deservingporcupine's review against another edition
4.0
A great YA that tackles issues of class and consumerism. The main characters were basically lovable environmental terrorists and criminals, and who isn’t in for that? I love that it was set in future China. A little over the top with the calling out economic injustices, but absolutely a page turner.
magnumdanger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lorien13's review against another edition
5.0
Want is a brilliant sci-fi about a world that we refuse to work on cleaning up. The rich and powerful are so lost in their own world that ours is a complete mess. There's no more blue sky, no more seeing the horizon, no more seeing stars at night (that alone KILLS me). We don't focus on taking care of our earth and the result is short life spans for the poor, and frickin Darth Vader suits for the rich.
Zhou is our main character and when his best friend's mom is murdered he and his friends are determined to find out who did it and bring them down, and maybe save the world too. The plan is simple: infiltrate the upper class or yous (pronounced yo) and destroy the factory where the suits are powered. And to do so is connect with the daughter of the manufacturer, Daiyu Jin.
It's brilliant and beautiful and I was spellbound, hoping to see how Zhou and his friends made it through to the end, if they even could at all. I loved how Daiyu and Zhou connected and their relationship didn't feel fake or rushed at all, nice and slow and wonderful.
If you haven't picked this book up, I implore you to do so. Not only is it a fun and awesome story, it's a look at a very bleak, and very possible future that I most certainly DON'T want.
Zhou is our main character and when his best friend's mom is murdered he and his friends are determined to find out who did it and bring them down, and maybe save the world too. The plan is simple: infiltrate the upper class or yous (pronounced yo) and destroy the factory where the suits are powered. And to do so is connect with the daughter of the manufacturer, Daiyu Jin.
It's brilliant and beautiful and I was spellbound, hoping to see how Zhou and his friends made it through to the end, if they even could at all. I loved how Daiyu and Zhou connected and their relationship didn't feel fake or rushed at all, nice and slow and wonderful.
If you haven't picked this book up, I implore you to do so. Not only is it a fun and awesome story, it's a look at a very bleak, and very possible future that I most certainly DON'T want.
mitzee's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Interestingly relevant in this post-pandemic, climate change impacted world we are living in right now (despite being written in 2017).
The focus of the writing seemed more on moving the story along, moving from one event to another rather than being focused on characters and their relationships. Somehow they felt a bit shallow, hard to explain why but perhaps that’s an adult reader POV on a YA book that’s probably targeted for folks 9-13yrs old. Still enjoyable though.
The focus of the writing seemed more on moving the story along, moving from one event to another rather than being focused on characters and their relationships. Somehow they felt a bit shallow, hard to explain why but perhaps that’s an adult reader POV on a YA book that’s probably targeted for folks 9-13yrs old. Still enjoyable though.
popularsong's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
it's an easy and fun read, and i quite enjoyed the worldbuilding and especially the vibrant portrayal of dystopian taipei
however, the writing is quite on-the-nose and i didn't feel particularly attached to the characters so it felt a little flat
however, the writing is quite on-the-nose and i didn't feel particularly attached to the characters so it felt a little flat
ebonwilde's review against another edition
3.0
want is very short for high stakes dystopian fiction, which makes it difficult to connect with most of the characters/events. two characters died, which was meant to be very important for the narrative, yet it was unemotional for me, even though the author attempted to make the mood despairing. the prose itself is not adequate at expressing emotion, danger, or anything too high stakes, so the book felt quite mellow throughout, which was clearly not the intention. i did like the romance, and if nothing else, it was a moderately enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.
devin_magreyn's review against another edition
5.0
This book really surprised me! I have never been into Sci-Fi books before. The only one I have ever really read was The Giver and that was years ago in school! I always preferred fantasy themes and was bored by science related themes, but this book did not bore me! The futuristic way of Taiwan Cindy Pon was able to create was amazing and just the story as a whole was phenomenal and really makes you wonder what OUR future could hold and if it could become something like this book. I loved the introduction of the flu into the story and how it came about as, and as sad as it sounds, it does seem like corrupt rich people would do. The whole story with the flu and the cure also hit WAAAY too close to current issues with COVID and I was so freaked out LOL! Anyways, I am very excited to read "Ruse" next, especially since it seems there will be more focus on Lingyi and Iris who I love so much! If you are someone that is hesitant about reading Sci-Fi, you have got to read this book!
itsmytuberculosis's review against another edition
1.0
I really WANTED (haha pun intended) to like this book. Growing up in Shanghai I was excited to see a sci-fi novel that was centered around a different culture than Disney Tomorrowland esque. However, I had to haul myself through this book much like one would a three year old on a tour of the Smithsonian museums. Eventually, I wasn't reading it for the story, but for the end... which was to say... mediocre.
lilly_lovebooksbroadway's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
3.25