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katieconrad's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-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
4.0
traceyanderson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lawbooks600's review against another edition
3.0
Representation: First Australian character
Trigger warnings: Fire, imprisonment
This was a book that was part of the library reading challenge of the month. Two of the goals were to read a science fiction book and/or a book from a First Australian author.
6/10, looking back at this I actually enjoyed it however I must say that I've definitely seen some better dystopian novels out there and I don't think this holds up well anymore more than a decade after it was published though I do admit there was a solid concept and the execution was alright I guess, where do I even begin. It starts off with the main character Ashala Wolf or Ashala for short and not too far into the book she was captured by Neville Rose and sent into a prison where she spends most of the book there and even that I've seen in other books I've read before and since then. Ashala meets some other characters whose names I forgot and she learns what it is like to live in the prison and I must tell you it isn't a very great place to live especially with the main antagonist and he wants to destroy Ashala's tribe which essentially means killing her as well and I didn't want that to happen but why would he do that in the first place I don't really know but it might have something to do with racism or something along those lines. Towards the end of the book Ashala and the other characters think of a plan to escape and they do that by burning the prison down and freeing the other prisoners which was very action packed and ended this on a high note.
Trigger warnings: Fire, imprisonment
This was a book that was part of the library reading challenge of the month. Two of the goals were to read a science fiction book and/or a book from a First Australian author.
6/10, looking back at this I actually enjoyed it however I must say that I've definitely seen some better dystopian novels out there and I don't think this holds up well anymore more than a decade after it was published though I do admit there was a solid concept and the execution was alright I guess, where do I even begin. It starts off with the main character Ashala Wolf or Ashala for short and not too far into the book she was captured by Neville Rose and sent into a prison where she spends most of the book there and even that I've seen in other books I've read before and since then. Ashala meets some other characters whose names I forgot and she learns what it is like to live in the prison and I must tell you it isn't a very great place to live especially with the main antagonist and he wants to destroy Ashala's tribe which essentially means killing her as well and I didn't want that to happen but why would he do that in the first place I don't really know but it might have something to do with racism or something along those lines. Towards the end of the book Ashala and the other characters think of a plan to escape and they do that by burning the prison down and freeing the other prisoners which was very action packed and ended this on a high note.
lyndonleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is an incredible book discussing important things about race, ethnicity, and minority groups. The prose is immaculate, the story development and plot is amazing, the way the author plays with time and perspective is also incredible. You could use this book to study all of the above as well as gender, stereotypes, and so much more. This book is so incredibly well thought out. Highly recommend!
chloethewriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? N/A
3.5
emeliestegbornblixt's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this fast-paced story. It read slightly younger than I was expecting, but honestly that just added to the enjoyment - things that would have annoyed me if this had been a bit more adult and gritty worked quite well. (Which is to say, things fell into place a bit too neatly at the end, but I didn't really mind.) I liked the discussion of humanity's relationship to nature at large, and the celebration of friendship.
This reading experience has also reminded me that I know embarrassingly little about the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, which makes me want to learn more about this topic and about Australia's colonial history (which I remember studying in school around age 11-12, but no more after that, so.... probably got a version of the story that's a bit tidied up and more easy for delicate white people to stomach...) So I guess I have that to thank this for as well, even though that doesn't really say anything about the book itself.
This reading experience has also reminded me that I know embarrassingly little about the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, which makes me want to learn more about this topic and about Australia's colonial history (which I remember studying in school around age 11-12, but no more after that, so.... probably got a version of the story that's a bit tidied up and more easy for delicate white people to stomach...) So I guess I have that to thank this for as well, even though that doesn't really say anything about the book itself.
libraryhauntinglesbian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is my second book by Kwaymullina, and I think that she has so much potential as a writer.
For a debut YA novel written in 2012, I think it had a lot of great aspects despite it's faults. This is definitely geared towards younger readers, so I'm rating as a book for young readers.
It takes a lot of the tropes that were common in YA in 2012, but incorporates them with genuinely unique and interesting ideas. I am so obsessed with the idea of a gang of giant-mind reading lizards, and I thought the character abilities - especially Sleepwalking - were really cool.
The negatives are that it is a very simplistic book. As mentioned, it is geared to a younger audience, so the characters are all very definitely 'good' or 'evil' without much nuance. I also think the way the structure jumps between the present time and past memories might be jarring for some people.
Overall, I thought it was a quick and fun read. I'll likely be reading the rest of this series and looking forward to any more books Kwaymullina releases in future.
For a debut YA novel written in 2012, I think it had a lot of great aspects despite it's faults. This is definitely geared towards younger readers, so I'm rating as a book for young readers.
It takes a lot of the tropes that were common in YA in 2012, but incorporates them with genuinely unique and interesting ideas. I am so obsessed with the idea of a gang of giant-mind reading lizards, and I thought the character abilities - especially Sleepwalking - were really cool.
The negatives are that it is a very simplistic book. As mentioned, it is geared to a younger audience, so the characters are all very definitely 'good' or 'evil' without much nuance. I also think the way the structure jumps between the present time and past memories might be jarring for some people.
Overall, I thought it was a quick and fun read. I'll likely be reading the rest of this series and looking forward to any more books Kwaymullina releases in future.
dani_bugz's review against another edition
2.0
A decidedly mediocre read, at best. Honestly I would have stopped reading 50 pages in had it not been my bookclub choice (so yes.. I finished). It wasn't so terrible I would throw it in the fire, but it was not good. Not good at all. But, that's being said as a 23 year old women, it would be perfect for tweens 11-15.
tehani's review against another edition
4.0
I've heard people talk about this as fantasy, but it felt much more dystopic SF to me. It's probably a solid 3.5, but I round up for Aussie books, particularly debut novels (Kwaymullina has previous publications, but not novel length). I enjoyed the read, thought there were some fabulous ideas and great characters. I wasn't sold on the world-building, and the book suffered a little from the same problem that Veronica Roth's "Divergent" did, in that it was hard to believe the societal structure could be world-wide. The structure was really quite unusual, with a lot of the story taking place in flashbacks as memories, and a frequent quirk of the protagonist realising that something she had thought was true turned out to be something quite different. I think this will do well with the Hunger Games crowd looking for what to read next!