Reviews - Firstlife | The StoryGraph

745 reviews for:

This is, without a doubt, the worst and most utterly confusing young adult book I've ever been unfortunate enough to read. This thing is absolutely covered in my angry annotations and confused notes. The plot is full of holes, the characters are paper thin, the chemistry between them is nonexistent, the world-building is few, far between, and spread into the very last pages of the book when it was so desperately needed at the beginning, and, to put it all in perspective, it was unclear to me until almost a hundred pages in that the setting of the book was on Earth. It took even longer for it to become evident that the story was not currently taking place in America. I still do not know what a General or a Conduit is, and this was the main plot point of the book.

kstring's review against another edition

It's hard for me to rate this book (like most books these days). I got to listen to the first 3 hours a few weeks ago and then I had to return it, so 2-ish weeks later, because I was pressed for time and remembered most of what had happened, I started listening again at the 3 hour mark. It took me a while to get back into the swing of things and remember what was going on, so I spent most of the rest of my listening time trying to keep characters straight and remember the overarching plot. In the end, I loved every minute of the book even if I couldn't remember everything or follow completely. I really liked the characters and the plot seemed solid from what I was picking up. I really like the main character, though--Ten. I can really identify with her and her obsession with counting and keeping a calendar.

I was really confused after picking it up again about where the different realms were and how life was conducted in each. Maybe it was just because I had forgotten the beginning. I'd like to know more in depth the layout of the place--maybe a map would be helpful?

I think the fact that I really liked the book even though I didn't know what was going on speaks volumes about the writing. Nice job Showalter! If I saw this book in the store, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. If I ever read it again, I'll make sure to read it all in one go so I can give a more thorough review.

abbeyclawrey's review

5.0

I can't get over this book, Gena Showalter portrays a teenage girl perfectly in my eyes! I absolutely love this book!

sehnsuchtleo's review against another edition

4.0

REAL REVIEW TO COME ?!? This book threw me on a rollercoaster like omg😩 original ratings: 3.5 it would’ve been a 4 and it is a 4 but on this edition I have (the Dutch translation) has here and there minor typing mistakes...

lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition

4.0

Firstlife is set in a unique world with very strong mythology and factions fighting each other for power over the realms, not only in the first life, but in the ever life as well.

toodlebean's review against another edition

3.0

Firstlife has a very interesting premise with lots of promise but unfortunately is poorly executed. We spend the entire novel watching Ten try to avoid pledging a realm whilst simultaneously weighing up the pros and cons between them. There's a very small amount of character and relationship development but it doesn't make up for the sluggish pace of the plot.
I didn't hate this book but I certainly didn't love it. I definitely think teen audiences would appreciate this more than adult readers.