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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
This was my first Neal Shusterman book and based on this early book alone, I can tell he's good and I understand the hype that surrounds his work.
At the beginning of the book, I only had a mild interest. I thought Connor was too immature for his age and young "feeling" for the tough guy he was supposed to be. His growth and change was perfect by the end. Same with Risa and Lev. I think Neal made them so young feeling to show just how far they could grow.
Also, the dystopian twist didn't seem that impacting until a trucker who helps Connor at the beginning shows a magic trick he couldn't do with his own hands...meaning he was only able to do it once he had an unwind's "donation"
It made the whole story really roll. Loved it.
At the beginning of the book, I only had a mild interest. I thought Connor was too immature for his age and young "feeling" for the tough guy he was supposed to be. His growth and change was perfect by the end. Same with Risa and Lev. I think Neal made them so young feeling to show just how far they could grow.
Also, the dystopian twist didn't seem that impacting until a trucker who helps Connor at the beginning shows a magic trick he couldn't do with his own hands...meaning he was only able to do it once he had an unwind's "donation"
It made the whole story really roll. Loved it.
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I went into this thinking it was going to be a little like “What if Never Let Me Go didn’t have clones, but was just regular people?” but then the whole thing got super dark. I feel like that’s classic Neal Shusterman: take a concept, make it weird, then make it darker. I didn’t think the characters had a whole lot of depth, and felt like some threads stayed, well, thready. I also don’t feel this needs to be a trilogy; it could easily be a standalone as is.
dark
reflective
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:
No
Yow.
Yow!
And to think I almost put this book down.
Now this is how you write a dystopian. There's no crazy battle, there's no Test, there are no Games; it's simply society, in a not-too-distant future, that's gone off the rails in a terrifying way.
I have read some truly disturbing stuff, courtesy of my manga habit, but there is a scene in this book that is going to come back to me when I try to sleep tonight and I know it.
Yow!
And to think I almost put this book down.
Now this is how you write a dystopian. There's no crazy battle, there's no Test, there are no Games; it's simply society, in a not-too-distant future, that's gone off the rails in a terrifying way.
I have read some truly disturbing stuff, courtesy of my manga habit, but there is a scene in this book that is going to come back to me when I try to sleep tonight and I know it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book feels anti woman/birthing person. I don’t feel it adds anything productive to any conversation. And the writing is not great.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think that this book is more suited towards younger audiences. However, I will say that it was easy to read and I was interested by some of the characters. I think that the main point of the book was to open up discussions regarding the main themes of the book.
The reason why I say the book is more suited to younger readers is because any argument raised in the book wasn't really groundbreaking imo and that the characters weren't explored in detail, leading some of them to feel awkward or a bit cringy.
The reason why I say the book is more suited to younger readers is because any argument raised in the book wasn't really groundbreaking imo and that the characters weren't explored in detail, leading some of them to feel awkward or a bit cringy.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated