erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
I love this story in print and I love it in audio too. Definitely check this one out my friends.
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
4.0
This was Metaltown. Things didn't change in Metaltown. You changed, and if you didn't you paid.
Beautifully written as always, Kristen! This book was dark and gritty, and perfectly portrayed the struggles of the world. It was such a beautiful and (and heartbreaking) story! I love that it showed the power of rising up and letting your voice be heard. The unfairness of everything really struck me, I thought Kristen did a fabulous job driving that home! I really felt for the characters and their hardships.
My only complaint is that pacing was fairly slow. But that's not a bad thing, because there's very strong emphasis on characterization and world building. Kristen really took the time to flesh out all of the characters and create a very vivid setting! Metaltown felt real.
Trust is a hard promise to keep.
I loved the relationships between the characters. It was so interesting to see Lena and Colin come together, two sides of the same coin with very different backgrounds. It was kind of heartbreaking though, because the closer he got to Lena, the farther Colin got from Ty.
Spoiler
Also, they're portrayed as strictly platonic - best friends who lean on each other and have each others' backs no matter what - but there was a hint at the end that perhaps Colin meant more to Ty than she let on?! WHICH BREAKS MY HEART EVEN MORE.Fight, because it hurts too much if you stop.
THAT ENDING. Kristen, you owe me a box of tissues! (Although, in all fairness, you did warn me...)
Spoiler
TY. OW MY FEELS. I kinda had a feeling she was going to die, but it still hurt. IT HURTSSS.This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
thearosemary's review against another edition
3.0
Find my full review on my blog!
https://taylormaemarie.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/metaltown-by-kristen-simmons-review/
https://taylormaemarie.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/metaltown-by-kristen-simmons-review/
missprint_'s review against another edition
1.0
Saw some spoilers for this book and now it's a big fat nope.
Spoiler
I am not here for a character whose face is maimed by acid burns and I am not here for alternating pov where I dislike one of the people. And I am especially not here for a lopsided love triangle to be resolved when one character dies. Also the world building is kind of weak.booknerd98's review against another edition
2.0
Oh boy. What should I say about this book? I was really hoping to like it, but I was pretty disappointed. The author said it was inspired a little bit by Les Miserables, and one of the main characters was her tribute to Eponine, which got me really excited, but it just kinda fell flat for me. I didn't find many of the characters particularly likeable, it felt like it took a long time for the actual story to get going, it all just kinda seemed pointless, especially with the way it ended. I didn't like how the antagonist wasn't really even brought to justice like I was hoping, and also I feel like the multiple POV chapters were a little unnecessary since it was third person anyway.
leontiy's review against another edition
OK, so I loved this book until the end, but that's because the ending quite literally invalidates the whole damn book. The summation of this book is: lovely pretty rich girl gets what she wants, doesn't grow much as a person in the process even though we're led to believe she should/is; poor girl gets completely shafted at every angle. Completely "meh" romance tacked on.
This book honestly felt like: let's watch Lena Hampton try to ~grow~ as a person, oh look, see how she's grown! Let's all clap for the rich girl who gets everything she wants at the end. Huh. OK.
Additionally....... use of the slur "shemale" is pretty gross and isn't called out by any of the characters present, therefore is condoned by present characters. And likening dreadlocks to snakes just seems lowkey racist to me. Dreadlocks do not look like snakes.
(And for something to be steampunk, there kiiiiiinda has to be, yanno, steam. Not nitro. Not swipeable ID cards. Ughhhhh.)
Full review when I can figure out how the heck to review this book. :/
This book honestly felt like: let's watch Lena Hampton try to ~grow~ as a person, oh look, see how she's grown! Let's all clap for the rich girl who gets everything she wants at the end. Huh. OK.
Additionally....... use of the slur "shemale" is pretty gross and isn't called out by any of the characters present, therefore is condoned by present characters. And likening dreadlocks to snakes just seems lowkey racist to me. Dreadlocks do not look like snakes.
(And for something to be steampunk, there kiiiiiinda has to be, yanno, steam. Not nitro. Not swipeable ID cards. Ughhhhh.)
Full review when I can figure out how the heck to review this book. :/
kylielovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
It felt like it took forever to read this book. It's not that it was bad, I just felt like not a lot happened at first, and it felt like I wasn't ever getting farther in to the book.
I did really enjoy it. I went in blind and it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I immediately connected with Colin, Ty and Lena. I liked the fact that while there were 3 perspectives in this book, they weren't in the first person so there was no need to try to distinguish between them and try to figure out who is talking.
I did really enjoy it. I went in blind and it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I immediately connected with Colin, Ty and Lena. I liked the fact that while there were 3 perspectives in this book, they weren't in the first person so there was no need to try to distinguish between them and try to figure out who is talking.
cyber_spines's review
2.0
Not giving it a reading just yet.... The ending made me feel very hmmm and it's kinda left a sour taste in my mouth :/
Currently repeating 'that ending was bullshit' over and over again.
EDIT: Okay so I gave it a 2/5 because the ending invalidated the entirety of the book and what I felt it was trying to demonstrate :/ Also the way one of the characters was treated throughout the book was just...nah
Currently repeating 'that ending was bullshit' over and over again.
EDIT: Okay so I gave it a 2/5 because the ending invalidated the entirety of the book and what I felt it was trying to demonstrate :/ Also the way one of the characters was treated throughout the book was just...nah
chroniti's review
2.0
The beautiful book cover and premise caught my interest. A book about a trio of teens rising up to stage a rebellion? Friends who work together against the odds? Yes please! Anything but the usual lone heroine and love triangle/bothersome romantic relationships in dystopian fiction. At least that's what I gathered from the book summary.
The worldbuilding was great but I wished it could've expanded upon the ongoing war more. The world gave a sort of steampunk and industrial revolution vibe that was just delightful.
Also, Ty was just so kickass and awesome. She was beauty. She was grace.
But alas, as entertaining as the book was, I did not feel fully satisfied.
I was disappointed that Ty did not have a larger, more important role in the book as she was my favorite character in the novel. Once the lost heir to the Medical Division was mentioned, I suspected the missing daughter to be Ty and that when she found out about her heritage, she would reclaim her inheritance and beat Hampton down with Lena and Collin's help. At least that's how I wanted the story to go. Yet a few chapters after Ty finds out she really is the lost heir near the end of the book, she dies. It just felt as if this reveal was done for plot convenience, since Ty's status convinces the gang to provide an army for Mr. Hampton's attack on the factory. What was the point in her being the heir if she wasn't going to get the chance to do much with her title? Ty had lived as an orphan and had her face deformed and her eye blinded by acid and yet she's just killed off? She could've done and been so much more! She seemed to be cast aside in favor of Collin and Lena's heroism and romance.
I felt that Otto and Mr.Hampton just didn't get the punishments they deserved. Otto and Mr.Hampton were responsible for the whole mess in the first place. So I suppose my ruthless side wasn't appeased.
I guess I expected a novel that focused primarily on teens overcoming their class prejudices and twisted society with their friendship rather than romantic complications and an underwhelming
revolution.
*Note: I later found out that this book was actually based on Les Miserables. I didn't read the actual story though(sorry guys). This seems to explain why the plot and characters are the way they're written. With this new knowledge in mind, I think I was too difficult on Simmons. If I had known it was based on Les Miserables, I would have had a solid idea of what kind of story I was delving into and not base my experience on the expectations I initially had. I'll just have to remember to check whether or not a book is based on a preexisting story next time I go book searching*
The worldbuilding was great but I wished it could've expanded upon the ongoing war more. The world gave a sort of steampunk and industrial revolution vibe that was just delightful.
Also, Ty was just so kickass and awesome. She was beauty. She was grace.
But alas, as entertaining as the book was, I did not feel fully satisfied.
I was disappointed that Ty did not have a larger, more important role in the book as she was my favorite character in the novel. Once the lost heir to the Medical Division was mentioned, I suspected the missing daughter to be Ty and that when she found out about her heritage, she would reclaim her inheritance and beat Hampton down with Lena and Collin's help. At least that's how I wanted the story to go. Yet a few chapters after Ty finds out she really is the lost heir near the end of the book, she dies. It just felt as if this reveal was done for plot convenience, since Ty's status convinces the gang to provide an army for Mr. Hampton's attack on the factory. What was the point in her being the heir if she wasn't going to get the chance to do much with her title? Ty had lived as an orphan and had her face deformed and her eye blinded by acid and yet she's just killed off? She could've done and been so much more! She seemed to be cast aside in favor of Collin and Lena's heroism and romance.
I felt that Otto and Mr.Hampton just didn't get the punishments they deserved. Otto and Mr.Hampton were responsible for the whole mess in the first place. So I suppose my ruthless side wasn't appeased.
I guess I expected a novel that focused primarily on teens overcoming their class prejudices and twisted society with their friendship rather than romantic complications and an underwhelming
revolution.
*Note: I later found out that this book was actually based on Les Miserables. I didn't read the actual story though(sorry guys). This seems to explain why the plot and characters are the way they're written. With this new knowledge in mind, I think I was too difficult on Simmons. If I had known it was based on Les Miserables, I would have had a solid idea of what kind of story I was delving into and not base my experience on the expectations I initially had. I'll just have to remember to check whether or not a book is based on a preexisting story next time I go book searching*