A review by misspalah
The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future by Veronica Roth

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

"I don't know." I chewed on my lip. "I'm used to being this way. Volatile. Like a walking ball of nerves. I'm worried that if I get rid of the highs, and even the lows-especially the lows—there won't be anything about me that's interesting anymore." "Claire." He stood, weaving through the chairs, and crouched in front of me, putting his hands on my knees. "That nerve ball isn't you. It's just this thing that lives in your head, telling you lies. If you get rid of it .. think of what you could do. Think of what you could be." 
  • Inertia : The end and other beginnings by Veronica Roth
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I dont think i am in the right mental space to read sci-fi ; given the world indifferent and nonchalant attitude towards Genocide particularly when it involved brown , black and non-white lives. I tried my best to focus on the story but the one that really managed to hook me up right away is ‘Inertia’ , ‘The Spinners’ and ‘Hearken’. I couldn’t engaged with other stories as i felt some of the plot is jarring and some characters mentioned were not engaging enough. I have to admit that i rarely read Sci-fi - that itself might contribute why i didn’t really enjoy the book though some stories did stood out from the rest. ‘Inertia’ discussed the possibility of reconnecting with the loved ones in a comatose so that they could get a chance to say goodbye or resolved any unresolved issues via the system. The spinner demonstrated the future whereby Aliens and Human Beings has lived side by side but that doesn’t mean human being is immune from being an alien’s victims specifically one species called leech / simbios. Last but not least, Hearken highlighted the human adaptability in hearing the ‘Song of life’ or ‘Song of death’. I almost DNF when i read ‘Vim and Vigor’ because how boring it was. The rest was just super confusing with too many loopholes. I know its a short story but i guess it’s not for me. Despite the issue i have with the stories, i have to applaud that the illustrations in the book is stunning. Overall, it just did not grab me like i hoped it would.