andymariebrokaw's review
4.0
A darker look at the dystopia introduced in_Hipstopia_, this book is another winner. The tale is told this time in a voice that alternates between the newly rebelous Jay and the dictator Murphy. It's Murphy who is responsible for the additional darkness and the scenes that made me squirm as I read them. He's contrasted by the sweet and still somewhat naive Jason, but Jason's continued belief that there is good in his former friend served to make Murphy's sections more disturbing to me.
All in all, I found this a fascinating examination of a violent dictator, and though I loved it slightly less than its predecessor the reasons for doing so are all personal and many of them relate to my love of budding romance.
All in all, I found this a fascinating examination of a violent dictator, and though I loved it slightly less than its predecessor the reasons for doing so are all personal and many of them relate to my love of budding romance.
brookenomicon's review
4.0
The Collapse picks up a couple of weeks after the end of Hipstopia, and immediately, you're drawn back into this strange Hipster dystopia Desilets so expertly created.
In this book, you get to read from the POV of the villainous Murphy as well as Jay, and I have to admit, I loved reading from Murphy's perspective. There's something about reading from his point of view that's so mesmerizing. You get to see his twisted sense of individualism and the thought process behind the Uprising. He's no anti-hero, but he's written in such a way that he's realistic. You can see how he ended up the way he is, and it's hard not to feel sorry for him at times.
Jay's narrative continues to be sweet, with his continuing relationship from the first book, but there's this sense of dread as you keep reading, seeing what's going on with Murphy inside Hipstopia and knowing that the happiness can't last. The book is leading to this inevitable end, and you can't be sure if everyone on the good side is going to make it out all right.
Now, I don't know how Desilets does it, but she somehow takes this ridiculous idea of a Hipster dystopia and makes it real. Something that, on paper, is one of those silly whims of an idea that you would never take seriously, but she makes it work in a way that I wouldn't have thought possible. There were times while I was reading the book where I thought "How does she take such a stupid idea and make it so awesome?" because seriously, she does.
The only reason this book doesn't get five stars is because I thought Jay's storyline was maybe a little too sweet at times, especially in the beginning. There was something a little bit lacking there. But Murphy's storyline more than makes up for it.
I'd recommend this book, and its prequel, to anyone who likes to mock hipsters (and who might secretly be one) and people who aren't into too-serious dystopias. I'm not a big fan of dystopian fiction, but I love this, in part, because of the silliness, but mostly because R.A. Desilets just writes it so well.
[Disclaimer: I was hired to proofread this novel]
In this book, you get to read from the POV of the villainous Murphy as well as Jay, and I have to admit, I loved reading from Murphy's perspective. There's something about reading from his point of view that's so mesmerizing. You get to see his twisted sense of individualism and the thought process behind the Uprising. He's no anti-hero, but he's written in such a way that he's realistic. You can see how he ended up the way he is, and it's hard not to feel sorry for him at times.
Jay's narrative continues to be sweet, with his continuing relationship from the first book, but there's this sense of dread as you keep reading, seeing what's going on with Murphy inside Hipstopia and knowing that the happiness can't last. The book is leading to this inevitable end, and you can't be sure if everyone on the good side is going to make it out all right.
Now, I don't know how Desilets does it, but she somehow takes this ridiculous idea of a Hipster dystopia and makes it real. Something that, on paper, is one of those silly whims of an idea that you would never take seriously, but she makes it work in a way that I wouldn't have thought possible. There were times while I was reading the book where I thought "How does she take such a stupid idea and make it so awesome?" because seriously, she does.
The only reason this book doesn't get five stars is because I thought Jay's storyline was maybe a little too sweet at times, especially in the beginning. There was something a little bit lacking there. But Murphy's storyline more than makes up for it.
I'd recommend this book, and its prequel, to anyone who likes to mock hipsters (and who might secretly be one) and people who aren't into too-serious dystopias. I'm not a big fan of dystopian fiction, but I love this, in part, because of the silliness, but mostly because R.A. Desilets just writes it so well.
[Disclaimer: I was hired to proofread this novel]
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