eric_conrad's review
3.0
At first I did not find the protagonist that sympathetic. Perhaps that was intentional on the part of the author. By the third act, I was definitely rooting for her to succeed.
Not heavy on science, but that was forgivable. Part of me was hoping that there would be more back story on how the island came to be new promised land, clearly that was not the intent of the author. The book was more concerned with social commentary than science.
Not heavy on science, but that was forgivable. Part of me was hoping that there would be more back story on how the island came to be new promised land, clearly that was not the intent of the author. The book was more concerned with social commentary than science.
fluffy8u's review
2.0
TL:DR Skip it. Wimpy, whiny, and undeserving hero who doesn't do anything the rebels could have lived without. Overuse of the words "sea" and "sweat".
How is this girl a hero? The only thing that she does that is the least bit heroic is in the final pages, after the battle and after she's been declared a hero. Everything that happens to Darcy is because time/place, not because she actually made decisions to affect something. Even then she does everything grudgingly while pouting.
It's not like she stood up for what she believed in, she just wanted to find her mom. She didn't care that the elections were rigged and that the government was set up in a way that no one could ever climb higher in the social ladder which is determined by which boat one arrived in on the way to the island. People were freely admitting how messed up their society was and all she could think was, "meh. I miss my mom. Ooh, that roast looks good. WTH, she forgot the roast was there?! Who forgets about real meat?! Can I have some? I miss my mom."
Nominees for most overused words:
>Sea
>Sweat
And holy crap were they used! Seafoam, Seaboard, Seafiber, Seaguard, seaweed... It goes on. "Hmm, I need to add some setting here, what word do I used... I know! I'll use our word and just add "sea" in front. Genius!" thinks Anna North.
Smelled like sweat, tasted like seat, sweaty seafiber, cuddled into the sweat, dried sweat, sweaty sweaty sweat-sweat. "Sweat" was particularly harrowing because I swear Anna North used it in rapid fire. I know it's a little hard to use synonyms for the word, but, ugh. It was too much.
I did never see "Seasweat" but maybe it didn't cross her mind. Either way, no one tell her, it'll end up in a sequel.
How is this girl a hero? The only thing that she does that is the least bit heroic is in the final pages, after the battle and after she's been declared a hero. Everything that happens to Darcy is because time/place, not because she actually made decisions to affect something. Even then she does everything grudgingly while pouting.
It's not like she stood up for what she believed in, she just wanted to find her mom. She didn't care that the elections were rigged and that the government was set up in a way that no one could ever climb higher in the social ladder which is determined by which boat one arrived in on the way to the island. People were freely admitting how messed up their society was and all she could think was, "meh. I miss my mom. Ooh, that roast looks good. WTH, she forgot the roast was there?! Who forgets about real meat?! Can I have some? I miss my mom."
Nominees for most overused words:
>Sea
>Sweat
And holy crap were they used! Seafoam, Seaboard, Seafiber, Seaguard, seaweed... It goes on. "Hmm, I need to add some setting here, what word do I used... I know! I'll use our word and just add "sea" in front. Genius!" thinks Anna North.
Smelled like sweat, tasted like seat, sweaty seafiber, cuddled into the sweat, dried sweat, sweaty sweaty sweat-sweat. "Sweat" was particularly harrowing because I swear Anna North used it in rapid fire. I know it's a little hard to use synonyms for the word, but, ugh. It was too much.
I did never see "Seasweat" but maybe it didn't cross her mind. Either way, no one tell her, it'll end up in a sequel.
maedo's review against another edition
3.0
Think Winter's Bone crossed with Ship Breaker, spiked with a little bit of The Hunger Games, and you have a good idea of what is excellent and maybe not so excellent about America Pacifica. The not so excellent thing is that because the market is so heavily saturated with dystopian worlds and headstrong girls in search of justice and/or their family members, this will seem like so many things you've already read and loved before. Perhaps in contrast it will fall short. You might be tempted to put it down within the first 100 pages.
But if you give Darcy's story time to grow on you, it will. If you have doubts that she is as indomitable as Ree Dolly, you must read to the ending. Anna North's prose seems almost styleless and confusing at first, as the post-apocalyptic world is being introduced, but given time to grow it takes on a crisp, understated beauty (again you must read to the ending).
Perhaps the best thing about the book is that its revolutionaries are vulnerable, very human, a balm to the flat characters of Ship Breaker. It's rare to read about revolutionaries that are defined as much by their susceptibility to being squashed as they are by their noble ideals. In fact, this is why I usually don't like reading political stories. But America Pacifica manages to be as much about people as it is about politics.
Fans of any of the books mentioned above should enjoy it. I really did.
But if you give Darcy's story time to grow on you, it will. If you have doubts that she is as indomitable as Ree Dolly, you must read to the ending. Anna North's prose seems almost styleless and confusing at first, as the post-apocalyptic world is being introduced, but given time to grow it takes on a crisp, understated beauty (again you must read to the ending).
Perhaps the best thing about the book is that its revolutionaries are vulnerable, very human, a balm to the flat characters of Ship Breaker. It's rare to read about revolutionaries that are defined as much by their susceptibility to being squashed as they are by their noble ideals. In fact, this is why I usually don't like reading political stories. But America Pacifica manages to be as much about people as it is about politics.
Fans of any of the books mentioned above should enjoy it. I really did.
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Erin
Cover Story: Yes, Please
BFF Charm: No, But Thank You
Swoonworthy Scale: 0
Talky Talk: A Manifesto
Bonus Factors: Climate Change, Cheese, Revolution
Relationship Status: My Kind of Depressing College Professor
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Yes, Please
BFF Charm: No, But Thank You
Swoonworthy Scale: 0
Talky Talk: A Manifesto
Bonus Factors: Climate Change, Cheese, Revolution
Relationship Status: My Kind of Depressing College Professor
Read the full book report here.
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