library_ann's review against another edition
3.0
This time I was ready for the cliffhanger ending, but the nature of it still surprised me. I found this
installment more frustrating especially the first half when they were in Dr. Ritter's bunker. The author needed to show continuing evolution/development of the adolescents but it seemed to drag on so long. I could never figure why Esta had such a had such as bad attitude, and then she was kidnapped before we could find out or get any character development from her.
The two halves really felt like two different books, the bunker book and the part where Seth was on the lam with the kids who got left behind by awful circumstances, and for the girls it felt like one long bunker book. And nothing good ever happens when they go outside.
I can't say I'm "looking forward" to the conclusion, but I want to find out how it all comes out, even though my guts will be twisted the whole time.
installment more frustrating especially the first half when they were in Dr. Ritter's bunker. The author needed to show continuing evolution/development of the adolescents but it seemed to drag on so long. I could never figure why Esta had such a had such as bad attitude, and then she was kidnapped before we could find out or get any character development from her.
The two halves really felt like two different books, the bunker book and the part where Seth was on the lam with the kids who got left behind by awful circumstances, and for the girls it felt like one long bunker book. And nothing good ever happens when they go outside.
I can't say I'm "looking forward" to the conclusion, but I want to find out how it all comes out, even though my guts will be twisted the whole time.
newo_42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
nautilus18's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical trauma, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Death, Confinement, Grief, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Violence, and War
thewordlesspoet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
blue_kiwi93's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
belleoftheb00ks's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
crispyduck's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
rushmom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
artycat30's review against another edition
3.0
I wrote this three times so this review will sound angry. Thanks, Goodreads. >:(
Anyway to the review~
3 stars
This book was so….meh. Like, everything I didn’t like in Bloom was amplified. All three protagonists had the same character voice, the only defining traits were their badly done stereotypes. The characters had zero personality, to the extent that I would forget Kenneth Oppel’s well-done descriptions of them. The female mcs had even less personality and were as shallow as a kiddy pool. The way one of them reacts to what one might call a ‘drastic and life-changing event’ is laughable. Ever hear of grief? Oppel surely hasn’t, or maybe it was just for this book.
The adults weren’t believable either - it felt like Oppel’s editors thought ‘omg a mg book?! Are there adults in there? Okay, awesome, make them more one dementional than the kids. Obviously. No kid wants to read about adults’ And the kids, even though they are about fifteen at the start of the book, read like nine year olds :/.
I really wanted to see the cryptogens’ (aliens) P.O.V for a section and more behind the made up ‘science’ of the cryptogens’ air craft, etc. More sci-fi, less apocalyptic ‘last kids on Earth’. Or maybe that’s just my subconscious reaction to apocalypses after the pandemic..
Honestly I’ve just spent a lot of words bagging this book, but it actually wasn’t that bad. There were a lot of things I liked about it; the creativity behind the cryptogens, the plot (chef’s kiss), the descriptions, the friendship, I didn’t mind the romance (sweet ig). I think it had the ‘middle book’s curse’.
Anyway the ending was a cliffhanger, so I’m reading Thrive next. It had better be good. :)
Anyway to the review~
3 stars
This book was so….meh. Like, everything I didn’t like in Bloom was amplified. All three protagonists had the same character voice, the only defining traits were their badly done stereotypes. The characters had zero personality, to the extent that I would forget Kenneth Oppel’s well-done descriptions of them. The female mcs had even less personality and were as shallow as a kiddy pool. The way one of them reacts to what one might call a ‘drastic and life-changing event’ is laughable. Ever hear of grief? Oppel surely hasn’t, or maybe it was just for this book.
The adults weren’t believable either - it felt like Oppel’s editors thought ‘omg a mg book?! Are there adults in there? Okay, awesome, make them more one dementional than the kids. Obviously. No kid wants to read about adults’ And the kids, even though they are about fifteen at the start of the book, read like nine year olds :/.
I really wanted to see the cryptogens’ (aliens) P.O.V for a section and more behind the made up ‘science’ of the cryptogens’ air craft, etc. More sci-fi, less apocalyptic ‘last kids on Earth’. Or maybe that’s just my subconscious reaction to apocalypses after the pandemic..
Honestly I’ve just spent a lot of words bagging this book, but it actually wasn’t that bad. There were a lot of things I liked about it; the creativity behind the cryptogens, the plot (chef’s kiss), the descriptions, the friendship, I didn’t mind the romance (sweet ig). I think it had the ‘middle book’s curse’.
Anyway the ending was a cliffhanger, so I’m reading Thrive next. It had better be good. :)