bluedevil's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ajaubrey1's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, fast-paced page-turner. Great premise, if a little predictable in places. This was a simply written, “pulpy” book, but with high energy and lots of suspense. Highly recommended for reluctant readers.
joeyklinko's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
marimoose's review against another edition
3.0
I contemplated putting this in my "dystopia" category, but then realized it wasn't really much of one (unless you count the family stuck inside the Compound). Anyway, this was certainly...weird and just a wee bit (sic) disturbing. No, really, it was.
The most that did stick out was the turducken, to be honest, but I blame my siblings for that. The second and third things that did amuse me, though, were the Supplements and the source of "milk" in the Compound, both were just a wee bit insane, especially with the environment they lived in. Just...I'm not even sure where to go with that one.
And finally, I can't help but get geeky and start to think of Vault 101 in Bethesda's Fallout 3. Might be something about vaults and nuclear wars. Yep.
The most that did stick out was the turducken, to be honest, but I blame my siblings for that. The second and third things that did amuse me, though, were the Supplements and the source of "milk" in the Compound, both were just a wee bit insane, especially with the environment they lived in. Just...I'm not even sure where to go with that one.
And finally, I can't help but get geeky and start to think of Vault 101 in Bethesda's Fallout 3. Might be something about vaults and nuclear wars. Yep.
verydazedragon's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I would have enjoyed it much more if the writing style wasn’t so juvenile. The main character first person describing himself as a broody, angsty bad boy was nauseating. They were all pretty one dimensional, as characters, and Eli pretty much changed his whole attitude overnight. It was just way to fast and sloppily written.
the_lady_reads's review
3.0
The idea of The Compound was fascinating to me, as I'm sure it is to many. The apocalypse occurs and a family burrows their way underground into a pre-prepared refuse filled with everything the family needs to survive until aboveground is safe again. I was sure that I was going to love this, but alas, it fell short of my expectations. It was enjoyable, yes, but not mind-blowing like it had the potential to be.
Everything read as just too dang convenient. It drove me nuts that this family was able to thrive for so long with expensive gadgets that still worked, rooms designed to fit their every whim (each child had their own room, a theater, a nursery, a dance studio, etc.), and they even had a shelter for cattle! Maybe I'm just being too nit-picky because the father has a super powerful job that has left him with more money than I can even imagine and he had been preparing this protection against the apocalypse for a long time. It still just didn't work for me. Bother, bother, bother. It was too much for me to get on board with, as much as I wanted to (and I really wanted to). It was a bewildering concept that I was super excited to see written out.
The characters were… uncomfortable. I mean, I didn't understand any of them, nor did I like any of them. The characterizations of the minor characters were very one-dimensional, which made it all the more difficult to follow along with. How can you enjoy a book when you have no interest in the lives of those in which the story is about? I wanted more, and I wanted relationships between the main character and his family that made sense. They felt more like strangers than relatives who spent every single day together (that would make a great story though: Big Brother meets the apocalypse).
That being said, there were still things about this story that I enjoyed. It was definitely entertaining, The Compound is also very twisted--and as a twisted person (heh), I really liked some of the bizarre twists that story had. Though it wasn't difficult to see those twists coming. There were themes in this story that are rarely seen in YA sci-fi novels. Some of these were well done, others made me squirm. Most of the major plot points are obvious from the get-go--though there were times when I thought, "The author isn't really going to take the story there… Is she?" (She usually did.) Still, through it all, this is still a pretty entertaining read!
I feel like I'm only explaining negative things about this story, but I swear, there were some things that I really liked about it. The fact that I plan to read the sequel should say something about that. I'm really hoping that the sequel, The Fallout will capture my full interest like its prequel was unable to do--thought I'm trying to not let my hopes get away from me. The Compound had all the makings of a great thriller, but the execution was sorely lacking. There will definitely be people who enjoy this, and to whom I would recommend this novel. I understand why, but I believe that this book could've been done better.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.
This review can also be seen here on my blog.
Everything read as just too dang convenient. It drove me nuts that this family was able to thrive for so long with expensive gadgets that still worked, rooms designed to fit their every whim (each child had their own room, a theater, a nursery, a dance studio, etc.), and they even had a shelter for cattle! Maybe I'm just being too nit-picky because the father has a super powerful job that has left him with more money than I can even imagine and he had been preparing this protection against the apocalypse for a long time. It still just didn't work for me. Bother, bother, bother. It was too much for me to get on board with, as much as I wanted to (and I really wanted to). It was a bewildering concept that I was super excited to see written out.
The characters were… uncomfortable. I mean, I didn't understand any of them, nor did I like any of them. The characterizations of the minor characters were very one-dimensional, which made it all the more difficult to follow along with. How can you enjoy a book when you have no interest in the lives of those in which the story is about? I wanted more, and I wanted relationships between the main character and his family that made sense. They felt more like strangers than relatives who spent every single day together (that would make a great story though: Big Brother meets the apocalypse).
That being said, there were still things about this story that I enjoyed. It was definitely entertaining, The Compound is also very twisted--and as a twisted person (heh), I really liked some of the bizarre twists that story had. Though it wasn't difficult to see those twists coming. There were themes in this story that are rarely seen in YA sci-fi novels. Some of these were well done, others made me squirm. Most of the major plot points are obvious from the get-go--though there were times when I thought, "The author isn't really going to take the story there… Is she?" (She usually did.) Still, through it all, this is still a pretty entertaining read!
I feel like I'm only explaining negative things about this story, but I swear, there were some things that I really liked about it. The fact that I plan to read the sequel should say something about that. I'm really hoping that the sequel, The Fallout will capture my full interest like its prequel was unable to do--thought I'm trying to not let my hopes get away from me. The Compound had all the makings of a great thriller, but the execution was sorely lacking. There will definitely be people who enjoy this, and to whom I would recommend this novel. I understand why, but I believe that this book could've been done better.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.
This review can also be seen here on my blog.
hekate24's review against another edition
1.0
UghhhhhHHHHHHH
Not to be one of Those People but I seriously can't figure out why this one has such high ratings. The first half is almost entirely devoted to namedropping all the fancy crap this family has stockpiled away. The main plot is devoted to Eli learning to connect with his family, which is normally something I'd love. But in practice it ends up looking like his mother and sisters (all of whom end up being more interesting) leading him by the hand into being less of a selfish piece of shit... and then just kind of sitting back while Eli does everything. The villain goes from being decently complex to cartoonishly evil. And, for someone who's built up to be a nigh-unstoppable opponent, he's defeated much too easily.
And, seriously, in between all these cardboard cutouts... er, I mean, characters grappling with each other, the author continues to beat you over the head with how! very! wealthy! they are.
Ugh.
I might have given this a higher rating if I hadn't read [b:This is Not a Test|12043771|This is Not a Test|Courtney Summers|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1314375864s/12043771.jpg|17010494] and [b:A Girl Named Disaster|133775|A Girl Named Disaster|Nancy Farmer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328868787s/133775.jpg|1160483] recently. The former is a good example of a good way to write a flawed, frustrating character who's stuck in an apocalyptic setting. The latter's just a good example of what can be achieved, even by middle grade fiction.
Seriously, I loathed this book.
Not to be one of Those People but I seriously can't figure out why this one has such high ratings. The first half is almost entirely devoted to namedropping all the fancy crap this family has stockpiled away. The main plot is devoted to Eli learning to connect with his family, which is normally something I'd love. But in practice it ends up looking like his mother and sisters (all of whom end up being more interesting) leading him by the hand into being less of a selfish piece of shit... and then just kind of sitting back while Eli does everything. The villain goes from being decently complex to cartoonishly evil. And, for someone who's built up to be a nigh-unstoppable opponent, he's defeated much too easily.
And, seriously, in between all these cardboard cutouts... er, I mean, characters grappling with each other, the author continues to beat you over the head with how! very! wealthy! they are.
Ugh.
I might have given this a higher rating if I hadn't read [b:This is Not a Test|12043771|This is Not a Test|Courtney Summers|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1314375864s/12043771.jpg|17010494] and [b:A Girl Named Disaster|133775|A Girl Named Disaster|Nancy Farmer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328868787s/133775.jpg|1160483] recently. The former is a good example of a good way to write a flawed, frustrating character who's stuck in an apocalyptic setting. The latter's just a good example of what can be achieved, even by middle grade fiction.
Seriously, I loathed this book.
acozybooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
Compound was a good read. I thought it was a unique read that hasn't been done before. I will say it was pretty predictable though. You got an idea very early on what exactly was going to happen, so it didn't really leave you hoping or guessing anywhere. I'm not sure if I want to read book two.
melissapalmer404's review
5.0
A re-read....in anticipation of teaching it to my 9th graders next year. This book still hooked me. Off to reread the sequel.