turtleonmars's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, this was a good book. But I'm a little concern on how flat Heather seemed. Sure, her parents were killed, but
amysoup's review against another edition
4.0
Becca lives in a dystopian society that takes disagreement with the regime very seriously. Her mother works in an information gathering center where dissidents are processed and confessions are gathered to uncover conspiracies that might threaten the fabric of their society. Everything is fine until Becca's friend Heather's parents are revealed to be dissidents who end up with Becca's mom in processing.
I thought this was a well written and well edited book. I didn't find any annoying typos or grammatical problems. I thought the characters were well described and remained true to their personalities the whole book. I particularly liked the conflict with Becca's mom in that she was likeable as Becca's mom but her personality as a processor was warped and you could tell she could be a very terrible person at work.
I wanted to know more about why the society and the regime was the way it was. What happened? Was there a war? A terrorist attack? What brought our world as we know it to the one in which Becca lives? I wanted to know where Becca lived. America? Canada? The cliff hanger ending left me confused as well. I couldn't be sure what Becca was up to.
I thought this was a well written and well edited book. I didn't find any annoying typos or grammatical problems. I thought the characters were well described and remained true to their personalities the whole book. I particularly liked the conflict with Becca's mom in that she was likeable as Becca's mom but her personality as a processor was warped and you could tell she could be a very terrible person at work.
I wanted to know more about why the society and the regime was the way it was. What happened? Was there a war? A terrorist attack? What brought our world as we know it to the one in which Becca lives? I wanted to know where Becca lived. America? Canada? The cliff hanger ending left me confused as well. I couldn't be sure what Becca was up to.
mariegrim's review against another edition
2.0
This story had potential, but... The characters were flat, naive and unconvincing. The world that should have been a dystopia, felt like normal day USA except every now and then some people would disappear. The story didn't come close to live up to it's dark title. But I might still read the next book. It was quick and easy entertainment, and I'm a bit curious if there might be more to the world, though probably not.
raequigley's review against another edition
3.0
My journey with The Torturer’s Daughter was a roller coaster. The story was good, as far as plot line and writing style, but it fell flat for me at times. The story takes place in a dystopian world where the government executes ‘dissidents‘, and that’s about all I could tell you about the world. There wasn’t enough back story for me to understand not only the setting, but whose side I was really on. Who are dissidents? What happened to the government that led it to this? So many questions that weren’t necessarily important to the story, but would have helped me care. Which was the main problem with the story. I just didn’t care. I didn’t care what happened to the characters or their relationships and I didn’t have anyone to root for...
For more: http://drunkonpop.com/2014/01/08/review-the-torturers-daughter-by-zoe-cannon/
For more: http://drunkonpop.com/2014/01/08/review-the-torturers-daughter-by-zoe-cannon/
jen286's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just okay. It wasn't bad and I didn't really have anything I hated about it or would complain about it, but I didn't really like it either and I am not sure why. I did enjoy that there wasn't really a love story, and I did find the subject interesting, yet it did not hold my attention very well. I read it on a long flight and I kept putting it aside as I would get distracted. I have been thinking about it for a few days trying to figure out what it is that made it so unremarkable for me and I cannot pinpoint what it is. Really when I try and think of what actually happened in the story it takes me a while even though I didn't read it very long ago. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Becca also was a little...I just didn't really care what happened to her. Yeah it was just an okay book.
thefox22's review
4.0
More like 3.5 stars.
*I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I was surprised by how much I really liked this book. It was different, original, and the plot was very suspenseful. In a society that's trying to eliminate evil for good no matter the cost, these characters must determine what's right and what's wrong.
The old government is gone, replaced with Enforcers and Processors who arrest and execute people they call dissidents. One wrong move, saying one wrong thing, could land you in trouble. There's no judge, no jury. If you are labeled a dissident, your life is over. And sometimes, your confessions and execution is publicized. The saying children are not their parents doesn't matter, either. If you have any association with a dissident or even someone suspected of being a dissident, then you'll be watched just as closely.
Becca has never had to think about being arrested and executed for being a dissident. And she's never had any reason to believe that the world she lives in is a lie. After a phone call from her best friend and a trip to Processing 117, her life slowly begins to unravel.
Her relationship with her best friend, Heather, changes drastically, leaving Becca feeling all alone and more unlike herself than ever. Add in a few conversations with a cute boy whom she thinks is a spy and a mom who has lied to her about what she does, Becca is starting to think of herself as a dissident. She's trying to decide what's right and what's wrong, what she should do and how she should act. But one wrong move could land her in the hot seat for once. And it won't matter who her mother is, because they won't care. If you're even suspected of being a dissident, you're in trouble.
Becca's mom is a torturer; she's one of the best. But what Becca never knew is that her mom has made people confess to things they didn't do and executed them for it. And she doesn't know what to think about her mom killing innocent people. It's that hesitation and uncertainty that leads her on a path of finding out the truth. But who can she tell? Her best friend joined the Monitors and would turn her in for even thinking these thoughts. So she goes to Jake, a boy who has seen up-close and personal what the Processors can do. He's a dissident, and he's the only one who can help her. No one is on their side, and they must decide if their choices are worth it.
Becca was a strong heroine, one who has her world shaken to the core. She wants to be courageous and use her knowledge about what's learned for good. She wants to believe her mother, yet she can't dispute the fact that the confessions are false. That innocent people, like Heather's parents, could have been killed for something they didn't do. She's conflicted, hurt, and just trying to understand where she fits in a world she no longer believes in.
I have mixed feelings about Jake, who was a potential love interest for Becca. I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen to him in the next book, or if Becca will even forgive him for what he tried to do. But out of all the characters, except for Becca, I liked him the most.
The plot was intricately woven with suspense and mystery. Nothing is as it seems when it comes to this government. But I would have liked more background about this society, how they came to be and how they came to think of people as dissidents. I wanted a little more information.
The Torturer's Daughter reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games. It was a dark dystopian with a government that controls its people by threat of death.
*I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I was surprised by how much I really liked this book. It was different, original, and the plot was very suspenseful. In a society that's trying to eliminate evil for good no matter the cost, these characters must determine what's right and what's wrong.
The old government is gone, replaced with Enforcers and Processors who arrest and execute people they call dissidents. One wrong move, saying one wrong thing, could land you in trouble. There's no judge, no jury. If you are labeled a dissident, your life is over. And sometimes, your confessions and execution is publicized. The saying children are not their parents doesn't matter, either. If you have any association with a dissident or even someone suspected of being a dissident, then you'll be watched just as closely.
Becca has never had to think about being arrested and executed for being a dissident. And she's never had any reason to believe that the world she lives in is a lie. After a phone call from her best friend and a trip to Processing 117, her life slowly begins to unravel.
Her relationship with her best friend, Heather, changes drastically, leaving Becca feeling all alone and more unlike herself than ever. Add in a few conversations with a cute boy whom she thinks is a spy and a mom who has lied to her about what she does, Becca is starting to think of herself as a dissident. She's trying to decide what's right and what's wrong, what she should do and how she should act. But one wrong move could land her in the hot seat for once. And it won't matter who her mother is, because they won't care. If you're even suspected of being a dissident, you're in trouble.
Becca's mom is a torturer; she's one of the best. But what Becca never knew is that her mom has made people confess to things they didn't do and executed them for it. And she doesn't know what to think about her mom killing innocent people. It's that hesitation and uncertainty that leads her on a path of finding out the truth. But who can she tell? Her best friend joined the Monitors and would turn her in for even thinking these thoughts. So she goes to Jake, a boy who has seen up-close and personal what the Processors can do. He's a dissident, and he's the only one who can help her. No one is on their side, and they must decide if their choices are worth it.
Becca was a strong heroine, one who has her world shaken to the core. She wants to be courageous and use her knowledge about what's learned for good. She wants to believe her mother, yet she can't dispute the fact that the confessions are false. That innocent people, like Heather's parents, could have been killed for something they didn't do. She's conflicted, hurt, and just trying to understand where she fits in a world she no longer believes in.
I have mixed feelings about Jake, who was a potential love interest for Becca. I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen to him in the next book, or if Becca will even forgive him for what he tried to do. But out of all the characters, except for Becca, I liked him the most.
The plot was intricately woven with suspense and mystery. Nothing is as it seems when it comes to this government. But I would have liked more background about this society, how they came to be and how they came to think of people as dissidents. I wanted a little more information.
The Torturer's Daughter reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games. It was a dark dystopian with a government that controls its people by threat of death.
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