melaniemia's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, despite some flaws with the plot line. The ending was very similar to Delirium, which makes me question the direction the story is going to follow in the series. It seems like a mixture of The Handmaids Tale, Delirium, and action sequences and a heroine reminiscent of Divergent (which I thoroughly enjoyed).
It's obvious I read too much dystopian fiction when I can find similarities between all of the books - but I just can't stop reading them. I find them fascinating.
I enjoyed it more than expected, and will definitely read the second book, and probably the whole series.
It's obvious I read too much dystopian fiction when I can find similarities between all of the books - but I just can't stop reading them. I find them fascinating.
I enjoyed it more than expected, and will definitely read the second book, and probably the whole series.
aleighshareads13's review against another edition
5.0
It's been years since I first read this and it is still one of my all time favourites. I love the characters and the story so much!
I would highly recommend reading it =)
I would highly recommend reading it =)
lunarelle's review against another edition
3.0
The premise was good, but in my opinion, the book fell a little short. I would have liked to see more births with the mother before everything went down. A good effort, though. Unfortunately, it wasn't my cup of tea. Hope that other people enjoy it.
nrdespain's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome awesome awesome book! Read it! You won't regret it!
the_readingfox's review against another edition
1.0
Die Idee rund um Genetik war vielversprechend, wurde aber sehr einfallslos umgesetzt, der Grundkonflikt ist unnötig aufgeblasen.. Flop!
bibliophile_booklover's review against another edition
5.0
i loved it i hope that there is another. im going to have to look that up ^_^
chrissireads's review against another edition
4.0
I’m trying to start some series this year that I’ve heard a lot of things about. Birthmarked is one of those series. I picked it up a few months back, and I’m only just getting around to it. I was worried within the first 100 pages that I wasn’t going to get into the book, but then it grabbed me and pulled me in.
Birthmarked is set in a dystopian world, where the upper class live behind a wall in wealth, whilst the rest of society struggle for survival in a world wrecked by climate change. It centres around sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone. Gaia has a scarred face, so will never know how the other class live. Gaia has followed the rules set by the Enclave for all of her life. Gaia and her mother ‘advance’ the quota of the first three babies born in a month to the Enclave. These three babies will have a chance to be brought up with the opportunities that other children might not have. The mothers obviously find giving up their children tough, but it is seen as a honour and they are rewarded for their sacrifices.
Gaia hears whispers that the quota is going to go up. Soon after, her parents are arrested as it is believed that they are hiding something. Gaia has a problem now, she wants to find her parents, but she knows she has a duty to serve the Enclave. If she goes against the Enclave, then Gaia could be facing death. Gaia follows her heart and starts to uncover deep secrets.
I was really impressed with Caragh O’Brien’s debut novel. I thought the writing was particularly engaging and the ideas were interesting. I thought Gaia Stone was a brilliant protagonist. She accepted who she was and had learned to live with it, despite her insecurities. Although there is a romance, it’s not the centre of the book, and instead the book’s main focus is centred around family love.
Birthmarked is set in a dystopian world, where the upper class live behind a wall in wealth, whilst the rest of society struggle for survival in a world wrecked by climate change. It centres around sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone. Gaia has a scarred face, so will never know how the other class live. Gaia has followed the rules set by the Enclave for all of her life. Gaia and her mother ‘advance’ the quota of the first three babies born in a month to the Enclave. These three babies will have a chance to be brought up with the opportunities that other children might not have. The mothers obviously find giving up their children tough, but it is seen as a honour and they are rewarded for their sacrifices.
Gaia hears whispers that the quota is going to go up. Soon after, her parents are arrested as it is believed that they are hiding something. Gaia has a problem now, she wants to find her parents, but she knows she has a duty to serve the Enclave. If she goes against the Enclave, then Gaia could be facing death. Gaia follows her heart and starts to uncover deep secrets.
I was really impressed with Caragh O’Brien’s debut novel. I thought the writing was particularly engaging and the ideas were interesting. I thought Gaia Stone was a brilliant protagonist. She accepted who she was and had learned to live with it, despite her insecurities. Although there is a romance, it’s not the centre of the book, and instead the book’s main focus is centred around family love.
nyx1801's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to be optimistic about this book, but alas.
The set is too much of a commonplace. It really feels like yet another dystopian book. The characters fell flat. There is a lot on the surface with the storyline and the characters, but the author never digs deeper, so I could never fully connect with the story. It fell flat, and I am sorry to say that.
You shouldn't be feeling "MEH" when you finish a book :(
The set is too much of a commonplace. It really feels like yet another dystopian book. The characters fell flat. There is a lot on the surface with the storyline and the characters, but the author never digs deeper, so I could never fully connect with the story. It fell flat, and I am sorry to say that.
You shouldn't be feeling "MEH" when you finish a book :(
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
Set about 300 years in the future, after the "cool age" (which seems to represent both the time during which we were dependent on oil and possibly pre-serious global warming), this dystopian novel hits all the usual notes: babies born with genetic problems (here, due to inbreeding), a division between the haves and have-nots, babies taken from families are reared elsewhere, etc..
The Enclave's insistence on perfection is what ultimately saves Gaia (yep, the name is significant), who has a disfiguring scar on her face. She's also saved by her naivete and intelligence, and by her non-unexpected knack for getting people to help her (even when they'd be at risk for doing so). None of the characters feel real, they're more like character sketches that still need to be filled in.
While the ending, and the uncertainty of what the rest of America is like at this time, lends itself to a series, my hope is that this is a one-off.
ARC provided by publisher
The Enclave's insistence on perfection is what ultimately saves Gaia (yep, the name is significant), who has a disfiguring scar on her face. She's also saved by her naivete and intelligence, and by her non-unexpected knack for getting people to help her (even when they'd be at risk for doing so). None of the characters feel real, they're more like character sketches that still need to be filled in.
While the ending, and the uncertainty of what the rest of America is like at this time, lends itself to a series, my hope is that this is a one-off.
ARC provided by publisher