were when Nina was in danger or paranoid, they just gave me an adrenaline rush and the writing was very well done? I took a natural liking to Sal with his open honesty but for all Nina's talk of not wanting to have a boyfriend I couldn't truly see the difference between Sal and other boys in this regard, though I still support their relationship. Sandy was just the most annoying character ever and in the end, she served her purpose I guess but Wei is so much cooler and I'm not sure how Nina found herself friends with such polar opposites. I would like to read Truth (and book #3 if it ever comes) if I can get my hands on a copy.
octagonal's review against another edition
1.0
I like the idea of this book, but there are just too many things missing. Let's take the biggest storyline in the book--the XVI tattoo and all it implies. Where did it come from? More importantly, WHY? We don't get those answers. We get lots of conspiracy and evil-big-brother, which I enjoy, but I'd still like to know what exactly the government is benefiting from here. It was more than a little distracting. I mean, something major would have to happen to shift a society to the point that you encourage sexual violence, and I just can't buy this story without some kind of explanation or hint.
samantha_89's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of this books I heard about before it was published, promptly forgot about then remembered again when I saw it out of the corner of my eye at the book store. XVI is an edgy dystopian novel with a cool title, all things I love. While I wasn't crazy about the book I didn't hate it and I didn't love it either. I still added the next book to my TBR list. Yes, there's a sequel. It's YA, of course there's a sequel.
XVI's dystopian future involves teens (only girls, I believe) getting tattooed at sixteen to show that they are the of the legal age to have sex. This seems to be a world where women have very little say in their sex life or their reproduction, however this wasn't discussed as much as I thought that it could have been. The equality in the world has changed very dramatically and a lot could have been said about it, but Karr never mentioned much of anything. She certainly didn't say why women lost their right to say no. I know that they why isn't always important in a dystopian novel, but Nina has some serious issues with her lack of ability to consent to sex and the why seemed important, at least to me.
XVI also uses a lot of futuristic jargon or slang. I love slang, I really really do, but when using slang in a book about the future you need to be careful of two things. First off, that the slang doesn't have any connotations with today's language and secondly, that the reader understands what the word means. Using the term "tranny" or "trannies" for transportation isn't okay and I'm wondering how an editor let that slide. Using the phrase "Did you kiss a tranny" to ask if someone got hit by a car makes it a lot worse. There were also terms that I didn't always understand or that weren't used consistently. Skivs was used, and it seemed to be a replacement for the word "god" but it also seemed to be a group of people like criminals. "DZ" was used for dead zone (no signal on the cell phones), but had to be explained to some people then not to others. Consistency in the book was lacking, at one point it's mentioned that Nina's birthday was in two weeks... then a month goes by until her birthday. Overall the book had a cheap feel to it because of the poor choice in slang and inconsistencies in the time line.
I also had issues with Nina and her friends. I couldn't understand why they wanted to be her friends when she never treats them very well. From the beginning of the book she starts off very agitated with them, just showing them actually having a good time and actually having Nina want to be around them really would have helped them out.
Despite these things, I still thought about the book after I set it down. The romance of the book wasn't original but it was compelling and effective. Sal sometimes got on my nerves playing the typical YA Lit guy, but the scenes between Sal and Nina still sent tingles to my toes.
Certain passages regarding Nina's concerns about sex, consent and desire were very well written and stood out from the rest of the novel. Nina's thoughts about whether she was ready to have sex are very valid, whether in her dystopian world or in ours. Teens curious about sex or in that limbo of ready and not will certainly find some companionship in Nina's concerns.
Overall, I think the book deserved a better editor. It's edgy and dystopian and could have received a lot more attention than it has received. On the plus side, this means the sequel probably won't come out in hard back first.
XVI's dystopian future involves teens (only girls, I believe) getting tattooed at sixteen to show that they are the of the legal age to have sex. This seems to be a world where women have very little say in their sex life or their reproduction, however this wasn't discussed as much as I thought that it could have been. The equality in the world has changed very dramatically and a lot could have been said about it, but Karr never mentioned much of anything. She certainly didn't say why women lost their right to say no. I know that they why isn't always important in a dystopian novel, but Nina has some serious issues with her lack of ability to consent to sex and the why seemed important, at least to me.
XVI also uses a lot of futuristic jargon or slang. I love slang, I really really do, but when using slang in a book about the future you need to be careful of two things. First off, that the slang doesn't have any connotations with today's language and secondly, that the reader understands what the word means. Using the term "tranny" or "trannies" for transportation isn't okay and I'm wondering how an editor let that slide. Using the phrase "Did you kiss a tranny" to ask if someone got hit by a car makes it a lot worse. There were also terms that I didn't always understand or that weren't used consistently. Skivs was used, and it seemed to be a replacement for the word "god" but it also seemed to be a group of people like criminals. "DZ" was used for dead zone (no signal on the cell phones), but had to be explained to some people then not to others. Consistency in the book was lacking, at one point it's mentioned that Nina's birthday was in two weeks... then a month goes by until her birthday. Overall the book had a cheap feel to it because of the poor choice in slang and inconsistencies in the time line.
I also had issues with Nina and her friends. I couldn't understand why they wanted to be her friends when she never treats them very well. From the beginning of the book she starts off very agitated with them, just showing them actually having a good time and actually having Nina want to be around them really would have helped them out.
Spoiler
Having Nina say one good thing about Sandy and why she hung out with her would have made her death more heart wrenching, instead I didn't care.Despite these things, I still thought about the book after I set it down. The romance of the book wasn't original but it was compelling and effective. Sal sometimes got on my nerves playing the typical YA Lit guy, but the scenes between Sal and Nina still sent tingles to my toes.
Certain passages regarding Nina's concerns about sex, consent and desire were very well written and stood out from the rest of the novel. Nina's thoughts about whether she was ready to have sex are very valid, whether in her dystopian world or in ours. Teens curious about sex or in that limbo of ready and not will certainly find some companionship in Nina's concerns.
Overall, I think the book deserved a better editor. It's edgy and dystopian and could have received a lot more attention than it has received. On the plus side, this means the sequel probably won't come out in hard back first.
geo_ix's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
There were times the book & Nina in particular felt very… slut shamey? She didn’t want to have sex because she saw what I’m guessing was abusive porn her step dad had, and was traumatised by it, so her friend who was like all the other girls (not like Nina she had very pick me vibes and even said at the start she’s not like other girls) was super into boys and dressed for boys attention & Nina focused on it so much, and kept warning her friend sex wasn’t everything etc etc and judged her for wanting to be part of a program that made her popular & moved them to a more well off area (that’s what they all thought at the time) and then and the only girl Nina really looks up to & has nice interactions with is wei who also doesn’t want to have sex?
Mainly disliked how negative everything always was. Hating the government and power to the people, sure, but if sandy wants to act dumb and have men fall at her feet & have sex all day good for her. Especially if it’s considered super normal. You can’t judge people for not knowing different than they’re taught, and you shouldn’t judge them if they do know and choose different than you would.
There were times the book & Nina in particular felt very… slut shamey? She didn’t want to have sex because she saw what I’m guessing was abusive porn her step dad had, and was traumatised by it, so her friend who was like all the other girls (not like Nina she had very pick me vibes and even said at the start she’s not like other girls) was super into boys and dressed for boys attention & Nina focused on it so much, and kept warning her friend sex wasn’t everything etc etc and judged her for wanting to be part of a program that made her popular & moved them to a more well off area (that’s what they all thought at the time) and then
Spoiler
she had to kill her off after the bad guy gets her in the program and then is violently raped & her body dumped somewhere.Mainly disliked how negative everything always was. Hating the government and power to the people, sure, but if sandy wants to act dumb and have men fall at her feet & have sex all day good for her. Especially if it’s considered super normal. You can’t judge people for not knowing different than they’re taught, and you shouldn’t judge them if they do know and choose different than you would.
geldauran's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book. The concept is very interesting- girls get tattoos when they reach the age of 16, signaling their entrance into the adult world and their official ability to consent to sex with just about anyone. The obvious parallels to modern society and the over-sexualization of teenage girls is striking, and made me hopeful for this book.
I guess I wanted the book to focus more on Nina's personal struggle with fitting in to society. We find out about all these horrible corrupt things going on in the world, but we spend most of the book following Nina following her sister. There are hints of some kind of secret resistance, led by Nina's father, but we don't really learn anything about it. Nina has drama with her boyfriend, Sandy is (apparently) an incorrigible slut, and Sal is obviously a liar and very fond of misleading Nina(but he is attractive so...).I don't know. This book had alot of potential just based on the premises, but I felt like it just crumbled to pieces around it, floundered, and then drowned.
I guess I wanted the book to focus more on Nina's personal struggle with fitting in to society. We find out about all these horrible corrupt things going on in the world, but we spend most of the book following Nina following her sister. There are hints of some kind of secret resistance, led by Nina's father, but we don't really learn anything about it. Nina has drama with her boyfriend, Sandy is (apparently) an incorrigible slut, and Sal is obviously a liar and very fond of misleading Nina(but he is attractive so...).I don't know. This book had alot of potential just based on the premises, but I felt like it just crumbled to pieces around it, floundered, and then drowned.
bak8382's review against another edition
3.0
Nina dreads her approaching 16th birthday, which will mark her out as an adult for all to see. She's just trying to get by when her mother is murdered, and she's forced to see the world from a totally different perspective.
While an interesting premise, the world is not as well-developed as other dystopians, and many aspects, including the central bar code tattoo, are never fully explained. The dialogue and teen angst are a bit trying at times. Ultimately it's not bad, but not a standout in the field of dystopians.
While an interesting premise, the world is not as well-developed as other dystopians, and many aspects, including the central bar code tattoo, are never fully explained. The dialogue and teen angst are a bit trying at times. Ultimately it's not bad, but not a standout in the field of dystopians.