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emequalsme's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Enjoyable, quick read. At times this book can be a bit derivative. There are not a lot of new ideas here, and most of the characters we’ve seen before: the independent, stubborn young woman surviving in solitude by growing vegetables and fixing old radios; the father figure-esque neighbor who has become her constant companion in their dystopian open air prison of old project apartment buildings; the young man who was once a childhood friend that betrayed her and she now hates/has sexual tension with; the sexy, unpleasant, mysterious underground tech woman Sonya is forced to team up with despite their open hostility towards each other, etc.
The tech described in the story isn’t very far fetched, especially now that AI is becoming more mainstream. The main character, Sonya, goes through some development that is engaging and interesting enough. The “twist” about 3/4 of the way through isn’t mind blowing or earth shattering, but, still, a clever enough revelation that speaks to how our perception of our parents and upbringing as children changes as we develop a more worldly understanding in young adulthood. I would say the weakest aspect of the book is the ending — it feels super rushed, somewhat anti-climactic. There’s a weird subplot about a guerrilla group, the “Analog Army,” that is a thread through most of the first half or so, and the author attempts a sort of half tie-in to the twist at the end of the book that fizzles out and falls flat.
BUT, still a good book. Not intellectual but a fun way to spend your time when you want an easy escape into what could easily be the aftermath of the near-future.
The tech described in the story isn’t very far fetched, especially now that AI is becoming more mainstream. The main character, Sonya, goes through some development that is engaging and interesting enough. The “twist” about 3/4 of the way through isn’t mind blowing or earth shattering, but, still, a clever enough revelation that speaks to how our perception of our parents and upbringing as children changes as we develop a more worldly understanding in young adulthood. I would say the weakest aspect of the book is the ending — it feels super rushed, somewhat anti-climactic. There’s a weird subplot about a guerrilla group, the “Analog Army,” that is a thread through most of the first half or so, and the author attempts a sort of half tie-in to the twist at the end of the book that fizzles out and falls flat.
BUT, still a good book. Not intellectual but a fun way to spend your time when you want an easy escape into what could easily be the aftermath of the near-future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
rinku's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse, Racism, and Kidnapping
brilee92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
katenovah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received a copy of this book as part of my subscription to FairyLoot.
"Poster Girl" follows a young woman named Sonya. Sonya long believed in the Delegation's moto: " WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT". She followed it without question or second thought. But when the Delegation fell, and she is locked up with other important members of the Delegation in the Aperture, she begins to rethink everything. She is given the opportunity to earn her freedom and get out from under their watchful eye. Sonya is tasked with finding a missing girl, a second born to a family who should not have had a second child under the rules of the Delegation. Through her investigation, Sonya uncovers decades old secrets that could destroy her community's reality.
I really liked the idea of this book and the exploration of how surveillance is slowly encroaching on every part of our lives. It is easy to feel like wherever you are, technology will find you, and that might not be such a great thing. I also greatly appreciated that this book does not get too techy in explanation. I have a very visceral understanding of technology, so too much detail about the cloud would have really taken be out of the story.
Sonya as a character felt kind of flat to me. I wanted to see her complete her task, but I was never rooting for her. She is flawed and we learn something about her that is heartbreaking, but I never felt super connected to her as a person.
I think Veronica Roth does dystopian well, but this particular story just did not grab me like her others. Perhaps this was too futuristic with technology for me personally? Overall, I felt like this story was fine. I am happy I read it, but I likely will not think much about it.
I will probably pick up Veronica Roth in the future, just maybe not anything set in this world
"Poster Girl" follows a young woman named Sonya. Sonya long believed in the Delegation's moto: " WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT". She followed it without question or second thought. But when the Delegation fell, and she is locked up with other important members of the Delegation in the Aperture, she begins to rethink everything. She is given the opportunity to earn her freedom and get out from under their watchful eye. Sonya is tasked with finding a missing girl, a second born to a family who should not have had a second child under the rules of the Delegation. Through her investigation, Sonya uncovers decades old secrets that could destroy her community's reality.
I really liked the idea of this book and the exploration of how surveillance is slowly encroaching on every part of our lives. It is easy to feel like wherever you are, technology will find you, and that might not be such a great thing. I also greatly appreciated that this book does not get too techy in explanation. I have a very visceral understanding of technology, so too much detail about the cloud would have really taken be out of the story.
Sonya as a character felt kind of flat to me. I wanted to see her complete her task, but I was never rooting for her. She is flawed and we learn something about her that is heartbreaking, but I never felt super connected to her as a person.
I think Veronica Roth does dystopian well, but this particular story just did not grab me like her others. Perhaps this was too futuristic with technology for me personally? Overall, I felt like this story was fine. I am happy I read it, but I likely will not think much about it.
I will probably pick up Veronica Roth in the future, just maybe not anything set in this world
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
starrymess's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
kari_f's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
3.5
“You felt it, but you taught yourself to ignore it, because it was everywhere, because you didn’t trust yourself. Because they told you not to trust yourself.”
Dystopian to the core, Poster Girl exists in a world 10 years after an uprising they overthrew a tyrannical government known as The Delegation. The main character, the daughter one of its leaders, is locked away in a community made up of Delegation leaders and the family members who survived the uprising. She is given an opportunity to gain freedom by completing a seemingly impossible task, and as she plays detective, she discovers details that make her question everything she’s ever believed in.
Things I enjoyed:
👁️ The world building was done well, and it was easy to jump in and understand the motives of those on both sides of the uprising.
👁️ The main characters were deeply flawed people trying to make amends and grow from their past experiences.
👁️ The book almost has a dystopia within a dystopia, if that makes sense. Life under The Delegation marks the classic dystopian environment, and we go a step further here to see the society that followed the regime. We are treated to the aftermath of the uprising and we see whether life can go back to what it was or if the new government is just as terrible as the previous one. We also have a child of The Delegation as our main character, rather than someone who is standing up to the tyrannical government.
👁️ The book is unnervingly relevant, and it’s easy to see how technology and capitalism advanced together to get their society to where it was. The precursors are all present in our real world.
Things I think could have been better:
👁️ There were big storylines that didn’t feel resolved by the end.
👁️ The pacing was a bit slow in areas.
👁️ It felt like there was some depth missing, and I would have loved a bit more layering as the main character learns more and more about her family, her co-prisoners, and The Delegation’s many misdeeds.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and felt like it was a pretty solid dystopian story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault and Classism
honuzbubbles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
arantzazureads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was good but not amazing. It was thought-provoking and well-written; I definitely highlighted a lot of quotable passages! The sedate tone and style matched the protagonist’s personality which was also well-tied in with the plot and setting. It all hung together very skillfully. I really liked the ending. But the pace felt slow and reflective in a way that never got very exciting or emotionally personal for me so it took me a couple weeks to come back to it and finish it. Wasn’t a binging book for me (but that’s okay). I’d say read it if you’re interested in a story about the *aftermath* of what usually is the hot, exciting traditional dystopian tale (aka this author’s famous Divergent series). This is obviously a more mature writer and story which has its own pros and cons depending on the reader. But the setting and the way she handled the complexity and nuance of what happens to the poster child of a fascist regime after it toppled was well-done in my opinion. Definitely check content warnings though. I teach about these topics (fascism, propaganda, surveillance, censorship), and I’d recommend it if I worked with older high school or college kids.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
marareading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this look into a dystopian regime being overthrown by another government. Such an interesting thought process. The original corrupt government rewards citizens by paying/removing rewards via monitoring eye implants and reporting behaviors by citizens. When overthrown all citizens who supported the government are held in a secluded and guarded community for life. Including MC Sonya, who was the literal poster child for the deligation government. Now the new government is offering her her freedom in exchange for finding a missing person displaced my the deligation. She will find that the government she knew as a child wasn't as she thought it wasn't uncovering secrets and very uncomfortable information she didn't know she'd rather leave buried.
This is a slow burn and I couldn't put it down. Perfect for a dystopian weekend read. Highly recommend, and eerily relevant to the times.
This is a slow burn and I couldn't put it down. Perfect for a dystopian weekend read. Highly recommend, and eerily relevant to the times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail