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fblizz's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
This dystopian fiction book was recommended to me by Booktasters. It is a roller coaster of a read and I am glad that I had all four parts to devour and it had a satisfying ending. Although the first part of the book was written in 2016, it seemed the author had a crystal ball as to what the future would bring. The world building and character development were well done and I look forward to reading more by this author.
mellvynm's review
4.0
The title is simple, but the entire story is far from it. So we're in an alternate future, and the main character, Ramsey is in the running to win The Raffle, a competition which gives the winner a chance to enter a new version of the United States. He won, and then things get extremely complicated.
I felt that the entire story is good, and the pace rarely slows down. There's always something happening, or that something somewhere caught Ramsey's eyes thay triggered a distant memory. It's interesting that Ramsey's flashback adds depth and some origin to many elements in the story, but I do find myself skipping a lot of his stories of the past as the story progresses. The beginning is fine, when he began to write the letter to his wife and daughter (ex wife, apparently?). We need to know where he's coming from, what's at stake, and why winning the raffle is so important (basically, exposition). As the story moves on to the other parts, it felt like his reminisces are simply that, a flashback to his better days with happier memories, but doesn't feel that much essential to the story anymore.
Side note, I was pleasantly surprised that Ramsey is Middle Eastern, although I can't help but fancast Oscar Isaac in the lead role (who is Guatemalan) . The story reminds me of the characters in the film Ex Machina a bit, with a different setting. I love seeing more POCs in novels in the 'dystopian future' genre.
The plot is intense, dramatic, and the flow is consistent throughout the entire story. It's also interesting how other more controversial elements are brought in, like religious fundamentalism and extremism, artificial intelligence, annihilation, and racial tension. The addition of these elements made the story more dynamic and interesting, but it can be a bit triggering for some. To be honest, a lot of the allusion to religion was lost on me at first, but then eventually it all made sense. The characters are also believable and the author wrote them in a way that made us care for them. I do want Ramsey to meet his wife and daughter. I want Sarah to survive. More importantly, the author made the NUS government untrustworthy. This mirrors some countries' government these days, whether that is intentional or not.
The many plot twists in the story are also the good points about the novel, some expected, some not. I did expect Stephen to return and Noah eventually snapped (I had my suspicions from the moment we meet him) but I didn't expect the NUS' government plan for using the NHC as permanent life form.
Overall, a good read, a lot of attention to detail, plenty of drama and intense moments, and good world-building. A recommended read.
Many thanks to Booktasters and TheRaffle2027 for the review copy.
I felt that the entire story is good, and the pace rarely slows down. There's always something happening, or that something somewhere caught Ramsey's eyes thay triggered a distant memory. It's interesting that Ramsey's flashback adds depth and some origin to many elements in the story, but I do find myself skipping a lot of his stories of the past as the story progresses. The beginning is fine, when he began to write the letter to his wife and daughter (ex wife, apparently?). We need to know where he's coming from, what's at stake, and why winning the raffle is so important (basically, exposition). As the story moves on to the other parts, it felt like his reminisces are simply that, a flashback to his better days with happier memories, but doesn't feel that much essential to the story anymore.
Side note, I was pleasantly surprised that Ramsey is Middle Eastern, although I can't help but fancast Oscar Isaac in the lead role (who is Guatemalan) . The story reminds me of the characters in the film Ex Machina a bit, with a different setting. I love seeing more POCs in novels in the 'dystopian future' genre.
The plot is intense, dramatic, and the flow is consistent throughout the entire story. It's also interesting how other more controversial elements are brought in, like religious fundamentalism and extremism, artificial intelligence, annihilation, and racial tension. The addition of these elements made the story more dynamic and interesting, but it can be a bit triggering for some. To be honest, a lot of the allusion to religion was lost on me at first, but then eventually it all made sense. The characters are also believable and the author wrote them in a way that made us care for them. I do want Ramsey to meet his wife and daughter. I want Sarah to survive. More importantly, the author made the NUS government untrustworthy. This mirrors some countries' government these days, whether that is intentional or not.
The many plot twists in the story are also the good points about the novel, some expected, some not. I did expect Stephen to return and Noah eventually snapped (I had my suspicions from the moment we meet him) but I didn't expect the NUS' government plan for using the NHC as permanent life form.
Overall, a good read, a lot of attention to detail, plenty of drama and intense moments, and good world-building. A recommended read.
Many thanks to Booktasters and TheRaffle2027 for the review copy.
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