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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
**I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own**
After reading the first book, I knew this was a series that I would become attached to. I don't always read a ton of science fiction, but all the books I do pick up end up being pretty good. This book kinda reminds me a little bit of the Illuminae Files, so if you liked that series, you'd probably like this one too.
The characters develop more in this book as they begin their journey on the planet. They hit some snags in their plans, which ultimately leads to a change in plan. Emmett and Monday both have suspicions of Bable as well as the Adamites, but they kinda have the right to be. Babel twisted everything into a game that couldn't be won and the Adamites kinda tricked everyone (saying no more!) There are more secrets and twists in this book than I was ready for, but boy was it worth the surprise!
Also....that cliffhanger though....
After reading the first book, I knew this was a series that I would become attached to. I don't always read a ton of science fiction, but all the books I do pick up end up being pretty good. This book kinda reminds me a little bit of the Illuminae Files, so if you liked that series, you'd probably like this one too.
The characters develop more in this book as they begin their journey on the planet. They hit some snags in their plans, which ultimately leads to a change in plan. Emmett and Monday both have suspicions of Bable as well as the Adamites, but they kinda have the right to be. Babel twisted everything into a game that couldn't be won and the Adamites kinda tricked everyone (saying no more!) There are more secrets and twists in this book than I was ready for, but boy was it worth the surprise!
Also....that cliffhanger though....
Great diverse bunch of characters that you really bond with... excited for he next book
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I really enjoyed this book, especially with the diverse cast of characters. It has a lot of the same tropes we see time and again in dystopian literature, but I still loved it. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*2,5 STARS*
I expected a bit more of this book. It makes me so sad that I didn't end up liking it as much as I really wanted to.
WHAT I LIKED:
- The friendship between Emmett and Kaya.
- The diversity of the characters.
- How the book touches on real life problems such as Americans health care system.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- I was missing the actual 'space' element.
- Reminded me a bit of Hunger Games.
- At first it was really interesting and exciting but as the story went on it got kinda boring.
- The romance between Emmett and Morning. How did that happen out of nowhere? No chemistry between them.
*2,5 STARS*
I expected a bit more of this book. It makes me so sad that I didn't end up liking it as much as I really wanted to.
WHAT I LIKED:
- The friendship between Emmett and Kaya.
- The diversity of the characters.
- How the book touches on real life problems such as Americans health care system.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- I was missing the actual 'space' element.
- Reminded me a bit of Hunger Games.
- At first it was really interesting and exciting but as the story went on it got kinda boring.
- The romance between Emmett and Morning. How did that happen out of nowhere? No chemistry between them.
You know how when you love 2 things you just automatically assume they must be even more awesome together - only to discover that the unholy creation is heartbreakingly disappointing?
EXAMPLE:
CHOCOLATE COVERED GUMMY BEARS.
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?? BLECH.
That was this book for me. A book about a group of kids traveling through space, training to survive on an alien planet in the not too distant future sounds AMAZING!!
But it ended up being a lame #hungergamesinspace and it totally killed my reading momentum. I have been reading a book ever 1-3 days for the past few months and this one took almost 2 weeks to finish. I just wasn't inspired to pick it back up after I had put it down. I was expecting intensity, stress, high emotion, and I just got Meh.
So yeah...annoying/boring:
– A legit lack of aliens! These kids are literally traveling to an inhabited planet! They are taking classes to learn about this world and its species, and I (wrongly) assumed that as the reader I would also be sitting in on these classes and learning as well. Yeah. Nope.
– The challenges and tasks that these kids were subjected too were so repetitive and simulated, and the consequences were less that suspenseful. There were only 3 times someone was injured. 3! In a book where young adults are literally being trained to survive on a hostile alien planet.
– The sudden appearance of supernatural abilities with no explanation and then nothing! It's never mentioned again, and no one else has any kind of preternatural abilities. What??
– Emmett's and odd instant attraction even though they are competing for their livelihood's, have just met, and have spoken to each other alone one time. They had no chemistry and I could not have cared less. Seriously. The only character I actually grew to love and adore was Bilal.
– Literally everything about Babel, i.e. the big, terrifying, evil show runner for this whole farce and their constant 'rule changes' and 'twists'.
This book could have been great. It had so much potential. It had the most diverse cast of characters - I mean seriously there were kids from every continent (well except for Antarctica...) who could all communicate together via universal translators! Even slang! That's as sci-fi as it gets and I was all in for that. It was fantastic watching some of them figure out and try to understand each others customs and norms. Unfortunately with so many characters it was inevitable that some would be under characterized and fall short. It could have had mysterious alien home world settings as tons of footage exists of the planet but is never shown to the reader. It could have had challenges with more than monetary consequences, and a specific villain instead of an corporation/entity that constantly has so many aces up their sleeve it's impossible for the main characters to get ahead.
Finally, Emmett, the MC, had this annoying habit of filing his thoughts away alphabetically...like someone would annoy him and he would respond with file that under A for Anger or file that under P for Power. It was supposed to be an anger management method taught to him by his grandmother, but it was just odd and totally pulled me out of the story.
So yeah, I don't see myself going any further with this series unfortunately.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
EXAMPLE:
CHOCOLATE COVERED GUMMY BEARS.
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?? BLECH.
That was this book for me. A book about a group of kids traveling through space, training to survive on an alien planet in the not too distant future sounds AMAZING!!
But it ended up being a lame #hungergamesinspace and it totally killed my reading momentum. I have been reading a book ever 1-3 days for the past few months and this one took almost 2 weeks to finish. I just wasn't inspired to pick it back up after I had put it down. I was expecting intensity, stress, high emotion, and I just got Meh.
So yeah...annoying/boring:
– A legit lack of aliens! These kids are literally traveling to an inhabited planet! They are taking classes to learn about this world and its species, and I (wrongly) assumed that as the reader I would also be sitting in on these classes and learning as well. Yeah. Nope.
– The challenges and tasks that these kids were subjected too were so repetitive and simulated, and the consequences were less that suspenseful. There were only 3 times someone was injured. 3! In a book where young adults are literally being trained to survive on a hostile alien planet.
– The sudden appearance of supernatural abilities with no explanation
Spoiler
(Kaya being able to see people's aura's, and from that determine the origin of their pain and desperation)– Emmett's and
Spoiler
Morning's– Literally everything about Babel, i.e. the big, terrifying, evil show runner for this whole farce and their constant 'rule changes' and 'twists'.
This book could have been great. It had so much potential. It had the most diverse cast of characters - I mean seriously there were kids from every continent (well except for Antarctica...) who could all communicate together via universal translators! Even slang! That's as sci-fi as it gets and I was all in for that. It was fantastic watching some of them figure out and try to understand each others customs and norms. Unfortunately with so many characters it was inevitable that some would be under characterized and fall short. It could have had mysterious alien home world settings as tons of footage exists of the planet but is never shown to the reader. It could have had challenges with more than monetary consequences, and a specific villain instead of an corporation/entity that constantly has so many aces up their sleeve it's impossible for the main characters to get ahead.
Finally, Emmett, the MC, had this annoying habit of filing his thoughts away alphabetically...like someone would annoy him and he would respond with file that under A for Anger or file that under P for Power. It was supposed to be an anger management method taught to him by his grandmother, but it was just odd and totally pulled me out of the story.
So yeah, I don't see myself going any further with this series unfortunately.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the fact that the main character is a black teenager, and out of the 9 other kids vying for a chance to go to Eden, only 1 is a white boy. Diversity ftw! This first book only hinted at what we'd find on Eden, adamites, and the powers of Nyxia, and more. Excited to read book 2!
“You can’t expect to always feel like yourself. Just don’t lose who you are. Are you a bad person? Of course not. Does that mean you’ll always do the right thing? Of course not. No one’s perfect.”
This was a Mega exciting read! Strong first book thanks to a very good build-up throughout it all. In the first half of the book I had some small remarks here and there, questions… but because of the progress throughout the rest of the book, I don’t really feel like that it was much of a hindrance.
This was fastpaced, engaging, exciting and overall fun from beginning till end. There are elements present of things you’ve seen before, but the author used those recognizable elements and made them his own. There are many awesome plot twists present that give the reading experience a boost every single time.
I really liked the entire cast of characters present in the books. It’s diverse and all tell a different story. All are intriguing in their own way, even when you don’t know much yet. They’re all super interesting and I cannot wait to read more about them. The narrator of the story in particular, our MC, is a character I’m really happy about and need to highlight a bit. The way the author writes down his thoughts (and the mental/psychological aspects I mean) and actions while there’s so muchhhh happening (things throwing him ‘off’ and things that could and will alter him one way or another for good or bad) was soooo well done and I cannot waaaaait to see what future events he’ll go through and what this will do to him and how he’ll develop in the next books.
—
I was buddy-reading this book with a friend of mine, but towards the end I suddenly finished the book sooner than planned because I just couldn’t stop reading anymore, lol. So I’m finished and now waiting for my friend to finish so that we can start book 2 right after. EXCITED is what I am! If you’re looking for fast-paced, engaging YA Scifi Nyxia is a perfect book to pick up! > sooner rather than later I might add ;)
Break the Chains. Take what is yours.