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zelephante's review against another edition
3.0
I was really intrigued in the beginning, but soon tired of the main character’s complete lack of common sense. Also, it felt as though the author decided to turn the story into a series about halfway through, and things got way crazier and were less satisfyingly handled or resolved from then on.
I think it will be a great hook for young readers, but not much fun for their older family members or counterparts.
I think it will be a great hook for young readers, but not much fun for their older family members or counterparts.
hanaaameera99's review against another edition
4.0
good. but i kinda expected taemon(correct spelling?)to become the true son. but the ending was ok
katlikespie's review against another edition
3.0
A solid 3.5 stars.
Taemon lives in a land where everyone has psi- that is, telekinesis. You use psi to food yourself, open doors, operate machinery- nobody uses their hands anymore. It isn't until an "accident" leaves Taemon without any psi that he realizes how much he really used it. But if he lets on and people find out, it's a one-way trip to the Dud Farm with him! Add in a psychotic brother, parents who refuse to acknowledge his new disability, and a town on the verge of a new era in history, and you've got an adventure.
Taemon lives in a land where everyone has psi- that is, telekinesis. You use psi to food yourself, open doors, operate machinery- nobody uses their hands anymore. It isn't until an "accident" leaves Taemon without any psi that he realizes how much he really used it. But if he lets on and people find out, it's a one-way trip to the Dud Farm with him! Add in a psychotic brother, parents who refuse to acknowledge his new disability, and a town on the verge of a new era in history, and you've got an adventure.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Dystopia for the middle grade crowd! Take a controlling, futuristic society with it's own system of religion, add a dash of psychokinesis and a kid who doesn't fit in, and you've got the bones of a solid, intriguing story. I liked Taemon as a character - sympathetic and easy to relate to - but was more interested in learning about the world he lives in. I'm not sure if it's the beginning of a series or a stand-alone, although these days I hope for stand-alones, and I this one has enough of a conclusion to do that. The upside to a sequel would be learning more about the larger world and what's going on outside of this one isolated community. I think this would appeal to both plot-driven readers and those more interesting in world-building, even though the action lags a little bit in the middle.
bookishgrrrl's review against another edition
4.0
Let me clarify...I really liked this book for a ten or eleven year old. I would even give it to an older reluctant reader. Despite an interesting premise, the writing is just too simple for the book to go much higher. And, it needs to, because the themes it addresses--pride, loyalty, deception, self-sacrifice and death--are ones that can require a bit of emotional maturity. My eleven year old read this in an afternoon and we had a great discussion about power, knowledge and making decisions for oneself or the good of others. Things I'm pretty sure the author intended and I liked. I also appreciated that the author explained psi as more than the power of telekinesis, but stipulated that in order to use it, one had to understand how something worked. A gentle introduction to the mechanics of magic that made the story more believable and more interesting. Great choice for readers who are too young to understand the machinations of Artemis Fowl.
anniemariek's review against another edition
4.0
First Look: This looked pretty interesting. I actually had a similar idea revolving in my head for quite awhile (though it's now been put indefinitely on the back burner). Ultimately, the execution of this book was very different from my idea, which is perfectly alright with me. Also, it's kinda refreshing to read middle grade every so often--it gives me a break from angsty romance and love triangles everywhere.
Setting: I love, more than anything, the fact that this setting made me think quite a bit about something I'd never thought of before. These people had spent their entire lives doing thing with psi, with everything from eating to doing work to playing sports. (Using "psi" is basically doing things with mental powers, like telekinesis.) I had never before considered how much our daily lives revolve around doing things, physical things. I'm pressing down on my keyboard right now. Earlier I picked up my food with a fork in order to eat it. I put my contact lens on my finger and put it into my eye (yep, I'm a contact-wearing person now). We physically do things, all day, every day. So what if you, say, didn't have to touch your phone in order to press the buttons? What if you could control everything internally? And then, what happens when you lose that power, in a world that doesn't know how to live without it?
This aspect was fascinating. Had this book been longer, I'm sure Krumwiede would have delved into this even more, but she still did a great job exploring this idea.
Characters: I liked Taemon. He reacted realistically to the events of the story, and had plenty likable traits. He was smart and determined. There wasn't anything that made him stand out from the crowd, but he was still a fairly solid lead.
Some of the side characters--especially kids other than Taemon--were flat. I could find no distinguishing traits about them. Except for Moke, though. I liked him. Something's up with that kid--I want to know more! And Yens had some really weird and interesting stuff going on. I'm skeptical that any sixteen-year-old would actually want to kill their brother, but...okay. At least he didn't stray into I'm-evil-because-I'm-evil mode.
Plot: It was interesting, but...it went too fast, for me. Some of this probably came from the fact that it was a MG book, but still (or maybe that's just me, because when I was twelve I was reading 500-page monsters). There were some things that could have been expanded on, giving the plot more depth.
I'm also a bit skeptical on some of the plot elements. As in, would that society turn completely from a good place to a not-so-good place that fast? I'm not sure I believe it. Can a twelve-year-old outsmart a prison system put in place by trained adults? Not sure I believe that, either.
Uniqueness: This book mixes familiar dystopian aspects with fresh, different ones.
Writing: There were some typos, but my copy is an ARC, so that's to be expected. Unless they weren't corrected when the book went to actual printing. But I'll assume they were.
Otherwise, the writing did a good job telling the story. I don't have anything more to say about it.
Likes: Nothing not already mentioned above.
Not-so-great: First thing: There are some weird biblical references here. I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing. I can't decide if some of these references are unintentional, of if they were meant to be there. First, there's the thing about the True Son, which is an obvious Christ-figure reference, not to mention a very interesting word choice. The "True Son" (okay, the kid who they thought was the True Son) tore down the temple. Um....
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three
days." (John 2:19)
And now I'm left wondering if the actual True Son is going to build it up again. Also, there's some stuff about a prophet leading people to a new land, etc.
Second thing: In the powerless colony, there is a family that safeguards a secret library. In this library, there is a book titled Understanding the Atom. The parents of the family make a comment that goes something like this (this is by no means an exact quote, but it's the general message): "If you knew what an atom was, and how to use it, you could destroy the world. That is why we must keep this knowledge secret." This is obviously referring to the atomic bomb, and how a person could potentially use this power to destory the world. I'm not going to sit here debating the ethics of dropping bombs on Japan during WWII, but in short, I believe it was necessary. There are 11-17 million reasons for this. (And no, I'm not just tossing out numbers.) Also, the idea of hiding knowledge has never sat well with me.
Third thing: I don't really agree with the choice Taemon made at the end, toThis doesn't sit well with me, either.
Overall: This is an interesting dystopian read with a likable main character. It presents some really cool and fairly well-executed concepts. I love the idea of psi and the culture that goes with it. This is a middle grade book, so it's aimed at 10-14 year olds, but then again, I'm sixteen and enjoyed it. The only thing that gives me pause is the subtext. There's some serious stuff going on beneath the surface of this book, and some of it doesn't sit well with me. Taemon's story is just the tip of the iceberg, here. I feel like younger readers won't see the subtext, but I did. It'll be interesting to see where the series goes.
Setting: I love, more than anything, the fact that this setting made me think quite a bit about something I'd never thought of before. These people had spent their entire lives doing thing with psi, with everything from eating to doing work to playing sports. (Using "psi" is basically doing things with mental powers, like telekinesis.) I had never before considered how much our daily lives revolve around doing things, physical things. I'm pressing down on my keyboard right now. Earlier I picked up my food with a fork in order to eat it. I put my contact lens on my finger and put it into my eye (yep, I'm a contact-wearing person now). We physically do things, all day, every day. So what if you, say, didn't have to touch your phone in order to press the buttons? What if you could control everything internally? And then, what happens when you lose that power, in a world that doesn't know how to live without it?
This aspect was fascinating. Had this book been longer, I'm sure Krumwiede would have delved into this even more, but she still did a great job exploring this idea.
Characters: I liked Taemon. He reacted realistically to the events of the story, and had plenty likable traits. He was smart and determined. There wasn't anything that made him stand out from the crowd, but he was still a fairly solid lead.
Some of the side characters--especially kids other than Taemon--were flat. I could find no distinguishing traits about them. Except for Moke, though. I liked him. Something's up with that kid--I want to know more! And Yens had some really weird and interesting stuff going on. I'm skeptical that any sixteen-year-old would actually want to kill their brother, but...okay. At least he didn't stray into I'm-evil-because-I'm-evil mode.
Plot: It was interesting, but...it went too fast, for me. Some of this probably came from the fact that it was a MG book, but still (or maybe that's just me, because when I was twelve I was reading 500-page monsters). There were some things that could have been expanded on, giving the plot more depth.
I'm also a bit skeptical on some of the plot elements. As in, would that society turn completely from a good place to a not-so-good place that fast? I'm not sure I believe it. Can a twelve-year-old outsmart a prison system put in place by trained adults? Not sure I believe that, either.
Uniqueness: This book mixes familiar dystopian aspects with fresh, different ones.
Writing: There were some typos, but my copy is an ARC, so that's to be expected. Unless they weren't corrected when the book went to actual printing. But I'll assume they were.
Otherwise, the writing did a good job telling the story. I don't have anything more to say about it.
Likes: Nothing not already mentioned above.
Not-so-great: First thing: There are some weird biblical references here. I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing. I can't decide if some of these references are unintentional, of if they were meant to be there. First, there's the thing about the True Son, which is an obvious Christ-figure reference, not to mention a very interesting word choice. The "True Son" (okay, the kid who they thought was the True Son) tore down the temple. Um....
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three
days." (John 2:19)
And now I'm left wondering if the actual True Son is going to build it up again. Also, there's some stuff about a prophet leading people to a new land, etc.
Second thing: In the powerless colony, there is a family that safeguards a secret library. In this library, there is a book titled Understanding the Atom. The parents of the family make a comment that goes something like this (this is by no means an exact quote, but it's the general message): "If you knew what an atom was, and how to use it, you could destroy the world. That is why we must keep this knowledge secret." This is obviously referring to the atomic bomb, and how a person could potentially use this power to destory the world. I'm not going to sit here debating the ethics of dropping bombs on Japan during WWII, but in short, I believe it was necessary. There are 11-17 million reasons for this. (And no, I'm not just tossing out numbers.) Also, the idea of hiding knowledge has never sat well with me.
Third thing: I don't really agree with the choice Taemon made at the end, to
Spoiler
get rid of everyone's psi. Yes, psi could be and was abused. But the majority of people used it for good. Taemon, who lives without psi anyway, has no right to make everyone's choice for that. I don't think he had any right to do this, even if it was "for the greater good".Overall: This is an interesting dystopian read with a likable main character. It presents some really cool and fairly well-executed concepts. I love the idea of psi and the culture that goes with it. This is a middle grade book, so it's aimed at 10-14 year olds, but then again, I'm sixteen and enjoyed it. The only thing that gives me pause is the subtext. There's some serious stuff going on beneath the surface of this book, and some of it doesn't sit well with me. Taemon's story is just the tip of the iceberg, here. I feel like younger readers won't see the subtext, but I did. It'll be interesting to see where the series goes.
the_bookish_musings_of_mari's review against another edition
3.0
Nice little YA dystopia. However, bad name for the novel since the protagonist is normal at first, joins the other type of people in the middle and then in the end is like everyone else. So he's never a freakling. He just moves from one group of people to the next. YA often cares little for logic in seeking catchy titles and gorgeous cover art. *sigh*
ghumpherys's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great middle-grade dystopian! The world building wasn't too complex and the main character was young (12 years old). I will definitely be recommending it to my kids.
bwander's review against another edition
4.0
This book really suprised me, because it was a pretty unique spin on telekinesis.I am always draw to any type of book or TV show where anyone or any group of people posses supernatural abilities, so I really enjoyed this one. The book was very fast paced, I think I finished it in three days (it's also an easy read). This book had pretty much everything I love in a book: interesting characters, unique plot, good storyline and great writing. I only have two complaints. Complaint Number One: This book had the worst set of names I've ever read.I picked out the two worst names in the book, just in case there were any doubts. "Vangie" and "Wiljamen". YIKES. I doubt the author ever said, "Vangie" out loud because if she did, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have named anyone that. I know I sound super critical, but names have a profound meaning to me. If your going to make up names at least pick ones that aren't cheap knock offs of other names, or just hideous names in general. Complaint Number Two: Moke really didn't have to die. In numerous places in the book people hinted that Taemon gave up his powers and chose not use them. Really his best friend dying wasn't enough motivation to get his powers back? Come on! The ending was really suprising and it defintely did not end in a predictable way; that was reshing. Not really sure what the next book could be about....