socr8sjohnson's review against another edition
4.0
this was a pretty good book. The ending, which held a surprise or two, earned it an extra star. I will probably pick up the rest of the series, but it's not a huge priority .
meghanlee's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant surprise.
There were two areas that annoyed me. The story is told by two characters, Jesse and Cassius. I tend to like stories told from different POV's, but this one switched from first person (Jesse) to third person (Cassius). It bugged me. I wonder why the author did that? I don't know of another book that treats different POV's like that...but I'm no expert.
The other area that I didn't love was the world at the end of the story. It confused me. Maybe it was supposed to...but don't confuse intrigue with confusion. I wasn't intrigued in the sense that I wanted answers to my questions, I was confused and didn't understand what the author had described.
Saying that, those were minor annoyances and I will be continuing in the series. I loved Jesse and Cassius and can't wait to watch their relationship evolve! I am also interested in learning more about the pearls and all that entails.
There were two areas that annoyed me. The story is told by two characters, Jesse and Cassius. I tend to like stories told from different POV's, but this one switched from first person (Jesse) to third person (Cassius). It bugged me. I wonder why the author did that? I don't know of another book that treats different POV's like that...but I'm no expert.
The other area that I didn't love was the world at the end of the story. It confused me. Maybe it was supposed to...but don't confuse intrigue with confusion. I wasn't intrigued in the sense that I wanted answers to my questions, I was confused and didn't understand what the author had described.
Spoiler
Mainly, how did human-like figures fit inside a pearl??? I don't get it. Were they trapped souls? Were they teeny tiny and got bigger once they were released?Saying that, those were minor annoyances and I will be continuing in the series. I loved Jesse and Cassius and can't wait to watch their relationship evolve! I am also interested in learning more about the pearls and all that entails.
cjmichel's review
3.0
I just finished listening to the audio CD of The Pearl Wars by Nick James this morning, and I although I was enjoying the story, it had one of those endings that really bugs me (that is; it is not the end of the story). It became very clear that this was just an introduction to the story, the set up for the real thing. That is way too frustrating. I was really into what was going to happen next but it was too quick a drop from a climatic moment to the 'and here is what you might read about in the next novel' preview.
fbone's review
2.0
I don't think I was the intended audience for this book. It's billed as YA but I would put it at juvenile younger than 12yo. And me being a middle-aged man found it very simplistic and dull. No real unexpected plot twists. Everything went as planned except for one item. The mystery was revealed 2/3 of the way in and remained with no surprise.
Also, this book was presented as being written by a YA instead of for a YA. That may have been intentional by Nick James. It may work for a 10yo but it didn't for me.
Also, this book was presented as being written by a YA instead of for a YA. That may have been intentional by Nick James. It may work for a 10yo but it didn't for me.
didyousaybooks's review
3.0
3.5 for this nice scifi adventure featuring brotherhood, bretayal and friendship on a a devasted Earth.
adubrow's review
4.0
(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)
3.5 stars - First and foremost, I have to say I applaud this book's originality and that I am still really pleased by how different it was from a lot of the Young Adult titles that have come out in recent months. There were a lot of unique concepts such as the world Cassius and Jesse were living in and what was going on behind the scenes with their technology.
In terms of the main characters, I liked that the book was from two opposing point of views, but I didn't like both characters equally. Jesse was an odd pick as a main character since he was fairly dull and normal with no real drive or motivation. He was a blank slate with potential though so it'll be interesting to see what he becomes as the series continues, but I wouldn't have minded being given more to like about him here in the first book. Cassius, while misguided and dangerous, was far more well-rounded and developed in terms of himself and in terms of his story arc. He also provided a decent amount of forward momentum both for himself and for Jesse. As a result of his competence and personality, he was decidedly my favorite part of the book.
When it came to the minor characters, I felt like everyone was entirely too underdeveloped. This was particularly and unfortunately true of Madame and Captain Alkine, adult leaders in charge of opposing governing forces. Alkine comes across as the Good Guy and Madame definitely comes across as the Bad Guy. Several characters attempted to suggest there was a gray area somewhere though so I'm sort of hopeful that one will emerge as the series moves forward. I also hope there's a bit more of Eva and Skandar in the next book.
Plot-wise, I felt like the opening and ending were a lot stronger than the follow-up to the initial action-packed introduction to both protagonists. The book didn't seem to go anywhere for the longest time and when it did, a lot of sections and chapters still seemed sort of irrelevant. I liked the sort of graphic novel vibe I got from The Pearl Wars though. What was going on with the Pearls was fascinating and I'm excited to see where this series is headed. I think my only concern is that the story itself will be overshadowed by very awesome concepts, world-building, and plot twists. This isn't a very bad thing, but it can certainly be problematic for character-driven readers like myself.
In conclusion, a cool and engaging series opener. While not a completely flawless read, I devoured the book quickly and I am certainly eager to read the next Skyship Academy book once it comes out. I would definitely suggest getting a hold of a copy of The Pearl Wars if you have a chance. Particularly if you're a fan of adventurous Young Adult Fiction.
3.5 stars - First and foremost, I have to say I applaud this book's originality and that I am still really pleased by how different it was from a lot of the Young Adult titles that have come out in recent months. There were a lot of unique concepts such as the world Cassius and Jesse were living in and what was going on behind the scenes with their technology.
In terms of the main characters, I liked that the book was from two opposing point of views, but I didn't like both characters equally. Jesse was an odd pick as a main character since he was fairly dull and normal with no real drive or motivation. He was a blank slate with potential though so it'll be interesting to see what he becomes as the series continues, but I wouldn't have minded being given more to like about him here in the first book. Cassius, while misguided and dangerous, was far more well-rounded and developed in terms of himself and in terms of his story arc. He also provided a decent amount of forward momentum both for himself and for Jesse. As a result of his competence and personality, he was decidedly my favorite part of the book.
When it came to the minor characters, I felt like everyone was entirely too underdeveloped. This was particularly and unfortunately true of Madame and Captain Alkine, adult leaders in charge of opposing governing forces. Alkine comes across as the Good Guy and Madame definitely comes across as the Bad Guy. Several characters attempted to suggest there was a gray area somewhere though so I'm sort of hopeful that one will emerge as the series moves forward. I also hope there's a bit more of Eva and Skandar in the next book.
Plot-wise, I felt like the opening and ending were a lot stronger than the follow-up to the initial action-packed introduction to both protagonists. The book didn't seem to go anywhere for the longest time and when it did, a lot of sections and chapters still seemed sort of irrelevant. I liked the sort of graphic novel vibe I got from The Pearl Wars though. What was going on with the Pearls was fascinating and I'm excited to see where this series is headed. I think my only concern is that the story itself will be overshadowed by very awesome concepts, world-building, and plot twists. This isn't a very bad thing, but it can certainly be problematic for character-driven readers like myself.
In conclusion, a cool and engaging series opener. While not a completely flawless read, I devoured the book quickly and I am certainly eager to read the next Skyship Academy book once it comes out. I would definitely suggest getting a hold of a copy of The Pearl Wars if you have a chance. Particularly if you're a fan of adventurous Young Adult Fiction.
sunsoar25's review
3.0
This series opener has a strong beginning and an intriguing concept and setting that really kept me turning the pages, but none of the characters really stood out all that much. There's a lot of potential for this to be great but it never quite made it there for me. If you're for a lesser known YA sci-fi dystopia though you may want to give this a shot.
hollowspine's review
2.0
The twists in this teen sci-fi/dystopian thriller, were a little expected and not hardly thrilling. The world building didn't make sense and the plot had much in common with a strainer.
The book is written between two characters, Jesse Fisher and Cassius Stevenson. Jesse lives aboard Skyship Academy, a school for turning children into soldiers. Cassius lives at the Lodge...another school for turning children into soldiers, only...um eviler...? Both of them are orphans, but where Jesse is a complete screw-up at all the warfare challenges Cassius is a born killer. The two meet on a rooftop, where Cassius attempts to murder Jesse by throwing him off the roof. However, a mysterious reaction between the two causes Jesse to be thrown from the roof, yet remain unharmed and leaves Cassius as a walking fire-bomb.
The revelation that Cassius and Jesse were actually brothers was not surprising, but the even bigger reveal at the end of the book, while being fairly ridiculous, could also be guessed from the minute Jesse popped his first pearl...(that doesn't sound right.)
On that note, Pearls. So, one day mysterious objects started falling from the sky. Anything in the way of the falling object was destroyed by the powerful energy that radiated from it. However, once these strange orbs landed, within seconds they are safe to touch. Makes sense. Humans in this dystopian world have run out of resources...except for wind, hydro, solar...Okay so mainly they are out of fossil fuels. But still the world basically self destructs. Luckily the way to harvest energy from the mysterious 'pearls' was discovered and the world of consumerism was saved.
The two factions of the novel, the Skyshippers and the Unified Pary, were both once part of the US. However, due to retaliation to a terrorist attack the Skyshippers parted from what became the Unified Party, disagreeing with the mass bombing of basically the rest of the world (sans like Canada, the UK and Australia it seems.) So now the two factions are both battling for control over the pearls, the *cough* only energy source. Meanwhile, most of the U.S. is a barren landscape populated by "Fringers" or poor people who can't afford to live in the "Chosen Cities" (gated communities) of the United Party.
The book follows the two as they try to discover what's happening in their bodies, Cassius burns down part of his school and Jesse has funny dreams (that's fair). They keep meeting, then being parted, only finally coming to the realization that not only are they brothers, but also aliens at the very end of the book, which left very little room for character development, esp. for Cassius, who even after he discovers he's an alien, his alien 'rents may still be out there, and he and his brother must work together in order to ...um...pop the pods and free their alien brothers and sisters, he's still like, "I should kill you."
The reader of the audiobook sadly did not impress either, though that might have been due to the quality of the material given to him. Still, I got so sick of hearing him mutter, "Hey" every time a male character greeted anyone. It was awful.
The book is written between two characters, Jesse Fisher and Cassius Stevenson. Jesse lives aboard Skyship Academy, a school for turning children into soldiers. Cassius lives at the Lodge...another school for turning children into soldiers, only...um eviler...? Both of them are orphans, but where Jesse is a complete screw-up at all the warfare challenges Cassius is a born killer. The two meet on a rooftop, where Cassius attempts to murder Jesse by throwing him off the roof. However, a mysterious reaction between the two causes Jesse to be thrown from the roof, yet remain unharmed and leaves Cassius as a walking fire-bomb.
The revelation that Cassius and Jesse were actually brothers was not surprising, but the even bigger reveal at the end of the book, while being fairly ridiculous, could also be guessed from the minute Jesse popped his first pearl...(that doesn't sound right.)
On that note, Pearls. So, one day mysterious objects started falling from the sky. Anything in the way of the falling object was destroyed by the powerful energy that radiated from it. However, once these strange orbs landed, within seconds they are safe to touch. Makes sense. Humans in this dystopian world have run out of resources...except for wind, hydro, solar...Okay so mainly they are out of fossil fuels. But still the world basically self destructs. Luckily the way to harvest energy from the mysterious 'pearls' was discovered and the world of consumerism was saved.
The two factions of the novel, the Skyshippers and the Unified Pary, were both once part of the US. However, due to retaliation to a terrorist attack the Skyshippers parted from what became the Unified Party, disagreeing with the mass bombing of basically the rest of the world (sans like Canada, the UK and Australia it seems.) So now the two factions are both battling for control over the pearls, the *cough* only energy source. Meanwhile, most of the U.S. is a barren landscape populated by "Fringers" or poor people who can't afford to live in the "Chosen Cities" (gated communities) of the United Party.
The book follows the two as they try to discover what's happening in their bodies, Cassius burns down part of his school and Jesse has funny dreams (that's fair). They keep meeting, then being parted, only finally coming to the realization that not only are they brothers, but also aliens at the very end of the book, which left very little room for character development, esp. for Cassius, who even after he discovers he's an alien, his alien 'rents may still be out there, and he and his brother must work together in order to ...um...pop the pods and free their alien brothers and sisters, he's still like, "I should kill you."
The reader of the audiobook sadly did not impress either, though that might have been due to the quality of the material given to him. Still, I got so sick of hearing him mutter, "Hey" every time a male character greeted anyone. It was awful.
singinglight's review
3.0
Sort of dystopian, but in a very different vein than most others. I liked it, though I totally called one of the big twists. The whole thing was very clearly a setup for a series, which is fine. Just expect a fair number of unresolved points. [Oct. 2011]
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