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br1sr3alm's review against another edition
2.0
"It's starting to make sense..."
No. No it's not. I will see this through to the end of book #1, but sadly this a a very disappointing first novel from someone I admire in the industry. Aside from the movie caliber dystopian premise that makes no sense, the teens talk like I did when I was a teen, and I'm pretty sure the language has changed a lot since my days of 80s movie references and old school cliches that I picked up from my parents, unless I missed that this actually takes place circa 1992 instead of maybe sometime in the present day or just a few years in the future. Kudos for huge bump in minority characters though.
No. No it's not. I will see this through to the end of book #1, but sadly this a a very disappointing first novel from someone I admire in the industry. Aside from the movie caliber dystopian premise that makes no sense, the teens talk like I did when I was a teen, and I'm pretty sure the language has changed a lot since my days of 80s movie references and old school cliches that I picked up from my parents, unless I missed that this actually takes place circa 1992 instead of maybe sometime in the present day or just a few years in the future. Kudos for huge bump in minority characters though.
summerseeds's review against another edition
DNF at page 100.
The post-apocalyptic world as seen in movies such as Mad Max and The Tribe, only they did it better. It's an overdone plot. The adults are gone, long live teenagers and anarchy! Just because a book is about teenagers, it doesn't mean the author has to write like one. I don't want to read "I mean, like, duhhhhh."
The post-apocalyptic world as seen in movies such as Mad Max and The Tribe, only they did it better. It's an overdone plot. The adults are gone, long live teenagers and anarchy! Just because a book is about teenagers, it doesn't mean the author has to write like one. I don't want to read "I mean, like, duhhhhh."
loreopoly's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the character development and dialogue but as per usual when it comes to YA fiction written by adults it falls a little short. It was what I wanted at the time though, a quick easy read with some memorable passages.
paulmontague's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
hdbblog's review against another edition
3.0
I'll admit it, I requested this book simply because it was all about teens ruling a dystopian world. Sure, I've read stories similar to The Young World before. It still never stops me from wanting to read the next one. I love seeing how each new author tackles the important points of a society like this. How the authors perceive young people, and how they would behave if a catastrophic event like this actually happened. I was eager to see what Weitz would do, and I had high hopes for this book.
First off, kudos go to Chris Weitz for explaining how the Sickness came about. Is it something that is likely to happen in real life? Probably not. Am I happy that I wasn't left wondering how on Earth only teens were left in the world? Yes, absolutely. If, as an author, you take the time to share with me where your whole story stems from, I'm happy to follow along. I'll suspend disbelief to enjoy the tale that you've woven. Just give me something to latch onto. Weitz did just that, and it made me one very happy reader.
I was also fairly enamored with the society aspect in this story. The stark contrast between the small community that Jefferson and his brother set up, and the other bands of kids around them, was interesting. I liked that, depending on who was in charge, each group of teens had their own laws, their own caste systems, essentially whatever it was that tenuously held them together. It made for a read that raised a lot of questions, and I appreciated it.
What I didn't like so much, as reflected by my rating, was the way that the narrative was done. Jefferson and Donna were our two main characters, and they couldn't be more different if they tried. Jefferson was quiet, intelligent, and mostly peaceful. Donna was rowdy, opinionated, and honestly kind of annoying at times. I didn't mind that story skipped back and forth between these two. I only wished that they didn't have such different ways of relaying their pieces of the story. It was disorienting, and frustrating.
In fact, I wasn't a fan of most of the characters. They felt like cut-outs. Like people who were included in order to make sure the group was rounded out. You have your brainy/jack of all trades guy, your unassuming girl who is actually a ninja, the flamboyant guy for comedy relief, and then Jefferson and Donna to round it all out. I didn't dislike these characters. I just never connected with them. So three stars to The Young World for great world-building and for actually letting me in on the secret of the Sickness! I see a lot of people definitely enjoying this book. I say, give it a shot.
First off, kudos go to Chris Weitz for explaining how the Sickness came about. Is it something that is likely to happen in real life? Probably not. Am I happy that I wasn't left wondering how on Earth only teens were left in the world? Yes, absolutely. If, as an author, you take the time to share with me where your whole story stems from, I'm happy to follow along. I'll suspend disbelief to enjoy the tale that you've woven. Just give me something to latch onto. Weitz did just that, and it made me one very happy reader.
I was also fairly enamored with the society aspect in this story. The stark contrast between the small community that Jefferson and his brother set up, and the other bands of kids around them, was interesting. I liked that, depending on who was in charge, each group of teens had their own laws, their own caste systems, essentially whatever it was that tenuously held them together. It made for a read that raised a lot of questions, and I appreciated it.
What I didn't like so much, as reflected by my rating, was the way that the narrative was done. Jefferson and Donna were our two main characters, and they couldn't be more different if they tried. Jefferson was quiet, intelligent, and mostly peaceful. Donna was rowdy, opinionated, and honestly kind of annoying at times. I didn't mind that story skipped back and forth between these two. I only wished that they didn't have such different ways of relaying their pieces of the story. It was disorienting, and frustrating.
In fact, I wasn't a fan of most of the characters. They felt like cut-outs. Like people who were included in order to make sure the group was rounded out. You have your brainy/jack of all trades guy, your unassuming girl who is actually a ninja, the flamboyant guy for comedy relief, and then Jefferson and Donna to round it all out. I didn't dislike these characters. I just never connected with them. So three stars to The Young World for great world-building and for actually letting me in on the secret of the Sickness! I see a lot of people definitely enjoying this book. I say, give it a shot.
cornmaven's review against another edition
4.0
Post apocalyptic tale written by a Hollywood guy steeped in screenplays and visual imagery. I really liked it, especially because the characters are, while stereotypical as a group, ones you can care about and root for. My favorite of course is Brainbox.
When you set the story in NYC and when you make the kids embark on a dangerous journey through it to find a cure for the virus that has killed everyone except teens (and they die at 18), it makes for an exciting story. I am sure Weitz envisioned this for the big screen, and I actually liked the insertion of screenplay dialogue elements in the story. Told alternately by literate Jefferson and street wise/snarky Donna, you get two different perspectives and two very distinct voices.
As per usual it's the first of a trilogy, but actually you could stop at the end and be satisfied. Unfortunately, the story won't stand the test of time because Weitz infuses it with enough pop culture references that ten years from know, readers won't recognize them. But, I really really appreciated his smackdown of Fifty Shades of Grey.
There are some ponderable questions in here about what it means to live, whether you should always hope, how do you live in the moment without the moment degrading to disgusting behavior, how the fabric of society is very thin and hanging by a thread. I hope that teens can appreciate the hierarchy of needs stuff and the irony of all of their modern day gadgets really being worthless in the final analysis.
Rough language is part of the landscape in this story, so it didn't feel totally out of place. And I am interested enough in the story to continue to the next installment.
When you set the story in NYC and when you make the kids embark on a dangerous journey through it to find a cure for the virus that has killed everyone except teens (and they die at 18), it makes for an exciting story. I am sure Weitz envisioned this for the big screen, and I actually liked the insertion of screenplay dialogue elements in the story. Told alternately by literate Jefferson and street wise/snarky Donna, you get two different perspectives and two very distinct voices.
As per usual it's the first of a trilogy, but actually you could stop at the end and be satisfied. Unfortunately, the story won't stand the test of time because Weitz infuses it with enough pop culture references that ten years from know, readers won't recognize them. But, I really really appreciated his smackdown of Fifty Shades of Grey.
There are some ponderable questions in here about what it means to live, whether you should always hope, how do you live in the moment without the moment degrading to disgusting behavior, how the fabric of society is very thin and hanging by a thread. I hope that teens can appreciate the hierarchy of needs stuff and the irony of all of their modern day gadgets really being worthless in the final analysis.
Rough language is part of the landscape in this story, so it didn't feel totally out of place. And I am interested enough in the story to continue to the next installment.
arogers159's review against another edition
3.0
This would probably be 4.5 stars if I could give it that. But since I can't I'll just give it 4 stars. I liked most of the characters, I really liked Jefferson and although I didn't like Donna's point of view chapters as much, I still really liked her as a character. I can't wait until the book. I think it'll be good, but June? Really?