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zoemig's review against another edition
3.0
XVI is the dystopian young adult debut by Julia Karr, which takes place in the weeks leading up to the sixteenth birthday of Nina Oberson. In Nina's world, sixteen is something most girls look forward to because it means they get their Governing Council-ordered tattoo, a XVI inked onto their wrists indicating they are ready to have sex. The Media is constantly telling girls how to dress and act so they can become better "sex-teens" and Nina's best friend Sandy is the epitome of that. For Nina though, sixteen is an inescapable horror that she tries to keep out of her mind. However when her mother is killed Nina's world is shattered as she is drawn into a world of secrets where she may finally learn the truth about not only the Governing Council and her own past, but who in fact killed her mother.
The last year or so has involved the release of a great number of fantastic dystopian novels, including The Hunger Games Trilogy and Birthmarked, a trend I really enjoy and so I was excited when I had a chance to read XVI which I had been looking forward to for awhile. When I first picked up XVI, it took awhile for me to become involved in the story, likely due to the amount of unfamilar vocabulary used in the book, especially acronyms like FeLS and Non-Cons and PAVs which took me awhile to become comfortable with. Once I was able to spend less time focusing on what certain words meant and more time just appreciating the story, I really began to enjoy learning about Nina's journey. Like Katniss in The Hunger Games, Nina is a strong but at first skeptical heroine. However, once Nina becomes fully aware of the awful things going on around her she doesn't waste any time taking action, making her a strong female role model which is something I both admire and appreciate in young adult novels.
In addition to Nina, Karr does a great job crafting realistic secondary characters like her sister, friends and grandparents. Even Nina's mother, Ginnie, who hardly appears in the book at all feels real based on the memories Nina has of her. Nina's best friend Sandy can be slightly annoying and sometimes it was hard to remember why exactly Nina was friends with her, but it is clear why Karr included her in XVI as she provided a clear example of how the Governing Council and Media actually want the sixteens to act. Although I enjoyed Karr's writing there were a few elements of the story I felt were pretty weak, especially since they were played as plot twists despite the fact that they were obvious from the beginning, for example what exactly the FeLS was. In another case, I felt like she killed off a character almost because she didn't know what else to do with them.
XVI finishes with enough loose ends and potential that it is certainly possible there will be a sequel and if so, I'd probably pick it up as I think it would be even stronger since Karr would have to spend less time developing the world for the reader. Ultimately, XVI is a flawed but enjoyable read and a welcome addition to the canon of young adult dystopian literature available today.
The last year or so has involved the release of a great number of fantastic dystopian novels, including The Hunger Games Trilogy and Birthmarked, a trend I really enjoy and so I was excited when I had a chance to read XVI which I had been looking forward to for awhile. When I first picked up XVI, it took awhile for me to become involved in the story, likely due to the amount of unfamilar vocabulary used in the book, especially acronyms like FeLS and Non-Cons and PAVs which took me awhile to become comfortable with. Once I was able to spend less time focusing on what certain words meant and more time just appreciating the story, I really began to enjoy learning about Nina's journey. Like Katniss in The Hunger Games, Nina is a strong but at first skeptical heroine. However, once Nina becomes fully aware of the awful things going on around her she doesn't waste any time taking action, making her a strong female role model which is something I both admire and appreciate in young adult novels.
In addition to Nina, Karr does a great job crafting realistic secondary characters like her sister, friends and grandparents. Even Nina's mother, Ginnie, who hardly appears in the book at all feels real based on the memories Nina has of her. Nina's best friend Sandy can be slightly annoying and sometimes it was hard to remember why exactly Nina was friends with her, but it is clear why Karr included her in XVI as she provided a clear example of how the Governing Council and Media actually want the sixteens to act. Although I enjoyed Karr's writing there were a few elements of the story I felt were pretty weak, especially since they were played as plot twists despite the fact that they were obvious from the beginning, for example what exactly the FeLS was. In another case, I felt like she killed off a character almost because she didn't know what else to do with them.
XVI finishes with enough loose ends and potential that it is certainly possible there will be a sequel and if so, I'd probably pick it up as I think it would be even stronger since Karr would have to spend less time developing the world for the reader. Ultimately, XVI is a flawed but enjoyable read and a welcome addition to the canon of young adult dystopian literature available today.
jeannemurray3gmailcom's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one. It's not the usual dystopia novel in that it seemed to have more of a mystery weaving through it. Who killed her mother? Is her father really dead? What did the secret mean that her mother was telling her on her deathbed?
saboyer's review against another edition
2.0
It was too forgettable. As in I can't even review it well because I've already forgotten it.
wolfc21's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Really enjoyed this book even though it's aimed towards teenagers. I actually ended up ordering the second book but unfortunately the third if Kindle only so I'm bummed over that.
julienicole1106's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Violence, War, Abortion, Alcohol, Car accident, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
ambermarshall's review against another edition
3.0
This book had an interesting and promising premise but I was dissatisfied with the execution. The "sex-teen" thing was a specter over the entire thing, but most of the conflict was over the looming danger of Ed and the mystery of Nina's father. The synopsis made it seem like the "sex-teen" part would be more central. I think it would've been more interesting if the main character was already sixteen and the perils were more immediate. To me this was a bigger sticking point than any perceived "preachyness" regarding teenage sex on the part of the author.
There are also a lot of unanswered questions: when, why and how did the designation of sixteen as "sex legal" and the corresponding tattooing begin? How did society go from supposedly discouraging teenage sexuality while the media plays it up, from society encouraging it? Why did FeLS start, and who did they think would be fooled?
It was hardly surprising to find that "Female Liason Specialists" supposedly a diplomatic position requiring girls to be virgins, was a front for the sex trade. Why are these diplomats supposedly needed? What is the official story on why they need to be girls, much less virgin girls? They could hardly be less subtle than if they were called "comfort hostesses" for the Mars miners or something.
In the end, the whole "sex-teen" premise seemed more like an attention-grabber that wasn't fleshed out nearly enough. The story was interesting, but overall didn't live up to the hype.
There are also a lot of unanswered questions: when, why and how did the designation of sixteen as "sex legal" and the corresponding tattooing begin? How did society go from supposedly discouraging teenage sexuality while the media plays it up, from society encouraging it? Why did FeLS start, and who did they think would be fooled?
Spoiler
It was hardly surprising to find that "Female Liason Specialists" supposedly a diplomatic position requiring girls to be virgins, was a front for the sex trade. Why are these diplomats supposedly needed? What is the official story on why they need to be girls, much less virgin girls? They could hardly be less subtle than if they were called "comfort hostesses" for the Mars miners or something.
In the end, the whole "sex-teen" premise seemed more like an attention-grabber that wasn't fleshed out nearly enough. The story was interesting, but overall didn't live up to the hype.
chrystal0830's review against another edition
3.0
A futuristic dystopian society that focuses on "sex-teen" when a girl comes of age at "sixteen". Was not a bad book but definitely lacked details when a background was needed as well as almost developed the story too fast in some places and not fast enough in others. I teetered on giving it only 2 stars, however the writing was not bad, just seemed a little amateur.
specificwonderland's review against another edition
3.0
I found this at the library as a recommendation for those of us who read/liked The Hunger Games trilogy. I enjoyed this book and I have the sequel all ready to go.
What I liked about it was similar to what I liked about the Hunger Games. This story features a strong female lead who isn't sex crazed but isn't emotionless either. She's loyal to her friends and family and if I had kids, I'd be happy to have them look to Nina as a role model.
However, this is a YA book so the writing is just kinda meh. Karr used the word nefarious though, which I feel is a bit of a vocab challenge for young readers so I will accept this book into my library.
Story was a bit predictable but it was better than the HG and Twilight. A pretty decent YA read.
What I liked about it was similar to what I liked about the Hunger Games. This story features a strong female lead who isn't sex crazed but isn't emotionless either. She's loyal to her friends and family and if I had kids, I'd be happy to have them look to Nina as a role model.
However, this is a YA book so the writing is just kinda meh. Karr used the word nefarious though, which I feel is a bit of a vocab challenge for young readers so I will accept this book into my library.
Story was a bit predictable but it was better than the HG and Twilight. A pretty decent YA read.
jguerra0500's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing. Nina is so levelheaded and brave at age 15. She knows what she wants and doesn't want and how to be her own person regardless of what the media tries to sell her. Her life is full of secrets and mystery things that she doesn't really have a clue about. Her father is dead or so she thinks and her mother has just been murdered. Her life is up in the air and she's in danger. Everything she thought she knew has been a lie and uncovering the facts is going to be a battle and a dangerous one at that.