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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I'm pretty sure J.J. Abrams and Lauren Oliver are the same person.
What I mean is: I can be enjoying a story just fine and then they twist the story and all of a sudden, I'm racing to the end. It was ok that they were in the Wilds and stuff, but I wasn't really freaking out until the last 25% of the book. And then it started getting kind of Alias (in the best way possible).
That last quarter of the book made me race through pages but also try to read every sentence. It made me invested in the characters. It made me remember Lauren Oliver is queen of pacing, of plot, of YA literature (IMHO).
This all said, I thought I was out but LO pulled. Me. Back. In. See you for #3, LO.
What I mean is: I can be enjoying a story just fine and then they twist the story and all of a sudden, I'm racing to the end. It was ok that they were in the Wilds and stuff, but I wasn't really freaking out until the last 25% of the book. And then it started getting kind of Alias (in the best way possible).
That last quarter of the book made me race through pages but also try to read every sentence. It made me invested in the characters. It made me remember Lauren Oliver is queen of pacing, of plot, of YA literature (IMHO).
This all said, I thought I was out but LO pulled. Me. Back. In. See you for #3, LO.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
I saw that ending coming a mile away ooommggg. Can't wait to see what's going to happen in the final book!
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Didn't keep my interest... not what I hoped from this story. Very cringe and boring and slow. I understand what they are going for and I kind of liked the very obvious "twist" at the very end but am I going to read the next book, no. Feelt like they could have brought in that moment much sooner to keep some interest.
adventurous
tense
I liked the format where the two stories are being told simultaneously and both stories moved at a pretty fast pace. I saw some things coming but not others and there wasn't as much pining as I expected.
However, I feel like, in many dystopian series, the second book is setting up a climax for the last book. The second is also usually a letdown compared to the first because the first usually offers some really cool twist or worldview and that sense of newness isn't in the second. This is like the opposite of movie trilogies where the world-building movie can feel slow and the second one is the one most people like.
However, I feel like, in many dystopian series, the second book is setting up a climax for the last book. The second is also usually a letdown compared to the first because the first usually offers some really cool twist or worldview and that sense of newness isn't in the second. This is like the opposite of movie trilogies where the world-building movie can feel slow and the second one is the one most people like.
The more I think about it, the less I like this book. Oliver's writing was good and I liked the two storylines in this novel. I did find it annoying that there were no chapter titles. If you lose your page it's not very helpful to flip to the table of contents and wonder "Was I in "Now" or "Now" or "Then" or "Now?" Mostly I was just bored. Nothing at all was surprising in this novel. There were several "surprises" built into the story, but who didn't see them all coming a mile away? I also find it annoying that Lena has seemingly only met two boys in her life and has managed to fall hopelessly lin love with both of them. It happens so fast, too! It just didn't feel real at all. Plus the novel did this strange back and forth thing where Lena is hurt and then she's a complete badass. She's really hurt and a man is taking care of her and then she does something more along the lines of what Katniss or Katsa would do. Then again she's hurt and whiny and then again she runs off like a badass to save her little boyfriend. Very strange. I also don't think it really got into what happens between the "then" and the "now." They seem very disconnected even at the end. This book was a disappointment, and from the way it ends it seems I'll dislike the third book as well if I ever read it.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War