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A review by jlewenda
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
3.0
I'll admit that this was fun to read, and that the echoes of the Prohibition era was done quite well, but it was the worldbuilding that really killed it for me. I mean, apart from the absurd notion that coffee and chocolate are banned, I can't understand why those two items are banned when alcohol is legal, even for minors. A lot of things just don't make sense in terms of the worldbuilding. If anything, it felt like it was dystopian for the sake of being a dystopian. There was nothing remarkable about this book, and it obviously jumped onto the dystopian bandwagon.
The romance was a bit iffy. Anya did a complete about-face in terms of her feelings for Win. One moment she was like, "Oh, I'm not interested. He's not my type", and the next, she's planning on having sex with him (which, if you've read the book, and know that she's a Catholic, is off-character).
I won't even touch up on the summary on the back of the book: "Anya will have to choose between love and loyalty, knowing that whatever she decides will have shattering consequences: heartbreak or a gangland war that will tear the city apart." Really? That's her decision? It seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me. And considering that she wasn't even remotely interested in Win when she was forbidden to date him, I don't see why it should have been that big a deal.
The story was pretty awesome, but when the unecessary romance came into play in the second half of the novel, all trace of plot scampered away, only revealing its ugly face in the last fifty or so pages. Not impressive.
Another positive aspect that I have to comment on is the voice and readability. The voice was very likeable, and easy to read. It made for a quick, light read, perfect for a day in the sun.
The romance was a bit iffy. Anya did a complete about-face in terms of her feelings for Win. One moment she was like, "Oh, I'm not interested. He's not my type", and the next, she's planning on having sex with him (which, if you've read the book, and know that she's a Catholic, is off-character).
I won't even touch up on the summary on the back of the book: "Anya will have to choose between love and loyalty, knowing that whatever she decides will have shattering consequences: heartbreak or a gangland war that will tear the city apart." Really? That's her decision? It seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me. And considering that she wasn't even remotely interested in Win when she was forbidden to date him, I don't see why it should have been that big a deal.
The story was pretty awesome, but when the unecessary romance came into play in the second half of the novel, all trace of plot scampered away, only revealing its ugly face in the last fifty or so pages. Not impressive.
Another positive aspect that I have to comment on is the voice and readability. The voice was very likeable, and easy to read. It made for a quick, light read, perfect for a day in the sun.