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randyribay's review
4.0
A well-written and intense story of a near future...that I hope doesn't come to pass.
sasha_is_reading's review
2.0
I don't read a lot of YA, but this was a free read on Scribd this month. I do love dystopian fiction, and there are some really great ideas in this book. However, in the execution it falls into a lot of common YA pitfalls (no difference in the voices of different characters, even when they take turns narrating the story; very little action; forced romantic subplots; horrible dialogue). I finished it, of course, hoping to find some redemption. The world of ruined future Manhattan naturally intrigues me, and it was disappointing this book doesn't write into that huge potential. Disappointed.
allymoraley's review
4.0
Very good book! Lots of twists, plenty of adventure. I really enjoyed it, it just keeps picking up with every page.
pantailamon's review
3.0
I was drawn to this book first because of its premise, and second because it was the story of two sisters, rather than the typical boy-and-a-girl story. I've always been a sucker for post-apocalyptic survival/rebuilding stories, and Kelly does it well here -- the world she's built is interesting and plausible, and I enjoyed getting to know it. I do wish some parts were better explained or more deeply explored -- the holdouts, for example -- but since the book is centered around only a handful of characters, I suppose there wasn't much opportunity for that. And given that this is a YA novel, I don't really expect the world to be substantially complex and detailed.
The characters:
- I really liked both Phee and Sky for the most part. They had interesting, distinct personalities with differing philosophies, wants, and needs. They treated each other with kindness, with annoyance, with love, with anger, with jealousy. For the most part, their relationship felt true and complex, like relationships between siblings should be.
- I liked their mother Sarah as a character. I liked that we got to know her through her journal, and that we learned more and more about her as the book progressed. Rolladin was an interesting character as well, and her role in Sarah's life was surprising and also super interesting. Honestly, I was more invested in Sarah and Rolladin's story at times than I was in Sky and Phee's. After reading Sarah's journal entries, I'm left wanting a whole other book set just after the invasion, centered around those left behind and their fight for survival.
- The Brits. I had no strong feelings for any of them. They felt mostly like cardboard characters to me. At least there was an effort to make Ryder interesting, but I never really came to care for him.
- Trevor. What was the point of him in this book?
The plot:
- I enjoyed it. There was no shocking twist or truly unexpected conflicts, but it was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, which is as much as I could want really.
The romance:
- My least favorite part of this book. I knocked off half a star for the romance. It felt unnecessary and underdeveloped. There's no insta-love, thank god, but even so, I never felt the chemistry. I groaned aloud when I realized there was going to be a love triangle (ughh terrible) between sisters (even worse). If it was just that though, I suppose I could've dealt with it, but when Phee and Sky just keep thinking about Ryder's ~strong arms~ and these ~warm flutters of desire~ even when they were in mortal danger I was completely over this whole thing. I did a lot of eye-rolling in the last 25% of this book. When you're trying to escape a delusional cult leader, is this really the time to be jealous about your sister maybe kissing your crush? Really? Is this really the time to feel all fluttery and gooey about sneaking out to meet your crush (to plan an escape)? Really??
In the end, this was an enjoyable book. It wasn't anything mind-blowing and there were points where I Sighed Heavily, but I had fun reading it.
The characters:
- I really liked both Phee and Sky for the most part. They had interesting, distinct personalities with differing philosophies, wants, and needs. They treated each other with kindness, with annoyance, with love, with anger, with jealousy. For the most part, their relationship felt true and complex, like relationships between siblings should be.
- I liked their mother Sarah as a character. I liked that we got to know her through her journal, and that we learned more and more about her as the book progressed. Rolladin was an interesting character as well, and her role in Sarah's life was surprising and also super interesting. Honestly, I was more invested in Sarah and Rolladin's story at times than I was in Sky and Phee's. After reading Sarah's journal entries, I'm left wanting a whole other book set just after the invasion, centered around those left behind and their fight for survival.
- The Brits. I had no strong feelings for any of them. They felt mostly like cardboard characters to me. At least there was an effort to make Ryder interesting, but I never really came to care for him.
- Trevor. What was the point of him in this book?
The plot:
- I enjoyed it. There was no shocking twist or truly unexpected conflicts, but it was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, which is as much as I could want really.
The romance:
- My least favorite part of this book. I knocked off half a star for the romance. It felt unnecessary and underdeveloped. There's no insta-love, thank god, but even so, I never felt the chemistry. I groaned aloud when I realized there was going to be a love triangle (ughh terrible) between sisters (even worse). If it was just that though, I suppose I could've dealt with it, but when Phee and Sky just keep thinking about Ryder's ~strong arms~ and these ~warm flutters of desire~ even when they were in mortal danger I was completely over this whole thing. I did a lot of eye-rolling in the last 25% of this book. When you're trying to escape a delusional cult leader, is this really the time to be jealous about your sister maybe kissing your crush? Really? Is this really the time to feel all fluttery and gooey about sneaking out to meet your crush (to plan an escape)? Really??
In the end, this was an enjoyable book. It wasn't anything mind-blowing and there were points where I Sighed Heavily, but I had fun reading it.
netherfield72's review against another edition
4.0
Post-apcoalyptic, dystopia and NYC, (or anywhere) yes please. I would have to say this book lived up to my expectations. It had some twist and surprises that I liked and because of that it's hard to say anything more. There was one thing in the story that didn't really get answered that I would have like to have gotten answered or explained is a better word. This was a page turner although at one point it lagged a little but then I couldn't put it down.
So if you like Post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories you will probably like this one.
So if you like Post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories you will probably like this one.
whimsicallymeghan's review
4.0
Living in a world after World War III and where there is one ruler, Rolladin. Sky and Phee are sisters who go from one extreme of living, to an entirely different extreme. They think living under Rolladin’s rule is bad, but once they escape and are under Robert’s rule, things take a drastic turn and not for the best. Trying to convert them, Robert brainwashes and manipulates them, and the girls have to try their hardest to survive. Sky has found her mother’s old journal from right before the war and that’s how they, and the reader, find out about characters. Those exerts from Sarah’s journal were really great exposition for the reader, because otherwise we would never have found out a lot of what makes the plot work, and flow. The plot is great; it’s a completely fresh take on the future and what could happen if World War III did ever happen. The plot was original, and exciting to read. Kelly’s characters were also so extremely likeable. Sky and Phee are complete opposites, and that’s what makes the two characters work so much, not just with themselves, but with the other characters in the novel. Their growth throughout the novel was incredible, the author did a really great job creating her characters. For a debut novel, Kelly sure hit the mark, and set it high.
alejandra315's review against another edition
3.0
I liked Kelly's other book much more, but this one is equally hard to put down. I don't understand it fully because it is not my personal experience, but I suspect in this book she manages to capture perfectly the rivalry, competition, hatred, true friendship and love between siblings, particularly between sisters close in age.
Fast paced, with equally interesting subplots, this is an entertaining YA novel to be enjoyed by post apocalyptic fans. The flaw? some truly annoying characters, and an unaccomplished narrating voice that constantly got me asking myself "wait, who is this?". This book redeeming quality is how it shows we are all flawed and it's not so easy to put us in good or bad boxes, in the end the reasons, the intentions and the contexts matter... but is it not the way to hell paved in good intentions?
Fast paced, with equally interesting subplots, this is an entertaining YA novel to be enjoyed by post apocalyptic fans. The flaw? some truly annoying characters, and an unaccomplished narrating voice that constantly got me asking myself "wait, who is this?". This book redeeming quality is how it shows we are all flawed and it's not so easy to put us in good or bad boxes, in the end the reasons, the intentions and the contexts matter... but is it not the way to hell paved in good intentions?