tillytom's review against another edition
3.0
iBoy was amazing. I was reading most of the book on the edge of my seat, waiting for something to happen, and when it did I was very happy. But, I didn't like the writing style. A lot of times I cringed at the writing, which is not something I wanted to do. Also, I did not enjoy the main character, Tom. He did a lot of things that I was just like, "What are you doing?". I did really like Lucy. Lucy was a great character, I loved her, and I think the romance aspect throughout the book is what helped me not get too annoyed with Tom. I really enjoyed the ending and the antagonist. He was bad, but that's what makes a good antagonist. The ending tied the entire book together for me. I mean, I have questions, but I don't feel this need for them to be answered. I was satisfied with the ending, very satisfied. Mostly, I liked the overall message. Even though Tom annoyed me, I understood him. The book really told me to appreciate what you have, to enjoy all the good things in life, and to not let the bad things bring me down, and I really liked that. Now, I'm excited to watch the movie with Maisie Williams in it because I FUCKING LOVE Maisie Williams. So I'm gonna do that now.
burcink's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gengray47's review against another edition
4.0
Hmm, I underestimated how much I would like it. Pretty good.
ziwxbhld's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I liked this. I really did, with a slight feeling of too-little-too-quick. Of course, as soon as I'd completed it I flipped into Safari to check what other Goodreaders thought. The language, as I suspected, was a major issue. I've no problem with the author using a wide range of profanities as I'm well beyond the age where such proclivities are considered unwholesome. Indeed, I'm preparing an entire range of new expletives for my eventual entrance to a nursing home, reserved for people who bring me handkerchiefs and cutting propagators for Christmas rather than bottles of Grand Marnier or Bombay Sapphire.
But what were people expecting from a gangland novel about group rape? This isn't an easy book, and I must say I'm unsure where it's aimed. I'm in no way an advocate of age-ratings on books, but this is a book which, as I say, features a gang rape as a plot device. I'd say it's more than 'young adult' but less than 'fiction', if you're browsing in your local library. But there we are - to go back to the start of all this paragraph's furore: when does one become aware of the existence of bad language? Or, perhaps, one might ask how the little buggers know to tattle on each other the minute the dreaded words are uttered?
What if incorporating such words into a text isn't a matter of educating young people in the art of the expletive, but simply acknowledging that these words exist, fit perfectly into the environment of the novel as described, and it's actually a situation of trust between the author and the reader, who includes them for realism and no more expects to be accused of promoting excessive swearing than of being accused of promoting gang rape. (The language thing, I would argue, reflects an issue with the reader, not the writer.)
The rape itself is also a realistic plot device. There is no luridity; it's an awful event which occurs, and which engenders emotions within both the protagonists and the participants. If you're looking for a redemption theme here, it's missing - the rapists are through and through unreticent, and the book ends up oddly patchwork as a result - the actions of the heroes and villains are not intended to be compared, but the author visits this theme slightly and there is little redemption - iBoy's actions are vigilante and increasingly brutal, giving a credible and potentially satisfying moral outcome. Similarly, iBoy muses on the virtues of taking from the rich to help his immediate family, and ultimately fails to reconcile his personal views with his own actions. It's a conundrum, true, but an author who poses such questions should really attempt to answer them, rather than chicken out with the vagaries of an invented character.
I did cringe at the convenience of the plot: the iThis and iThat which gives iBoy his overly iDeusExMachina powers. Obviously, we suspend reality to enjoy the book, but I couldn't manage to get all the way into the iWorld - I'm ultimately left thinking that iBoy went over the iTop - it was all too convenient, and eventually became as iIrritating as me putting 'i' in front of everything. The iProblem... oh, alright, I'll stop: The problem was that iBoy was massively overpowered - in the sense of being an unstoppable force and therefore unrelated to existence. Dr Manhattan (Watchmen) is the ultimate result of this path; a superhero whose powers so separate him from humanity that he becomes truly alien. iBoy is similar. The eventual power-foiling climax is a good read, a bit of entertainment, but doesn't touch on this idea at all; that iBoy is now a new race, separate from humanity and, indeed, beyond its petty ideas of one human being being worth more than another. In writing terms, I have to say it pales in comparison to the manner in which David Rice's equally superhuman powers are fully explored by Steven Gould in Reflex, the sequel to Jumper.
All that said, this was a great book. I liked it a lot, and Kevin Brooks brings a chill to my skin when I hear another book's due. Black Rabbit Summer was great, and the (apparently) massive language problem wasn't a problem for me. What I was concerned about was the fizzling out of a perfectly executable idea; it all came to fruition too soon. Double the weight of this tome, or add a sequel. iBoy became iFizzledOut, iDidn'tManageMuch and iEscapedUnharmedButDidn'tChangeTheWorld. iWhat'sGoingOn?
But what were people expecting from a gangland novel about group rape? This isn't an easy book, and I must say I'm unsure where it's aimed. I'm in no way an advocate of age-ratings on books, but this is a book which, as I say, features a gang rape as a plot device. I'd say it's more than 'young adult' but less than 'fiction', if you're browsing in your local library. But there we are - to go back to the start of all this paragraph's furore: when does one become aware of the existence of bad language? Or, perhaps, one might ask how the little buggers know to tattle on each other the minute the dreaded words are uttered?
What if incorporating such words into a text isn't a matter of educating young people in the art of the expletive, but simply acknowledging that these words exist, fit perfectly into the environment of the novel as described, and it's actually a situation of trust between the author and the reader, who includes them for realism and no more expects to be accused of promoting excessive swearing than of being accused of promoting gang rape. (The language thing, I would argue, reflects an issue with the reader, not the writer.)
The rape itself is also a realistic plot device. There is no luridity; it's an awful event which occurs, and which engenders emotions within both the protagonists and the participants. If you're looking for a redemption theme here, it's missing - the rapists are through and through unreticent, and the book ends up oddly patchwork as a result - the actions of the heroes and villains are not intended to be compared, but the author visits this theme slightly and there is little redemption - iBoy's actions are vigilante and increasingly brutal, giving a credible and potentially satisfying moral outcome. Similarly, iBoy muses on the virtues of taking from the rich to help his immediate family, and ultimately fails to reconcile his personal views with his own actions. It's a conundrum, true, but an author who poses such questions should really attempt to answer them, rather than chicken out with the vagaries of an invented character.
I did cringe at the convenience of the plot: the iThis and iThat which gives iBoy his overly iDeusExMachina powers. Obviously, we suspend reality to enjoy the book, but I couldn't manage to get all the way into the iWorld - I'm ultimately left thinking that iBoy went over the iTop - it was all too convenient, and eventually became as iIrritating as me putting 'i' in front of everything. The iProblem... oh, alright, I'll stop: The problem was that iBoy was massively overpowered - in the sense of being an unstoppable force and therefore unrelated to existence. Dr Manhattan (Watchmen) is the ultimate result of this path; a superhero whose powers so separate him from humanity that he becomes truly alien. iBoy is similar. The eventual power-foiling climax is a good read, a bit of entertainment, but doesn't touch on this idea at all; that iBoy is now a new race, separate from humanity and, indeed, beyond its petty ideas of one human being being worth more than another. In writing terms, I have to say it pales in comparison to the manner in which David Rice's equally superhuman powers are fully explored by Steven Gould in Reflex, the sequel to Jumper.
All that said, this was a great book. I liked it a lot, and Kevin Brooks brings a chill to my skin when I hear another book's due. Black Rabbit Summer was great, and the (apparently) massive language problem wasn't a problem for me. What I was concerned about was the fizzling out of a perfectly executable idea; it all came to fruition too soon. Double the weight of this tome, or add a sequel. iBoy became iFizzledOut, iDidn'tManageMuch and iEscapedUnharmedButDidn'tChangeTheWorld. iWhat'sGoingOn?
jshettel's review against another edition
5.0
I'm giving this five stars because I was totally HOOKED on this from page one. Action, technology, and everyday superheroes. I really loved it!! Caution: sexual assault drives the rest of the action in this story, so definitely not for young readers!!
fions's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Story had potential but was executed poorly, also very boring/bland main character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Gun violence
mountie9's review against another edition
5.0
The Good Stuff
* Unique and unusual idea for a storyline
* Darkly humorous at times, which helps tone down the darkness of the story
* Gram is one cool bad-ass -- my kind of Grandmother
* Fast paced
* Could lead to some fascinating class discussions about moral choices
* Love the relationship between Tom and his Grandma - real honest love and respect
* Tom's a believable and likable protagonist and you can really feel the struggles he deals with
* Very raw, bleak, honest and dark (not a bad thing, just giving you the mood)
* Did I mention how much I loved the Gram
* Emotional wild ride
The Not So Good Stuff
* There is something missing and I just can't put my finger on it, maybe storyline and characters could be fleshed out more -- but than again I was sick when reading, so could just be me
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Have you got a mobile phone?"
I tapped the side of my head.
He grinned.
"Yeah," I told him. "I've got a mobile phone."
"I couldn't help smiling to myself as I crossed over to the lift with Gram.
"What?" Gram asked me. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing ..." I looked at her, grinning. "It's just .... well, iBoy ... I mean, that's actually pretty good, isn't it?"
Gram shrugged. "It's better than fuckhead."
"Maybe it was the brain surgery," I said, smiling at her. "Maybe it's turned me into a budding genius."
A faint smile flickered on her face,"It'd take more than major brain surgery to turn you into a genius."
I pulled an idiot face.
She laughed.
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
* Suitable for male and female readers
* I would strongly advise a more mature reader for this one due to violence and mentions of rape (not gratuitous or overly descriptive though)
* Would be good for a reluctant reader
4.25 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in Exchange for an Honest Review
* Unique and unusual idea for a storyline
* Darkly humorous at times, which helps tone down the darkness of the story
* Gram is one cool bad-ass -- my kind of Grandmother
* Fast paced
* Could lead to some fascinating class discussions about moral choices
* Love the relationship between Tom and his Grandma - real honest love and respect
* Tom's a believable and likable protagonist and you can really feel the struggles he deals with
* Very raw, bleak, honest and dark (not a bad thing, just giving you the mood)
* Did I mention how much I loved the Gram
* Emotional wild ride
The Not So Good Stuff
* There is something missing and I just can't put my finger on it, maybe storyline and characters could be fleshed out more -- but than again I was sick when reading, so could just be me
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Have you got a mobile phone?"
I tapped the side of my head.
He grinned.
"Yeah," I told him. "I've got a mobile phone."
"I couldn't help smiling to myself as I crossed over to the lift with Gram.
"What?" Gram asked me. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing ..." I looked at her, grinning. "It's just .... well, iBoy ... I mean, that's actually pretty good, isn't it?"
Gram shrugged. "It's better than fuckhead."
"Maybe it was the brain surgery," I said, smiling at her. "Maybe it's turned me into a budding genius."
A faint smile flickered on her face,"It'd take more than major brain surgery to turn you into a genius."
I pulled an idiot face.
She laughed.
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
* Suitable for male and female readers
* I would strongly advise a more mature reader for this one due to violence and mentions of rape (not gratuitous or overly descriptive though)
* Would be good for a reluctant reader
4.25 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in Exchange for an Honest Review
dd34_mls's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? N/A
1.75