roseybot's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I felt so little while reading this book (apart from things I brought in about crooks and heists). I wasn't outraged by it, but I was also a little bored by it. It was very... Meh.
I think there was a bit of false advertising. The heist took up maybe one chapter. The main character was bland. Her choices strange. I thought the end was fine. Not emotionally wrought and must turn the page inducing, but it was answering the question of the book. Sort of. I wish it had come from Ciere instead of the agent.
Mostly I just felt... Very little about this book. It was kind of a disappointment.
I think there was a bit of false advertising. The heist took up maybe one chapter. The main character was bland. Her choices strange. I thought the end was fine. Not emotionally wrought and must turn the page inducing, but it was answering the question of the book. Sort of. I wish it had come from Ciere instead of the agent.
Mostly I just felt... Very little about this book. It was kind of a disappointment.
lindseymoore14's review against another edition
3.0
Possibly 2 1/2 stars. I was really excited to read this book. A vaccine for a deadly disease giving some of the population superpowers? Yes please. Unfortunately while the concept of this book is great, the plot wasn't. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and I didn't find the actual story itself to be very interesting. The writing style felt a little forced, and even though some of the chapters are focused on different characters, they all seemed to have the same voice and personalities.
amarylissw's review against another edition
4.0
I really like the premise and how that was executed. Some of the characters were quite entertaining such as Magnus (my favorite) and Devon. However, Cierre felt a bit lacking, as well as Daniel, our second POV character. I felt a few sparks fly from them, but they didn't give me much.
The plot was done pretty well. I like the classification of the powers and how the ending worked out -- even though it seemed pretty obvious (it made me wonder how no one thought about it before).
Nice book overall.
The plot was done pretty well. I like the classification of the powers and how the ending worked out -- even though it seemed pretty obvious (it made me wonder how no one thought about it before).
Nice book overall.
bradleyj's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
libertyreads789's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was such a quick read for me. I read all but the last 60 pages on my day off yesterday and then finished the book before I went to work this morning. I think finishing a book in less than 24 hours is a sure sign that you’ve read a good one. Not because it’s easy to read or short. But because the book kept you reading. Illusive is a 2014 YA superhero of a sort novel. I say of a sort because we are following the bad guys in this one, the ‘Crooks’ who don’t want to use their powers for the good of the country or the world. They just want to be able to not be hunted down for wanting to live a normal life. 17 year old Ciere (and of course that’s not her real name) faces mob bosses and government agents while just trying to live a normal, human life.
I thought that the world building was a little flat. I wish that I knew more about the society as a whole or the powers and how they manifest. Everything just felt so surface level with that. Also, the settings weren’t well described which meant I had to put in the work to make scenes make sense some times. But this book still managed to get a 4 star rating out of me which means two things: 1) good characters, 2) good plot. I loved Ciere and her handler Kit (plus whatever Kit has going on with Magnus...please tell me there’s more of that in the sequel). I love their bond. Of course I do. Found family trope antibodies probably swim up and down my blood stream. I DID worry for a second that the found family stuff was going to get messed up with a romantic subplot--possibly a love triangle. But the author never quite took it there which I appreciated. It was published in 2014 it could have easily gone down that road.
Overall, this was just a fun and quick read for me. I’m wanting to pick up the sequel but don’t love that my only options currently are to purchase it. I got this one from the library and it was definitely a great choice to go that route. I kind of don’t love that my library doesn’t have the sequel. Not even on ebook or audio. So, I’m not sure when I’ll pick up the next one but hopefully by the end of the year.
elmeeks's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
cam_twad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0