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hopecobblepotworld's review against another edition
5.0
This is what a young adult dystopian future novel should be. It was well written, engaging, and suspenseful. I have thought about it since finishing it and that is a sign of a well written book.
Well done, Beth Revis.
Well done, Beth Revis.
owlwaysbookish's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
This was actually very creepy, it's the kind of book that makes you think and almost fear technology and the future and who knows what is actually possible?
The premise involves Ella whose parents have invented technology to relive their best memories, this is then used so Ella can enter people's memories and find information.
Ella halucinates her dead father and hears his warnings about the government and how things are not safe. Then she needs to figure out who this Jack guys is...surprise surprise they dated.
She discovers a rebel group and lots of fighting against the government who want to use this technology for something not entirely good. We discover that her mom is a clone, Jack is a clone and she herself is...SO CREEPY. I was literally reading this and so so weirded out!
I do wish the world had more development and building as I felt a bit lost in terms of the country, setting and generally where we were.
Characters ahh I wish there was more development of side characters as it felt like to me they were just there?
I did enjoy this book, was creeped out but wanted a bit more from it.
This was actually very creepy, it's the kind of book that makes you think and almost fear technology and the future and who knows what is actually possible?
The premise involves Ella whose parents have invented technology to relive their best memories, this is then used so Ella can enter people's memories and find information.
Ella halucinates her dead father and hears his warnings about the government and how things are not safe. Then she needs to figure out who this Jack guys is...surprise surprise they dated.
She discovers a rebel group and lots of fighting against the government who want to use this technology for something not entirely good. We discover that her mom is a clone, Jack is a clone and she herself is...SO CREEPY. I was literally reading this and so so weirded out!
I do wish the world had more development and building as I felt a bit lost in terms of the country, setting and generally where we were.
Characters ahh I wish there was more development of side characters as it felt like to me they were just there?
I did enjoy this book, was creeped out but wanted a bit more from it.
laurenl5876's review against another edition
2.0
I WANTED TO LOVE YOU! This book had lots of potential. It had an interesting plot idea and some interesting characters. At times, it failed to make me want to keep reading.
PLOT
The plot was original and creative. I thought the pacing needed to fixed though. Certain events would be jampacked with action and others would be filled with information that I felt I didn't need to know. I wish this book would have got to the point quicker.
The world building was well done but it was almost to much in a way. I don't have a good explanation why.
CHARACTERS
Ella was interesting and I don't have a good reason to why I didn't like her. Sometimes she just denied and denied and denied which can get really irritating to the reader.
Jack was cool. He was the character I kept wanting to read about.
PLOT
The plot was original and creative. I thought the pacing needed to fixed though. Certain events would be jampacked with action and others would be filled with information that I felt I didn't need to know. I wish this book would have got to the point quicker.
The world building was well done but it was almost to much in a way. I don't have a good explanation why.
CHARACTERS
Ella was interesting and I don't have a good reason to why I didn't like her. Sometimes she just denied and denied and denied which can get really irritating to the reader.
Jack was cool. He was the character I kept wanting to read about.
kiaramedina's review against another edition
5.0
First off, I'm going to state that I have an uncontrollable fear of bees. I can't be near bees, I can't see bees. I can't look at images of bees. (That scene in THG when the Tracker Jackers come out nearly killed me)
So for me to have finished this book, where every header was a bee, where there were mentions of bees every single chapter (or so), where bzzzzz is one of the most commonly used words in the book, is a huge, huge deal.
In fact, I couldn't put this book down.
Ella is a normal girl, working an internship with her mom's invention-a way to dream your favorite memories and relive them-her best friend is doing an internship on the moon, her mother is dying, but everything is sort of normal.
Until it's not.
I went into this book knowing only that, 1. the cover is gorgeous, 2. everyone is raving about this, 3. Beth Revis wrote the Across the Universe trilogy-which I have not read. That's it. And like every time I go into a book without knowing what it's about, I am completely lost as to what is going on. But I love the thrill of trying to figure out what's going on. I honestly can't remember the last time I read a book that left me saying WHAT? at every single twist that came along. Like, guys, I NEVER saw anything coming.
It was awesome.
Set in the futuristic city of New Venice (previously Malta), war has caused people to be afraid and to become comfortable. No one wants another war, but no one wants to take the risks that might prevent another war from starting.
Ella finds herself caught up in the middle of this not-quit-war situation. The lines between good and bad are blurred, nothing is quite as it seems. What if the government is lying to you? What if it's not? But...what if it is? What if the Rebel group is lying? What if they're not?
Fast paced, and so vividly detailed (especially the bees!), this book is spectacular. I can't stop thinking about it. So many questions are raised, so many confusing truths discovered, so many things that still don't add up.
Until they do.
I highly recommend this book.
"Sacrificing the few for the good of the many is fine, until you remember that we're talking about people." (ARC Quote 1)
This! Isn't this statement amazing? Read this book.
So for me to have finished this book, where every header was a bee, where there were mentions of bees every single chapter (or so), where bzzzzz is one of the most commonly used words in the book, is a huge, huge deal.
In fact, I couldn't put this book down.
Ella is a normal girl, working an internship with her mom's invention-a way to dream your favorite memories and relive them-her best friend is doing an internship on the moon, her mother is dying, but everything is sort of normal.
Until it's not.
I went into this book knowing only that, 1. the cover is gorgeous, 2. everyone is raving about this, 3. Beth Revis wrote the Across the Universe trilogy-which I have not read. That's it. And like every time I go into a book without knowing what it's about, I am completely lost as to what is going on. But I love the thrill of trying to figure out what's going on. I honestly can't remember the last time I read a book that left me saying WHAT? at every single twist that came along. Like, guys, I NEVER saw anything coming.
It was awesome.
Set in the futuristic city of New Venice (previously Malta), war has caused people to be afraid and to become comfortable. No one wants another war, but no one wants to take the risks that might prevent another war from starting.
Ella finds herself caught up in the middle of this not-quit-war situation. The lines between good and bad are blurred, nothing is quite as it seems. What if the government is lying to you? What if it's not? But...what if it is? What if the Rebel group is lying? What if they're not?
Fast paced, and so vividly detailed (especially the bees!), this book is spectacular. I can't stop thinking about it. So many questions are raised, so many confusing truths discovered, so many things that still don't add up.
Until they do.
I highly recommend this book.
"Sacrificing the few for the good of the many is fine, until you remember that we're talking about people." (ARC Quote 1)
This! Isn't this statement amazing? Read this book.
hannahsophialin's review against another edition
3.0
It's not my first time reading Beth Revis' works, even though I've technically abandoned her other series subconsciously after I started blogging. I had other books to read, and obviously my "ratings" before blogging were screwed since every – almost (of course there were books that I hated) – book was "fantastic." Across the Universe was a great futuristic read and had a fantastic idea, so when I signed up for The Body Electric's blog tour to review, I knew full well that Revis wouldn't likely let me down with a sucky idea that would utterly disappoint me in the long run.
Revis certainly didn't let me down with the idea behind her latest book – The Body Electric is set in the Mediterranean country of Malta in the far future, where nanobots and cyborgs, reveries and dreamscapes are the norm. Ella Shepherd, the daughter of two well-known scientists in this futuristic world booming with technology and science, finds out that not only can she enter into another person's mind while in a reverie, but she soon finds out that she's missing pieces of her past.
The Body Electric starts out the book with a nightmare of Ella's in the first chapter, and then we are introduced to the world, its history, and some of Ella's family history as well, though all three are brief and the complete details are filled in throughout the book.
It's very clear and interesting for a good part of the book – it's not until about 60% that I feel as though my attention is being strayed. I'm interested in reading the most recent books I got from the library (Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi and Pawn by Aimee Carter at the time). I'm interested in other books that were on my winter break reading pile. Merely speaking, I was not interested in The Body Electric anymore, and I was on the hunt for reasons aplenty on why I would DNF this book (typically I'm on the hunt for those reasons since page 1, but it's bad when that's all I'm looking for. Basically, the book's doomed).
Luckily I didn't have many at the time time. As the book continued on and my thoughts were beginning to wander elsewhere... but let's face it: at this point, my attention hasn't strayed far yet because most of my attention is still toward The Body Electric – because I'm a weird person who can literally zone partially out of American History class and still ace the final.
Oh, and I came all the way past 50% – I would feel a little guilty making it all this way and then throwing it off to the side when the book managed to hold my attention for that long. If I want to DNF a book, it's done quite early – definitely before 50% (No, I don't feel guilty). But back to how the book continued.
The bees – no matter how symbolic they were – were beginning to become annoying. And as the book marched on to the end as Ella and Jack try to escape the malicious clutches of the government, the bees' (almost) constant appearance made the book confusing. And I mean very confusing. The reveries began to become confusing, as Ella tried to separate fact from fiction. Revis may have done it on purpose so us readers could get a very realistic feel of how very confused Ella is by this point of the book, but I hate it when I'm confused, even though everything makes sense by the time Ella makes sense of everything. As I mentioned just moments ago, done on purpose for a realistic feel.
But I'm still a little confused at the ending (it's quite weird, and I'm sure it makes sense, but I'm not going to bother turning it around in my head), despite Revis' extraordinary idea behind The Body Electric.
------------------
Review copy provided by the publisher for the blog tour
Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review originally posted at Bookwyrming Thoughts
Revis certainly didn't let me down with the idea behind her latest book – The Body Electric is set in the Mediterranean country of Malta in the far future, where nanobots and cyborgs, reveries and dreamscapes are the norm. Ella Shepherd, the daughter of two well-known scientists in this futuristic world booming with technology and science, finds out that not only can she enter into another person's mind while in a reverie, but she soon finds out that she's missing pieces of her past.
The Body Electric starts out the book with a nightmare of Ella's in the first chapter, and then we are introduced to the world, its history, and some of Ella's family history as well, though all three are brief and the complete details are filled in throughout the book.
It's very clear and interesting for a good part of the book – it's not until about 60% that I feel as though my attention is being strayed. I'm interested in reading the most recent books I got from the library (Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi and Pawn by Aimee Carter at the time). I'm interested in other books that were on my winter break reading pile. Merely speaking, I was not interested in The Body Electric anymore, and I was on the hunt for reasons aplenty on why I would DNF this book (typically I'm on the hunt for those reasons since page 1, but it's bad when that's all I'm looking for. Basically, the book's doomed).
Luckily I didn't have many at the time time. As the book continued on and my thoughts were beginning to wander elsewhere... but let's face it: at this point, my attention hasn't strayed far yet because most of my attention is still toward The Body Electric – because I'm a weird person who can literally zone partially out of American History class and still ace the final.
Oh, and I came all the way past 50% – I would feel a little guilty making it all this way and then throwing it off to the side when the book managed to hold my attention for that long. If I want to DNF a book, it's done quite early – definitely before 50% (No, I don't feel guilty). But back to how the book continued.
The bees – no matter how symbolic they were – were beginning to become annoying. And as the book marched on to the end as Ella and Jack try to escape the malicious clutches of the government, the bees' (almost) constant appearance made the book confusing. And I mean very confusing. The reveries began to become confusing, as Ella tried to separate fact from fiction. Revis may have done it on purpose so us readers could get a very realistic feel of how very confused Ella is by this point of the book, but I hate it when I'm confused, even though everything makes sense by the time Ella makes sense of everything. As I mentioned just moments ago, done on purpose for a realistic feel.
But I'm still a little confused at the ending (it's quite weird, and I'm sure it makes sense, but I'm not going to bother turning it around in my head), despite Revis' extraordinary idea behind The Body Electric.
------------------
Review copy provided by the publisher for the blog tour
Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review originally posted at Bookwyrming Thoughts
summerrae87's review against another edition
4.0
Ella Shepard, daughter of two brilliant scientists harboring a dark secret, spends most of her time going through dream-like reveries of clients. She stumbles across a boy named Jack, with whom she shares a hidden past that she does not yet realize. Soon she has someone chasing her from all corners -- Jack, to remind her what it's like to love, PA Young, whose main goal is to create a perfect government, and one surprise character who seems to be behind the entire "terrorist organization" in New Venice. Will she ever find out the truth, or is she doomed to live the past over and over?
lottpoet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
katrinamarie's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite things about Beth Revis is that she is excellent at world building. I felt like I transported into this futuristic version of Malta.
Ella is definitely a character that doesn’t know who she is or where she belongs. Or who to trust for that matter. She is thrown into this war that she didn’t really know was going on, and doesn’t know who is telling the truth. There are some things that she finds out that are disturbing to her, and not at all like what she thought was happening. There are times where she makes some questionable decisions. I felt like taking her by the shoulders and shoving her in the other direction.
Like I said before, the world building is amazing. The futuristic science and way they live were believable. There were a few scientific terms that went way over my head, but I didn’t let it distract me from the story. If you’ve read her Across the Universe series you’ll see some of the companies and other things mentioned in this book. I was all excited when I saw the references. I did like that this book doesn’t take place in America. Most of the books I’ve read in this genre usually take place somewhere well-known, but this was refreshing.
I loved this book, and can’t wait to see what Revis has in store for us next.
Ella is definitely a character that doesn’t know who she is or where she belongs. Or who to trust for that matter. She is thrown into this war that she didn’t really know was going on, and doesn’t know who is telling the truth. There are some things that she finds out that are disturbing to her, and not at all like what she thought was happening. There are times where she makes some questionable decisions. I felt like taking her by the shoulders and shoving her in the other direction.
Like I said before, the world building is amazing. The futuristic science and way they live were believable. There were a few scientific terms that went way over my head, but I didn’t let it distract me from the story. If you’ve read her Across the Universe series you’ll see some of the companies and other things mentioned in this book. I was all excited when I saw the references. I did like that this book doesn’t take place in America. Most of the books I’ve read in this genre usually take place somewhere well-known, but this was refreshing.
I loved this book, and can’t wait to see what Revis has in store for us next.
beckylej's review against another edition
4.0
Ella Shepherd and her mother are lucky - they live comfortably in New Venice where her mother has just opened the Reverie Mental Spa, a place where people can relive their best memories. But even with their relatively tranquil existence, the Unified Countries and the Secessionary States coexist in a tense and fragile peace. When the UC begins to suspect there is a spy in their midst, they turn to Ella for help. It seems her mother's technology might be useful in determining whether someone is collaborating with the enemy. When Ella slips into the dreams of one of the UC's politicians, though, she discovers something strange - visions of her father who seems to be speaking directly to her and visions of another man who says he knows Ella though she has no memory of meeting him before. Both are impossibilities in a reverie. Before she can attempt to find the meaning in this mystery, New Venice is attacked and Ella finds herself caught in the beginnings of a new war.
I hadn't realized when I started this one that it was actually a companion to the Across the Universe trilogy. I was already stoked about a new book by Revis to begin with but that discovery really made The Body Electric that much more fun.
You don't have to have read all or any of the trilogy - this is the story of what's been going on back on Earth while Godspeed has made its journey. There are a few mentions of the ship and its mission but nothing that really gives anything away.
All of that said, The Body Electric is a pretty great read on its own. The premise and the scientific concepts are fascinating and Revis manages to once again weave in a story featuring rich and real characters around these almost mind boggling theories. In truth, there came a point in the story where I felt like maybe I was losing my grasp on the science (I won't go into details in an attempt to avoid spoilers) but the characters always managed to pull me back.
The world building is excellent. Revis provides enough detail and backstory to make New Venice and this future world it exists in believable and easy to picture. My only complaint there is that there was a bit of repetition in explaining some of those details, almost as if the author forgot they had already been touched on earlier in the story.
Revis is one seriously cool author in my opinion and while I'm not sure what she has up her sleeve writing wise, I know I'm always going to be on board. One piece I'd love to see more of if she continues in this universe are the Lunar Colonies and their stories. In the meantime, I'll be waiting along with every other fan to see what comes next!
I hadn't realized when I started this one that it was actually a companion to the Across the Universe trilogy. I was already stoked about a new book by Revis to begin with but that discovery really made The Body Electric that much more fun.
You don't have to have read all or any of the trilogy - this is the story of what's been going on back on Earth while Godspeed has made its journey. There are a few mentions of the ship and its mission but nothing that really gives anything away.
All of that said, The Body Electric is a pretty great read on its own. The premise and the scientific concepts are fascinating and Revis manages to once again weave in a story featuring rich and real characters around these almost mind boggling theories. In truth, there came a point in the story where I felt like maybe I was losing my grasp on the science (I won't go into details in an attempt to avoid spoilers) but the characters always managed to pull me back.
The world building is excellent. Revis provides enough detail and backstory to make New Venice and this future world it exists in believable and easy to picture. My only complaint there is that there was a bit of repetition in explaining some of those details, almost as if the author forgot they had already been touched on earlier in the story.
Revis is one seriously cool author in my opinion and while I'm not sure what she has up her sleeve writing wise, I know I'm always going to be on board. One piece I'd love to see more of if she continues in this universe are the Lunar Colonies and their stories. In the meantime, I'll be waiting along with every other fan to see what comes next!
angelas_library's review against another edition
4.0
A free copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
(Actual rating: 3.5 stars)
What makes you, you? What makes you human? Is it your body? Your ability to reason or to feel emotions? Is it your consciousness? Your memories? Your soul?
In the 24th century, the time period in which The Body Electric is set, science has advanced to the point where these questions are quite relevant. Experiments are under way on artificial intelligence, and the lines between human and machine are blurring. Androids, sculpted and dressed to pass as humans, are utilized as cooks, maids, and home care nurses. Nanobots swim through people's bloodstreams, enhancing vision and strength, vaccinating against viruses, and allowing data to stream directly to retinas. Special machines provide people a way to slip into a Reverie, a "state of controlled lucid memory recall," to relive memories and enhance their focus.
“The body isn’t that different from a machine. Humans and androids both run on electricity.”
Ella Shepherd, the protagonist in Revis' novel, is the daughter of the woman who invented the Reveries and the man who was the leading mind in the field of artificial intelligence. She is also possessor of the unique ability to insert herself into someone else’s Reverie. Not only can Ella share the Reverie, she can also manipulate it, as well as access the memories of the person in the Reverie.
As you can imagine, the government becomes quite interested in Ella’s gifts and commissions her to use her skills to help root out terrorists and traitors. The intelligence she gathers through the Reveries leads her to a group of rebels led by a young man who claims to be Ella’s ex-boyfriend – an ex-boyfriend who, worrisomely, Ella cannot remember. Even more alarming are the secrets Ella uncovers through her Reverie snooping, secrets that cause her to doubt the loyalty of her friends, family, and government and question the nature of her father's work on androids.
Ella’s internal struggles are the high point of The Body Electric, much more compelling than the external conflicts with the government and rebels. She’s confused, lost, and afraid, forced to question everything in her life, including her own sanity. She can’t rely on her memories and struggles to discern reality from hallucination. It’s great seeing Ella transform over the course of the book – I really enjoyed watching her adjust to the numerous paradigm shifts that are forced on her and piece together the clues to her past, as well as to the work that her father had been doing.
I also liked the setting in The Body Electric. The action takes place in Malta, which is the world capital and seat of the global government in the 2300s. The city’s population is a mix of residents, tourists, and government officials, and the city sports a New Venice tourist attraction, as the original Venice has long since sunk beneath the ocean. New Venice is a curious place, a facade of antiquity powered by cutting-edge technology. I found this play between modernity and “history” really fascinating, and it made the setting stand out from other futuristic, sci-fi books.
Something that I wasn't crazy about in The Body Electric was the romance. Jack, the rebel leader who claims to have a history with Ella, didn’t really wow me as a love interest. I didn’t dislike him, exactly, but there was nothing that really made him stand out. That being said, he did grow on me over the course of the book, and I liked the tension that resulted from Ella having no recollection of her past relationship with him.
“Science can make a heart beat,” Jack says softly, each word falling on me like a caress. “But it can’t make it race.”
Even though I wasn't gaga over the romance, I did enjoy reading The Body Electric. It's a thought-provoking book, and I think it will especially appeal to fans of science fiction.
This review can also be found on my blog, Angela's Library.
(Actual rating: 3.5 stars)
What makes you, you? What makes you human? Is it your body? Your ability to reason or to feel emotions? Is it your consciousness? Your memories? Your soul?
In the 24th century, the time period in which The Body Electric is set, science has advanced to the point where these questions are quite relevant. Experiments are under way on artificial intelligence, and the lines between human and machine are blurring. Androids, sculpted and dressed to pass as humans, are utilized as cooks, maids, and home care nurses. Nanobots swim through people's bloodstreams, enhancing vision and strength, vaccinating against viruses, and allowing data to stream directly to retinas. Special machines provide people a way to slip into a Reverie, a "state of controlled lucid memory recall," to relive memories and enhance their focus.
“The body isn’t that different from a machine. Humans and androids both run on electricity.”
Ella Shepherd, the protagonist in Revis' novel, is the daughter of the woman who invented the Reveries and the man who was the leading mind in the field of artificial intelligence. She is also possessor of the unique ability to insert herself into someone else’s Reverie. Not only can Ella share the Reverie, she can also manipulate it, as well as access the memories of the person in the Reverie.
As you can imagine, the government becomes quite interested in Ella’s gifts and commissions her to use her skills to help root out terrorists and traitors. The intelligence she gathers through the Reveries leads her to a group of rebels led by a young man who claims to be Ella’s ex-boyfriend – an ex-boyfriend who, worrisomely, Ella cannot remember. Even more alarming are the secrets Ella uncovers through her Reverie snooping, secrets that cause her to doubt the loyalty of her friends, family, and government and question the nature of her father's work on androids.
Ella’s internal struggles are the high point of The Body Electric, much more compelling than the external conflicts with the government and rebels. She’s confused, lost, and afraid, forced to question everything in her life, including her own sanity. She can’t rely on her memories and struggles to discern reality from hallucination. It’s great seeing Ella transform over the course of the book – I really enjoyed watching her adjust to the numerous paradigm shifts that are forced on her and piece together the clues to her past, as well as to the work that her father had been doing.
I also liked the setting in The Body Electric. The action takes place in Malta, which is the world capital and seat of the global government in the 2300s. The city’s population is a mix of residents, tourists, and government officials, and the city sports a New Venice tourist attraction, as the original Venice has long since sunk beneath the ocean. New Venice is a curious place, a facade of antiquity powered by cutting-edge technology. I found this play between modernity and “history” really fascinating, and it made the setting stand out from other futuristic, sci-fi books.
Something that I wasn't crazy about in The Body Electric was the romance. Jack, the rebel leader who claims to have a history with Ella, didn’t really wow me as a love interest. I didn’t dislike him, exactly, but there was nothing that really made him stand out. That being said, he did grow on me over the course of the book, and I liked the tension that resulted from Ella having no recollection of her past relationship with him.
“Science can make a heart beat,” Jack says softly, each word falling on me like a caress. “But it can’t make it race.”
Even though I wasn't gaga over the romance, I did enjoy reading The Body Electric. It's a thought-provoking book, and I think it will especially appeal to fans of science fiction.
This review can also be found on my blog, Angela's Library.