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mika96's review against another edition
Fired JM book couldn’t get into, Lost interest and was so confused by the story and characters
amyapple's review against another edition
5.0
The second book I’ve read form John Marrs after reading The One and it’s such a good read once again.
Roxi was insufferable and Jeffrey was so creepy… but it was all worth it in the end!
So many interesting and real characters and although Anthony’s twist I foresaw, the rest was “plot-twisted” very well.
Highly recommend if you enjoyed The One.
Roxi was insufferable and Jeffrey was so creepy… but it was all worth it in the end!
So many interesting and real characters and although Anthony’s twist I foresaw, the rest was “plot-twisted” very well.
Highly recommend if you enjoyed The One.
favourokunbor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this. book. gagged. me!
as a part of the generation that was raised on ya dystopia, this grounded near-future failed utopia thing really hit. also it truly delivered the drama and some gag worthy moments and reveals and lines like 'we put the you in euthanasia' is craaaazzzyyy
as a part of the generation that was raised on ya dystopia, this grounded near-future failed utopia thing really hit. also it truly delivered the drama and some gag worthy moments and reveals and lines like 'we put the you in euthanasia' is craaaazzzyyy
stephparker's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gula's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
eventing_joy's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
I love that now I've read several of John Marrs' books there is a very consistent, dystopian world emerging. How the cars from The Passengers and the Match Your DNA relationships tie in with the Audites in this book is exceptional layering. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the world develop further.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as previous works because I didn't like any of the characters. At one point, I hated Roxi so much that I almost just stopped reading just to get away from her.
I just didn't have anything to sympathise with or to support. So I was interested in the overall world and story but none of the characters, which made it drag a bit for me.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as previous works because I didn't like any of the characters. At one point, I hated Roxi so much that I almost just stopped reading just to get away from her.
I just didn't have anything to sympathise with or to support. So I was interested in the overall world and story but none of the characters, which made it drag a bit for me.
merissa_h's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
scrollingbooks's review against another edition
4.0
John Marrs is back on form.
The Marriage Act is literally a 'page-turner'.
Set in the near future, the government identifies married people are healthier, more productive, and less of a drain on the state. With the economy in meltdown after the recent pandemic, the solution is to incentivize marriage with tax breaks, cheap housing, and other perks. So far...not so bad...or so you might think.
But this is marriage where divorce is failure and must be prevented at all costs. This means listening devices in all homes, to identify when couples have cross words. And then a relationship counselor may be parachuted in to put remedial actions in place. But while the councilor watches...who is watching them?
And not everyone is happy with the new rules where the newly bereaved are expected to remarry within 6 months, and jobs are withheld from new graduates unless they get engaged.
And when a breakaway group of widows, singletons, and cohabiting couples form the Freedom for All party, the state must discredit them to protect what they have created.
This is a clever book. The story is truly chilling, with a Margaret Attwood-esque quality. All the elements are already in place and in theory, this dystopian future is only an election away. The individual stories were engrossing and I made the schoolgirl error of having to read just one more page... If you felt John Marrs had gone off the boil, think again...he's back and better than ever.
The Marriage Act is literally a 'page-turner'.
Set in the near future, the government identifies married people are healthier, more productive, and less of a drain on the state. With the economy in meltdown after the recent pandemic, the solution is to incentivize marriage with tax breaks, cheap housing, and other perks. So far...not so bad...or so you might think.
But this is marriage where divorce is failure and must be prevented at all costs. This means listening devices in all homes, to identify when couples have cross words. And then a relationship counselor may be parachuted in to put remedial actions in place. But while the councilor watches...who is watching them?
And not everyone is happy with the new rules where the newly bereaved are expected to remarry within 6 months, and jobs are withheld from new graduates unless they get engaged.
And when a breakaway group of widows, singletons, and cohabiting couples form the Freedom for All party, the state must discredit them to protect what they have created.
This is a clever book. The story is truly chilling, with a Margaret Attwood-esque quality. All the elements are already in place and in theory, this dystopian future is only an election away. The individual stories were engrossing and I made the schoolgirl error of having to read just one more page... If you felt John Marrs had gone off the boil, think again...he's back and better than ever.
martinaferro's review against another edition
3.0
I just don’t think this was very well written. There were too many points of view to the point the author had to recap what had previously happen every time. It was also a bit of an information overload.