Scan barcode
jackslynn's review against another edition
2.0
I hate to be contrary, but I really didn't care for this book at all. For me, giving two stars is being generous. I thought it was really boring. The story was poorly paced and seemed to have no arc. I found myself wondering what the point was because nothing seemed to happen. Usually in these kind of books there is some tyrannical institution that our heroes are rebelling against and trying to overthrow. In this book the heroes didn't even seem to realize there was anything wrong with a system controlling the population's access to information and education. If there's no attempt to right the wrong what's the point of the story. The author also threw in some stuff about a war did nothing but create confusion. What's the war over? Is it related to the library in some way? Unfortunately, we have no idea because she never made any attempt to explain the conflict or relate it to the overall plot (what little plot there was). It was an interruption that made no sense to me and I wondered why she bothered bringing it up.
There were also character issues with the book. They were boring beyond belief. She wrote a series of one-dimensional characters that were defined by one or two character traits and that makes me crazy. For me, there can be no real connection with characters that are so poorly defined. How can I care about characters that only have a shell of a personality? I think part of my disinterest was due to the lack of chemistry between any of the characters. They are supposed to be friends and yet they had no connection whatsoever. The romantic angles felt forced and awkward. There was no heart at all.
The entire book was so blah that I had to struggle to finish it. It felt like "paint-by-numbers" young adult fiction. The idea behind the story may have been unique, but the execution certainly was not. I feel like I have read this same book many times over just in a slightly different form and written by a different author. It's very formulaic despite the unique concept. It was a very disappointing read for me.
There were also character issues with the book. They were boring beyond belief. She wrote a series of one-dimensional characters that were defined by one or two character traits and that makes me crazy. For me, there can be no real connection with characters that are so poorly defined. How can I care about characters that only have a shell of a personality? I think part of my disinterest was due to the lack of chemistry between any of the characters. They are supposed to be friends and yet they had no connection whatsoever. The romantic angles felt forced and awkward. There was no heart at all.
The entire book was so blah that I had to struggle to finish it. It felt like "paint-by-numbers" young adult fiction. The idea behind the story may have been unique, but the execution certainly was not. I feel like I have read this same book many times over just in a slightly different form and written by a different author. It's very formulaic despite the unique concept. It was a very disappointing read for me.
smilesgiggle's review against another edition
3.0
Slow in the beginning. Great setup and first book in a series. I've read other books by this author - not as impressive.
stacieh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
novelideea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
iheartyellowsubs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
five_pennies's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-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
mizzlroy's review against another edition
4.0
4.5--After a bit of a slow start this book was awesome! I cannot wait until the next one comes out. Will recommend this to my Harry Potter fans.
bardo's review against another edition
5.0
4.3/5: steampunk world fused with Hogwarts. Diverse characters fuel a dynamic plot and question the topic of information access.
panbo's review against another edition
3.0
Plot was interesting enough, but the writing didn't really hold my attention very well. And it didn't particularly convince me to want to continue the series.