laughlinesandliterature's review
4.0
* I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
The wonderful thing about The Almost Girl is that it was different. There was something about Riven that drew me in. It wasn’t because I hadn’t heard similar plots, or that her story was exceptionally different. It was the whole picture, every single part of it was just a little different. A little weird and unusual from the normal in science fiction.
I really enjoyed Riven, and there were times where her inner coldness got to me. However, her emotions were always there being tamped down with ruthless efficiency. I won’t say that I understood her or that I was always agreed with her decision, but there was always a thread of emotion that I could identify with.
This book started slowly, and especially at the beginning seemed a little repetitive. However, as the book progressed it became more obvious that some of the repetition had a point. A single isolated incident would not have been enough to jog my memory in major plot developments in the second half of the book.
All of the characters were very well developed, and some of the secondary characters really brought the story to life. Cade was probably the biggest, and he was also one of the best parts of the book. He was so absolutely Riven’s opposite that it was intriguing to read about them interacting together.
There were some parts of the book that were written awkwardly, and the beginning did drag a bit. However, Amalie Howard did a fantastic job creating the characters and world that it was something that was easily overlooked. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because of that. It also seems like there will be a sequel and I definitely can’t wait for that!
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2014/01/the-almost-girl-by-amalie-howard.html*
The wonderful thing about The Almost Girl is that it was different. There was something about Riven that drew me in. It wasn’t because I hadn’t heard similar plots, or that her story was exceptionally different. It was the whole picture, every single part of it was just a little different. A little weird and unusual from the normal in science fiction.
I really enjoyed Riven, and there were times where her inner coldness got to me. However, her emotions were always there being tamped down with ruthless efficiency. I won’t say that I understood her or that I was always agreed with her decision, but there was always a thread of emotion that I could identify with.
This book started slowly, and especially at the beginning seemed a little repetitive. However, as the book progressed it became more obvious that some of the repetition had a point. A single isolated incident would not have been enough to jog my memory in major plot developments in the second half of the book.
All of the characters were very well developed, and some of the secondary characters really brought the story to life. Cade was probably the biggest, and he was also one of the best parts of the book. He was so absolutely Riven’s opposite that it was intriguing to read about them interacting together.
There were some parts of the book that were written awkwardly, and the beginning did drag a bit. However, Amalie Howard did a fantastic job creating the characters and world that it was something that was easily overlooked. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because of that. It also seems like there will be a sequel and I definitely can’t wait for that!
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2014/01/the-almost-girl-by-amalie-howard.html*
novelheartbeat's review
At first I liked the concept, but I lost interest in this one. I made it to page 135 before I had to put it down. The pace was quite painful and just dragged along and I couldn’t take it anymore.
I had some issues with it, but it wasn’t anything major. The book wasn’t terrible, but overall I just felt “meh” about it. I was disappointed in the world building to say the least – it had such a great concept but the delivery fell flat. There was practically no world building, and the little snippets we do get were hard to piece together and I had trouble grasping the world that Howard was trying to create. Some of the explanations made absolutely no sense and I really had no clue where she was trying to go with it. Here’s an example:
“Guns won’t kill Vectors. They’re programmed to dodge the trajectory of bullets. Something about the sound of the metal, I think. The only way to kill them is a sharp blow to the head or severing the spinal column.”
“But people are much slower than bullets,” Caden argues.
“But we’re less noticeable. That’s our advantage over them. By the first bullet, they know where you are. If you miss, you’re dead. It’s a small window, but useable. It’s all about speed, flexibility and unpredictability. With a knife or a sword, you have to get in real close, but once you strike true, they go down.”
“I don’t get it. What’s the difference between that and a gun?” Caden asks.
“Like I said, Vectors can hear bullets coming a mile away. Arrows are a lot quieter.”
Um. What?
I also didn’t care for and couldn’t connect to Riven. She was practically a robot! I understand there was reason for it – she had seen a lot of death and killing – but it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t care for any of the other characters, either. They were all pretty bland and I didn’t get much feeling from any of it. I just didn’t care.
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat.
alexperc_92's review
5.0
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
A strong read with an interesting plot and a very loved heroine! Riven was a funny character with all the struggle of a very hard mission and the determination of a soldier. I was very surprised by the turns and the events that happened here and I really hope to read the sequel too!
A strong read with an interesting plot and a very loved heroine! Riven was a funny character with all the struggle of a very hard mission and the determination of a soldier. I was very surprised by the turns and the events that happened here and I really hope to read the sequel too!
leontiy's review against another edition
5.0
Review originally posted at Jet Black Ink:
The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard is one hell of a book. Books like this make me very happy to consider myself a feminist ally. This book shows empowered women as well as reminding the human populace that guys can be vulnerable too. In this story, there’s no fairy tale princess being rescued by a prince. In The Almost Girl, try a science fiction, kick-ass soldier girl rescuing a hidden-away prince. Now that’s a turn of events—and one I loved. I had no idea how much I would love this book until I started it.
I do have a sort of sense of duty to Strange Chemistry and so I read their books. Who wouldn’t, given, Strange Chemistry’s excellent record of producing absolutely stellar titles? With the exception of a handful of books, their catalogue rocks so hard, my shelves are bowing under the weight of all that awesome.
My pretty little ARC of The Almost Girl is definitely going to be given a permanent home on those shelves, bringing up the general cool of the H section (yes, I alphabetise).
I’m astounded at how Howard manages to take so many elements I usually avoid in fiction and create an amazing book that I didn’t want to end, couldn’t put down and won’t stop talking about. I don’t like utopias or dystopias. Not one iota. Yet Howard manages to present a strange vision of a dystopian-utopia that is real and whole and interesting. Neospes is a world ravaged by a technology war; the oceans have dried up and the temperatures soar by day and plummet by night.
Riven is a soldier; a general. A traitor. night. Their way of life is regimented, with couples matched in regard to their DNA not their hearts. Love is not a factor. But their technology is astoundingly superior, with advances in medical and defence technology that far outreach the capabilities of the Otherworld. Earth. Our world. This oddly advanced (utopian) war-torn and monarchy-controlled (dystopian) world is Riven’s world; and she is just as tough and unyielding as Neospes itself.
Given specific orders by her best friend, Cale, to travel through the veil of dimensions to the Otherworld and retrieve something he dearly needs to survive, Riven will track her target and complete her mission—even if she is now branded a defector and must watch out for the elite soldiers of Neospes, the Vectors, who will take her back to her father before she can find a safe place to evert and get the hell out of there.
But everting is dangerous, and closely monitored. After all… hopping between worlds at will is eventually going to cause problems, like it already has done for Riven’s world, and ours in the past. Still, Riven has been careful—taking her pills, making sure the injection kit is safe and to hand—during her search for Caden, the boy Cale has sent her to bring back. She has been tracking Caden for years now, but she’s drawing close.
And so are the Vectors. They want him; she wants him. If the Vectors want Caden, they will have to go through Riven, and she’s the general of the Vector units. Even if they don’t listen to her commands, even if their internal programming has been changed, Riven won’t hesitate to destroy them if they get in her way. After all, they’re only dead things with dead eyes, programmed to follow orders.
Careful as she’s been, Riven’s one mistake—an accident and a close call after forgetting to take her evertion pills—leads her to her target. He’s right there and Riven knows what she has to do, knows it is Cale’s only chance. But Riven does what a good soldier should never do; she befriends the target. Caden, raised his whole life hidden from the eyes of Neospes, knows nothing of what he is or where Riven is from. He’s clueless—but he’s not alone. A face from Riven’s past makes things trickier, but Riven is a soldier and she’ll kill if she has to. She’s killed before. She’ll kill Shae if she has to.
Before Riven knows it, she’s teaming up with the target and Shae—and together, they need to outrun the Vectors. They want Caden too and they’ll stop at nothing to acquire him. They might want to take him back to Neospes, just like Riven, but their intentions differ from there on, and Riven refuses to fail.
Caden, oblivious to what’s really going on, follows Shae and Riven, trusting his life in their hands. Shae’s been at his side for years, always defending him and forcing him to train with a sword (fencing). But Riven is new and interesting and he feels a magnetic pull towards her. Riven, however, is ice-cold and proud of it. She will stop at nothing to take the target back to Cale. Nothing.
The Almost Girl is a story of self-discovery, conflict, both inside and out, and about how at the end of the day, we chose who to be, regardless of how we’ve been groomed or programmed. With a switch up of the damsel in distress routine, Howard allows two girls, both as different as night and day, to demonstrate their strength, agency and determination, whilst introducing a male character, a prince, who is defended by these girls. Caden is softer with his emotions than Riven—another nice change-up—and instead of the female protagonist prancing around all dewy-eyed with insta-love, it is Caden who falls first and falls hard. There is a wee element of insta-love here, but it is entirely quidditch, more of insta-crush-turns-love, and easily explainable! But to do so would be giving away spoilers, so…
Sometimes with the issue of feminism, people forget the other side. Guys. Girls can be strong; guys can be weak. It’s okay for guys to let the girls take the lead. That’s okay. I loved The Almost Girl because I could see, happily, relate to Caden, even if just a little. He is not big and strong and oozing testosterone. He is lithe, he fences, and he is the one in need of saving, rescuing. And that’s totally okay. I’m thrilled with this book. Caden is the damsel in distress (what, this dress? … I’ll get my coat) and the girls around him are going to save his ass. I want more action-packed YA with softer guys and harder, tougher girls. It makes it okay to not be macho, to not be a jock or to be six-foot-nine and play rugby or basketball. I’m all for girls with agency; heck, I want to be the guy whose ass needs saving. That’s totally more me.
The Almost Girl is the kind of book I want to see more of. More girls with agency to spare and a tough attitude that doesn’t use cockiness and bravado to compensate for real personality.
Riven is more likeable than she first seems (and definitely a girl I’d love to interview!), with a heart bigger than even she thinks. The Almost Girl is strong, fast and undeniably addictive. Pacy and full of quirks, Howard has written the first part of a duology that combines action and science fiction. With a ballsy heroine and a deeper plot lurking beneath the surface of what Riven knows, The Almost Girl is definitely a hit with me.
It is slick, cool and vastly imaginative.
The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard is one hell of a book. Books like this make me very happy to consider myself a feminist ally. This book shows empowered women as well as reminding the human populace that guys can be vulnerable too. In this story, there’s no fairy tale princess being rescued by a prince. In The Almost Girl, try a science fiction, kick-ass soldier girl rescuing a hidden-away prince. Now that’s a turn of events—and one I loved. I had no idea how much I would love this book until I started it.
I do have a sort of sense of duty to Strange Chemistry and so I read their books. Who wouldn’t, given, Strange Chemistry’s excellent record of producing absolutely stellar titles? With the exception of a handful of books, their catalogue rocks so hard, my shelves are bowing under the weight of all that awesome.
My pretty little ARC of The Almost Girl is definitely going to be given a permanent home on those shelves, bringing up the general cool of the H section (yes, I alphabetise).
I’m astounded at how Howard manages to take so many elements I usually avoid in fiction and create an amazing book that I didn’t want to end, couldn’t put down and won’t stop talking about. I don’t like utopias or dystopias. Not one iota. Yet Howard manages to present a strange vision of a dystopian-utopia that is real and whole and interesting. Neospes is a world ravaged by a technology war; the oceans have dried up and the temperatures soar by day and plummet by night.
Riven is a soldier; a general. A traitor. night. Their way of life is regimented, with couples matched in regard to their DNA not their hearts. Love is not a factor. But their technology is astoundingly superior, with advances in medical and defence technology that far outreach the capabilities of the Otherworld. Earth. Our world. This oddly advanced (utopian) war-torn and monarchy-controlled (dystopian) world is Riven’s world; and she is just as tough and unyielding as Neospes itself.
Given specific orders by her best friend, Cale, to travel through the veil of dimensions to the Otherworld and retrieve something he dearly needs to survive, Riven will track her target and complete her mission—even if she is now branded a defector and must watch out for the elite soldiers of Neospes, the Vectors, who will take her back to her father before she can find a safe place to evert and get the hell out of there.
But everting is dangerous, and closely monitored. After all… hopping between worlds at will is eventually going to cause problems, like it already has done for Riven’s world, and ours in the past. Still, Riven has been careful—taking her pills, making sure the injection kit is safe and to hand—during her search for Caden, the boy Cale has sent her to bring back. She has been tracking Caden for years now, but she’s drawing close.
And so are the Vectors. They want him; she wants him. If the Vectors want Caden, they will have to go through Riven, and she’s the general of the Vector units. Even if they don’t listen to her commands, even if their internal programming has been changed, Riven won’t hesitate to destroy them if they get in her way. After all, they’re only dead things with dead eyes, programmed to follow orders.
Careful as she’s been, Riven’s one mistake—an accident and a close call after forgetting to take her evertion pills—leads her to her target. He’s right there and Riven knows what she has to do, knows it is Cale’s only chance. But Riven does what a good soldier should never do; she befriends the target. Caden, raised his whole life hidden from the eyes of Neospes, knows nothing of what he is or where Riven is from. He’s clueless—but he’s not alone. A face from Riven’s past makes things trickier, but Riven is a soldier and she’ll kill if she has to. She’s killed before. She’ll kill Shae if she has to.
Before Riven knows it, she’s teaming up with the target and Shae—and together, they need to outrun the Vectors. They want Caden too and they’ll stop at nothing to acquire him. They might want to take him back to Neospes, just like Riven, but their intentions differ from there on, and Riven refuses to fail.
Caden, oblivious to what’s really going on, follows Shae and Riven, trusting his life in their hands. Shae’s been at his side for years, always defending him and forcing him to train with a sword (fencing). But Riven is new and interesting and he feels a magnetic pull towards her. Riven, however, is ice-cold and proud of it. She will stop at nothing to take the target back to Cale. Nothing.
The Almost Girl is a story of self-discovery, conflict, both inside and out, and about how at the end of the day, we chose who to be, regardless of how we’ve been groomed or programmed. With a switch up of the damsel in distress routine, Howard allows two girls, both as different as night and day, to demonstrate their strength, agency and determination, whilst introducing a male character, a prince, who is defended by these girls. Caden is softer with his emotions than Riven—another nice change-up—and instead of the female protagonist prancing around all dewy-eyed with insta-love, it is Caden who falls first and falls hard. There is a wee element of insta-love here, but it is entirely quidditch, more of insta-crush-turns-love, and easily explainable! But to do so would be giving away spoilers, so…
Sometimes with the issue of feminism, people forget the other side. Guys. Girls can be strong; guys can be weak. It’s okay for guys to let the girls take the lead. That’s okay. I loved The Almost Girl because I could see, happily, relate to Caden, even if just a little. He is not big and strong and oozing testosterone. He is lithe, he fences, and he is the one in need of saving, rescuing. And that’s totally okay. I’m thrilled with this book. Caden is the damsel in distress (what, this dress? … I’ll get my coat) and the girls around him are going to save his ass. I want more action-packed YA with softer guys and harder, tougher girls. It makes it okay to not be macho, to not be a jock or to be six-foot-nine and play rugby or basketball. I’m all for girls with agency; heck, I want to be the guy whose ass needs saving. That’s totally more me.
The Almost Girl is the kind of book I want to see more of. More girls with agency to spare and a tough attitude that doesn’t use cockiness and bravado to compensate for real personality.
Riven is more likeable than she first seems (and definitely a girl I’d love to interview!), with a heart bigger than even she thinks. The Almost Girl is strong, fast and undeniably addictive. Pacy and full of quirks, Howard has written the first part of a duology that combines action and science fiction. With a ballsy heroine and a deeper plot lurking beneath the surface of what Riven knows, The Almost Girl is definitely a hit with me.
It is slick, cool and vastly imaginative.
pwbalto's review against another edition
1.0
NOT RECOMMENDED. It’s just so sloppily written - verb tenses in particular switch all over the place, from present to past and back again within sentences. Heavy reliance on past perfect contractions - I’d remembered and he’d fought and it’d been surprising. So awkward and difficult to sort those sentences out to figure out what exactly went on and in what order.
Sloppy contradictions:
“His voice is dead, just like the rest of him, but he understands exactly who she is. He’s half-alive, but still far from a mindless drone.”
Is he all dead, or half-alive? That’s on page 8.
Poor research:
“The bike lurches forward and careens across the two opposite lanes, my thighs burning from gripping the sides of the tank to steady it.”
The bike in question is a Ducati motorcycle, and you do not steady a motorcycle by gripping the gas tank with your thighs. On a Ducati you’d have to be sitting with your knees around your chin to even try.
Also the main character’s love interest is named Cale, and that just seems like a silly oversight, given the popularity of kale on menus and in supermarkets right now.
Sloppy contradictions:
“His voice is dead, just like the rest of him, but he understands exactly who she is. He’s half-alive, but still far from a mindless drone.”
Is he all dead, or half-alive? That’s on page 8.
Poor research:
“The bike lurches forward and careens across the two opposite lanes, my thighs burning from gripping the sides of the tank to steady it.”
The bike in question is a Ducati motorcycle, and you do not steady a motorcycle by gripping the gas tank with your thighs. On a Ducati you’d have to be sitting with your knees around your chin to even try.
Also the main character’s love interest is named Cale, and that just seems like a silly oversight, given the popularity of kale on menus and in supermarkets right now.
chapteriosity's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Netgalley and Strange Chemistry for the review copy! It doesn't affect my review or opinions at all.
What I liked:
-The main character. Being an ex-general, Riven is a very cold and brutal character. She doesn’t let her walls down most of the time. What I’d like to appreciate is the consistency of her character. When you have this tough kind of protagonist, usually she will transform right away into the typical kind of teenage girl. However, Riven still shows a considerable effort to focus on the task at hands instead of melting to goo every time the love interest appears. She does eventually give in to hormones, but luckily the couple isn’t too lovey-dovey.
-The plot isn’t as predictable as Howard’s other work called Waterfell. Although the beginning didn't immediately grab my attention, I managed to gradually enjoy it.
-I think the ending emphasizes how responsible Riven is compared to the other female protagonists once they have got together with their love interests. (For those who have read it will understand what I’m talking about lol.)
-I really liked how tense and action-packed the book was. There were plenty of gory and excited battle scenes plus some unexpected twists.
What I didn't like:
-I found the romance pops out of the blue at first because the two barely interact with each other yet the guy seems to be in love with her after only meeting her for a few times.
-The love interest is pretty bland and it seems like he’s too perfect.
-There is a very confusing explanation near the ending and I failed to understand that even though I read it for a few times.
-Please do not make out when you’re in a dangerous place and need to escape quickly. Duh.
Conclusion:
Despite having some flaws I couldn't ignore, The Almost Girl was better than Waterfell in many areas. Overall, I thought the book was decent and enjoyable, but I would still recommend it to anyone who's looking for a tense and action-packed science fiction.
What I liked:
-The main character. Being an ex-general, Riven is a very cold and brutal character. She doesn’t let her walls down most of the time. What I’d like to appreciate is the consistency of her character. When you have this tough kind of protagonist, usually she will transform right away into the typical kind of teenage girl. However, Riven still shows a considerable effort to focus on the task at hands instead of melting to goo every time the love interest appears. She does eventually give in to hormones, but luckily the couple isn’t too lovey-dovey.
-The plot isn’t as predictable as Howard’s other work called Waterfell. Although the beginning didn't immediately grab my attention, I managed to gradually enjoy it.
-I think the ending emphasizes how responsible Riven is compared to the other female protagonists once they have got together with their love interests. (For those who have read it will understand what I’m talking about lol.)
-I really liked how tense and action-packed the book was. There were plenty of gory and excited battle scenes plus some unexpected twists.
What I didn't like:
-I found the romance pops out of the blue at first because the two barely interact with each other yet the guy seems to be in love with her after only meeting her for a few times.
-The love interest is pretty bland and it seems like he’s too perfect.
-There is a very confusing explanation near the ending and I failed to understand that even though I read it for a few times.
-Please do not make out when you’re in a dangerous place and need to escape quickly. Duh.
Conclusion:
Despite having some flaws I couldn't ignore, The Almost Girl was better than Waterfell in many areas. Overall, I thought the book was decent and enjoyable, but I would still recommend it to anyone who's looking for a tense and action-packed science fiction.
bookishanjali's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
I was surfing Net Galley and caught sight of this book, I never heard of it before but knew I had to read it just because of how amazing I thought the cover was and of course the blurb caught my interest as well. Anyways I found The Almost Girl to be a good read there were some things that I didn't care for but for the most part I found myself enjoying it.
Riven is sent to Earth from her world Neospes by the Prince to find his brother who was hidden away on Earth. The book starts off in a high school setting and I just didn't like that at all. There was a little too much angsty teen drama for the duration they were on earth. And then what kind of baffled me was that Riven is supposed to be the best soldier in her world which we learn later why and she didn't even recognize Caden whom she has classes with ..umm seriously? She was described as one thing but her actions led me to believe otherwise. Personally Riven did not grow on me until they jumped worlds and were back in Neospes. What I was most interested to read about Riven was her handling of her emotions. She was trained not to love. There is a lot of family issues with her as well which made things interesting and then her conflict of feelings for Caden she is loyal to Cale but is falling for her target.
As for Caden he was a good guy, he didn't know anything about who he was since he was raised as a normal teenager but then the part that kind of didn't make sense about him was how it was implied he was just as good if not better of a fighter then Riven who literally is bad-ass and has been trained to kill since she was a child. Then there was just how he accepted everything that was told to him about who he was I guess I expected him to freak out a little more then he did. I think I would have connected with his character a bit more if there was a couple of chapters in his point of view.
As for the plot as a whole well I pretty much liked it a lot. It's what kept me turning the pages and reading The Almost Girl so quickly. Once the high school setting was taken away and the characters arrived in Neospes things just got even more insane in a good way. You didn't know who to trust and what was going to happen next.
Overall I found The Almost Girl to be fast paced and worth the read.
I was surfing Net Galley and caught sight of this book, I never heard of it before but knew I had to read it just because of how amazing I thought the cover was and of course the blurb caught my interest as well. Anyways I found The Almost Girl to be a good read there were some things that I didn't care for but for the most part I found myself enjoying it.
Riven is sent to Earth from her world Neospes by the Prince to find his brother who was hidden away on Earth. The book starts off in a high school setting and I just didn't like that at all. There was a little too much angsty teen drama for the duration they were on earth. And then what kind of baffled me was that Riven is supposed to be the best soldier in her world which we learn later why and she didn't even recognize Caden whom she has classes with ..umm seriously? She was described as one thing but her actions led me to believe otherwise. Personally Riven did not grow on me until they jumped worlds and were back in Neospes. What I was most interested to read about Riven was her handling of her emotions. She was trained not to love. There is a lot of family issues with her as well which made things interesting and then her conflict of feelings for Caden she is loyal to Cale but is falling for her target.
As for Caden he was a good guy, he didn't know anything about who he was since he was raised as a normal teenager but then the part that kind of didn't make sense about him was how it was implied he was just as good if not better of a fighter then Riven who literally is bad-ass and has been trained to kill since she was a child. Then there was just how he accepted everything that was told to him about who he was I guess I expected him to freak out a little more then he did. I think I would have connected with his character a bit more if there was a couple of chapters in his point of view.
As for the plot as a whole well I pretty much liked it a lot. It's what kept me turning the pages and reading The Almost Girl so quickly. Once the high school setting was taken away and the characters arrived in Neospes things just got even more insane in a good way. You didn't know who to trust and what was going to happen next.
Overall I found The Almost Girl to be fast paced and worth the read.
kerrikins's review
2.0
I'm actually a bit torn on this book, mostly because there are elements of it that I loved, and others that made me want to scream in frustration.
Riven is only fourteen years old when she goes to a world incredibly different from her own, sent there to bring home the twin brother of Prince Cale, one of her closest friends and her commander.
Riven comes from a world that has been torn apart by an android war, a world where creatures call Vectors are commonplace - corpses reanimated to be soldiers. It's a dark world in comparison to Earth, so will Riven be able to find her way and complete her mission?
Sounds pretty cool, right? A young girl, trained to be a fighter, hopping universes to bring someone back, fighting the undead and triumphing over everything! I mean come on, I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was I really going to turn down a book like this? We need more books with fearless girls as confident and competent assassins, because the idea is pretty freaking cool.
What I actually got in the book was a bit more fuzzy, though.
First of all, I liked Riven. I wanted to like her more than I did, but I liked her. She's torn by duty and familial ties, and she doesn't like it when emotions get in the way - okay, something that I can understand, when she's been raised as a soldier. She prides herself in being the best, in not letting anything cloud her judgement, and completing her mission is paramount above everything else. She's gone through a lot in life - she's not particularly close to her father, he just sees her as a tool. Her mother is dead and her relationship with her sister is strained.
All of this makes for a compelling character - I could see where she was coming from, in a lot of her struggles. They made sense to me.
I loved the world, too - it was fascinating in a lot of ways. World torn about by android wars? Hell yes. A world that's drastically different from ours? Hell yes. Reanimated zombie people working as soldiers? Another hell yes. There's a lot to be said for the world that Howard has built and that was, in part, what kept me reading - I was curious, and I was fascinated.
It was just that everything moved far too fast, as is common in so many books, now. I don't know how much time went by in this book, but it wasn't all that long - yet Riven goes through changes of heart that are extreme, her emotions all over the place. Standard teenage fare, admittedly - except she's been trained as a hardened soldier! I expect some inner drama and questioning, yes, but not to the extent that I read in the book.
I'm not sure whether or not the author took the time to think about just how fast a person actually changes their mind when they've been trained all their lives. Admittedly it's not an easy topic for a civilian to identify with - most of us have no idea what a soldier goes through, both mentally and physically. I think that writers need to research thoroughly and really think about how quickly someone indoctrinated with a certain point of view can change their mind, though. If you're writing a character fighting hard against certain emotions and feelings, chances are they're going to win out most of the time, certainly longer than just a few days!
This leads into the relationship with Caden, which, while well written in some ways, was a disappointment in a lot of others.
The advice I seem to repeat over and over again for authors is always the same: SLOW DOWN!!!
It's okay, really. It's OKAY to let relationships develop slowly. Is it that authors are worried that the romance fans won't stick it out, maybe? It's a stupid reason, but I'd rather think that than think that authors actually think that people can learn to ~love~ someone else in the span of just a few days...
Caden was sweet, and gorgeous, of course. Thinking back on it now, though, I'm struggling to put much personality on him. Riven thinks of him in relationship to Cale a lot, and how he's different from Cale. So he's the antithesis of this boy that she knew (who we don't actually know that much about), but we don't learn that much about HIM, either, except that he's smart, a good fighter, and loyal to her (though I'm not quite sure why).
Which is actually a bit of a sidetrack from what I was going to say, which is that Riven and Caden's relationship develops far, far too fast. I'll give Howard credit for writing things well in terms of describing the feelings - no 'omg he's so hot' sort of insta-love. In spite of that, though, the depth just isn't there. Yes, he apparently ~sees her for her~ (apparently on instinct, since any logical boy WOULD NOT trust her), but other than the tension that sparks between them and his apparent determination to see the best in her, I don't know what's drawing them together.
It's a pity, because I don't dislike the pairing - Caden's sweet, and I think he'd be good for Riven. I still need a reason for her to fall for him that's not 'he's like Cale and he likes me' and I need a reason for him to like her that isn't 'she's hot and for some reason I trust her'.
I did like a lot of the secondary characters, though. Nobody is quite the way Riven likes to label them, especially those closest to her - and there are surprises and twists and turns throughout the book, enough to keep me turning the page even though I sometimes wanted to pitch it across the room. (The point where Caden and Riven stop to make out while on a mission in her father's house? THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THEM.)
The Vectors are creepy, and Riven's struggle with her own background is touching, as well. It's a bit too obvious from the title, imo, but I think it'll be interesting to see how it develops in the next book.
Ah yes, the next book... I'm assuming that there'll be one. Would I give it a try? Probably, in spite of all the things I've picked apart here. The writing is engaging enough, and I have hope that Howard will work on the flaws that are mentioned in various reviews of this book.
Disclosure: I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Riven is only fourteen years old when she goes to a world incredibly different from her own, sent there to bring home the twin brother of Prince Cale, one of her closest friends and her commander.
Riven comes from a world that has been torn apart by an android war, a world where creatures call Vectors are commonplace - corpses reanimated to be soldiers. It's a dark world in comparison to Earth, so will Riven be able to find her way and complete her mission?
Sounds pretty cool, right? A young girl, trained to be a fighter, hopping universes to bring someone back, fighting the undead and triumphing over everything! I mean come on, I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was I really going to turn down a book like this? We need more books with fearless girls as confident and competent assassins, because the idea is pretty freaking cool.
What I actually got in the book was a bit more fuzzy, though.
First of all, I liked Riven. I wanted to like her more than I did, but I liked her. She's torn by duty and familial ties, and she doesn't like it when emotions get in the way - okay, something that I can understand, when she's been raised as a soldier. She prides herself in being the best, in not letting anything cloud her judgement, and completing her mission is paramount above everything else. She's gone through a lot in life - she's not particularly close to her father, he just sees her as a tool. Her mother is dead and her relationship with her sister is strained.
All of this makes for a compelling character - I could see where she was coming from, in a lot of her struggles. They made sense to me.
I loved the world, too - it was fascinating in a lot of ways. World torn about by android wars? Hell yes. A world that's drastically different from ours? Hell yes. Reanimated zombie people working as soldiers? Another hell yes. There's a lot to be said for the world that Howard has built and that was, in part, what kept me reading - I was curious, and I was fascinated.
It was just that everything moved far too fast, as is common in so many books, now. I don't know how much time went by in this book, but it wasn't all that long - yet Riven goes through changes of heart that are extreme, her emotions all over the place. Standard teenage fare, admittedly - except she's been trained as a hardened soldier! I expect some inner drama and questioning, yes, but not to the extent that I read in the book.
I'm not sure whether or not the author took the time to think about just how fast a person actually changes their mind when they've been trained all their lives. Admittedly it's not an easy topic for a civilian to identify with - most of us have no idea what a soldier goes through, both mentally and physically. I think that writers need to research thoroughly and really think about how quickly someone indoctrinated with a certain point of view can change their mind, though. If you're writing a character fighting hard against certain emotions and feelings, chances are they're going to win out most of the time, certainly longer than just a few days!
This leads into the relationship with Caden, which, while well written in some ways, was a disappointment in a lot of others.
The advice I seem to repeat over and over again for authors is always the same: SLOW DOWN!!!
It's okay, really. It's OKAY to let relationships develop slowly. Is it that authors are worried that the romance fans won't stick it out, maybe? It's a stupid reason, but I'd rather think that than think that authors actually think that people can learn to ~love~ someone else in the span of just a few days...
Caden was sweet, and gorgeous, of course. Thinking back on it now, though, I'm struggling to put much personality on him. Riven thinks of him in relationship to Cale a lot, and how he's different from Cale. So he's the antithesis of this boy that she knew (who we don't actually know that much about), but we don't learn that much about HIM, either, except that he's smart, a good fighter, and loyal to her (though I'm not quite sure why).
Which is actually a bit of a sidetrack from what I was going to say, which is that Riven and Caden's relationship develops far, far too fast. I'll give Howard credit for writing things well in terms of describing the feelings - no 'omg he's so hot' sort of insta-love. In spite of that, though, the depth just isn't there. Yes, he apparently ~sees her for her~ (apparently on instinct, since any logical boy WOULD NOT trust her), but other than the tension that sparks between them and his apparent determination to see the best in her, I don't know what's drawing them together.
It's a pity, because I don't dislike the pairing - Caden's sweet, and I think he'd be good for Riven. I still need a reason for her to fall for him that's not 'he's like Cale and he likes me' and I need a reason for him to like her that isn't 'she's hot and for some reason I trust her'.
I did like a lot of the secondary characters, though. Nobody is quite the way Riven likes to label them, especially those closest to her - and there are surprises and twists and turns throughout the book, enough to keep me turning the page even though I sometimes wanted to pitch it across the room. (The point where Caden and Riven stop to make out while on a mission in her father's house? THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THEM.)
The Vectors are creepy, and Riven's struggle with her own background is touching, as well. It's a bit too obvious from the title, imo, but I think it'll be interesting to see how it develops in the next book.
Ah yes, the next book... I'm assuming that there'll be one. Would I give it a try? Probably, in spite of all the things I've picked apart here. The writing is engaging enough, and I have hope that Howard will work on the flaws that are mentioned in various reviews of this book.
Disclosure: I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.