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meanie22 's review for:
What Tomorrow May Bring
by Samantha Durante, Shelbi Wescott, David Estes, Cary Caffrey, Jenni Merritt, David J. Normoyle, Susan Kaye Quinn, Deborah Rix, Tony Bertauski, Megan Thomason, Joseph A. Turkot
I received a copy of this anthology in exchange for an honest opinion of the work.
So far I have read 3 of the stories: Virulent: The Release by Shelbi Wescot, Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quin, and The Moon Dwellers by David Estes. I'm working on Prison Nation by Jenni Merrit but don't want to review it without completing it. I will add more reviews as I go.
So getting right into it...
Virulent: The Release: Shelbi Wescot
Concept: a deadly virus wipes out most of the population. Lucy King is trapped in her school with her best friend, Salem; classmate, Grant; and a crazy Principal.
Character development: Lucy is likable enough, though there were moments when I could barely stand her. She is a teenage character, so that’s par for the course. The other characters are not very developed. Grant has his moments, but I’d like to see a bit more.
Plot development: I feel like there was a good potential in the story and there were parts that were written really well. But the character development wasn’t deep enough for me. I think there was an attempt at a love triangle, but it was pretty weakly written. Of course, and there’s an apocalypse to worry about, but if you’re going to introduce a love triangle go all in. The chemistry between Lucy and Grant was ok, but not enough to make me get giddy for them (which is a must if you are going to attempt to introduce a romance). To be fair the romance has not developed yet, but it’s obvious that’s where it’s going. BUT, there should be more sparks at this point in the game.
Dystopian factor: I always find it interesting when dystopians have scenes at schools or with school mates. The best part of this novel takes place within the halls of the school. The beginning is a little rushed and chaotic, much like the scene it describes. But thankfully the writing becomes more even when Lucy and Grant stow away into the Shop Class area of the school and Salem joins them. I also liked the idea of
I liked the route map of the plot and some parts of it were well executed. However, there were other parts of the book that felt too rushed and way too underdeveloped, which is sad because they had amazing potential.
Overall: I liked the book, but I’m not sure if it was enough to make me want to read any sequels. I rate this story a 6.5/10.
Open Minds- Susan Kaye Quin
Concept: People can hear each others thoughts, making it impossible to lie. Kira is a zero, someone without the ability to read minds. She finds out she has a much more powerful ability-to jack into someone’s head and control them. One of her classmates, Simon, is also a jacker and helps Kira hone her skills
Character development: I have to keep reminding myself that these are novels about teenagers and that’s why they are sometimes so fickle a whiny. I suppose I take for granted the young adult books that feature 16 and 17 year olds that are wise beyond their years. That being said, Kira was so insecure that it was pretty distracting to the plot. I understand that years of being a lesser human can weigh on a person, but we get it, you don’t have to keep repeating yourself. Kira does become more secure when she starts hanging out with Simon though, so that was a plus.
Plot development: First, I have to talk about the other really distracting part of this story. I hated the introduction of the slang words in this book! Demens, which means crazy; and mesh, which is code for awesome or cool. It’s not the worst concept in the world, but it drove me nuts (or demens) in this book for some reason. It just felt a little awkward or something….I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it felt a little too much like a last minute addition. Maybe if there were more slang words it would have worked. I guess I just kind of pictured a “find and replace” feature being used in the editing process.
I enjoyed the relationship between Simon and Kira. It was still a little lackluster for me but it was believable enough. Raf kind of seems like Gale from The Hunger Games in that he’s Kira’s best friend and possible suitor, but he’s just so boring that it makes him a waste of space almost.
The book for me started to fall apart when Kira and Simon meet the Clan and get sent to the camp. It’s a good idea in theory, but it was so poorly executed that I skimmed most of it. Perhaps it’s that I’ve read much better fight scenes, or maybe I don’t care about that aspect, but it was not a great part for me.
Dystopian factor: I’m not into “super” sci-fi, where I can’t picture the plot actually happening, but this plot was probable enough for me. I’m not sure if I would necessarily classify this as a true dystopia because it’s more like evolution to me. However, the concept was interesting enough….completely mortifying though-I can’t imagine what people would think if they could read my mind!
Overall: The book was pretty solid until the Clan part of it. I’m not sure I’d read sequels because of the drastic plot turn, but also because my favourite character. I rate this story a 6.5/10
The Moon Dwellers-David Estes
Before we begin…this…is…how…you…write…dystopian…novels.
Concept: A meteor hits earth and people are forced to take up habitation below ground. There are 3 classes that develop: the Sun Dwellers(high class), the Moon Dwellers(middle-ish class), and the Star Dwellers(we so poor we drink our tears of sadness for sustenance). Adele is a Moon Dweller who is in prison. Tristan is a Sun Dweller, son of the President/Dictator.
Character Development: This is a case where dual protagonists works well (I am always sceptical when a book is told from more than one perspective). Adele and Tristan have complete opposite life stories, which adds a sense of intrigue with each other. The physical affliction they receive when they are near each other is a little strange, but very interesting. I can’t wait to find out why it’s happening. And why, if they are meant to be together, does it hurt?
But I’m getting sidetracked. I love that Adele is able to defend herself well, but also has a soft side. Tristan is a very empathetic Sun Dweller, but has trouble standing up to his father. Both Adele and Tristan seem to live in their heads a lot. They are very reflective characters, which makes the character development really strong. The supporting cast of characters in mostly well written. Adele’s friends Tawni and Cole are particularly strongly written-they have their own backstories and the dialogue throughout the story helps form a deeper understanding of them. Tristan’s father and brother are probably the weakest written supporting characters, which will hopefully be remedied in sequels.
Plot development: The story started strongly and the parade where Tristan and Adele first lay eyes on each other adds intrigue with the unexpected pain that occurs. Points for originality on that one. The scenes of Adele in prison are a little frightening at times (but really well written). The internal struggle Tristan has over his station in life captured my attention and admiration. Both characters have an honourable quest, which made me love them even more. The chapters changing from Tristan to Adele highlight the difference in class structure very well- Tristan’s narration on re-entering the Moon Dweller realm is particularly insightful. It seemed to take forever for the two to finally cross paths, but when they did it was pretty awesome.
The one thing I kept thinking while I was reading: why doesn’t Tristan
The one criticism I have-the end felt really rushed.
Dystopian factor: Kudos. An original concept. It was hard for me to picture what the caves looked like-especially to be wide enough to watch a parade from the yard of a prison, but it still worked for me. I really LOVE when dystopians feature a class system because it makes the situations more intense (and, yeah, I guess also because I majored in poli sci). I always root more for a character who’s on the underbelly of society struggling to do the right thing in their own lives and that change rippling out to the rest of society.
Overall: I will definitely add the sequels to my reading list. I can’t wait to see if it answers my main question- Why can’t people live on the surface of the earth now? It’s surely been long enough. I smell a high class coverup of some sort! I rate this story an 8.5/10.
So far I have read 3 of the stories: Virulent: The Release by Shelbi Wescot, Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quin, and The Moon Dwellers by David Estes. I'm working on Prison Nation by Jenni Merrit but don't want to review it without completing it. I will add more reviews as I go.
So getting right into it...
Virulent: The Release: Shelbi Wescot
Concept: a deadly virus wipes out most of the population. Lucy King is trapped in her school with her best friend, Salem; classmate, Grant; and a crazy Principal.
Character development: Lucy is likable enough, though there were moments when I could barely stand her. She is a teenage character, so that’s par for the course. The other characters are not very developed. Grant has his moments, but I’d like to see a bit more.
Plot development: I feel like there was a good potential in the story and there were parts that were written really well. But the character development wasn’t deep enough for me. I think there was an attempt at a love triangle, but it was pretty weakly written. Of course,
Spoiler
Salem diesDystopian factor: I always find it interesting when dystopians have scenes at schools or with school mates. The best part of this novel takes place within the halls of the school. The beginning is a little rushed and chaotic, much like the scene it describes. But thankfully the writing becomes more even when Lucy and Grant stow away into the Shop Class area of the school and Salem joins them. I also liked the idea of
Spoiler
Lucy’s father having advanced intel on the disaster.I liked the route map of the plot and some parts of it were well executed. However, there were other parts of the book that felt too rushed and way too underdeveloped, which is sad because they had amazing potential.
Overall: I liked the book, but I’m not sure if it was enough to make me want to read any sequels. I rate this story a 6.5/10.
Open Minds- Susan Kaye Quin
Concept: People can hear each others thoughts, making it impossible to lie. Kira is a zero, someone without the ability to read minds. She finds out she has a much more powerful ability-to jack into someone’s head and control them. One of her classmates, Simon, is also a jacker and helps Kira hone her skills
Character development: I have to keep reminding myself that these are novels about teenagers and that’s why they are sometimes so fickle a whiny. I suppose I take for granted the young adult books that feature 16 and 17 year olds that are wise beyond their years. That being said, Kira was so insecure that it was pretty distracting to the plot. I understand that years of being a lesser human can weigh on a person, but we get it, you don’t have to keep repeating yourself. Kira does become more secure when she starts hanging out with Simon though, so that was a plus.
Plot development: First, I have to talk about the other really distracting part of this story. I hated the introduction of the slang words in this book! Demens, which means crazy; and mesh, which is code for awesome or cool. It’s not the worst concept in the world, but it drove me nuts (or demens) in this book for some reason. It just felt a little awkward or something….I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it felt a little too much like a last minute addition. Maybe if there were more slang words it would have worked. I guess I just kind of pictured a “find and replace” feature being used in the editing process.
I enjoyed the relationship between Simon and Kira. It was still a little lackluster for me but it was believable enough. Raf kind of seems like Gale from The Hunger Games in that he’s Kira’s best friend and possible suitor, but he’s just so boring that it makes him a waste of space almost.
Spoiler
I suppose that I really hate when the characters I ship for do not end up together, so I was quite disappointed that Simon dies.The book for me started to fall apart when Kira and Simon meet the Clan and get sent to the camp. It’s a good idea in theory, but it was so poorly executed that I skimmed most of it. Perhaps it’s that I’ve read much better fight scenes, or maybe I don’t care about that aspect, but it was not a great part for me.
Dystopian factor: I’m not into “super” sci-fi, where I can’t picture the plot actually happening, but this plot was probable enough for me. I’m not sure if I would necessarily classify this as a true dystopia because it’s more like evolution to me. However, the concept was interesting enough….completely mortifying though-I can’t imagine what people would think if they could read my mind!
Overall: The book was pretty solid until the Clan part of it. I’m not sure I’d read sequels because of the drastic plot turn, but also because my favourite character
Spoiler
(Simon) didn’t make it to the endThe Moon Dwellers-David Estes
Before we begin…this…is…how…you…write…dystopian…novels.
Concept: A meteor hits earth and people are forced to take up habitation below ground. There are 3 classes that develop: the Sun Dwellers(high class), the Moon Dwellers(middle-ish class), and the Star Dwellers(we so poor we drink our tears of sadness for sustenance). Adele is a Moon Dweller who is in prison. Tristan is a Sun Dweller, son of the President/Dictator.
Character Development: This is a case where dual protagonists works well (I am always sceptical when a book is told from more than one perspective). Adele and Tristan have complete opposite life stories, which adds a sense of intrigue with each other. The physical affliction they receive when they are near each other is a little strange, but very interesting. I can’t wait to find out why it’s happening. And why, if they are meant to be together, does it hurt?
But I’m getting sidetracked. I love that Adele is able to defend herself well, but also has a soft side. Tristan is a very empathetic Sun Dweller, but has trouble standing up to his father. Both Adele and Tristan seem to live in their heads a lot. They are very reflective characters, which makes the character development really strong. The supporting cast of characters in mostly well written. Adele’s friends Tawni and Cole are particularly strongly written-they have their own backstories and the dialogue throughout the story helps form a deeper understanding of them. Tristan’s father and brother are probably the weakest written supporting characters, which will hopefully be remedied in sequels.
Plot development: The story started strongly and the parade where Tristan and Adele first lay eyes on each other adds intrigue with the unexpected pain that occurs. Points for originality on that one. The scenes of Adele in prison are a little frightening at times (but really well written). The internal struggle Tristan has over his station in life captured my attention and admiration. Both characters have an honourable quest, which made me love them even more. The chapters changing from Tristan to Adele highlight the difference in class structure very well- Tristan’s narration on re-entering the Moon Dweller realm is particularly insightful. It seemed to take forever for the two to finally cross paths, but when they did it was pretty awesome.
The one thing I kept thinking while I was reading: why doesn’t Tristan
Spoiler
just weather the storm for a few years, at which point he could run the show? Yes, he saw Adele and that was a major turning point for him. However, it seemed as though his mind was already 98% made up to run away anyway. Perhaps the pull to Adele was too strong. Or perhaps he knows that a rebellion is the strongest way to make a real change with a Dictatorship.The one criticism I have-the end felt really rushed.
Spoiler
After they free Adele’s father and they are regrouping it seems as though their decisions are made way too quickly as to what each of them will do next.Dystopian factor: Kudos. An original concept. It was hard for me to picture what the caves looked like-especially to be wide enough to watch a parade from the yard of a prison, but it still worked for me. I really LOVE when dystopians feature a class system because it makes the situations more intense (and, yeah, I guess also because I majored in poli sci). I always root more for a character who’s on the underbelly of society struggling to do the right thing in their own lives and that change rippling out to the rest of society.
Overall: I will definitely add the sequels to my reading list. I can’t wait to see if it answers my main question- Why can’t people live on the surface of the earth now? It’s surely been long enough. I smell a high class coverup of some sort! I rate this story an 8.5/10.