Scan barcode
A review by travsbookshelf
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’m actually torn on this book. The story was honestly extremely interesting and well done. It had one of the most powerful premises I’ve read in a while and it evoked a full range of emotions from me. The characters were perfectly flawed which made them all the more better to get emotionally invested in.
Yet, I didn’t feel challenged by the book. And I thought it’s because, as I’ve stated before about my hesitancy of reading this book on my YouTube channel, the book is a YA novel and I’m quite a bit older than a YA therefore I felt I wouldn’t relate to the maturity of the material. Turns out, I was kind of right about that. Understanding the plot was a breeze and I was indeed drawn into the story and characters as usual. But it left a void for me in terms of really thinking about the material. It had nothing for me to chew on mentally, because it was so straightforward it felt to me like a sort of school lesson: simple information meant to be taken in as you go and not think twice about it. I’ve just grown to enjoy reading something that forces me to really think about and challenge me. This just didn’t.
Not a good explanation, that, but this would definitely have fit me to a T back in my youth because this book is the level of maturity for that demographic. I would have sat and pondered on this book way back then; today not so much as I wanted more to analyze from the story. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly enjoyed this. There were some truly wonderful moments throughout and lots of interesting surprises. I just felt it was too simple a read for me.
I’m giving this 4.5 stars. Excellent story but just not my bag.
Yet, I didn’t feel challenged by the book. And I thought it’s because, as I’ve stated before about my hesitancy of reading this book on my YouTube channel, the book is a YA novel and I’m quite a bit older than a YA therefore I felt I wouldn’t relate to the maturity of the material. Turns out, I was kind of right about that. Understanding the plot was a breeze and I was indeed drawn into the story and characters as usual. But it left a void for me in terms of really thinking about the material. It had nothing for me to chew on mentally, because it was so straightforward it felt to me like a sort of school lesson: simple information meant to be taken in as you go and not think twice about it. I’ve just grown to enjoy reading something that forces me to really think about and challenge me. This just didn’t.
Not a good explanation, that, but this would definitely have fit me to a T back in my youth because this book is the level of maturity for that demographic. I would have sat and pondered on this book way back then; today not so much as I wanted more to analyze from the story. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly enjoyed this. There were some truly wonderful moments throughout and lots of interesting surprises. I just felt it was too simple a read for me.
I’m giving this 4.5 stars. Excellent story but just not my bag.