Scan barcode
liralen's review against another edition
2.0
I seem to be reading a lot of dystopian teen lit lately. Not really sure why.
This was... disappointing. Aside from the numerous typos (stupid stuff, like spaces before periods and missing or superfluous apostrophes and quotation marks - the proofreader didn't earn his or her wage on this book), it just wasn't all that good.
There's a lot of tension over nothing, frankly. I mean, yes, Nina does have some serious stuff to worry about - her mother, Ed, turning sixteen. But by the time she turns sixteen, she's pretty much stopped worrying about the vulnerability that her tattoo will bring. (Shouldn't she be more worried?) Meanwhile, there's all this worry about the government listening in - but not only is the government completely clueless, the characters have all sorts of tricks to keep the government from finding anything out anyway.
Over and over again, we get "Oh no, Dee's in danger! Oh wait... no she's not," or "Oh no, the book is missing! Oh wait... no it's not", or "Careful! They'll hear us! Oh, never mind, this is a Dead Zone"... and there's a completely illogical "chase" scene that would probably draw all kinds of attention but instead lets the characters evade Ed.
I was going to say "Well, at least this is a standalone book" (I'm getting very tired of YA series that could be wrapped up in one book if the writing was tighter), but wait - there's a sequel expected in 2012. Alas.
This was... disappointing. Aside from the numerous typos (stupid stuff, like spaces before periods and missing or superfluous apostrophes and quotation marks - the proofreader didn't earn his or her wage on this book), it just wasn't all that good.
There's a lot of tension over nothing, frankly. I mean, yes, Nina does have some serious stuff to worry about - her mother, Ed, turning sixteen. But by the time she turns sixteen, she's pretty much stopped worrying about the vulnerability that her tattoo will bring. (Shouldn't she be more worried?) Meanwhile, there's all this worry about the government listening in - but not only is the government completely clueless, the characters have all sorts of tricks to keep the government from finding anything out anyway.
Over and over again, we get "Oh no, Dee's in danger! Oh wait... no she's not," or "Oh no, the book is missing! Oh wait... no it's not", or "Careful! They'll hear us! Oh, never mind, this is a Dead Zone"... and there's a completely illogical "chase" scene that would probably draw all kinds of attention but instead lets the characters evade Ed.
I was going to say "Well, at least this is a standalone book" (I'm getting very tired of YA series that could be wrapped up in one book if the writing was tighter), but wait - there's a sequel expected in 2012. Alas.
frootjoos's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this more, but it was ridiculously repetitive--sometimes I wanted to shake the book and go, "I know, I know already, tell me something NEW!!!" I still think it's a good discussion book for some very uncomfortable topics.
pottedkarma's review against another edition
3.0
Good book, fantastic set up, the ending was a little disappointing...
allymuddyorbs's review against another edition
5.0
Throughout almost the entire novel, I really disliked Sandy and her "it's all about me/sex-teen" attitude. All she ever did was flirt with boys and tell Nina off because she got the things Sandy wanted without even trying. But in the end, I still felt bad for her because she was murdered and buried haphazardly by Ed. The point of view the book was written in really made it easy to feel for the characters, especially Nina and her loss for her dear friend was definitely felt even if I read it in the backseat of a car with really poor lighting. I personally couldn't imagine if it had been my own best friend whose body had been found. I probably wouldn't have been as composed as Nina was.
Another character I didn't particularly like was Dee. I guess I could chalk some of it off to the fact that I was reading from Nina's point of view and that her thoughts on Dee's innocence were what caused me to dislike her. But also because most of the time she was a brat. She deliberately goes against the things her elders say and have people constantly worrying about where she was and always wanting to talk to Ed because she believed that he was a good guy despite her prior doubts to him hurting her mother. I guess there was also fault on Nina's part because she didn't tell her that Ed had killed Ginnie and that Ed wasn't her real father in the first place.
On a brighter note, I absolutely fell in love with the love story of Sal and Nina because her doubts on his feelings for her were similar if not identical to what people my age feel these days. The girls like me fall for guys like Sal and then girls like Sandy and the blonde girl he was with in the hallway rub their stuff all over those guys and - unlike Sal - they lose interest in us. I absolutely jumped with joy when Sal began to show Nina how he truly felt. And some of their alone time was hot, even if they weren't even de-trousered.
Another great aspect of the story was Nina's friendship with Wei. It was the kind of friendship that developed quickly, but could withstand anything and everything that threatened it. It was something that I could also relate to because it resembled the kind of relationship I have now with my friends. The fact that Wei would risk a lot just to protect Nina who just came into her life a few months prior to their friendship was something very much present in my life as well, and it was refreshing to know that my best friend and I didn't really look strange and out of the ordinary because there were actually people who did that for one another. Oh, and I also loved the thistle tattoo on Wei's XVI mark.
After reading this book, one of the things I was truly glad for was that it's not 2150. Julia Karr was right when she wrote that 1984 used to just be fiction until it actually came true in the 80s. I read the book and it was eerie how those predictions became true. And it wasn't impossible that the theories presented in this novel might come true within the next hundred years. The society's slowly being filled with media sheep - more and more so by the day. Magazines full of products that are supposed to make you look younger and reports on other people's lives delivered as if they were factual. I have family under the media's scrutinizing microscope and I would give anything and everything just to be able to pull them out and protect them from the harshness of society, but I can't.
Come to think of it, most of the elements presented in the book are actually stronger and more prominent versions of what our society has these days. So it really is probable that one day, probably when we're all living in the lives of our reincarnations, this could really happen. Because this is where our world's headed.
This book is really underrated when in fact it should be known amongst everyone in today's generation for its message on staying true to yourself and never giving in to the brainwashing of the media no matter how tempting it looks. But of course even if it did sell big, it would never be promoted the way The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter books are promoted mainly because this is a dystopia story that tells its readers the true colors of the world. If we were in the novel, they would probably take this off the shelves because it tells us to fight, and tells us to never stop searching for the truth; that nothing is how it seems.
I'm really looking forward to Truth, and it's going to be painful knowing that I have about five months of waiting left before it's released. But I agree with one of the reviewers of the cover that it could have done loads better without the cheesy tagline. (I was talking about Truth, not XVI. I loved the tagline of XVI)
Another character I didn't particularly like was Dee. I guess I could chalk some of it off to the fact that I was reading from Nina's point of view and that her thoughts on Dee's innocence were what caused me to dislike her. But also because most of the time she was a brat. She deliberately goes against the things her elders say and have people constantly worrying about where she was and always wanting to talk to Ed because she believed that he was a good guy despite her prior doubts to him hurting her mother. I guess there was also fault on Nina's part because she didn't tell her that Ed had killed Ginnie and that Ed wasn't her real father in the first place.
On a brighter note, I absolutely fell in love with the love story of Sal and Nina because her doubts on his feelings for her were similar if not identical to what people my age feel these days. The girls like me fall for guys like Sal and then girls like Sandy and the blonde girl he was with in the hallway rub their stuff all over those guys and - unlike Sal - they lose interest in us. I absolutely jumped with joy when Sal began to show Nina how he truly felt. And some of their alone time was hot, even if they weren't even de-trousered.
Another great aspect of the story was Nina's friendship with Wei. It was the kind of friendship that developed quickly, but could withstand anything and everything that threatened it. It was something that I could also relate to because it resembled the kind of relationship I have now with my friends. The fact that Wei would risk a lot just to protect Nina who just came into her life a few months prior to their friendship was something very much present in my life as well, and it was refreshing to know that my best friend and I didn't really look strange and out of the ordinary because there were actually people who did that for one another. Oh, and I also loved the thistle tattoo on Wei's XVI mark.
After reading this book, one of the things I was truly glad for was that it's not 2150. Julia Karr was right when she wrote that 1984 used to just be fiction until it actually came true in the 80s. I read the book and it was eerie how those predictions became true. And it wasn't impossible that the theories presented in this novel might come true within the next hundred years. The society's slowly being filled with media sheep - more and more so by the day. Magazines full of products that are supposed to make you look younger and reports on other people's lives delivered as if they were factual. I have family under the media's scrutinizing microscope and I would give anything and everything just to be able to pull them out and protect them from the harshness of society, but I can't.
Come to think of it, most of the elements presented in the book are actually stronger and more prominent versions of what our society has these days. So it really is probable that one day, probably when we're all living in the lives of our reincarnations, this could really happen. Because this is where our world's headed.
This book is really underrated when in fact it should be known amongst everyone in today's generation for its message on staying true to yourself and never giving in to the brainwashing of the media no matter how tempting it looks. But of course even if it did sell big, it would never be promoted the way The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter books are promoted mainly because this is a dystopia story that tells its readers the true colors of the world. If we were in the novel, they would probably take this off the shelves because it tells us to fight, and tells us to never stop searching for the truth; that nothing is how it seems.
I'm really looking forward to Truth, and it's going to be painful knowing that I have about five months of waiting left before it's released. But I agree with one of the reviewers of the cover that it could have done loads better without the cheesy tagline. (I was talking about Truth, not XVI. I loved the tagline of XVI)
librariann's review against another edition
3.0
Ages 12+ (Sure, the book is about sixteen year old girls rapidly sexualizing, but the main character is adamantly against sex. Heavy petting, almost no language, some domestic violence.)
An easy reading dystopia that wraps up neatly at the end(albeit a little quickly) is NOT part of a trilogy. Hurrah.
An easy reading dystopia that wraps up neatly at the end(albeit a little quickly) is NOT part of a trilogy. Hurrah.
charlottecharwoods's review against another edition
2.0
Okay so the book wasn't horrendous but it wasn't good. I only got it because the books at my library that day were limited and I like dystopian novels... usually.
This one just was very messy. I felt like Nina was writing from the perspective of a 10 year old. The romance in it was very silly. It was quite predictable most of it and the concept wasn't anything new really. Whenever you thought there might be a twist or turn it turned out fine. 'Oh now Dee is missing" a bit of worrying in between "oh no she was just at a friends"!! I liked Sal but his and Nina's relationship was all over the place. I think the biggest problem with the book was I didn't like Nina's 'voice' I guess and the plot was all over the place and everything either dragged out or happened all at once. It just didn't flow nicely like The Hunger Games, Divergent and other dystopians novels have, heck like any good novel does. I felt like I was waiting and waiting for something BIG to happen but it didn't. I just wanted it to be over in the end. Sandy's death was quite unexpected and did move me which I was surprised by. The way Nina grieved was a bit odd (for her mother). Yeah I just didn't really like this book. I didn't hate it or anything but it could have been so much more and it wasn't. I guess I was disappointed.
This one just was very messy. I felt like Nina was writing from the perspective of a 10 year old. The romance in it was very silly. It was quite predictable most of it and the concept wasn't anything new really. Whenever you thought there might be a twist or turn it turned out fine. 'Oh now Dee is missing" a bit of worrying in between "oh no she was just at a friends"!! I liked Sal but his and Nina's relationship was all over the place. I think the biggest problem with the book was I didn't like Nina's 'voice' I guess and the plot was all over the place and everything either dragged out or happened all at once. It just didn't flow nicely like The Hunger Games, Divergent and other dystopians novels have, heck like any good novel does. I felt like I was waiting and waiting for something BIG to happen but it didn't. I just wanted it to be over in the end. Sandy's death was quite unexpected and did move me which I was surprised by. The way Nina grieved was a bit odd (for her mother). Yeah I just didn't really like this book. I didn't hate it or anything but it could have been so much more and it wasn't. I guess I was disappointed.
books_plan_create's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting....although by the end of the book, I was a little turned off by all the repetitiveness - big bad man after girl. girl flees. big bad man threatens girl. girl's friends get upset. Over and over. But even through all that, I really liked the book!
sydofbee's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time finishing XVI. I'm not quite sure what I expected exactly. Some icky scenes - given the premise that guys were pretty much able to do what they wanted to girls. Sixteen year old rape victims never stood a chance in court, the father of a baby decided whether it was going to be born, etc. I don't know what made it so hard for me to finish this book. Maybe it's the somewhat shady world building, but I guess it is because I couldn't connect with the characters. I just didn't care whether Ed got to Nina or what "the brutal strike" does to her.
Everything is confusing; the media seems to "rule" the world and there are colonies on Mars and the Moon and so on. But there are rebels on Earth called Non-Cons. For whatever reason people decided men were in charge of everything, especially who they had sex with (against the woman's will more often than not) but they could also take guardianship of their illegitimate kids (especially girls) and turn them into what is called a Cinderella girl - basically a servant.
So there are a lot of very interesting concepts. I don't think I have ever read a YA book with such a controversial topic - sex is barely a side plot if it's mentioned at all - but here it is quite important. However, all the plot elements and world building don't really go well together. I think a little more cohesion or explanation would have done a great deal here.
XVI might also suffer from a slight case of Insta-Love: Sal (the boy from the blurb) is rescued by Nina when people are beating him up. Call me uncaring but I would bet money on the fact that if I were walking somewhere and saw grown men beating up a homeless guy I would most likely call the police and not rush in to save the day. Scaring them away was in itself pretty illogical. If those guys had no qualms beating up a homeless guy, why would they shy away from a girl they could potentially rape as well?
I guess I'm going to check out Truth, the sequel to XVI but I'm not sure when that will be. My to read-list is swamped as it is but should there be a few slow months sometime, Truth will be read then - just to see if Karr can take the premise of this book further and make me understand her world better.
Everything is confusing; the media seems to "rule" the world and there are colonies on Mars and the Moon and so on. But there are rebels on Earth called Non-Cons. For whatever reason people decided men were in charge of everything, especially who they had sex with (against the woman's will more often than not) but they could also take guardianship of their illegitimate kids (especially girls) and turn them into what is called a Cinderella girl - basically a servant.
So there are a lot of very interesting concepts. I don't think I have ever read a YA book with such a controversial topic - sex is barely a side plot if it's mentioned at all - but here it is quite important. However, all the plot elements and world building don't really go well together. I think a little more cohesion or explanation would have done a great deal here.
XVI might also suffer from a slight case of Insta-Love: Sal (the boy from the blurb) is rescued by Nina when people are beating him up. Call me uncaring but I would bet money on the fact that if I were walking somewhere and saw grown men beating up a homeless guy I would most likely call the police and not rush in to save the day. Scaring them away was in itself pretty illogical. If those guys had no qualms beating up a homeless guy, why would they shy away from a girl they could potentially rape as well?
I guess I'm going to check out Truth, the sequel to XVI but I'm not sure when that will be. My to read-list is swamped as it is but should there be a few slow months sometime, Truth will be read then - just to see if Karr can take the premise of this book further and make me understand her world better.
ciska's review against another edition
3.0
Author
Julia Karr grew up in Seymour, Indiana. She has lived all around the US but now resides close to her hometown. She has two daughters.Her love for writing has been a part of her all her life. After having children and reading to them she grew into writing stories for children. For more information visit http://juliakarr.com
Review
This books proves again that I am not made for dystopian novels. The story is good very strong but I cannot get used to worlds that different. I start to imagine all these weird and impossible things and it does not feel right. After I try to morph the whole dystopian world back into something familiar so I can at least make an effort to keep up with the story without being to distracted but that is not always working either. It is a shame cause as mentioned already this is a strong story.
The main character Nina is your average 15 year old girl. As a woman you will definitely be able to get identify with her. The other characters are brought to you trough Nina's mind giving you a bit of a colored opinion on them but that helps with attaching to the right characters and building up aversion against the bad people. The author did a good job on this.
The story could be placed in any time, past, present and future. Girls and their sexuality. How man (mis) treat them and decide for them when they are ready. Not much respect there. That message is very clear. But unfortunately for this book it is all set in a futuristic world where people can be tracked with GPS and girls get tattoos and there are little carts floating but still in need of roads and as soon as that whole world kicks in I loose concentration.
For lovers of dystopian books this is a to read for sure. Specially Hunger Games and Mortal Instrument readers will enjoy this book. For me it has been a pleasant and entertaining reminder to stay away from dystopian novels.
Julia Karr grew up in Seymour, Indiana. She has lived all around the US but now resides close to her hometown. She has two daughters.Her love for writing has been a part of her all her life. After having children and reading to them she grew into writing stories for children. For more information visit http://juliakarr.com
Review
This books proves again that I am not made for dystopian novels. The story is good very strong but I cannot get used to worlds that different. I start to imagine all these weird and impossible things and it does not feel right. After I try to morph the whole dystopian world back into something familiar so I can at least make an effort to keep up with the story without being to distracted but that is not always working either. It is a shame cause as mentioned already this is a strong story.
The main character Nina is your average 15 year old girl. As a woman you will definitely be able to get identify with her. The other characters are brought to you trough Nina's mind giving you a bit of a colored opinion on them but that helps with attaching to the right characters and building up aversion against the bad people. The author did a good job on this.
The story could be placed in any time, past, present and future. Girls and their sexuality. How man (mis) treat them and decide for them when they are ready. Not much respect there. That message is very clear. But unfortunately for this book it is all set in a futuristic world where people can be tracked with GPS and girls get tattoos and there are little carts floating but still in need of roads and as soon as that whole world kicks in I loose concentration.
For lovers of dystopian books this is a to read for sure. Specially Hunger Games and Mortal Instrument readers will enjoy this book. For me it has been a pleasant and entertaining reminder to stay away from dystopian novels.
emreads97's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0