steviehamlington's review against another edition
5.0
This is my all time favourite book.
I love Gemma Malley and all of her books but this is hands down my favourite one.
Her world building and her premise is amazing. The story is really well told, in a multi third person POV, it’s amazing. Plus the first person journal entries littered throughout from Anna.
Beautiful story, beautiful book.
It just gets better each time I read it. I will not ever stop re reading this book.
I love Gemma Malley and all of her books but this is hands down my favourite one.
Her world building and her premise is amazing. The story is really well told, in a multi third person POV, it’s amazing. Plus the first person journal entries littered throughout from Anna.
Beautiful story, beautiful book.
It just gets better each time I read it. I will not ever stop re reading this book.
jessicalouise25's review against another edition
3.0
I really appreciated that, although this a trilogy, the ending allows it to be read as a stand alone. The reason I liked this is because I don't plan on continuing with the series (It was a library book though so I could pick the others up from the library at some point)
I did enjoy this story and liked the characters however it was nothing exciting. I don't feel like I really got to know the characters and maybe that was due to the world building/story taking over but either way I would've liked to see more of their personalities. Also I kept getting bored when nothing was happening so it took me a long time to read it.
Overall this was kind of a 'blah' book, a bit of a take it or leave it. If the concept interests you I would say read it but maybe get a library copy. If you're unsure about it I would say leave it because it wasn't amazing.
I did enjoy this story and liked the characters however it was nothing exciting. I don't feel like I really got to know the characters and maybe that was due to the world building/story taking over but either way I would've liked to see more of their personalities. Also I kept getting bored when nothing was happening so it took me a long time to read it.
Overall this was kind of a 'blah' book, a bit of a take it or leave it. If the concept interests you I would say read it but maybe get a library copy. If you're unsure about it I would say leave it because it wasn't amazing.
jazelle_08's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lawbooks600's review against another edition
3.0
6/10, I was hoping that I would enjoy this sci-fi novel released more than a decade ago considering that I didn't enjoy the last one that I read however this wasn't any better at all, it was not that good of a dystopian novel and I won't see myself picking up the next two books in the series, where do I begin. It starts off with a diary entry of all things from the main character Anna Covey or Anna for short and she describes what happened to the world when people became immortal so children weren't really a thing anymore which seemed interesting to me but I was wondering how did they become immortal in the first place, I don't really know. The writing style was flat and even patronising at times, and so were the characters, I didn't feel anything for them. In the first half of the book, nothing happens except that I got to see Anna living in the orphanage for so long and then she meets another boy whose name I forgot and I can't believe it, this is the millionth time I've seen a romance shoehorned into a dystopian/sci-fi novel. The action finally picked up around the second half, and then the author decided to drop the ball and make the book drag even further, and it ended in a fizzling out cliffhanger. I won't recommend this to anyone and if you want a better dystopian novel try 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
hanwilliams's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
drrawsonreads's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting science fiction title. The book takes place in a future world where people can take drugs to live forever. But in return, they must sign a declaration never to have children. Anna, the protagonist, is the child of parents who broke the declaration and as such, she has grown up in a "Surplus Hall" with other illegal children. But when a new Surplus arrives who claims to know Anna's parents, Anna begins questioning everything she thought she knew.
There are a number of really thought-provoking questions here, and Anna's world is a bit too plausible for comfort at times (which I'm sure is the point). This is a quick read and would be great for a book group, or to use as an enrichment text with a middle or high school biology class.
There are a number of really thought-provoking questions here, and Anna's world is a bit too plausible for comfort at times (which I'm sure is the point). This is a quick read and would be great for a book group, or to use as an enrichment text with a middle or high school biology class.
lorathelibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
Good concept, not great follow through.
Based in the future - drugs have been invented to prevent death, basically people live forever. This means that overpopulation is occurring and resources are dwindling. Everyone must sign the Declaration stating they will not have children. All children are illegal. If children are found they become "surplus" and are basically slaves. Anna is a surplus, but after meeting the new kid she begins to question what she has been taught about her purpose in life.
The build up to the climax of this book was long and lengthy and not all that interesting. I wanted more action, less complaining and questioning from Anna. I also thought the ending was a forced and happened very quickly, like Malley was trying to tie up all the loose ends in a certain number of pages.
By far not the best dsytopic novel I've read. Skip it and try something else.
Based in the future - drugs have been invented to prevent death, basically people live forever. This means that overpopulation is occurring and resources are dwindling. Everyone must sign the Declaration stating they will not have children. All children are illegal. If children are found they become "surplus" and are basically slaves. Anna is a surplus, but after meeting the new kid she begins to question what she has been taught about her purpose in life.
The build up to the climax of this book was long and lengthy and not all that interesting. I wanted more action, less complaining and questioning from Anna. I also thought the ending was a forced and happened very quickly, like Malley was trying to tie up all the loose ends in a certain number of pages.
By far not the best dsytopic novel I've read. Skip it and try something else.
bak8382's review against another edition
4.0
Anna has always known her place, as a surplus in a world where having children is forbidden if you want to live forever, she is lucky to be in training to one day serve those who are rightfully there. All that changes the day Peter arrives at Grange Hall . . .
In this fast paced story Malley explores both the pitfalls and benefits of living forever, along with the moral and ethical dilemmas that come along with that kind of power.
Anna's feelings for Peter jump a little too quickly from dislike to strong love, but that's a minor complaint that shouldn't keep readers from eagerly devouring the story and immediately picking up the sequel [b:The Resistance|3039305|The Resistance|Gemma Malley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267728560s/3039305.jpg|3069929]
In this fast paced story Malley explores both the pitfalls and benefits of living forever, along with the moral and ethical dilemmas that come along with that kind of power.
Anna's feelings for Peter jump a little too quickly from dislike to strong love, but that's a minor complaint that shouldn't keep readers from eagerly devouring the story and immediately picking up the sequel [b:The Resistance|3039305|The Resistance|Gemma Malley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267728560s/3039305.jpg|3069929]
yriax's review
3.0
Es un libro bonito. Hace que te des cuenta del arma de doble filo que es la inmortalidad. Me he enterado hace poco de que tiene continuación. Es una trilogía, pero en mi opinión este libro ya tiene un final lo bastante cerrado. No creo que lea las continuaciones. Pero quién sabe.