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mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
I am done! Finally done with this book! Finally!!!! *runs around like crazy*
*coughs*Sorry, I have been suck to this book since December the 5th and thought I would never get through this one. Why did I keep reading you ask? Because this is a book I picked, along with my buddy, for our Blind Date challenge.
I couldn't just give up. I had to push through even though I grew increasingly frustrated with this darned book.
So I will try to write a review but be warned, it is very negative + chaotic.
The pacing was all over the place. At 20% in I wondered how we would ever fill an entire 100%. I had the feeling we were already at at least 80% at that point. That kept being a problem until about 70% then I wondered how the hell everything would still fit in those 30% that was left over. As you can see, it is all very conflicted.
The sheep stuff, it just had me rolling around the floor. The Force of the Sheep shall be with you *Mehsi rolls off her chair and laughs so hard*. Sorry, but they could have at least picked another name? And really, all that stuff with the plushies it just made me roll my eyes. It was just ridiculous and out of place. It was fun once, but then it kept popping up, and sorry, no.
The plot, at least when we know what the place is where our characters live their lives. Quite quickly, thanks to hints, I knew what was going on, and I just was not amused to see it confirmed. Can't we, for once, just have another direction? I have seen this plot SO many times, I even saw it happen in The Orville just a few weeks ago. :| Of course I won't spoil what the plot is, that would be mean of me, and while I hate this book, I won't be mean to spoil things.
Trella, or emotionless robot of boring and blandness. Queen of the Pipes she is, but I would rather say she is Queen of the bland people. With magical abilities. As up to a certain point she didn't seem to have a magical memory, but all of the sudden she can memorise ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to the point of weirdness. I know there are people who have photographic memory, but sorry, Trella didn't seem to be that kind of girl.
She was also just not interesting. Her motives were weird and out of place. Why would she, the Queen of the Pipes who never gave a shit about anything, suddenly be interested in things like rebellion or some words of a prophet? If it happened gradually, sure, but now it was just instant and after that she kept doing things that seemed out of place.
She was really cold as ice. People help her out left and right, but she never remembers them or their names. Boy, that was just painful when Jacy told her about a certain person and she was just looking at him as if he had grown bananas out his ears. :P
But she also couldn't get the simplest of hints. When people in the kitchen tell her something, she tells them off, only later to find out it was a coded message meant for her. That had me in stitches. And that is how it is the whole time. People tell her x, she is confused and tells them off, only to later find out that they meant it different.
Or when she hears R and his dad talk about Ella, she thinks that is a whole different person. *sighs*
The plottwist about the doctor? That was just making the story more ridiculous to me. Plus some other things that I can't tell as it would be spoilers. But let's just say that the whole situation had me laughing so hard. Oh my gosh what a coincidence. Oh my.
Cogon? I really liked him. If anything he was one of my favourite characters (next to Logan and his sister), and I was happy when near the end x happened, but then the writer of course had to let y happen and I was just pissed off.
The romance? Unnecessary and unneeded. I was so happy that up to a point there was nothing, but I knew as soon as X appeared that we would have some forced romance. And we did. I hate being right at times, you know? In the end I couldn't even find them sweet, I just found it meh and I couldn't care for it. At all.
The Broken Man? Well he could have stayed out of the story or disappeared for all I cared. He was annoying as hell. He demanded all sorts of attention, acted like a little kid not getting his toys. I get it man, you are in a wheelchair, you can't do much alone, but really. Do you expect someone who has helped you out so much already to risk everything further? She is already doing everything she can so you have things you need. She can't be around 24/7. You will just have to manage some things by yourself. But oh no. And of course he did certain things even though it was just the most stupid thing ever and he was warned NOT to do it. But hey, why listen to someone who has the best interests. *rolls eyes some more*
He was so ungrateful. :|
Ah yes, why count in years when you can do that in centiweeks and such. Well, I can tell you this, if you have already not much interest in a book it doesn't make it better if people tell you they are x number of weeks or centiweeks. In the end I just couldn't give a poop about it and I just thought them all to be ages I thought fitted them best. Every mention of OMG weeks just went passed me.
But I am already thankful we don't have a love triangle. Thank the heavens. When Logan popped up I was worried Riley and him would be rivals (and then to laugh while Trella didn't get the hint why they kept fighting, wait no, this would have been perfect).
The whole port as in teeth? It was just so disgusting that one had to pull their own teeth as a port. Ewwwwwwww. No thank you. That just had me shivering.
When Trella is wounded I was just shaking my head at how bad the injury was and how convenient that a certain thing was hit which meant that Trella couldn't get x. Sorry, I would explain better, but I don't really want to spoiler or spoiler tag things, so you will just have to do with this vague sentence.
It was also ridiculous that Trella didn't seem to care for anyone or herself. Oh I need to get x and y, but I am wounded and shouldn't move. Oh well *shoves pillow against wound and just keeps on crawling*.
Or when she did something highly out of character (the things people do for showers). Then there were other parts that just had me shouting at Trella to think for once. She has people who care about her (how silly that may be), but she doesn't seem to care about their feelings. Bleep bloop Trella is a robot.
What Anne-Jade to give Trella a listening device? Was that really needed? Ever heard of clip-on earrings?
The heartbeat analogy? Good Grief I was happy when that died a quick death.
Sentences like this had me just coughing and thinking why the need for eloquent words/sentences now?
"She wasn't quick to laugh; grief clung to her skin like perfume but hadn't doused her empathy for others."
and
"The loss lingers inside you, clinging like beads of moisture until rusts forms and spreads. Eventually, the structure can't hold the weight and it collapses."
and
"Liquid fire coursed through my veins, erasing all desire to fight. I wilted and dropped into oblivion."
Welp, this review has gotten very long, I could probably rant on and on about this book but frankly, after being stuck for days to this book I want to just get rid of it and not think about it. I am not going to read book 2. And I wouldn't recommend this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
*coughs*Sorry, I have been suck to this book since December the 5th and thought I would never get through this one. Why did I keep reading you ask? Because this is a book I picked, along with my buddy, for our Blind Date challenge.
I couldn't just give up. I had to push through even though I grew increasingly frustrated with this darned book.
So I will try to write a review but be warned, it is very negative + chaotic.
The pacing was all over the place. At 20% in I wondered how we would ever fill an entire 100%. I had the feeling we were already at at least 80% at that point. That kept being a problem until about 70% then I wondered how the hell everything would still fit in those 30% that was left over. As you can see, it is all very conflicted.
The sheep stuff, it just had me rolling around the floor. The Force of the Sheep shall be with you *Mehsi rolls off her chair and laughs so hard*. Sorry, but they could have at least picked another name? And really, all that stuff with the plushies it just made me roll my eyes. It was just ridiculous and out of place. It was fun once, but then it kept popping up, and sorry, no.
The plot, at least when we know what the place is where our characters live their lives. Quite quickly, thanks to hints, I knew what was going on, and I just was not amused to see it confirmed. Can't we, for once, just have another direction? I have seen this plot SO many times, I even saw it happen in The Orville just a few weeks ago. :| Of course I won't spoil what the plot is, that would be mean of me, and while I hate this book, I won't be mean to spoil things.
Trella, or emotionless robot of boring and blandness. Queen of the Pipes she is, but I would rather say she is Queen of the bland people. With magical abilities. As up to a certain point she didn't seem to have a magical memory, but all of the sudden she can memorise ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to the point of weirdness. I know there are people who have photographic memory, but sorry, Trella didn't seem to be that kind of girl.
She was also just not interesting. Her motives were weird and out of place. Why would she, the Queen of the Pipes who never gave a shit about anything, suddenly be interested in things like rebellion or some words of a prophet? If it happened gradually, sure, but now it was just instant and after that she kept doing things that seemed out of place.
She was really cold as ice. People help her out left and right, but she never remembers them or their names. Boy, that was just painful when Jacy told her about a certain person and she was just looking at him as if he had grown bananas out his ears. :P
But she also couldn't get the simplest of hints. When people in the kitchen tell her something, she tells them off, only later to find out it was a coded message meant for her. That had me in stitches. And that is how it is the whole time. People tell her x, she is confused and tells them off, only to later find out that they meant it different.
Or when she hears R and his dad talk about Ella, she thinks that is a whole different person. *sighs*
The plottwist about the doctor? That was just making the story more ridiculous to me. Plus some other things that I can't tell as it would be spoilers. But let's just say that the whole situation had me laughing so hard. Oh my gosh what a coincidence. Oh my.
Cogon? I really liked him. If anything he was one of my favourite characters (next to Logan and his sister), and I was happy when near the end x happened, but then the writer of course had to let y happen and I was just pissed off.
The romance? Unnecessary and unneeded. I was so happy that up to a point there was nothing, but I knew as soon as X appeared that we would have some forced romance. And we did. I hate being right at times, you know? In the end I couldn't even find them sweet, I just found it meh and I couldn't care for it. At all.
The Broken Man? Well he could have stayed out of the story or disappeared for all I cared. He was annoying as hell. He demanded all sorts of attention, acted like a little kid not getting his toys. I get it man, you are in a wheelchair, you can't do much alone, but really. Do you expect someone who has helped you out so much already to risk everything further? She is already doing everything she can so you have things you need. She can't be around 24/7. You will just have to manage some things by yourself. But oh no. And of course he did certain things even though it was just the most stupid thing ever and he was warned NOT to do it. But hey, why listen to someone who has the best interests. *rolls eyes some more*
He was so ungrateful. :|
Ah yes, why count in years when you can do that in centiweeks and such. Well, I can tell you this, if you have already not much interest in a book it doesn't make it better if people tell you they are x number of weeks or centiweeks. In the end I just couldn't give a poop about it and I just thought them all to be ages I thought fitted them best. Every mention of OMG weeks just went passed me.
But I am already thankful we don't have a love triangle. Thank the heavens. When Logan popped up I was worried Riley and him would be rivals (and then to laugh while Trella didn't get the hint why they kept fighting, wait no, this would have been perfect).
The whole port as in teeth? It was just so disgusting that one had to pull their own teeth as a port. Ewwwwwwww. No thank you. That just had me shivering.
When Trella is wounded I was just shaking my head at how bad the injury was and how convenient that a certain thing was hit which meant that Trella couldn't get x. Sorry, I would explain better, but I don't really want to spoiler or spoiler tag things, so you will just have to do with this vague sentence.
It was also ridiculous that Trella didn't seem to care for anyone or herself. Oh I need to get x and y, but I am wounded and shouldn't move. Oh well *shoves pillow against wound and just keeps on crawling*.
Or when she did something highly out of character (the things people do for showers). Then there were other parts that just had me shouting at Trella to think for once. She has people who care about her (how silly that may be), but she doesn't seem to care about their feelings. Bleep bloop Trella is a robot.
What Anne-Jade to give Trella a listening device? Was that really needed? Ever heard of clip-on earrings?
The heartbeat analogy? Good Grief I was happy when that died a quick death.
Sentences like this had me just coughing and thinking why the need for eloquent words/sentences now?
"She wasn't quick to laugh; grief clung to her skin like perfume but hadn't doused her empathy for others."
and
"The loss lingers inside you, clinging like beads of moisture until rusts forms and spreads. Eventually, the structure can't hold the weight and it collapses."
and
"Liquid fire coursed through my veins, erasing all desire to fight. I wilted and dropped into oblivion."
Welp, this review has gotten very long, I could probably rant on and on about this book but frankly, after being stuck for days to this book I want to just get rid of it and not think about it. I am not going to read book 2. And I wouldn't recommend this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
reesetotle's review against another edition
4.0
snyder really knew how to end her chapters to keep the reader going.
applegnreads's review against another edition
3.0
hmm, not sure how i felt about this. she was clearly writing for a younger audience than i'm used to her doing. she also was clearly starting a series. i knew what was going to happen before it did. hmm.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
2.0
Het uitgangspunt van dit boek was zo slecht nog niet, maar voor mijn gevoel was er aan dit van alles dat niet helemaal klopte. De schets van de wereld, zoals die hier beschreven is, was voor mij niet compleet en duidelijk genoeg. De informatie leek niet compleet en ik kon me moeilijk een beeld vormen van wat ik nu eigenlijk las.
Daarnaast vond ik dat het verhaal aan een hoop kanten een beetje rammelde. Alles ging me net iets te makkelijk en iets te soepel en die gebeurtenissen die het boek de juiste atmosfeer hadden kunnen geven werden nauwelijks beschreven en veelal overgeslagen. Ook was de hoofdpersoon een tamelijk gevoelloos iemand, of beter gezegd haar emoties stonden op mute, waardoor de "relatie" niet uit de verf kwam omdat we geen flauw idee hadden wat zij nu eigenlijk voor hem voelde, maar waardoor ook het hele verhaal een ietwat emotieloos iets was, omdat alles vanuit haar perspectief geschreven was.
Kortom er was weinig aandacht voor details in dit verhaal. Een verhaal mag niet in details verzanden, maar het mag ook geen opsomming van gebeurtenissen worden en daar neigde het voor mij wel een beetje naartoe. Maar misschien vinden andere mensen het wel prettig dat deze hoofdpersoon weinig emoties toont en dat de relatie geen kleffe "o wat ben je perfect"-verbinding is.
Waarom dan toch twee sterren en geen één? Omdat ik het wel kan waarderen dan deze relatie fatsoenlijk is opgebouwd en niet is waar het verhaal om draait. Daarnaast vond ik het wel boeiend genoeg om het boek uit te lezen, maar van mij had de atmosfeer en de wereld best wat beter neergezet mogen worden. En met iets meer emotie :P
Daarnaast vond ik dat het verhaal aan een hoop kanten een beetje rammelde. Alles ging me net iets te makkelijk en iets te soepel en die gebeurtenissen die het boek de juiste atmosfeer hadden kunnen geven werden nauwelijks beschreven en veelal overgeslagen. Ook was de hoofdpersoon een tamelijk gevoelloos iemand, of beter gezegd haar emoties stonden op mute, waardoor de "relatie" niet uit de verf kwam omdat we geen flauw idee hadden wat zij nu eigenlijk voor hem voelde, maar waardoor ook het hele verhaal een ietwat emotieloos iets was, omdat alles vanuit haar perspectief geschreven was.
Kortom er was weinig aandacht voor details in dit verhaal. Een verhaal mag niet in details verzanden, maar het mag ook geen opsomming van gebeurtenissen worden en daar neigde het voor mij wel een beetje naartoe. Maar misschien vinden andere mensen het wel prettig dat deze hoofdpersoon weinig emoties toont en dat de relatie geen kleffe "o wat ben je perfect"-verbinding is.
Waarom dan toch twee sterren en geen één? Omdat ik het wel kan waarderen dan deze relatie fatsoenlijk is opgebouwd en niet is waar het verhaal om draait. Daarnaast vond ik het wel boeiend genoeg om het boek uit te lezen, maar van mij had de atmosfeer en de wereld best wat beter neergezet mogen worden. En met iets meer emotie :P
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Why I read it: Dystopia challenge, had 2nd book on my e-reader for review
The Plot: Trella is a scrub--she's one of thousands of people who live and work on the lower levels of what the reader can only assume is a giant building. The people who live in the upper levels seem to have it all. But one day Trella is introduced to a prophet who says he has evidence for "Outside". Even though Trella doesn't believe him, she sets out to help him find his evidence, if only to prove to her best friend that Outside doesn't exist. That's when it gets interesting. Without meaning to, Trella starts a rebellion.
The Characters: I liked Trella. There were times when it was a bit frustrating as a reader because someone would have information about Trella, things she didn't even know herself, but she never wanted to hear them. That bit of annoyance aside, Trella was a really strong, smart girl, which is always nice to see in young adult books. The characterization was done very well in Inside Out, and you can't help but care for these characters.
The Setting: Absolutely fabulous setting. So much of it is mysterious. We don't really know where these characters are. We only know they are in some type of structure that has levels. We have no idea what it's like outside of the structure, and even though most of the characters don't even believe there is an outside, we, as readers take our suppositions into the story with us, and assume that Earth is outside--but we don't know what state the Earth is in. It adds some psychological suspense to the story.
Who Should Read This? Fans of dystopia should really like this one.
Final Thoughts: I tried another book by Maria Snyder one time (Storm Glass, I think it was) and didn't really care for the writing, so I gave up on it. I'm glad I had the opportunity to give this author another try because the writing was excellent and I really enjoyed this book. I stayed up really late to finish it, and as a mother of young kids that's something I rarely do. It was so good that I went on to read the second one immediately.
Grade: A
Cover Thoughts: The cover is okay, although I think it could have been a little more interesting. It does seem to be fairly eye-catching.
The Plot: Trella is a scrub--she's one of thousands of people who live and work on the lower levels of what the reader can only assume is a giant building. The people who live in the upper levels seem to have it all. But one day Trella is introduced to a prophet who says he has evidence for "Outside". Even though Trella doesn't believe him, she sets out to help him find his evidence, if only to prove to her best friend that Outside doesn't exist. That's when it gets interesting. Without meaning to, Trella starts a rebellion.
The Characters: I liked Trella. There were times when it was a bit frustrating as a reader because someone would have information about Trella, things she didn't even know herself, but she never wanted to hear them. That bit of annoyance aside, Trella was a really strong, smart girl, which is always nice to see in young adult books. The characterization was done very well in Inside Out, and you can't help but care for these characters.
The Setting: Absolutely fabulous setting. So much of it is mysterious. We don't really know where these characters are. We only know they are in some type of structure that has levels. We have no idea what it's like outside of the structure, and even though most of the characters don't even believe there is an outside, we, as readers take our suppositions into the story with us, and assume that Earth is outside--but we don't know what state the Earth is in. It adds some psychological suspense to the story.
Who Should Read This? Fans of dystopia should really like this one.
Final Thoughts: I tried another book by Maria Snyder one time (Storm Glass, I think it was) and didn't really care for the writing, so I gave up on it. I'm glad I had the opportunity to give this author another try because the writing was excellent and I really enjoyed this book. I stayed up really late to finish it, and as a mother of young kids that's something I rarely do. It was so good that I went on to read the second one immediately.
Grade: A
Cover Thoughts: The cover is okay, although I think it could have been a little more interesting. It does seem to be fairly eye-catching.
music_mentalist's review
4.25
This was an easy page turner for me - interesting concept and felt the main character developed in a logical sense and wasn't prone to erratic changes like other books purely to fit the story of the book. Intrigued to see what outside in is about.
smnthlejeune's review against another edition
4.0
~ 4 stars ~
The Inside is a world split in two. The elite Uppers and the Lowers (or Scrubs), who run the belly of Inside. Snyder builds an entirely structured world where the only peace is in the pipes.
The Good.
There comes a time when a person gets sick of love triangles and dystopian books which lose all their potential behind a sappy romance. While there was a romance in this book, it was subtle and a slow burner. You knew it was coming but it took it's time to develop and it didn't take away from the bigger plot. For the majority of the time I was yelling at them just to kiss already, but I settled with dialogue through a sheep plushie.
Trella as a character I thought was refreshing. She didn't take any shit and even though she did annoy me at times, it's better than the damsel in distress becoming the figurehead of revolution. She wasn't constantly being saved and the times when others came to her rescue were short-lived as she dived straight back in. Speaking of characters, I adored Cogon and his passion. Seeing where his story ends ripped my heart out, being destroyed by the one thing he fought so hard for.
I spent a long time thinking this would turn out being something similar to the Hunger Games or Divergent with the experiment angle but Gateway was something I wasn't expecting at all and it was a great and I'm really excited for shock for me.
The Bad.
However, I would have to say that the world-building was slightly confusing, despite it being seemingly so simple with a very structured plan. I think it was all explained too quickly and it took me a while to get my bearings. But I loved the concept because it felt cramped and claustrophobic which lent itself to the story and the entire overpopulation issue.
Overall, I quite enjoyed it and after having this and it's sequel on my shelf for years I'm excited to keep reading and see how the society works and what issues will motivate this next book.
“No hope, is worse than fear.”
The Inside is a world split in two. The elite Uppers and the Lowers (or Scrubs), who run the belly of Inside. Snyder builds an entirely structured world where the only peace is in the pipes.
Spoiler
The Good.
There comes a time when a person gets sick of love triangles and dystopian books which lose all their potential behind a sappy romance. While there was a romance in this book, it was subtle and a slow burner. You knew it was coming but it took it's time to develop and it didn't take away from the bigger plot. For the majority of the time I was yelling at them just to kiss already, but I settled with dialogue through a sheep plushie.
Trella as a character I thought was refreshing. She didn't take any shit and even though she did annoy me at times, it's better than the damsel in distress becoming the figurehead of revolution. She wasn't constantly being saved and the times when others came to her rescue were short-lived as she dived straight back in. Speaking of characters, I adored Cogon and his passion. Seeing where his story ends ripped my heart out, being destroyed by the one thing he fought so hard for.
I spent a long time thinking this would turn out being something similar to the Hunger Games or Divergent with the experiment angle but Gateway was something I wasn't expecting at all and it was a great and I'm really excited for shock for me.
The Bad.
However, I would have to say that the world-building was slightly confusing, despite it being seemingly so simple with a very structured plan. I think it was all explained too quickly and it took me a while to get my bearings. But I loved the concept because it felt cramped and claustrophobic which lent itself to the story and the entire overpopulation issue.
Overall, I quite enjoyed it and after having this and it's sequel on my shelf for years I'm excited to keep reading and see how the society works and what issues will motivate this next book.
“No hope, is worse than fear.”
smileytonya's review against another edition
4.0
The plot was the strongest part of the novel. The reader starts out with very little information about Inside and its population but what develops is truly awesome. Inside is literally a big box everyone is stuck in and nobody knows why. The lowers are slaves keeping everything from falling apart. It's like a giant maze and the main character, Trella, is the poor mouse scrambling around in the walls trying to get out.
Snyder captured being a teenager pretty well. Trella feels like she's different and she doesn't belong. She is surrounded by thousands of people but still feels like an outsider. She has only one friend and spends most of her time alone inside the pipes. looks like or if it's even real.
I liked the sense of urgency and all of the action elements. Trella was go, go, go all the time and it kept the story exciting. Chomper scares the crap out of me. Who feeds bodies into a giant trash compacter? (oh right, Stephen King does. haha. Check out his short story The Mangler).
The description of Inside made me think they must be in some kind of underground bunker because of a nuclear war or something so I didn't see the twist coming.
Snyder captured being a teenager pretty well. Trella feels like she's different and she doesn't belong. She is surrounded by thousands of people but still feels like an outsider. She has only one friend and spends most of her time alone inside the pipes. looks like or if it's even real.
I liked the sense of urgency and all of the action elements. Trella was go, go, go all the time and it kept the story exciting. Chomper scares the crap out of me. Who feeds bodies into a giant trash compacter? (oh right, Stephen King does. haha. Check out his short story The Mangler).
The description of Inside made me think they must be in some kind of underground bunker because of a nuclear war or something so I didn't see the twist coming.
emerygirl's review against another edition
3.0
While reading this book, I thought there must be a prequel I had missed. It just didn't make sense. I'm glad I kept with it because at the end it answers questions I had, such as why couldn't they go outside? I am intrigued and will read the second book.
audryt's review against another edition
5.0
Solid summer read. Fun and smart. SF Lite, breathes fresh life into a classic SF concept. Likeable characters with a lead who goes through a great arc. In the end, it's more about the character and her journey than it is about the big twists or the dramatic ending.
You know who would be a great director for a movie version of this? Whedon, that's who.
You know who would be a great director for a movie version of this? Whedon, that's who.