life_onthe_shelf's review against another edition
3.0
I missed the big hype about The Bar Code Tattoo when it came out and I read it in my 20s.
Overall, it fits in with all the other dystopian novels, but it also has a unique foundation with the bar code.
I didn't like how it ended without telling you what happened to one of the characters, you just kind of have to assume.
Though, if I kept reading the series, I'm sure if find out what happened. However, I think I'll put the series on the back burner for now.
Overall, it fits in with all the other dystopian novels, but it also has a unique foundation with the bar code.
I didn't like how it ended without telling you what happened to one of the characters, you just kind of have to assume.
Though, if I kept reading the series, I'm sure if find out what happened. However, I think I'll put the series on the back burner for now.
aprater's review against another edition
2.0
The premise behind this book seemed ingenious at first but too many times I had to wonder what I missed. There were several occasions where I thought I had missed reading a chapter or skipped over something because time seemed to pass in the story without details of how or why it passed.
neandering's review against another edition
1.0
So awful but a pleasure to read something so nostalgic
laurloncar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
philomath_in_phila's review against another edition
4.0
I wish there was an option to give a 3.5 rating. I enjoyed the premise but not the writing. I will read the 2nd book to see if the writing improves.
Just because a story is YA doesn't mean it can't be well written. The story felt rushed.
Just because a story is YA doesn't mean it can't be well written. The story felt rushed.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
The idea behind the book was good ... not so much the "bar code", but the idea of genetic history(predisposition), and what happens if everyone's is known. But the book? The writing? It wasn't very good. It just didn't feel natural. As the characters would speak, I would think "does anyone really talk like that?" The main character ... rolling eyes. Falling in "love" so quickly, not at all believable. The timing was odd too. Rather than being in the far future, it's unfolding in about present day (as it talks about stuff happening just a few years ago in 2011). So many of the changes were bigger, I don't know why the author didn't put it further in the future, or just didn't specify dates so the readers could imagine as they liked.
I don't know why, but some of the futuristic slang grated on me ... astral, final level, banged out. The names too ...Mfumbe, Nedra, Eutonah. I guess just trying to highlight all the different nationalities, but perhaps trying too hard?
Really, I could tell it wasn't clicking after the first few chapters. It just wasn't that long of a book, and I do like to finish what I start. I sped through, just to be done and move on. I see there are sequels, but I won't be reading them.
I don't know why, but some of the futuristic slang grated on me ... astral, final level, banged out. The names too ...Mfumbe, Nedra, Eutonah. I guess just trying to highlight all the different nationalities, but perhaps trying too hard?
Really, I could tell it wasn't clicking after the first few chapters. It just wasn't that long of a book, and I do like to finish what I start. I sped through, just to be done and move on. I see there are sequels, but I won't be reading them.
silodear's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good teen-lit. I appreciated the message, but thought the ending could have been better. I would have liked the main character more without the forced-feeling romance. Still, a good enough book.
klichtle's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting enough concept that kept me wanting to keep reading at times, but mostly it felt like it was written by a teenager. The main character falls in love way too fast.....twice. The main events happen way too quickly with little build up so I felt little investment in the characters or story line.
sonofthunder's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up on a whim when I was at Half Price Books and although the story is fairly simplistic, was a fun read! The ideas in this novel (that a global corporate organization would seek to slowly strip freedoms from people and exert its dominance, with most people welcoming such) are not new ones, but it fascinated me to read this book because it was written (what seems to be) a long time ago now, back in 2004. I would argue that in some ways society has become ever more accepting of corporations and governments tracking and controlling us, even if the mechanisms used are softer and more invisible chains than outlined in this book. We don't have an actual bar code tattooed on our arms (yet!) though we have done far more to offer our freedoms to those who do not care for our good. This book tells a cautionary tale, and I would argue it is even more relevant for us to listen to it now. The moral is most unsubtle, but sometimes subtlety is wasted on the willfully ignorant. I did laugh when reading this one at the slang used by the kids. Some of it seemed over-the-top but some of it seemed almost normal and I couldn't quite tell if the author made all the slang up or if some of it was in vogue back in '04 (when I was in high school!) The fact that I can't remember scares me just a bit. The ending of this book gets a bit weird and the science side of my brain got very confused as things got much more mystical and weird than I was expecting! Still, a fun book.