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readerxxx's review
4.0
Enjoyable read about superheroes in a death match fight. Not sure if I'll read book 2 but I enjoyed this.
planetarypan's review
5.0
Going into this book, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Once I realized that we had another "battle to the death" type of game, I expected to hate the story. (I'm just a little over dystopian societies and their ills.) Northcott really sucked me in quickly, though, and I found myself unable to put the book down. I was definitely rooting for Mox, and I loved all the dynamics between the various characters. Sure, the good guy had to win, but HOW he won was just as important. I'm actually looking forward to reading the second novel and see how the repercussions of Arena Mode play out.
gizmoto16's review
4.0
This is like Hunger Games with Superheroes and I pretty much love anything that is "like Hunger Games".
onemanbookclub's review
2.0
Check out my Booklikes Blog, Dan Grover: Cover to Cover
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
Good Idea. Lame Execution.
Area Mode could have been awesome...
...but it's not.
Sometimes, if the story is compelling enough, it can overcome bad writing.
Sometimes.
Not this time unfortunately.
No reason to continue with these books. No reason for to read this one actually. I wish I could get these days back.
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
Good Idea. Lame Execution.
Area Mode could have been awesome...
...but it's not.
Sometimes, if the story is compelling enough, it can overcome bad writing.
Sometimes.
Not this time unfortunately.
No reason to continue with these books. No reason for to read this one actually. I wish I could get these days back.
printedadventures's review
4.0
This was an interesting take on the 'superhuman abilities' story line. Mainly because the main character doesn't have any. Throw in some epic battles, a tournament to win billions of dollars and a futuristic world where the gap between rich and poor is as wide as it might get before a revolution and you have Area Mode in a nut shell.
First things first, my favorite, the world building. Northcott does an excellent job at creating this future setting where superhumans have started coming out of the woodwork. She does this without getting too overly detailed and giving just the right amount of background. No lengthy, drawn out descriptions about the economic state of things, or descriptively details the reader to death. She does just the right amount of continued world building throughout the entire novel. This is what I love in a good sci-fi/fantasy book.
The characters are done well and believable. Mox is your average guy, lover of comic books, and in need of a whole bunch of cash to get an enormous brain tumor removed from his head. This is where things really pick up in the book. The other Arena Mode participants have interesting backgrounds and great stories themselves. And of course the love interest. This wasn't some gushy, soaking wet romance. It was just the right amount.
I really enjoyed this read and would recommend this to anyone who likes a good "against all odds" main character and comic references, plus a little creative blood shed.
First things first, my favorite, the world building. Northcott does an excellent job at creating this future setting where superhumans have started coming out of the woodwork. She does this without getting too overly detailed and giving just the right amount of background. No lengthy, drawn out descriptions about the economic state of things, or descriptively details the reader to death. She does just the right amount of continued world building throughout the entire novel. This is what I love in a good sci-fi/fantasy book.
The characters are done well and believable. Mox is your average guy, lover of comic books, and in need of a whole bunch of cash to get an enormous brain tumor removed from his head. This is where things really pick up in the book. The other Arena Mode participants have interesting backgrounds and great stories themselves. And of course the love interest. This wasn't some gushy, soaking wet romance. It was just the right amount.
I really enjoyed this read and would recommend this to anyone who likes a good "against all odds" main character and comic references, plus a little creative blood shed.
samanthabryant's review
4.0
A good, solid superhero story. Northcott has created an interesting world and a sympathetic hero. A good play on the whole fight for entertainment thing. Very enjoyable.
calebrity's review
2.0
Flimsy Superhero Book
As a note, I didn't finish this book. I gave up about halfway through. I felt the voice was too passive and the characters were too flat. The writing itself wasn't bad, but it couldn't pull me into the story. Maybe it would be better for a younger audience, but it wasn't quite for me.
As a note, I didn't finish this book. I gave up about halfway through. I felt the voice was too passive and the characters were too flat. The writing itself wasn't bad, but it couldn't pull me into the story. Maybe it would be better for a younger audience, but it wasn't quite for me.