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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I liked this book: the story is quite imaginative, the narrator, an 11 year old girl, is sweet. But, she is too sweet (I wish one of the more cynical girls were telling the story, or there were chapters where adults gave us more context). And the sci fi element of the story (the world is "slowing") is told so realistically, which realists will love, but the fun sci fi parts are not developed as a sci fi writer would have developed them. It's a novel that straddles two genres, realism and sci fi, without the full depth of either genre. BUT I enjoyed the novel, as I would a Twilight Zone episode. It feels like a young adult novel, which is perhaps it's biggest flaw.
I loved this. As an environmentalist whose thoughts drift to what may come this story struck a chord (and encouraged some disturbing dreams!). This was very well written and in such a great narrative voice. One of the things I appreciated most about this book was its succinctness-- in a day where trilogies and long books rule, this book comes in at less than 300 pages in hardcover and tells such a well-edited, specific story, you finish feeling sated. I suppose I'm not always picking books I know will be excellent to begin with but it was such a nice change to read something genuinely wonderful.
I couldn't finish this book. The first few chapters were moving at a steady pace and then I felt I had lost the point. Maybe it was just the wrong time for this book. Or maybe I am the wrong audience.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. The premise was fascinating and the writing is strong. My only qualm is that I wished there was more closure at the ending. It just kind of fades off and you are left wondering what happened next. Which is probably exactly what the author intended.
dark
medium-paced
Julia is 11 years old when the world begins slowing down, and news stations all over the world struggle to calm the rising panic. As the days get longer, clear divides begin to form between the people who want to maintain a regular 24 hour day and those who want to try to live their lives during the extended daylight periods and sleep whenever the skies turn dark again. Prejudices form. Doomsday cults are created. Animals go extinct. Mystery illnesses plague the population. As Julia witnesses her friends and family morph into people she doesn’t even recognize anymore, she begins to question whether it’s a normal part of growing up or yet another symptom of the slowing.
This coming-of-age story is set in a sort of dystopian version of our world. Yet unlike a lot of more popular books of the genre, there isn’t a whole lot going on: people are just kind of waiting on the world to end. Especially where Julia’s family in concerned: her father still goes to work at the local hospital, her mother still goes shopping at the grocery store, and Julia herself spends her days attending middle school like usual. The author really focuses on Juila’s personal struggles as a maturing young woman in a time of environmental insecurity rather than develop the apocalyptic plot, which left a lot of unanswered questions during my read. And unfortunately, Julia’s personal struggles are not fun to read about.
There was nothing enjoyable about this read. The writing was amateur. The plot, premise, and characters were undeveloped. The read was boring. When shit actually happened, it was all extremely sad and depressing, but it wasn’t like I could even really care since the characters were just so unbelievable.
If you’re looking for a good YA dystopian read, focus on the more popular titles like Divergent and The Hunger Games: at least those characters are worth reading about.
This coming-of-age story is set in a sort of dystopian version of our world. Yet unlike a lot of more popular books of the genre, there isn’t a whole lot going on: people are just kind of waiting on the world to end. Especially where Julia’s family in concerned: her father still goes to work at the local hospital, her mother still goes shopping at the grocery store, and Julia herself spends her days attending middle school like usual. The author really focuses on Juila’s personal struggles as a maturing young woman in a time of environmental insecurity rather than develop the apocalyptic plot, which left a lot of unanswered questions during my read. And unfortunately, Julia’s personal struggles are not fun to read about.
There was nothing enjoyable about this read. The writing was amateur. The plot, premise, and characters were undeveloped. The read was boring. When shit actually happened, it was all extremely sad and depressing, but it wasn’t like I could even really care since the characters were just so unbelievable.
If you’re looking for a good YA dystopian read, focus on the more popular titles like Divergent and The Hunger Games: at least those characters are worth reading about.
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. While the idea is interesting, it just wasn't that compelling.
I've read plenty of dystopian books, but this is the first I've read that is about the transition from the present to a dystopian future. The story begins when the earth's rotation begins to slow dramatically and describes the environmental changes that creates and the social changes that result. I don't have the expertise to comment on the scientific plausibility of the changes that occur, so there may be plenty to argue with on that front, but I was able to simply enjoy the ride. It's certainly not one of my favorite books ever, but it gets high marks for an interesting premise. It would be a good discussion book - plenty there to talk about.
The premise of this book really fascinated me, I'm just not sure it quite lived up to it.
It wouldn't have worked if it wasn't told from the point of view of an eleven year old girl, as some of the scientific details and wider impacts of "the slowing" aren't mentioned. A lot of the impacts on nature are explored but I feel a lot of the wider societal and economic impacts are completely missed out.
Despite this, I did find myself keeping an eye on the Sun and time more. It felt strange to do this, I felt like the world takes the constancy of the Sun and time for granted..? I'm not sure how to put it, but the writing style of this book must have been convincing enough to make me question things this much!
It wouldn't have worked if it wasn't told from the point of view of an eleven year old girl, as some of the scientific details and wider impacts of "the slowing" aren't mentioned. A lot of the impacts on nature are explored but I feel a lot of the wider societal and economic impacts are completely missed out.
Despite this, I did find myself keeping an eye on the Sun and time more. It felt strange to do this, I felt like the world takes the constancy of the Sun and time for granted..? I'm not sure how to put it, but the writing style of this book must have been convincing enough to make me question things this much!