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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
5.0
Usually when I go on Netgalley to see what books to request, I make a well thought out decision. After all, when I request a book from Netgalley, I want to be sure I can review it and will still want to read it closer to release date. With this book the thinking didn't take long. This sounded like my kind of story in a world I totally wanted to learn more about. Friday evening I started reading, planning on reading"10% a day", 3 days later I finished the book.
There are a few things making this book a must read. The first is the importance of the world and the class system. This is the kind of book where people who rarely see themselves represented get to see themselves and their issues. It's also the kind of book allowing white people, like me, to spend some time in the footsteps of someone less privileged than me. I really want to thank the author for writing a book this vivid, this raw and this real and to invite me to come with them.
Secondly I think the characters in this book are amazingly well written. And that's mostly because none of those characters are perfect. They make mistakes, they mess up. Sometimes they're not doing something when they should have. Sometimes they're doing something when it was better not to. Sometimes they go a few steps too far and sometimes they go not far enough. It makes them realistic, it makes it easy to root for them, to feel for them and to end up loving them.
Thirdly the book doesn't shy away from true horrors. Although the story is still suitable for young adults (especially if an adult with knowledge on the matter can discuss it with them), it's not sugarcoating this society, it's not making it easy for our heroine, it's not only showing the pretty stuff. On the contrary. It makes the book heavy at times, but those heavy moments are mixed with really cute and lovely scenes, portraying a sweet kind of love, and small glimmers of hope.
I hope that loads of people will give this book a chance. Yes, if you've read a lot of stories the plot might follow a known pattern, however, this society and these characters are worth reading it anyway!
There are a few things making this book a must read. The first is the importance of the world and the class system. This is the kind of book where people who rarely see themselves represented get to see themselves and their issues. It's also the kind of book allowing white people, like me, to spend some time in the footsteps of someone less privileged than me. I really want to thank the author for writing a book this vivid, this raw and this real and to invite me to come with them.
Secondly I think the characters in this book are amazingly well written. And that's mostly because none of those characters are perfect. They make mistakes, they mess up. Sometimes they're not doing something when they should have. Sometimes they're doing something when it was better not to. Sometimes they go a few steps too far and sometimes they go not far enough. It makes them realistic, it makes it easy to root for them, to feel for them and to end up loving them.
Thirdly the book doesn't shy away from true horrors. Although the story is still suitable for young adults (especially if an adult with knowledge on the matter can discuss it with them), it's not sugarcoating this society, it's not making it easy for our heroine, it's not only showing the pretty stuff. On the contrary. It makes the book heavy at times, but those heavy moments are mixed with really cute and lovely scenes, portraying a sweet kind of love, and small glimmers of hope.
I hope that loads of people will give this book a chance. Yes, if you've read a lot of stories the plot might follow a known pattern, however, this society and these characters are worth reading it anyway!
nerdyfoxreads's review against another edition
3.0
If you’re looking for a character-driven romance, I would recommend The Half-Class! Lewis has crafted a cast of characters you’ll care about (and even some you’ll love to hate
luna_rondo's review against another edition
2.0
This book had some great ideas - it was just so poorly edited that somethings took second (or third) rereadings to truly grasp.
chelseas_reads's review against another edition
4.0
i definitely enjoyed that more than i thought i was going to. I'm also really surprised at the lack of readers on Goodreads. it was a decent story, and i wish more people knew about it.
I'm unsure if there's something wrong with my copy (ie, an early edition that's since been updated), but there were the odd bit of formatting and grammatical errors throughout the book. at the very end, it says "did you enjoy awakened? ... Hannah needs your help!". i guess the book title and MC's names have changed
I'm unsure if there's something wrong with my copy (ie, an early edition that's since been updated), but there were the odd bit of formatting and grammatical errors throughout the book. at the very end, it says "did you enjoy awakened? ... Hannah needs your help!". i guess the book title and MC's names have changed
jyb's review against another edition
4.0
Well fleshed-out characters, and an interesting enough plot. Romance is a larger part of it than the summary implies, as many other reviewers have mentioned. The ending felt strangely abrupt. Nothing terribly mind-blowing, but entertaining and intriguing enough that I hope more people read it in the future.
buriedinbooks's review
2.0
2/5 stars ⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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The Half-Class is a story of rebellion, defiance, and risking it all. In Morra, a country conquered by the neighboring Ryland, Evie is a half-class: too dark-skinned for the light class, too light-skinned for the dark class. In an attempt to free herself from the ruthless laws restricting half-classes, she joins the rebellion in trying to take down the king. Along the way, she meets and befriends Prince Cassian, which pulls into question her loyalty and love for the cause.
I’ll admit, I heard this book compared to Cinderella is Dead—a book that neither myself nor my friends enjoyed very much—and I was hesitant. That being said, I was willing to give it a shot, as I’m a sucker for royal romances! In short: I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, and I don’t really plan on reading the sequel(s) unless I hear something extremely compelling, but it was kind of fun while it lasted.
The writing was pretty easy to read, and often times it reminded me of the kingdom dystopian novels such as the Jewel and the Selection in terms of its writing style and the royalty vs. rebellion plots. Surprisingly, this book didn’t have any magic, and was less plot-heavy than it sounded. For the most part, the focus was on building up the romance and the increasingly complicated relationships with Evie, her family, and the rebels. Cass had me geeking out because of course the author would write about a book-obsessed nerd love interest, but otherwise I was frustrated with every single character at different points. I thought it was infuriating how naïve and snobbish Evie was, which didn’t help when she always rambled on about how she would never want to work in a brothel or as a mistress, or made herself “not like other girls” by reading. I was angered at the extreme levels of aggression and slimy schemes I saw Luke conduct. I was upset at Kat for… well, being Kat. My list can and will go on. My point is that the characters were flawed and not always likable. I did enjoy Cass and Evie’s romance, and I was cheering for them, but I couldn’t quite get on board with the story itself. Also, the book heavily relied on racist stereotypes found in the real world, such as the light-class being the class that both half- and dark-class citizens deferred to, and dark-class people being relegated to construction and servant jobs, while the light-class was for artists and the like. It was a choice that made the story feel more impactful because it invoked the harmful situations in the real world, impressing them upon a fictional country to the extremes, but perhaps the stereotypes used were *too* similar to the real world…
Aside from the class system, this story felt pretty rinse-and-repeat from dystopian kingdoms such as the Selection. In addition to the basic plot, the characters were irksome at best and I wasn’t particularly enjoying this book enough to pick up book 2. 2 stars
Edit 10/18/21: Upon reflection, I'm altering my rating from 2.5 stars to 2 stars. I simply don't think I enjoyed this book enough to give it that extra .5 stars, and 2.5 felt generous in the first place.
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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The Half-Class is a story of rebellion, defiance, and risking it all. In Morra, a country conquered by the neighboring Ryland, Evie is a half-class: too dark-skinned for the light class, too light-skinned for the dark class. In an attempt to free herself from the ruthless laws restricting half-classes, she joins the rebellion in trying to take down the king. Along the way, she meets and befriends Prince Cassian, which pulls into question her loyalty and love for the cause.
I’ll admit, I heard this book compared to Cinderella is Dead—a book that neither myself nor my friends enjoyed very much—and I was hesitant. That being said, I was willing to give it a shot, as I’m a sucker for royal romances! In short: I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, and I don’t really plan on reading the sequel(s) unless I hear something extremely compelling, but it was kind of fun while it lasted.
The writing was pretty easy to read, and often times it reminded me of the kingdom dystopian novels such as the Jewel and the Selection in terms of its writing style and the royalty vs. rebellion plots. Surprisingly, this book didn’t have any magic, and was less plot-heavy than it sounded. For the most part, the focus was on building up the romance and the increasingly complicated relationships with Evie, her family, and the rebels. Cass had me geeking out because of course the author would write about a book-obsessed nerd love interest, but otherwise I was frustrated with every single character at different points. I thought it was infuriating how naïve and snobbish Evie was, which didn’t help when she always rambled on about how she would never want to work in a brothel or as a mistress, or made herself “not like other girls” by reading. I was angered at the extreme levels of aggression and slimy schemes I saw Luke conduct. I was upset at Kat for… well, being Kat. My list can and will go on. My point is that the characters were flawed and not always likable. I did enjoy Cass and Evie’s romance, and I was cheering for them, but I couldn’t quite get on board with the story itself. Also, the book heavily relied on racist stereotypes found in the real world, such as the light-class being the class that both half- and dark-class citizens deferred to, and dark-class people being relegated to construction and servant jobs, while the light-class was for artists and the like. It was a choice that made the story feel more impactful because it invoked the harmful situations in the real world, impressing them upon a fictional country to the extremes, but perhaps the stereotypes used were *too* similar to the real world…
Aside from the class system, this story felt pretty rinse-and-repeat from dystopian kingdoms such as the Selection. In addition to the basic plot, the characters were irksome at best and I wasn’t particularly enjoying this book enough to pick up book 2. 2 stars
Edit 10/18/21: Upon reflection, I'm altering my rating from 2.5 stars to 2 stars. I simply don't think I enjoyed this book enough to give it that extra .5 stars, and 2.5 felt generous in the first place.
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited to read this book because it's been so long since the last time I read a dystopian novel.
The Half Class tells a story about Evelyn who was living her life as a half class, too dark for the natural light class and too fair for the natural dark class. By day she was just an ordinary girl while at night she turn into a rebel by joining one group of rebellion whose trying to take down the king and his unjust laws towards half classes people.
Then, Evie accidentally met the young prince, Cassian and find out he wasn't as bad as she thought he would be. Now, Evie was torn between choosing her loyalty to the rebellion cause or her new happiness with the prince.
The story is pretty simple, predictable but still enjoyable to read. The writing style is very easy to read and the story is easy to follow as well as easy to understand.
I appreciate the author for trying to explore the heavy topics in real life into this book and combine it with a lot of morally gray characters which makes their action neither right or wrong at the same time.
The characters are pretty relatable even though they could get a bit frustrating sometimes. Evie was a bit annoying for me at some point during the story, she's indecisive and she could be sway easily. She wanted a lot of things but she didn't want to take risk.
Cass was too mysterious at this point and I couldn't really say anything about him. I wanted to like Luke but his action sometimes just too overwhelming.
I have to admit I feel slightly disappointed because the story has the potential to be more. I wanted more view from the rebellion group since Evie was fighting on their side, but instead the story seems to focus more on building the relationship between Evie and Cass. Don't get me wrong, I did like their relationship but I wanted more on the world building and the origin of the color classification.
I also hope there will be more development from Evie's character because right now she's still confuse about her choices.
Overall, it was a pretty good introduction book to the series. There's the potential to become a good series so I'm interested enough to want to read the next book.
This story is easy to read and refreshing for those who just read a very heavy topic books. It was pretty enjoyable for me and hopefully there will be more development on the characters and the world building!
Thank you to Netgalley, Kayvion Lewis and The Parliament House for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.
The Half Class tells a story about Evelyn who was living her life as a half class, too dark for the natural light class and too fair for the natural dark class. By day she was just an ordinary girl while at night she turn into a rebel by joining one group of rebellion whose trying to take down the king and his unjust laws towards half classes people.
Then, Evie accidentally met the young prince, Cassian and find out he wasn't as bad as she thought he would be. Now, Evie was torn between choosing her loyalty to the rebellion cause or her new happiness with the prince.
The story is pretty simple, predictable but still enjoyable to read. The writing style is very easy to read and the story is easy to follow as well as easy to understand.
I appreciate the author for trying to explore the heavy topics in real life into this book and combine it with a lot of morally gray characters which makes their action neither right or wrong at the same time.
The characters are pretty relatable even though they could get a bit frustrating sometimes. Evie was a bit annoying for me at some point during the story, she's indecisive and she could be sway easily. She wanted a lot of things but she didn't want to take risk.
Cass was too mysterious at this point and I couldn't really say anything about him. I wanted to like Luke but his action sometimes just too overwhelming.
I have to admit I feel slightly disappointed because the story has the potential to be more. I wanted more view from the rebellion group since Evie was fighting on their side, but instead the story seems to focus more on building the relationship between Evie and Cass. Don't get me wrong, I did like their relationship but I wanted more on the world building and the origin of the color classification.
I also hope there will be more development from Evie's character because right now she's still confuse about her choices.
Overall, it was a pretty good introduction book to the series. There's the potential to become a good series so I'm interested enough to want to read the next book.
This story is easy to read and refreshing for those who just read a very heavy topic books. It was pretty enjoyable for me and hopefully there will be more development on the characters and the world building!
Thank you to Netgalley, Kayvion Lewis and The Parliament House for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.
brittradomski's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
yve_ma's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
_ademy_'s review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as an ARC from NETGALLEY! Thank you!
I read the description of this book and I was instantly curious about it.
The Half Class is a fantasy romance, quite good and well written!
The worldbuilding is not extremely specific but we know that the population is divided in three classes: light, half, and dark class. I really appreciate this book about it, because it talks about racial discrimination, white privilege and also brutality in a fantasy world.
The characters are well developed (Cassian, my love), the plot is quite predictable (a sort of triangle between the protagonist- her friends - the prince) but is very enjoyable!
The final part OMG, too many emotions
I read the description of this book and I was instantly curious about it.
The Half Class is a fantasy romance, quite good and well written!
The worldbuilding is not extremely specific but we know that the population is divided in three classes: light, half, and dark class. I really appreciate this book about it, because it talks about racial discrimination, white privilege and also brutality in a fantasy world.
The characters are well developed (Cassian, my love), the plot is quite predictable (a sort of triangle between the protagonist- her friends - the prince) but is very enjoyable!
The final part OMG, too many emotions