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pheebsreadsbooks's review
2.0
I picked this book up after seeing it everywhere on TikTok and I was very underwhelmed. The premise of the book piqued my interest but I found the execution very disappointing.
The writing style was too flowery and the similes and metaphors often didn't make a lot of sense and just made the text feel very dense. This alongside the constant repetition and use of strikethrough text made the experience of reading the novel quite annoying.
The dystopian world-building was non-existent until the very end. The Reestablishment was introduced through explicit and clumsy exposition in the first few chapters but then was only vaguely referenced to until the last few chapters. I didn't get a feel for the world at all and considering this is supposed to be dystopian YA, this was very disappointing. You just got a vague sense that the Reestablishment was supposed to be bad and not much else. There were some more explicit references to the dystopian universe in the last few chapters of the book but by that point I had lost interest.
The plot felt very drawn out until the last few chapters and the main focus of the novel seemed to be the romance between Adam and Juliette which I wouldn't have minded if the world-building had been a bit more fleshed out. Although that being said, I didn't find the romance that convincing - the fact that Adam and Juliette knew each other prior to the events of the book and that Adam loved Juliette because he'd defended her a few times at school just didn't seem that realistic.
Overall I give this book 2 stars - it was an easy if somewhat superficial read that didn't really deliver. I won't be reading the rest of the books in the series.
The writing style was too flowery and the similes and metaphors often didn't make a lot of sense and just made the text feel very dense. This alongside the constant repetition and use of strikethrough text made the experience of reading the novel quite annoying.
The dystopian world-building was non-existent until the very end. The Reestablishment was introduced through explicit and clumsy exposition in the first few chapters but then was only vaguely referenced to until the last few chapters. I didn't get a feel for the world at all and considering this is supposed to be dystopian YA, this was very disappointing. You just got a vague sense that the Reestablishment was supposed to be bad and not much else. There were some more explicit references to the dystopian universe in the last few chapters of the book but by that point I had lost interest.
The plot felt very drawn out until the last few chapters and the main focus of the novel seemed to be the romance between Adam and Juliette which I wouldn't have minded if the world-building had been a bit more fleshed out. Although that being said, I didn't find the romance that convincing - the fact that Adam and Juliette knew each other prior to the events of the book and that Adam loved Juliette because he'd defended her a few times at school just didn't seem that realistic.
Overall I give this book 2 stars - it was an easy if somewhat superficial read that didn't really deliver. I won't be reading the rest of the books in the series.
neve_34's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
niamhrosereader's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kornelijamn's review
adventurous
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
I’m reading this book because of booktok, and the hype around Warner.. as it seems right now, he is a walking red flag😆
I look forward to reading the rest of the series👐🏼
I look forward to reading the rest of the series👐🏼
littlemissbinge's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
joelpegram's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
piz's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
bayan2708's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75