Take a photo of a barcode or cover
eruanna317 's review for:
MARTians
by Blythe Woolston
I really liked this book. Please don't let the "only three stars" rating fool you in that regard. I liked it because unlike other teen dystopian novels we've seen in recent years, MARTians presents a world that could very feasibly exist. In a way it shows a world that already does.
Maybe it's because I've worked at a big box store before. Maybe it's because my apartment complex is currently situated right on Retail Row on a big busy stretch of highway full of stores and fast food and parking lots. Maybe it's because when I turn on the news it seems more like I'm watching the "gotcha!" antics of a reality TV show. But this book rang true on so many levels.
Woolston has a great writing style. Sometimes sentences are short and blunt, and other times you'll have these lovely, wistful descriptions where the words fit perfectly and yet take you entirely by surprise. Like a language you didn't realize you knew until right after you heard it.
That's what this book does well - the world, the language, and putting us into the head of the main character. What it doesn't do well: allowing us to experience much of what's going on with other characters, offering us any sort of clear cut plot or path (our "Last Girl" main character meanders through events and has many things happen TO her without really ever taking action of her own accord), and giving a satisfying resolution. (A book like this shouldn't wrap up all pretty with a bow on top, but it should feel finished...and this didn't. At least not to me.)
I'm glad I read it. The book's title and dedication nod to Ray Bradbury, and this story definitely feels like that. It feels consistent with the outlook he presented in his own writing, with the way he told his stories, just... not as complete.
Maybe it's because I've worked at a big box store before. Maybe it's because my apartment complex is currently situated right on Retail Row on a big busy stretch of highway full of stores and fast food and parking lots. Maybe it's because when I turn on the news it seems more like I'm watching the "gotcha!" antics of a reality TV show. But this book rang true on so many levels.
Woolston has a great writing style. Sometimes sentences are short and blunt, and other times you'll have these lovely, wistful descriptions where the words fit perfectly and yet take you entirely by surprise. Like a language you didn't realize you knew until right after you heard it.
That's what this book does well - the world, the language, and putting us into the head of the main character. What it doesn't do well: allowing us to experience much of what's going on with other characters, offering us any sort of clear cut plot or path (our "Last Girl" main character meanders through events and has many things happen TO her without really ever taking action of her own accord), and giving a satisfying resolution. (A book like this shouldn't wrap up all pretty with a bow on top, but it should feel finished...and this didn't. At least not to me.)
I'm glad I read it. The book's title and dedication nod to Ray Bradbury, and this story definitely feels like that. It feels consistent with the outlook he presented in his own writing, with the way he told his stories, just... not as complete.