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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-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
i see how this is a cool ending and how this saved humanity but in my head the story could have ended at 2
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Truly, truly bizarre. As in what the actual fuck.
This hyperbole is said often about finales that readers/viewers find dissatisfying, but I feel that the occasion has never been more appropriate: it literally feels like the first two books did not matter at all.
I admit that the first book was not the strongest or most original plot, but at least it had a semblance of a plot? There were main characters who were introduced into a world with a strange concept and tested the boundaries of that world. The second book, Thunderhead, was one of the most pleasurable and lightning-paced sequels I have ever had the pleasure to read, period. It was a masterclass in action plotting and existential musings over the role of Artificial Intelligence in human society.
And then, in The Toll... all of that is deemed irrelevant. There are so many one-note characters who are introduced IN THE FINALE who only have one personality trait and do exactly as they are told throughout the entire novel. The previously fascinating Thunderhead AI is relegated to an irrational, deliberately meddling mess. The main characters Citra and Rowan do not do ANYTHING in this novel. They have basically zero impact on the story and do not change one iota from the development they underwent in Thunderhead. Time is wasted at various locales only for characters to make the same one-note decision their pitifully scant introductions already laid out that they would make.
The last paragraphs where characters all make their "climactic choices" was maybe the biggest anticlimax I have ever seen apart from Game of Thrones Season 8, which at least had a longer stretch of consistent goodness to precede its unique disaster. I mean... my goodness. Short blurbs of shallow, melodramatic dialogue pulled from probably 50 cheesy movies. I really have no idea what Shusterman was going for here in reverting every interesting part of his story into this litany of unbelievably cliche story boxes that again, have zero to pitiful relevance to the generally careful worldbuilding of the first two novels. This really reads like a bizarre fanfiction that keeps the elements of the novels and does absolutely nothing with them. I liken it to if the final Harry Potter introduced 5 new Hogwarts students who sit at the school and just brew potions or shit for the entire year and at the end, Harry, Ron, and Hermione just yeet off into the atmosphere and then everyone is killed at the castle. Just truly mindboggling storytelling decisions.
Well, now that I know how it ends I have to wholeheartedly not recommend this series. I've had some bad luck in choosing to buy ultimately disappointing sequels this year (The Testaments, looking at you). I will always remember the progression from the genuinely excellent Thunderhead to whatever the fuck The Toll is as one of the most egregious storytelling nosedives I've ever experienced. Here's to a year of reading books that are good.
This hyperbole is said often about finales that readers/viewers find dissatisfying, but I feel that the occasion has never been more appropriate: it literally feels like the first two books did not matter at all.
I admit that the first book was not the strongest or most original plot, but at least it had a semblance of a plot? There were main characters who were introduced into a world with a strange concept and tested the boundaries of that world. The second book, Thunderhead, was one of the most pleasurable and lightning-paced sequels I have ever had the pleasure to read, period. It was a masterclass in action plotting and existential musings over the role of Artificial Intelligence in human society.
And then, in The Toll... all of that is deemed irrelevant. There are so many one-note characters who are introduced IN THE FINALE who only have one personality trait and do exactly as they are told throughout the entire novel. The previously fascinating Thunderhead AI is relegated to an irrational, deliberately meddling mess. The main characters Citra and Rowan do not do ANYTHING in this novel. They have basically zero impact on the story and do not change one iota from the development they underwent in Thunderhead. Time is wasted at various locales only for characters to make the same one-note decision their pitifully scant introductions already laid out that they would make.
The last paragraphs where characters all make their "climactic choices" was maybe the biggest anticlimax I have ever seen apart from Game of Thrones Season 8, which at least had a longer stretch of consistent goodness to precede its unique disaster. I mean... my goodness. Short blurbs of shallow, melodramatic dialogue pulled from probably 50 cheesy movies. I really have no idea what Shusterman was going for here in reverting every interesting part of his story into this litany of unbelievably cliche story boxes that again, have zero to pitiful relevance to the generally careful worldbuilding of the first two novels. This really reads like a bizarre fanfiction that keeps the elements of the novels and does absolutely nothing with them. I liken it to if the final Harry Potter introduced 5 new Hogwarts students who sit at the school and just brew potions or shit for the entire year and at the end, Harry, Ron, and Hermione just yeet off into the atmosphere and then everyone is killed at the castle. Just truly mindboggling storytelling decisions.
Well, now that I know how it ends I have to wholeheartedly not recommend this series. I've had some bad luck in choosing to buy ultimately disappointing sequels this year (The Testaments, looking at you). I will always remember the progression from the genuinely excellent Thunderhead to whatever the fuck The Toll is as one of the most egregious storytelling nosedives I've ever experienced. Here's to a year of reading books that are good.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
First book: Great. I loved the world that was created and the final act piqued my interest enough to keep going.
Second book: Awesome. Best one of the series, it was great, and I couldn't wait to see how it all ends. Third book: -_-
Ok, so as many others have said, it was just too long. There was so much that I didn't care about and other stuff shoved aside that I wanted more of. Characters that, in the long run, could have been cut and where just used as a connection to our MCs. When things did come back around to our main story, I forgot what was happening and why becasue I had to keep these stories straight. Just too much.
This will be all over the place, just fyi.
We're also not gonna talk about THAT scene The was the only shocking thing in this book that held my interest. Besides that, all I cared about was Faraday's ending was, I feel, perfect. I loved it very much
Overall there were things I liked about it, the writing was great and funny at times, but there was just so much more that I didn't care for. Just a disappointing ending.
Second book: Awesome. Best one of the series, it was great, and I couldn't wait to see how it all ends. Third book: -_-
Ok, so as many others have said, it was just too long. There was so much that I didn't care about and other stuff shoved aside that I wanted more of. Characters that, in the long run, could have been cut and where just used as a connection to our MCs. When things did come back around to our main story, I forgot what was happening and why becasue I had to keep these stories straight. Just too much.
This will be all over the place, just fyi.
Spoiler
Citra's decision to just say "f**k it" and bounce off to space was a total cop-out. I wanted her and Rowan together to go back and fight for what's right rather than just leaving it to the people (??!) That way there would be some closure and Goddard would have a much cooler end rather than just...getting stabbed??Spoiler
the Thunderhead taking over Jeri's body was completely out of left field and had no place happening, I feel. It did not seem like something it would do.Spoiler
mass gleaning at the stadiumSpoiler
Citra's reunion with Faraday and Rowan.Overall there were things I liked about it, the writing was great and funny at times, but there was just so much more that I didn't care for. Just a disappointing ending.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes