kcecil11's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
somarostam's review against another edition
3.0
Melissa De La Cruz is a very famous author with her many bestselling series. But I had never tried anything written by her and when this showed up - a collaboration and a dystopian - I knew I had to try reading it. Even though I have been reading a lot of not-so-good reviews about it.
Nat has been hiding for years, nobody can know that she is not normal. She is not like the others. She has to hide her eyes. But when she finds a stone and a map, and the key to a future in the Blue, she decides to journey to the Blue with the help of a group of vigilantes - Wes, Shakes, and the others. And on the way, they face many obstacles that challenge the true nature of friendship and love.
I have been reading a lot of reviews about this book. But many of them are not very positive. They say that this is not the usual writing style of Melissa De La Cruz and that this has disappointed them. But since I am a very new reader, I don't know if this differs from her usual, but her writing style captivated me. She breathes life into her characters so that when you read the book, it feels as if you are there, with them, experiencing the same things.
Nat is a very likable character. She is an average girl- everything about her looks and her attitude is average. But she is special, on the inside. She is a brave. There is not much development considering the other characters, because there are too many to keep track of. I read this book about two weeks ago and right now, I only remember the name of the main characters, the others are just gone. Blank.
The romance is a very small subplot in the story. It's mostly attraction-at-first-sight. But the romance builds up slowly and I liked that a lot. It has tension and chemistry to spare. I loved Wes and his gorgeous self. Although he wasn't without flaws, he felt real and that is something that is not very present in YA novels these days.
But there are also flaws with this book. Like, how can elf-like creatures and small-dwarfs come out of the ice-cold climate. Where they real humans who evolved into elves and dwarfs? It's just not possible. Also the part about writing being reduced into symbols and numbers. Not believable either. These aspects were never explained and that bothered me.
The part that I didn't like the most was the ending. It just didn't appeal to me and I know that it ended this way to give more room to the sequel, but still - it just wasn't likable. Overall, this is an interesting read. I liked it.
melfurious's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting take on the post apocalyptic theme. Looking forward to the next one.
nicole_flnr's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing book with an amazing storyline and amazing characters.
The only thing I didn't understand was the drakon. Is it a dragon? Can it fly? Can it swim? What does it look like? What actually is it?
I hope this questions will be answered in the second book!
The only thing I didn't understand was the drakon. Is it a dragon? Can it fly? Can it swim? What does it look like? What actually is it?
I hope this questions will be answered in the second book!
laurenxoxo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
4.0
This is the second time of read this book and I thought it was just as good as the first!! I LOVE Wes and Nat together they are so so cute also Linnean and Shakes!!! I think the concept of New Vegas is really interesting because it does feel like something like that could happened in the future. I liked the plot of the story too. My favourite part was when they were on Alby with the smallmen and Linnean and they were playing cards and learning about each others cultures I thought it was nice they had a break from the chaos and devastation just to have a laugh. My favourite character is obviously Wes because he is just perfect. Such a nice person and a great captain ❤️❤️
sweetdreams_sunshine's review against another edition
4.0
*I received an arc copy from First Reads in order for an honest review*
"Wow. You're really speeding through that book." - my mom
This book at a bit of a slow start to be honest. It took me a while to really feel the intent of the story and form feelings for most of the characters, with the exception of Wes, who I fell in love with almost instantly. However, once I really got into the story I found it difficult to put down. I wanted to know what was going to happen with Nat, Wes & co.
I liked how this book was broken into five parts and they each had their own title and quote. I found that to make the story more unique and interesting. It also worked really well because some goal was either achieved or formed by the end of each individual part.
Also I found this book to be unique in the fact that it can easily be called both a dystopian or a fantasy novel. It definitely starts out as a dystopian, with a fantasical edge. I found it a bit freaky how realistic the possibility of this world that existed could happen, as it was set in future America. The commentary on how attached we are to materialistic goods and the loss of written language & illiteracy sky rocketing seemed accurate as something that could happen in the future. The world building was great, as I could see, feel & smell this world the characters were in. By the end of the novel however, you could easily argue that it was a fantasy based on the events that turned. It was certainly an unique way to end the novel.
As for the characters, I really enjoyed how de la Cruz and Johnston did not just have the "good" guys and the "bad" guys. There were several characters that were ambiguous, including, arguably, both Nat and Wes. This choice definitely made the story more appealing because both the main characters were trying to form an idea of who they were and fighting the whole idea of being a good person vs. a bad person. I also adored Wes and Nat's relationship. I love how it started as an attraction and formed, no matter how much they fought it, throughout the journey. They easily became one of my favorite (recently read) book relationships. As I said, I fell in love with Wes easily, but I found it a bit difficult to gauge my feelings on Nat in the beginning. In the end I really enjoyed her struggles with "being a monster" and discovering who she really was. I was certainly as attached to her as I was to Wes by the end. The secondary characters were all diverse and I found my attached to them no matter how much I liked or despised them by the end.
I am definitely excited to see how Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston intend to develop this series in the upcoming novels. I will certainly be looking forward to reading them.
4.5 stars
"Wow. You're really speeding through that book." - my mom
This book at a bit of a slow start to be honest. It took me a while to really feel the intent of the story and form feelings for most of the characters, with the exception of Wes, who I fell in love with almost instantly. However, once I really got into the story I found it difficult to put down. I wanted to know what was going to happen with Nat, Wes & co.
I liked how this book was broken into five parts and they each had their own title and quote. I found that to make the story more unique and interesting. It also worked really well because some goal was either achieved or formed by the end of each individual part.
Also I found this book to be unique in the fact that it can easily be called both a dystopian or a fantasy novel. It definitely starts out as a dystopian, with a fantasical edge. I found it a bit freaky how realistic the possibility of this world that existed could happen, as it was set in future America. The commentary on how attached we are to materialistic goods and the loss of written language & illiteracy sky rocketing seemed accurate as something that could happen in the future. The world building was great, as I could see, feel & smell this world the characters were in. By the end of the novel however, you could easily argue that it was a fantasy based on the events that turned. It was certainly an unique way to end the novel.
As for the characters, I really enjoyed how de la Cruz and Johnston did not just have the "good" guys and the "bad" guys. There were several characters that were ambiguous, including, arguably, both Nat and Wes. This choice definitely made the story more appealing because both the main characters were trying to form an idea of who they were and fighting the whole idea of being a good person vs. a bad person. I also adored Wes and Nat's relationship. I love how it started as an attraction and formed, no matter how much they fought it, throughout the journey. They easily became one of my favorite (recently read) book relationships. As I said, I fell in love with Wes easily, but I found it a bit difficult to gauge my feelings on Nat in the beginning. In the end I really enjoyed her struggles with "being a monster" and discovering who she really was. I was certainly as attached to her as I was to Wes by the end. The secondary characters were all diverse and I found my attached to them no matter how much I liked or despised them by the end.
I am definitely excited to see how Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston intend to develop this series in the upcoming novels. I will certainly be looking forward to reading them.
4.5 stars
raechsreads's review against another edition
5.0
Frozen is an amazing novel! There's an amazing mixture of fantasy, futuristic, and even a bit of environmental aspects. A great read overall!
jesssika's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not sure what to think or feel about this book. On the one hand, I liked it...a lot. On the other, it was terrible.
Nat begins in a cell, only brought out by the bad government to do missions because she's marked. We're in the future where the world is...Frozen, and Vegas has managed to climb it's seedy self out of the snow and be a place of surviving. It's a clash of dystopian, fantasy, and science fiction. You're hit with the dystopia right away, followed closely by the science fiction with dome cities, futuristic heat vests, and machines. Then, there's the whole fantasy where there are marked ones, elves, zombies, and little people. And, of course, these new beings only came out of the woodworks after the freeze hit everywhere. As a whole, the world building is uninventive. I would name it as Waterwold crashes into Mad Max.
None of these factors bothered me. I liked the characters, they were engaging enough. However, towards the end, everything got rushed. We were nearly lost in the waters, spent pages on an uneventful meal, and suddenly people are being killed and then brought back to life because someone just knew they could do it. Then, they're where they need to be and there's going to be this big battle, but No Wait! Let there be dragons! And suddenly there's dragon riders...so maybe add in some Eragon. I don't know. It felt rushed and laxidasical when it came to depth of emotions. I mean, one character claimed to be in love, and then they shed 1 tear and went off and everyone was ok with that. So, maybe the love wasn't so real after all. The editing was rushed too, because there were worse run-ons throughout the whole book than I have here.
I think what brought it to a terrible halt was the very flat characters in the end, the poor editing, and the seemingly substandard smorgasboard of genre add-ins that were thrown together. I've read Cruz before and will again, but this series will be a no go for me and I wish I hadn't even bothered finishing the book.
Nat begins in a cell, only brought out by the bad government to do missions because she's marked. We're in the future where the world is...Frozen, and Vegas has managed to climb it's seedy self out of the snow and be a place of surviving. It's a clash of dystopian, fantasy, and science fiction. You're hit with the dystopia right away, followed closely by the science fiction with dome cities, futuristic heat vests, and machines. Then, there's the whole fantasy where there are marked ones, elves, zombies, and little people. And, of course, these new beings only came out of the woodworks after the freeze hit everywhere. As a whole, the world building is uninventive. I would name it as Waterwold crashes into Mad Max.
None of these factors bothered me. I liked the characters, they were engaging enough. However, towards the end, everything got rushed. We were nearly lost in the waters, spent pages on an uneventful meal, and suddenly people are being killed and then brought back to life because someone just knew they could do it. Then, they're where they need to be and there's going to be this big battle, but No Wait! Let there be dragons! And suddenly there's dragon riders...so maybe add in some Eragon. I don't know. It felt rushed and laxidasical when it came to depth of emotions. I mean, one character claimed to be in love, and then they shed 1 tear and went off and everyone was ok with that. So, maybe the love wasn't so real after all. The editing was rushed too, because there were worse run-ons throughout the whole book than I have here.
I think what brought it to a terrible halt was the very flat characters in the end, the poor editing, and the seemingly substandard smorgasboard of genre add-ins that were thrown together. I've read Cruz before and will again, but this series will be a no go for me and I wish I hadn't even bothered finishing the book.
cajunliterarybelle's review against another edition
1.0
This book is weird. 2.5 stars, really. Overall, the book was OK, but I found myself riveted to know what happens next. It was such a dumpster fire that I was amazed with it.
What I liked:
-short chapters, fast-paced story
-the story to a point. Which point? The points it knew which genres it fell within.
-personalities and motivations of the characters
-found family
-adventure
-"will they/won't they" of Nat and Wes
-carefully crafted name meanings
-themes of climate change and pollution
-fable of "The Blue"
-incorporation of Greek mythology
What I didn't like:
-xenophobia and slavery - no full explanation of why or how. Such awful elements need a strong basis in the story.
-cross genre is fine, but such a blend of sci-fi and fantasy is confusing. The subgenres were never clearly defined based on the story. Also, apocalyptic... When?
-inconsistent narration - third person hers, third person his, omniscient... At least clearly break up when pov switches.
-lack of world explanation. Tell me WHY the ocean is toxic, what approximate year we are in with a new Pangaea, what happened to the sun and stars... The list goes on.
Those negatives, especially the last two, are what could ultimately prevent me from reading the series further. Depends how much I wonder about Eliza's whereabouts and condition. I only recommend this book if you like really weird, original stories and can deal with those negatives I listed.
What I liked:
-short chapters, fast-paced story
-the story to a point. Which point? The points it knew which genres it fell within.
-personalities and motivations of the characters
-found family
-adventure
-"will they/won't they" of Nat and Wes
-carefully crafted name meanings
-themes of climate change and pollution
-fable of "The Blue"
-incorporation of Greek mythology
What I didn't like:
-xenophobia and slavery - no full explanation of why or how. Such awful elements need a strong basis in the story.
-cross genre is fine, but such a blend of sci-fi and fantasy is confusing. The subgenres were never clearly defined based on the story. Also, apocalyptic... When?
-inconsistent narration - third person hers, third person his, omniscient... At least clearly break up when pov switches.
-lack of world explanation. Tell me WHY the ocean is toxic, what approximate year we are in with a new Pangaea, what happened to the sun and stars... The list goes on.
Those negatives, especially the last two, are what could ultimately prevent me from reading the series further. Depends how much I wonder about Eliza's whereabouts and condition. I only recommend this book if you like really weird, original stories and can deal with those negatives I listed.
kasiej's review against another edition
2.0
Asinine, convoluted, outlandish, and trite (big word goal reached!). Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston, the first in The Heart of Dread series, was nothing I had hoped it would be. Simply put, it was dumb.
Sure, it had it's more enjoyable sections, but the story as a whole was quite disheartening. Both the synopsis and the cover built up my expectations for this. I was sad when the book didn't deliver since I was really looking forward to this one.
The post-apocalyptic world that Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston was built upon an unknown premise. The temperature around the world had dropped drastically generations before but it was never explained how. I'm sorry but I can't just roll with that. Nuclear war block out the sun somehow? The background for the novel wasn't detailed enough for me. I was constantly questioning things like, "How did Polar Bears end up in Nevada?" Someone mind giving me a hint at least? Ugh, it drove me crazy. The idea was there and it started out so intriguing.
The opening scene was great. Trapped and cornered with nothing but a voice in your head telling you to jump out a window. Yeah, I was definitely geared up for the rest of the story. Sadly it went pretty downhill after that.
Now here's a familiar location, New Vegas. Familiar? How? Fallout of course!
Somehow Vegas was one of the very few locations to survive the floods (as described by our lead Natasha Kestal). Not very original IMO but at least it gave me a good image of the backdrop for the first third of the book, but what about people who don't play video games?
Well it wasn't described very well, so, good luck.
I need to point out that I listened to this book. It was actually my first audio book. The narrators consisted of 2 people, one for each viewpoint in the story (Natasha Kestal & Ryan Wesson). I think the fact that I was listening to it made it a little more interesting for me.
A vast majority of the "action" was short and futile. The race scene was over before I even recognized what was happening, the polar bear felt pointless, and don't even get me started on the ending sequence. I understand a fast-moving act, Frozen didn't have that. Frozen had rushed incidents that felt insignificant when they shouldn't have.
The romance is quite cheesy and by "quite" I mean horribly. Forcing the population to fill out forms just to kiss someone? You really think that would stop people? How do you even have a romantic relationship with someone without physical interaction? Old enough to man an RPG but not old enough to get some apparently. Sounds like the easy way out to make the attraction between Wes and Nat more significant. Well, hate to break it to you, but it didn't work.
Speaking of Nat and Wes, our lead characters are two sixteen year old kids who meet in one of the New Vegas Casinos. Wes is an ex-military mercenary and Nat is marked trying to get out. Yes, marked, meaning has a birthmark that gives her special powers... yep.
They're not the only teens around either. The entire country is basically under the age of 25. It's hard to picture a bunch of sixteen year olds running the military. Supposedly people tend to die of cancer quite early in life (mid-twenties) so... who is in charge of the casinos? Who runs the hospital? Who runs the government? I just can't. Even language has changed! Shorthand text has taken over as the standard for the written word. I guess that's what happens when teenagers run the country.
I'll admit there are a few concepts that Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston portrayed in an intriguing light. The "Thrillers", even though I dislike the idea of them in general, the name made me laugh. Although, I probably shouldn't be laughing at it... seeing as that they're disfigured and dying. The explanation behind them is even worse, but I won't spoil that.
I liked Shakes and Farouk as supporting characters. I think I'd read a story involving Shakes and Lianna. Avo the pirate was interesting as well. They each had more personality than Nat to me. Why not tap into those resources?
Apparently they're going to New Crete, which I can only assume is Crete with a new name like Vegas, you know, because it's never explained. Now here's the confusing part, they're leaving from LA. Did Mexico sink and they're cutting across? Or are they seriously setting sail from California to cross the Pacific? Can someone give these kids a map?!
I can't discuss the end without major spoilers but overall, I was not a fan. Here, I'll sum it up in two words, "Bacon fruit".
Sure, it had it's more enjoyable sections, but the story as a whole was quite disheartening. Both the synopsis and the cover built up my expectations for this. I was sad when the book didn't deliver since I was really looking forward to this one.
The post-apocalyptic world that Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston was built upon an unknown premise. The temperature around the world had dropped drastically generations before but it was never explained how. I'm sorry but I can't just roll with that. Nuclear war block out the sun somehow? The background for the novel wasn't detailed enough for me. I was constantly questioning things like, "How did Polar Bears end up in Nevada?" Someone mind giving me a hint at least? Ugh, it drove me crazy. The idea was there and it started out so intriguing.
The opening scene was great. Trapped and cornered with nothing but a voice in your head telling you to jump out a window. Yeah, I was definitely geared up for the rest of the story. Sadly it went pretty downhill after that.
Now here's a familiar location, New Vegas. Familiar? How? Fallout of course!
Somehow Vegas was one of the very few locations to survive the floods (as described by our lead Natasha Kestal). Not very original IMO but at least it gave me a good image of the backdrop for the first third of the book, but what about people who don't play video games?
Well it wasn't described very well, so, good luck.
I need to point out that I listened to this book. It was actually my first audio book. The narrators consisted of 2 people, one for each viewpoint in the story (Natasha Kestal & Ryan Wesson). I think the fact that I was listening to it made it a little more interesting for me.
A vast majority of the "action" was short and futile. The race scene was over before I even recognized what was happening, the polar bear felt pointless, and don't even get me started on the ending sequence. I understand a fast-moving act, Frozen didn't have that. Frozen had rushed incidents that felt insignificant when they shouldn't have.
The romance is quite cheesy and by "quite" I mean horribly. Forcing the population to fill out forms just to kiss someone? You really think that would stop people? How do you even have a romantic relationship with someone without physical interaction? Old enough to man an RPG but not old enough to get some apparently. Sounds like the easy way out to make the attraction between Wes and Nat more significant. Well, hate to break it to you, but it didn't work.
...and they were kissing, and kissing, and kissing, and his mouth was on hers...
Speaking of Nat and Wes, our lead characters are two sixteen year old kids who meet in one of the New Vegas Casinos. Wes is an ex-military mercenary and Nat is marked trying to get out. Yes, marked, meaning has a birthmark that gives her special powers... yep.
They're not the only teens around either. The entire country is basically under the age of 25. It's hard to picture a bunch of sixteen year olds running the military. Supposedly people tend to die of cancer quite early in life (mid-twenties) so... who is in charge of the casinos? Who runs the hospital? Who runs the government? I just can't. Even language has changed! Shorthand text has taken over as the standard for the written word. I guess that's what happens when teenagers run the country.
I'll admit there are a few concepts that Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston portrayed in an intriguing light. The "Thrillers", even though I dislike the idea of them in general, the name made me laugh. Although, I probably shouldn't be laughing at it... seeing as that they're disfigured and dying. The explanation behind them is even worse, but I won't spoil that.
I liked Shakes and Farouk as supporting characters. I think I'd read a story involving Shakes and Lianna. Avo the pirate was interesting as well. They each had more personality than Nat to me. Why not tap into those resources?
Apparently they're going to New Crete, which I can only assume is Crete with a new name like Vegas, you know, because it's never explained. Now here's the confusing part, they're leaving from LA. Did Mexico sink and they're cutting across? Or are they seriously setting sail from California to cross the Pacific? Can someone give these kids a map?!
I can't discuss the end without major spoilers but overall, I was not a fan. Here, I'll sum it up in two words, "Bacon fruit".
"It's Bacon Fruit. Tastes like fruit, looks like bacon."
- Wes