queensflame's review
4.0
This book was pitched as Defy the Stars meets Divergent, and as a reader and fan of both of these series, I just HAD to read it. In addition, I felt this novel was also a Terminator meets I-Robot.
We follow Delilah in a post-apocalyptic world where robots essentially rule over the humans and society. When Zane, Delilah's best friend, introduces her to essentially a human resistance against the bots, a fight breaks out and Zane is taken away to Authority City. Authority City is run by bots, and the humans that are there are in "zoos". Delilah sets out to save him, and all the others to put an end to the bots reign.
This novel was one of those that has never ending action. Start to finish, there isn't a spot in the plot that slows down. It's a constant pull into the storyline and you're constantly flipping the pages to find out what happens next. The downside to the constant action I felt, was that I wasn't really given a chance to process the information. So much was being thrown at me and I felt a bit confused at times, trying to understand what had just happened. A lot of the times things were moving so fast I couldn't figure out where the characters were. So I wish there had been more of a slow down to give the reader a chance to understand the setting and what exactly was going on. Despite that, in the end I was able to piece things together.
As for the characters, most of the story follows Delilah. Gen, Delilah's Gen One robot who doesn't follow the hive mind of the other bots, was one of my favorite characters and I desperately wished there had been more of her in the story! Whenever she re-joined Delilah, I adored their interactions, and really wish she had been a bigger part of the story. Zane, the best friend and love interest, was also missing for a chunk of the plot, and I also wished there had been a little bit more of him because I don't know much about him, and can't form too much of an opinion. However, I REALLY liked Brute/Luke. He was probably my favorite character of the whole novel, and I don't know how old he is in comparison to Delilah, but if they're around the same age....I would totally ship it. They have some moments together in the end where I was like HMMMM. Haha. Not really a fan of the Zane/Delilah ship is all I'm saying. So I hope to see more of Brute in the sequel, if there is a sequel(???) I hope there's a sequel!
Regarding the world building, I think this was a very clever idea. It really does remind me of The Terminator / I-Robot storylines, and I-Robot happens to be one of my favorite movies. Only because that move, as well as Gen One, both explore the whole idea of humanity. Are robots/artificial intelligence capable of emotions? In our world, no, but in these worlds, some of the robots have their own way of thinking, they care. And in the end, Delilah has to decide between controlling the bots, or letting them think for themselves. So that was an interesting theme I saw in this book and enjoyed.
Overall, I give this 3.5/5 stars - only because I did feel confused and felt part of the world building was lacking regarding the bots. However, not at one point in this book did I want to put the book down and not finished. I was hooked from the beginning, drawn in by the characters and the storyline, intrigued from beginning to end. It's been a while since I've read a post-apocalyptic/dystopian kind of sci-fi novel, but I really liked this one and highly recommend it.
We follow Delilah in a post-apocalyptic world where robots essentially rule over the humans and society. When Zane, Delilah's best friend, introduces her to essentially a human resistance against the bots, a fight breaks out and Zane is taken away to Authority City. Authority City is run by bots, and the humans that are there are in "zoos". Delilah sets out to save him, and all the others to put an end to the bots reign.
This novel was one of those that has never ending action. Start to finish, there isn't a spot in the plot that slows down. It's a constant pull into the storyline and you're constantly flipping the pages to find out what happens next. The downside to the constant action I felt, was that I wasn't really given a chance to process the information. So much was being thrown at me and I felt a bit confused at times, trying to understand what had just happened. A lot of the times things were moving so fast I couldn't figure out where the characters were. So I wish there had been more of a slow down to give the reader a chance to understand the setting and what exactly was going on. Despite that, in the end I was able to piece things together.
As for the characters, most of the story follows Delilah. Gen, Delilah's Gen One robot who doesn't follow the hive mind of the other bots, was one of my favorite characters and I desperately wished there had been more of her in the story! Whenever she re-joined Delilah, I adored their interactions, and really wish she had been a bigger part of the story. Zane, the best friend and love interest, was also missing for a chunk of the plot, and I also wished there had been a little bit more of him because I don't know much about him, and can't form too much of an opinion. However, I REALLY liked Brute/Luke. He was probably my favorite character of the whole novel, and I don't know how old he is in comparison to Delilah, but if they're around the same age....I would totally ship it. They have some moments together in the end where I was like HMMMM. Haha. Not really a fan of the Zane/Delilah ship is all I'm saying. So I hope to see more of Brute in the sequel, if there is a sequel(???) I hope there's a sequel!
Regarding the world building, I think this was a very clever idea. It really does remind me of The Terminator / I-Robot storylines, and I-Robot happens to be one of my favorite movies. Only because that move, as well as Gen One, both explore the whole idea of humanity. Are robots/artificial intelligence capable of emotions? In our world, no, but in these worlds, some of the robots have their own way of thinking, they care. And in the end, Delilah has to decide between controlling the bots, or letting them think for themselves. So that was an interesting theme I saw in this book and enjoyed.
Overall, I give this 3.5/5 stars - only because I did feel confused and felt part of the world building was lacking regarding the bots. However, not at one point in this book did I want to put the book down and not finished. I was hooked from the beginning, drawn in by the characters and the storyline, intrigued from beginning to end. It's been a while since I've read a post-apocalyptic/dystopian kind of sci-fi novel, but I really liked this one and highly recommend it.
thatbooknerd__'s review
3.0
After reading the blurb and seeing the cover for this book, I couldn't wait to read it. It's a genre I don't read that often but I love.
The story follows Delilah, and her 2 best friends Zane and Gen. Delilah and Zane are humans and Gen is a robot, the first generation robots that were made when they took over the world.
I found it hard to connect with the characters, even after finishing the book.
I found Delilah flipped between her emotions and decisions very quickly. I wouldn't say there was anything remarkable about her and for me that is something you need when writing a lead character.
Gen was probably my favourite character and I would like a story about her. She's a Gen One Robot, who has feelings and can think for herself unlike the newer built robots and that's why Delilah become's best friends with her.
I enjoyed the story but I wish there was more going on and more action. I found some of the chapters/paragraphs to be repetitive and not needed.
I so wanted to like this book because it had everything I would want when I would purchase a book and so much potential but it just feel flat for me.
I would be interested to see what the rest of the series holds.
The story follows Delilah, and her 2 best friends Zane and Gen. Delilah and Zane are humans and Gen is a robot, the first generation robots that were made when they took over the world.
I found it hard to connect with the characters, even after finishing the book.
I found Delilah flipped between her emotions and decisions very quickly. I wouldn't say there was anything remarkable about her and for me that is something you need when writing a lead character.
Gen was probably my favourite character and I would like a story about her. She's a Gen One Robot, who has feelings and can think for herself unlike the newer built robots and that's why Delilah become's best friends with her.
I enjoyed the story but I wish there was more going on and more action. I found some of the chapters/paragraphs to be repetitive and not needed.
I so wanted to like this book because it had everything I would want when I would purchase a book and so much potential but it just feel flat for me.
I would be interested to see what the rest of the series holds.
paperbacksandpinot's review
4.0
I had read Andromeda by Amy Bartelloni a couple of months ago and I absolutely loved it so I was excited to receive an ARC of Gen One as the blurb sounded right up my street. A post apocalyptic world, a war with robots and a cat and mouse style. I have however, found this a really hard review to try and put together. Firstly though, the world created by the author is phenomenal, a true dystopian hell for the survivors. The backdrop of the Rez and the Banks had an almost Clockwork Orange feel to it, hardly a home with little to get by on and the constant threat of capture and punishment. The stories of Authority City are told as tales to keep younger children in line, never quite sure of the truth behind the tales - but the threat of it is enough. For me each scene played out in an almost cinematic way it, it really felt like a film playing out in my mind at times. One thing this story has is that there is never a chance to breathe in the writing, every scene has something going on; be it important information or an action packed sequence. The world created is truly bleak and horrifying at times, don't be fooled by the upper YA tag, this story has some big shocks along the way. The ending, without wanting to give things away, is nothing short of cataclysmic....
So why have I found it a hard review? You may have noticed that above I have focused on the world building and that is because I have to say that I really struggled to connect with the characters. In my opinion, I felt like I was thrown into a story part way through where characters had already been established and because each page is so action packed I never really got the chance to get to know what makes each of them tick. I have seen a couple of reviews which indicated that this is a series, I have to say that I'm not sure where that came from - I read this story very much as a stand alone and to me that fits in with the way things pan out. If I'm right in this, then it seems that there was just perhaps too much content to fit into one book. We had so much to go through with what the characters were doing we didn't get much of a chance to get to know them and to develop that relationship with them. This is a real shame as I felt that much more could have been made of the friendship between Delilah and Gen, and given the books title I would have thought Gen would have got a lot more time on the page than she did. I felt the character I connected most to was in fact Brute, time was taken to show the changes within him and his back story was via a trickle of information that really helped settle his character in.
The romantic element is rightly played down, it's there, but it isn't in a context that would be unbelievable in a situation wrought with the peril that they are in. I found this a really refreshing move by the author as often a romantic element can feel in poor taste if the surrounding situation makes that type of interaction unlikely.
I have taken a bit of time to sit back and consider my rating, because ultimately Gen One is a phenomenal story with fantastic world building and had I connected with the characters it would have been a 5* for sure, but in fairness I think this is a 4* read for me.
So why have I found it a hard review? You may have noticed that above I have focused on the world building and that is because I have to say that I really struggled to connect with the characters. In my opinion, I felt like I was thrown into a story part way through where characters had already been established and because each page is so action packed I never really got the chance to get to know what makes each of them tick. I have seen a couple of reviews which indicated that this is a series, I have to say that I'm not sure where that came from - I read this story very much as a stand alone and to me that fits in with the way things pan out. If I'm right in this, then it seems that there was just perhaps too much content to fit into one book. We had so much to go through with what the characters were doing we didn't get much of a chance to get to know them and to develop that relationship with them. This is a real shame as I felt that much more could have been made of the friendship between Delilah and Gen, and given the books title I would have thought Gen would have got a lot more time on the page than she did. I felt the character I connected most to was in fact Brute, time was taken to show the changes within him and his back story was via a trickle of information that really helped settle his character in.
The romantic element is rightly played down, it's there, but it isn't in a context that would be unbelievable in a situation wrought with the peril that they are in. I found this a really refreshing move by the author as often a romantic element can feel in poor taste if the surrounding situation makes that type of interaction unlikely.
I have taken a bit of time to sit back and consider my rating, because ultimately Gen One is a phenomenal story with fantastic world building and had I connected with the characters it would have been a 5* for sure, but in fairness I think this is a 4* read for me.
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