floorflawless's review
3.5
The story is interesting, but I didn't feel as much connected to the characters as I hoped, so therefore it doesn't quite deserve a 4 star from me.
lilacs_books's review against another edition
3.0
First off, AMAZING cover! If I rated this book based on the cover alone it would definitely receive 5 stars. Also, the synopsis – wonderful! As soon as I read the synopsis I knew I'd have to read this book. You can imagine how delighted I was to see it available in an ARR! :)
Unfortunately, reading it was a slight disappointment. Probably only because I had such high expectations for it, but still. It was still a good book, just not as great as I'd hoped. The story was actually really great but there were too many other aspects of the book that were lacking which is the only reason I couldn't give it any more than 3 stars.
Most importantly, the characters. It may have just been me but quite a few of the characters were annoying. The main character, Mina, was just so whinny half the time. But then, all of a sudden, she'd stop being that mopy girl and turn into one of those kick-ass characters who won't let anyone mess with her or her friends and family. I'd have preferred her to be somewhere in the middle all the time instead of bouncing between the two extremes. Two of the other important characters, Angela and Sebastian, were a bit 2D. By the end of the book they began be feel real, but throughout the first three quarters they were really flat and boring. At least by the end all the characters were much better so I doubt I'll have this problem with The Vanished. The dialogue was a bit stiff at first too, but again, by the end of the book that problem was gone.
Anyway, it had a really interesting plot and the ending was great. In fact, the last 20% or so of the book was very good, good enough for 4 or 5 stars. I can't wait to read The Vanished (and luckily I don't have to) because all the worst bits of The Blemished had been ironed out by the end so the sequel should be super. :D
Unfortunately, reading it was a slight disappointment. Probably only because I had such high expectations for it, but still. It was still a good book, just not as great as I'd hoped. The story was actually really great but there were too many other aspects of the book that were lacking which is the only reason I couldn't give it any more than 3 stars.
Most importantly, the characters. It may have just been me but quite a few of the characters were annoying. The main character, Mina, was just so whinny half the time. But then, all of a sudden, she'd stop being that mopy girl and turn into one of those kick-ass characters who won't let anyone mess with her or her friends and family. I'd have preferred her to be somewhere in the middle all the time instead of bouncing between the two extremes. Two of the other important characters, Angela and Sebastian, were a bit 2D. By the end of the book they began be feel real, but throughout the first three quarters they were really flat and boring. At least by the end all the characters were much better so I doubt I'll have this problem with The Vanished. The dialogue was a bit stiff at first too, but again, by the end of the book that problem was gone.
Anyway, it had a really interesting plot and the ending was great. In fact, the last 20% or so of the book was very good, good enough for 4 or 5 stars. I can't wait to read The Vanished (and luckily I don't have to) because all the worst bits of The Blemished had been ironed out by the end so the sequel should be super. :D
danicapage's review against another edition
5.0
Also, be sure to check out this guest post and enter to win a copy of this book by clicking here. And now for my review.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
My Disclaimers: I received an electronic copy of this book for review as part of the blog tour. I received no compensation for reviewing this book. However, Cami who sets up the blog was paid for her time in setting this tour up. Let me reiterate that the only compensation I got was the pleasure of reading this book.
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Okay wow! I read the synopsis and saw the cover and immediately knew I had to read this book. Then my jaded side came out. I thought there was no way this book could be as good as I was expecting. I was right.
It was much better than I ever could have imagined. From the moment I read the first page, I was hooked. Sarah's writing drew me in from the get-go. I've read a million dystopian books and I always worry they are going to start being identical.
Then I read books like this one and I realize why I love this genre so much. Sarah's novel was frightening in the fact that it seemed all too plausible. Her characters rang drew; her words were beautifully constructed; her book resonated within me.
I already mentioned that the characters seemed so realistic. They were complex and I found myself sympathizing with them. None of the characters seemed flat. Something that I loved.
Plus, there was a love triangle. How can you not like a book with a good love triangle? Okay, I know some people don't like a love triangle but I do. And this one was so well-crafted.
Normally, I can easily pick which guy I like—not the case with this novel. I could not choose which guy I liked better. Sometimes I just get angry with the girl and think she's an idiot for stringing two guys along. That was also not the case with this novel. Their relationships seemed so real and I found myself so torn.
I finally know who I am a fan of and I must admit the answer genuinely surprised me. I'm not going to say whose side I am on because I don't want to give anything away. But just know this love triangle is brilliant.
The combination of her compellingly realistic characters combined with a world so horrific and yet intriguing to create a novel that never seemed dragged on. The pacing was perfect and that ending...let's just say I definitely have to read the sequel.
It's been awhile since I've read a dystopian that I enjoyed this much. The last time was when I read Starters by Lissa Price. (not to suggest the books are similar, because they aren't.) Her book was original, realistic, and compelling.
Basically, this book, this series, and this author have just made their way up to the top of my list for the year.
In Summary: A beautifully horrific world, shockingly realistic characters, and a masterful prose combine to make Sarah Dalton's Blemished a dystopian novel that readers will adore. Destined to become a popular read.
Warnings/Side-notes: This novel was actually quite clean. There are some very very very vague references to sex; however, I would not hesitate to recommend this to anybody.
The Wrap-up: I really liked this novel. The dialogue rang true and the characters seemed so realistic as well. I didn't expect to love this novel as much as I did, but it blew me away. I for one can't wait to see what Dalton does next.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
My Disclaimers: I received an electronic copy of this book for review as part of the blog tour. I received no compensation for reviewing this book. However, Cami who sets up the blog was paid for her time in setting this tour up. Let me reiterate that the only compensation I got was the pleasure of reading this book.
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Okay wow! I read the synopsis and saw the cover and immediately knew I had to read this book. Then my jaded side came out. I thought there was no way this book could be as good as I was expecting. I was right.
It was much better than I ever could have imagined. From the moment I read the first page, I was hooked. Sarah's writing drew me in from the get-go. I've read a million dystopian books and I always worry they are going to start being identical.
Then I read books like this one and I realize why I love this genre so much. Sarah's novel was frightening in the fact that it seemed all too plausible. Her characters rang drew; her words were beautifully constructed; her book resonated within me.
I already mentioned that the characters seemed so realistic. They were complex and I found myself sympathizing with them. None of the characters seemed flat. Something that I loved.
Plus, there was a love triangle. How can you not like a book with a good love triangle? Okay, I know some people don't like a love triangle but I do. And this one was so well-crafted.
Normally, I can easily pick which guy I like—not the case with this novel. I could not choose which guy I liked better. Sometimes I just get angry with the girl and think she's an idiot for stringing two guys along. That was also not the case with this novel. Their relationships seemed so real and I found myself so torn.
I finally know who I am a fan of and I must admit the answer genuinely surprised me. I'm not going to say whose side I am on because I don't want to give anything away. But just know this love triangle is brilliant.
The combination of her compellingly realistic characters combined with a world so horrific and yet intriguing to create a novel that never seemed dragged on. The pacing was perfect and that ending...let's just say I definitely have to read the sequel.
It's been awhile since I've read a dystopian that I enjoyed this much. The last time was when I read Starters by Lissa Price. (not to suggest the books are similar, because they aren't.) Her book was original, realistic, and compelling.
Basically, this book, this series, and this author have just made their way up to the top of my list for the year.
In Summary: A beautifully horrific world, shockingly realistic characters, and a masterful prose combine to make Sarah Dalton's Blemished a dystopian novel that readers will adore. Destined to become a popular read.
Warnings/Side-notes: This novel was actually quite clean. There are some very very very vague references to sex; however, I would not hesitate to recommend this to anybody.
The Wrap-up: I really liked this novel. The dialogue rang true and the characters seemed so realistic as well. I didn't expect to love this novel as much as I did, but it blew me away. I for one can't wait to see what Dalton does next.
kimmetjuh23's review
3.0
Stel je een perfecte wereld voor. Een wereld waar alleen perfecte mensen mogen wonen. Er worden zelfs mensen genetisch gemanipuleerd om maar een zo perfect mogelijke samenleving op te bouwen. Alles wat niet perfect is, is uitschot. Die wereld is werkelijkheid in het spannende Onzuiver van Sarah Dalton.
Onzuiver speelt zich af in het toekomstige Groot-Brittannië. Men is inmiddels in staat om de perfecte mens te creëren. Rijke ouders kunnen op verzoek door het Ministerie voor Genetische Perfectionering (G.E.P.) perfecte kinderen maken. Iedereen die geen schoon DNA heeft is Onzuiver en wordt als slaaf gebruikt. Het ministerie heeft zelfs een operatie die voorkomt dat onzuiveren nog kinderen krijgen verplicht gesteld.
De vijftienjarige Mina Hart is de hoofdpersoon in dit boek. Ze heeft een geheim. Samen met haar vader verhuist ze naar Regio 14 voor een nieuwe start. Ze ontmoet Angela en haar broer Daniel, die ook een geheim blijkt te hebben. Wanneer een Onzuivere klasgenoot gearresteerd wordt, weet Mina het zeker. Ze is vastbesloten om haar leven niet te laten bepalen door de overheid, waarna ze besluit zich aan te sluiten bij het verzet. Als ze betrapt wordt met Sebastiaan, een G.E.P.- jongen, slaat ze op de vlucht. Elk contact tussen Onzuiveren en een G.E.P. is namelijk strafbaar.
Onzuiver is vlot geschreven en spannend. Vanaf de eerste bladzijde zit je in het verhaal. Het is in een bepaald opzicht ook realistisch. Tegenwoordig wordt er heel erg de nadruk gelegd op dat iedereen perfect moet zijn. Dat komt in dit boek heel sterk naar voren. Dit is nu nog slechts een verhaal, maar dit zou zomaar daadwerkelijk in de verre toekomst kunnen plaatsvinden.
Het is niet een heel dik boek, maar het had van mij best wat dikker mogen zijn. De plottwists volgen elkaar in rap tempo op en de personages leer je steeds beter kennen. Wat mij betreft had het wat uitgebreider mogen zijn. Maar het boek zoals het nu is, maakt het ideaal voor degene die juist niet van te dikke boeken houdt en toch een spannend verhaal wil lezen. Onzuiver zit vol spanning, liefde en verraad. Het is een boek in de trant van Divergent.
Onzuiver is een boek voor de liefhebber van Divergent en andere soortgelijke boeken in het YA-genre. Het is spannend en Dalton heeft een interessante wereld geschapen. Het is het eerste deel van een trilogie en dit boek heeft me nieuwsgierig genoeg gemaakt naar het volgende deel.
Onzuiver speelt zich af in het toekomstige Groot-Brittannië. Men is inmiddels in staat om de perfecte mens te creëren. Rijke ouders kunnen op verzoek door het Ministerie voor Genetische Perfectionering (G.E.P.) perfecte kinderen maken. Iedereen die geen schoon DNA heeft is Onzuiver en wordt als slaaf gebruikt. Het ministerie heeft zelfs een operatie die voorkomt dat onzuiveren nog kinderen krijgen verplicht gesteld.
De vijftienjarige Mina Hart is de hoofdpersoon in dit boek. Ze heeft een geheim. Samen met haar vader verhuist ze naar Regio 14 voor een nieuwe start. Ze ontmoet Angela en haar broer Daniel, die ook een geheim blijkt te hebben. Wanneer een Onzuivere klasgenoot gearresteerd wordt, weet Mina het zeker. Ze is vastbesloten om haar leven niet te laten bepalen door de overheid, waarna ze besluit zich aan te sluiten bij het verzet. Als ze betrapt wordt met Sebastiaan, een G.E.P.- jongen, slaat ze op de vlucht. Elk contact tussen Onzuiveren en een G.E.P. is namelijk strafbaar.
Onzuiver is vlot geschreven en spannend. Vanaf de eerste bladzijde zit je in het verhaal. Het is in een bepaald opzicht ook realistisch. Tegenwoordig wordt er heel erg de nadruk gelegd op dat iedereen perfect moet zijn. Dat komt in dit boek heel sterk naar voren. Dit is nu nog slechts een verhaal, maar dit zou zomaar daadwerkelijk in de verre toekomst kunnen plaatsvinden.
Het is niet een heel dik boek, maar het had van mij best wat dikker mogen zijn. De plottwists volgen elkaar in rap tempo op en de personages leer je steeds beter kennen. Wat mij betreft had het wat uitgebreider mogen zijn. Maar het boek zoals het nu is, maakt het ideaal voor degene die juist niet van te dikke boeken houdt en toch een spannend verhaal wil lezen. Onzuiver zit vol spanning, liefde en verraad. Het is een boek in de trant van Divergent.
Onzuiver is een boek voor de liefhebber van Divergent en andere soortgelijke boeken in het YA-genre. Het is spannend en Dalton heeft een interessante wereld geschapen. Het is het eerste deel van een trilogie en dit boek heeft me nieuwsgierig genoeg gemaakt naar het volgende deel.
bookish_satty's review against another edition
5.0
I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side.
firstly I would like to thank Sarah Dalton, author of The Blemished, for giving me this wonderful opportunity of reading and reviewing this fantastic books.
Well, where to start from? Okay, lets start with the outline of the story. So as we know from the blurb that in this futuristic story Britain is basically divided into two groups of people, as in sort of caste system where on one side we have the perfect and appraised 'GEMS' who are basically genetically engineered people having perfection in respect of all fields and on the other hand we have the naturally born 'BLEMISHED' who are mistreated, oppressed and are made to work for the 'GEMS'.
In this scenario we get introduced to the protagonist of this story, a fifteen year old girl Mina, who is one of the Blemished but what I loved about her was the confidence, attitude and the fact that sometimes she is a little messed up and the other doesn't make her all perfect and grown-up which would have spoiled the read.
The characterization is remarkable and I really liked the writing style of the author which grabbed my attention from the very first and established a strong bonding between the characters and the plot unlike some of the other dystopian books where the characters fail to fit in the plot.
I'm not a great fan of dystopian novels but the author really stunned me with this epic story, I just loved it and would vote it as the second best dystopian read after Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy. If you loved that series then you would definitely love this one.
The uniqueness came in when I got the taste of fantasy mixed with dystopian and it really did spice up the story.
The romantic essence is present in this book and the author crafted well the love triangle without making it a chick flick.
All in all a great read which is full of good quality suspense, romance, emotional turmoil and over all a superb heroine who narrates the story.
Would like to recommend it to all dystopian fans and if you aren't one then I would definitely recommend it as a must read because it has the potential of changing your taste and viewpoint about dystopian novels.
firstly I would like to thank Sarah Dalton, author of The Blemished, for giving me this wonderful opportunity of reading and reviewing this fantastic books.
Well, where to start from? Okay, lets start with the outline of the story. So as we know from the blurb that in this futuristic story Britain is basically divided into two groups of people, as in sort of caste system where on one side we have the perfect and appraised 'GEMS' who are basically genetically engineered people having perfection in respect of all fields and on the other hand we have the naturally born 'BLEMISHED' who are mistreated, oppressed and are made to work for the 'GEMS'.
In this scenario we get introduced to the protagonist of this story, a fifteen year old girl Mina, who is one of the Blemished but what I loved about her was the confidence, attitude and the fact that sometimes she is a little messed up and the other doesn't make her all perfect and grown-up which would have spoiled the read.
The characterization is remarkable and I really liked the writing style of the author which grabbed my attention from the very first and established a strong bonding between the characters and the plot unlike some of the other dystopian books where the characters fail to fit in the plot.
I'm not a great fan of dystopian novels but the author really stunned me with this epic story, I just loved it and would vote it as the second best dystopian read after Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy. If you loved that series then you would definitely love this one.
The uniqueness came in when I got the taste of fantasy mixed with dystopian and it really did spice up the story.
The romantic essence is present in this book and the author crafted well the love triangle without making it a chick flick.
All in all a great read which is full of good quality suspense, romance, emotional turmoil and over all a superb heroine who narrates the story.
Would like to recommend it to all dystopian fans and if you aren't one then I would definitely recommend it as a must read because it has the potential of changing your taste and viewpoint about dystopian novels.
vivianhester's review
4.0
Ik vond dit zo’n heerlijk boek! De wereld is echt enorm interessant en goed en gedetailleerd uitgewerkt: ik vond het zo tot om te lezen over de G.E.P.’s en de Onzuiveren en ik heb echt vol gretigheid alle informatie opgezogen. De schrijfstijl leest als een trein, de personages worden gaandeweg beter en het verhaal is boeiend, spannend en verre van voorspelbaar. Het heeft zijn imperfecties, maar ik heb er absoluut van genoten! Nu maar hopen dat deel 2 en 3 ook vertaald worden... Uitgebreide recensie: http://thebookreview.nl/recensies/dystopisch/onzuiver-sarah-dalton/
jennp28's review against another edition
3.0
Had a lot of potential but somehow just didn't quite get there for me. Maybe because the ending happened too quickly and felt rushed and then just... Stopped.
mybookishempire's review
5.0
~ Ik krijg een beter leven, een leven dat u wilt hebben. Met echte keuzes. En dat kunt u niet uitstaan. ~ Mina, Onzuiver
Wauw, ik moet eerlijk toegeven: zó goed. Had ik echt niet verwacht. Ik ben echt enorm blij dat ik mag deelnemen aan de blogtour van Onzuiver door Sarah Dalton. @dutchventurepublishing
Je vliegt doorheen de pagina's en leert de verschillende personages stap voor stap kennen ( #teamsebastian .. ;-) ). Het onderwerp of het algehele thema is niet echt origineel maar er wordt wel een geheel eigen draai en twist aan gegeven waardoor er nooit iets saai of langdradig overkwam. Ieder hoofdstuk werd met evenveel plezier gelezen en het einde smaakt dan ook naar meer. Onzuiver maakt namelijk deel uit van een trilogie.
Op deel 2 is het dus nog even wachten maar de novelle rond Elena is wel reeds verschenen en die willen jullie echt lezen na Onzuiver! Geloof mij! Dit is eindelijk eens een novelle die een meerwaarde geeft aan het hoofdverhaal!
Allemaal naar de (online) boekhandel dus! Hup hup!
Wauw, ik moet eerlijk toegeven: zó goed. Had ik echt niet verwacht. Ik ben echt enorm blij dat ik mag deelnemen aan de blogtour van Onzuiver door Sarah Dalton. @dutchventurepublishing
Je vliegt doorheen de pagina's en leert de verschillende personages stap voor stap kennen ( #teamsebastian .. ;-) ). Het onderwerp of het algehele thema is niet echt origineel maar er wordt wel een geheel eigen draai en twist aan gegeven waardoor er nooit iets saai of langdradig overkwam. Ieder hoofdstuk werd met evenveel plezier gelezen en het einde smaakt dan ook naar meer. Onzuiver maakt namelijk deel uit van een trilogie.
Op deel 2 is het dus nog even wachten maar de novelle rond Elena is wel reeds verschenen en die willen jullie echt lezen na Onzuiver! Geloof mij! Dit is eindelijk eens een novelle die een meerwaarde geeft aan het hoofdverhaal!
Allemaal naar de (online) boekhandel dus! Hup hup!