guineapiggirl's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
sastrau1's review against another edition
5.0
I completely enjoyed everything about this book. I listened to it on Audible. The narrator was fantastic. The book is fast-paced, with a believable vision of the future and creative and very plausible near-future tech. The MCs world is shaped by her heritage and the influence of a ubiquitous Chinese corporation's presence in the US market. It makes the landscape more interesting, with our language becoming an English/Chinese mash-up. Even the culinary landscape alters. This novel is very well crafted with excellent attention to detail and consistent, plausible world-building.
I enjoyed the strong, clever, STEM-oriented female characters, including the MC. I particularly liked that this book was not dumbed down or over-simplified for the middle-grade audience. It would be a great school read, with its exciting story, excellent pacing and concepts, and vocabulary just challenging enough to give students much to discuss.
I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Hana gets herself into and out of next! (Hint hint).
I enjoyed the strong, clever, STEM-oriented female characters, including the MC. I particularly liked that this book was not dumbed down or over-simplified for the middle-grade audience. It would be a great school read, with its exciting story, excellent pacing and concepts, and vocabulary just challenging enough to give students much to discuss.
I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Hana gets herself into and out of next! (Hint hint).
pib003's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very cool and original idea! I loved the premise of corporations completely taking the place of government (not actually, but for the story lol) and the mesh concept. The writing is where this fell flat for me. It felt like I was being told a series of events, rather than experiencing a story. Some of the phrasing was clunky, and the foreshadowing either gave too much away or was wildly confusing. The characters experienced emotional changes of heart too fast to be realistic, and I had to suspend my disbelief frequently in order for the plot to work. A younger reader might enjoy this thoroughly, but I've read so much high quality middle grade that this doesn't quite make the ranks for me.
booksandsalt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
4.0
victorpineiro's review against another edition
5.0
Oh how I loved this book! The dazzling world-building, breakneck pace, and enormous heart make Hana Hsu & and the Ghost Crab Nation both impossible to put down and impossible to stop thinking about days and weeks later. What first struck me was how brilliant and terrifying Sylvia’s vision of the near-ish future is. It hits very close to home – between the dangers of corporations controlling our lives and the climate crisis coming to a head, you wonder if she’s looked into a crystal ball and seen fifteen years into the future.
But the world building is only a small portion of this book’s brilliance. Sylvia puts so much care into the characters and their relationships, they seem to truly leap off the page. Hana’s grief at her father’s death is so visceral, and her struggles with loneliness will be so relatable for many kids. There’s also the big, fascinating question at the core (especially early-on) –– would you want to be “meshed”?
I loved this book as a gamer, as a sci-fi nerd, as someone who’s worried for our planet’s future, and as a sucker for memorable characters and a great story.
But the world building is only a small portion of this book’s brilliance. Sylvia puts so much care into the characters and their relationships, they seem to truly leap off the page. Hana’s grief at her father’s death is so visceral, and her struggles with loneliness will be so relatable for many kids. There’s also the big, fascinating question at the core (especially early-on) –– would you want to be “meshed”?
I loved this book as a gamer, as a sci-fi nerd, as someone who’s worried for our planet’s future, and as a sucker for memorable characters and a great story.
naomiysl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
I adore several things about this book, but most prominently, it really got me thinking. What would it mean to see another person's "profile" in real time? What is the goal of meditation? Who should hold power? How does generational trauma heal? So many good questions.
I do think that this book soft-pedals the ending, which I was disappointed by. I understand that likely the author or the editors thought that a stronger ending wasn't going to be age appropriate, but I disagree. I think a more complex ending could have really leveled this up. That said, I'm still giving it 5 stars because it's so thought provoking.
I do think that this book soft-pedals the ending, which I was disappointed by. I understand that likely the author or the editors thought that a stronger ending wasn't going to be age appropriate, but I disagree. I think a more complex ending could have really leveled this up. That said, I'm still giving it 5 stars because it's so thought provoking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Police brutality
Moderate: Bullying and Abandonment
literacyedprof's review
adventurous
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
4.0
briarrose1021's review against another edition
5.0
Hana Hsu is a 12-year-old who can't wait until she can be "meshed" and be able to connect with her mother and sister more fully. The process to become meshed involves going through the Start-Up program. Only, they've changed up the rules, and instead of the Start-Up program taking place throughout the school year, it will be compressed to take place during the 3 months of the summer. However, at the end of the summer, only those students who score in the top 50% will be "meshed."
Hana is determined to be in that group, but as the Start-Up program begins, she begins noticing things that don't seem right. Not only that, but her tech keeps malfunctioning, despite being told it's fine. When one of her teammates gets sick, Hana knows she has to do something. But what can she do? And will she be able to do it in time to save her friend?
This story was so much fun! Set about 30 years in the future, the world is absolutely possible based on our current society and the progression of technology. A little bit Ready Player One and a little bit Ender's Game, the classes that the students go through in the Start-Up program - which are really just tests designed to pit the students against each other - sounded both interesting and concerning. Liu did a wonderful job with developing the characters, with just the right amount of mystery to make sure that you aren't sure who can be trusted and who can't. As a result, the reader is experiencing the discovery of information right along with Hana, instead of knowing things the protagonist does not, and I think the story was even better for it.
As a general warning for any reader: You probably shouldn't start this book on an evening when you have to be up the next morning. I say that because I had not intended to finish this book in one sitting. But I did. And even though doing so interfered greatly with my sleep schedule, I do not regret the decision. The book was excellent.
Adding to the absolute ride that this story created was the audiobook. Narrated by Carolyn Kang, her performance was splendid, adding just the right amount of emotion and tension to the story, which pulled me even further into the story and certainly contributed to my inability to stop the book so I could go to sleep. LOL.
If you like stories that mix tech with mystery, have a strong female protagonist, and have a wonderful cast of characters to round out the experience, then you will probably like this book, too..
Hana is determined to be in that group, but as the Start-Up program begins, she begins noticing things that don't seem right. Not only that, but her tech keeps malfunctioning, despite being told it's fine. When one of her teammates gets sick, Hana knows she has to do something. But what can she do? And will she be able to do it in time to save her friend?
This story was so much fun! Set about 30 years in the future, the world is absolutely possible based on our current society and the progression of technology. A little bit Ready Player One and a little bit Ender's Game, the classes that the students go through in the Start-Up program - which are really just tests designed to pit the students against each other - sounded both interesting and concerning. Liu did a wonderful job with developing the characters, with just the right amount of mystery to make sure that you aren't sure who can be trusted and who can't. As a result, the reader is experiencing the discovery of information right along with Hana, instead of knowing things the protagonist does not, and I think the story was even better for it.
As a general warning for any reader: You probably shouldn't start this book on an evening when you have to be up the next morning. I say that because I had not intended to finish this book in one sitting. But I did. And even though doing so interfered greatly with my sleep schedule, I do not regret the decision. The book was excellent.
Adding to the absolute ride that this story created was the audiobook. Narrated by Carolyn Kang, her performance was splendid, adding just the right amount of emotion and tension to the story, which pulled me even further into the story and certainly contributed to my inability to stop the book so I could go to sleep. LOL.
If you like stories that mix tech with mystery, have a strong female protagonist, and have a wonderful cast of characters to round out the experience, then you will probably like this book, too..
melniksuzuki's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0