quasidaisy's review against another edition
5.0
Love it. I feel like I haven't stopped thinking about this book since I read it in college. I would read anything Eskridge wrote. I wish I could read a million books like this one. I want to read one she recommended on Twitter--[b:Magonia|21393526|Magonia (Magonia, #1)|Maria Dahvana Headley|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1413479866s/21393526.jpg|40690062]. I like a lot of the characters. Probably Neill was my favorite--her advisor who knew how to handle everyone and get them to function as a team. I like Snow a lot. She is so beautiful. I like Jackal's web. Chao, with her womb chair. Crichton with her different contact lenses every day. Scully, not always likable, making grilled cheeses and knowing what wine Snow will like based on her favorite color. I like Jackal, how she drinks too much. Even Donatella, the complicated way she feels about her daughter's accomplishments. Khofi. Most of all, I think, Ko. Beautiful name. Lots of beautiful concepts for how they want things to work--the web, the training, being all-encompassing, like Google. I don't like Estar much, very pretentious, with all the different music in each room. But even still I kind of like her. On this last reading, it struck me as extremely sad. Just something about Jackal and Snow. It wasn't a great ending. SO many things it could have gone on with.
Spoiler
, how she hurt her wrist saving her daughter when she was playing too close to the cliffsSpoiler
Just...to basically end with Estar dislocating Snow's arm, and then Jackal agreeing to do the research with, as far as I'm concerned, little guarantee they won't go turning her brain to mush just as she'd feared.kytimeforbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I did not expect to love this book so much! Speculative fiction with zero love triangles. Female protagonist with a girlfriend, and no emphasis on coming out or homosexuality (I cannot say strongly enough how much I appreciate this). The writing was borderline irreverent which I enjoy. Story had some weak points, and a certain major conflict never seemed to be addressed? But I just really enjoyed reading this book.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Huh. That was a weird one. From the cover - which is different than the one on goodreads - which I hated mostly cause it kind of made the book seem like a ya romance. To the odd disjointed plot. This book had more ideas than it needed and it really didn't make all that good use of them. Probably any one of them would have made a decent book. The Gifted running the world. The corporation acting as a country. The virtual space as prison. The bar for people broken by virtual isolation. Even just Snow and Jackal's life at Ko. It didn't need all of this. It didn't make it feel richer, it just made it more crowded. And kind of felt that there was no obvious point to the world. But barring the absence of a sensical plot with an arc, the book was good anyway. 3.5 of 5.
angieinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Ren "Jackal" Segura is the Hope of Ko, and honestly I'm still not sure what that exactly means, but what I gathered is that Jackal has been set apart from birth and has been provided a sort of celebrity status, special training, and special treatment. Expectations are grand and it's stressful for her, but she's up for the challenge. She wants to do well--for her and for Ko. And then everything goes to hell.. She's convicted of a crime she didn't commit, and in her conviction, she's stripped of her Hope status, expelled from Ko, and sent to prison, where she undergoes a virtual reality solitary confinement for what feels like 6 years.
Basically, this book is everything I try to avoid, but I read it (for reasons) and I liked it way more than I expected I would.
The story is broken into three parts:
1. Jackal's life in Ko and training to be the Hope
2. Jackal's sentence
3. Jackal's life after her solitary confinement
I had a really hard time getting into this book and trying to figure out the world building that was happening and, I mean, I still don't quite understand what it means to be a Hope. It was a chore to read and I forced my way to get through, and I'm I'm glad I did. Jackal is likable; her girlfriend, Snow, even moreso, but everything else was hard to figure out: the relationship to her webmates, her relationship with her parents, how Ko operated.
Everything picks up after the crime. Jackal's solitary confinement is fascinating, and thankfully didn't drag on. And then she's completed her sentence, and she tries to figure out what happened to her, how not to become a guinea pig in some government science experiment, and how to go on living her life now that everything is gone.
The ending was mostly satisfying, but I was left with questions unanswered, but it was Jackal I was most interested in, along with Snow and their relationship, and she seemed to get an ending that was good for her.
A note for those interested in the f-f aspect of this book: This isn't a romance, per se. The story doesn't revolve around Jackal's relationship with Snow, but it does play a big part. And I love a cute romance more than anyone, but it was quite refreshing to have a queer heroine whose relationship was completely normalized and not the story's central focus.
Basically, this book is everything I try to avoid, but I read it (for reasons) and I liked it way more than I expected I would.
The story is broken into three parts:
1. Jackal's life in Ko and training to be the Hope
2. Jackal's sentence
3. Jackal's life after her solitary confinement
I had a really hard time getting into this book and trying to figure out the world building that was happening and, I mean, I still don't quite understand what it means to be a Hope. It was a chore to read and I forced my way to get through, and I'm I'm glad I did. Jackal is likable; her girlfriend, Snow, even moreso, but everything else was hard to figure out: the relationship to her webmates, her relationship with her parents, how Ko operated.
Everything picks up after the crime. Jackal's solitary confinement is fascinating, and thankfully didn't drag on. And then she's completed her sentence, and she tries to figure out what happened to her, how not to become a guinea pig in some government science experiment, and how to go on living her life now that everything is gone.
The ending was mostly satisfying, but I was left with questions unanswered, but it was Jackal I was most interested in, along with Snow and their relationship, and she seemed to get an ending that was good for her.
A note for those interested in the f-f aspect of this book: This isn't a romance, per se. The story doesn't revolve around Jackal's relationship with Snow, but it does play a big part. And I love a cute romance more than anyone, but it was quite refreshing to have a queer heroine whose relationship was completely normalized and not the story's central focus.
sarracenia's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this novel. The world-building is effective and I liked the idea of Ko as this corporation striving to become a nation-state. Jackal Segura is a great main character, likeable, bright, educated in a Ko way, and bisexual. The other characters are also well developed and interesting. The plot is gripping and the depiction of Jackal's time in VC is cleverly written. I also enjoyed reading the part where we see Jackal change as she adjusts to life as a convicted killer in the real world, in a new country where she knows no one. Then a little twist leads to a happy ending!
ericawrites's review against another edition
5.0
Loved how this book viewed a specific type of dystopia, defied my expectations, and surprised me. Disclaimer: I know the author and think she's pretty great too.
silodear's review against another edition
3.0
This book was confusing. The first 100 pages were sort of hard to follow and built a world that was maybe not even all that relevant to the plot? But then things got interesting with the virtual reality solitary confinement and the solo community after release. But what was the real deal with her accidental murder of hundreds of people? I still feel confused about this.
Ultimately I think this book had some really interesting ideas that weren't executed well. Or maybe I just didn't follow along well enough because this past month was so dang busy. Can someone else read it and tell me?
Ultimately I think this book had some really interesting ideas that weren't executed well. Or maybe I just didn't follow along well enough because this past month was so dang busy. Can someone else read it and tell me?
thomcat's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting world of corporations is built in the first portion of the book, with rich descriptions of the protagonist and her friends, her school, and her situation. This teeters and is abruptly pushed into the second portion, solitary confinement. Dark and difficult to read, but it does show character growth. In the final portion, the aftermath, a new life is built. The narrative here is solid and the writing excellent.
It took me three tries to start this book. The first chapter has a lot of world detail and many characters. Several are left behind, and may not have been strictly necessary. Perhaps this was written at different times? Travel forced a break shortly after starting the second part, and I ended up thinking of a Phillip K Dick version of the rest of the story. Unfortunately, the narrative didn't go that direction - but I did enjoy Eskridge's resolution. 3½ stars.
It took me three tries to start this book. The first chapter has a lot of world detail and many characters. Several are left behind, and may not have been strictly necessary. Perhaps this was written at different times? Travel forced a break shortly after starting the second part, and I ended up thinking of a Phillip K Dick version of the rest of the story. Unfortunately, the narrative didn't go that direction - but I did enjoy Eskridge's resolution. 3½ stars.
plumeriade's review
3.0
3.5; I liked this quite a bit but I don't think it did as much as it could have, in order to get a 4. This kinda reminds me of the Santa Olivia books by Jacqueline Carey. They're definitely not the same but they have some of the same elements (speculative sci-fi starring queer ladies/a lesbian couple, Jackal doesn't have literal superpowers but she's kinda viewed that way still, a major traumatic event that they have to work through and the girlfriend perseveres with them through). It's a nice read!
I will say that (spoilers ahead but possible content warning):.
ALSO (spoiler that happens early in the book) is SUCH A HUGE PET PEEVE OF MINE that it's another reason this didn't get 4 stars.
I will say that (spoilers ahead but possible content warning):
Spoiler
when she starts losing her grip with reality in VC solitary, it was pretty scary. And when she tries to explain it to Snow how she cut her out so she couldn't feel and so she doesn't deserve her love anymore, wow that was gut-wrenching for meALSO (spoiler that happens early in the book)
Spoiler
having someone cheat on her girlfriend with a boyrobforteath's review against another edition
3.0
It's nice to read a dystopian YA style story in which the young woman protagonist is not some sort of superstar. Ren/Jackal is talented at corporate project management, and she is "The Chosen One" in the story's slightly future world, but she is no Katniss Everdeen.
Everything is moving along just swell for Ren in the early part of the book, and the author plays this remarkably straight. There is no significant foreshadowing, other than that we readers know something has to happen for there to be a story. When the sudden changes happen, it feels almost as though the author was unaware that anything was about to change. Minor characters and side arcs are introduced as though this is the story that is being told... until suddenly that story is no longer possible. I found this very effective.
We are taken (with Jackal) through a long period of suffering and loss, during which she rewrites her self-image at least twice. From her point of view, this is probably 90% of the time we spend with her. For us, it is a compact middle section of a longish book. The 'before' and 'after' sections are far longer, although they describe far shorter time periods.
I liked most of the 'before' story, with Ren struggling to be worthy of the great hope the corporation/country had for her. Even with its distinctly YA feel, old grey readers are not alienated.
The 'after' story is more important (of course), and I also enjoyed most of this. It suffers from having too many cartoonish side characters, and relies a bit too much on sci-fi tech thrown in for not much purpose. Still, the main themes are resolved nicely enough.
My main niggles with the book:
- there is too much description of what colours are in each part of a room, what beer and wine everyone is drinking in every single scene, etc. The amount of description seems about right; I wished only for some variations.
- Snow is very close to being a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, existing mainly to provide illimitable love and support to the protagonist.
- the ending is perfunctory -- the story reaches a natural climax, and the author simply tidies up with as little fuss as possible. After all we've been through, it seems too fluffy.
Everything is moving along just swell for Ren in the early part of the book, and the author plays this remarkably straight. There is no significant foreshadowing, other than that we readers know something has to happen for there to be a story. When the sudden changes happen, it feels almost as though the author was unaware that anything was about to change. Minor characters and side arcs are introduced as though this is the story that is being told... until suddenly that story is no longer possible. I found this very effective.
We are taken (with Jackal) through a long period of suffering and loss, during which she rewrites her self-image at least twice. From her point of view, this is probably 90% of the time we spend with her. For us, it is a compact middle section of a longish book. The 'before' and 'after' sections are far longer, although they describe far shorter time periods.
I liked most of the 'before' story, with Ren struggling to be worthy of the great hope the corporation/country had for her. Even with its distinctly YA feel, old grey readers are not alienated.
The 'after' story is more important (of course), and I also enjoyed most of this. It suffers from having too many cartoonish side characters, and relies a bit too much on sci-fi tech thrown in for not much purpose. Still, the main themes are resolved nicely enough.
My main niggles with the book:
- there is too much description of what colours are in each part of a room, what beer and wine everyone is drinking in every single scene, etc. The amount of description seems about right; I wished only for some variations.
- Snow is very close to being a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, existing mainly to provide illimitable love and support to the protagonist.
- the ending is perfunctory -- the story reaches a natural climax, and the author simply tidies up with as little fuss as possible. After all we've been through, it seems too fluffy.