sandraagee's review against another edition
3.0
It's a post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen's [b:Persuasion|2156|Persuasion|Jane Austen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298411870s/2156.jpg|2534720]. Don't see that every day, do you?
As an Austen retelling it's actually pretty good - solid writing that does a fair job mimicking the style and a story that sticks fairly close to the original (from what I remember of Persuasion anyway) while still inserting its own ideas.
As a post-apocalyptic story, however, the world-building falls just a little flat for me. I would have appreciated a little more information about how the world got to be where it is when the story takes place. Then again the information we are given, limited as it is, kind of makes sense given the beliefs of the Ludite caste system and one of the points of the story is that...
In the end the blending of these two distinct elements - the Austen style with post-apocalyptic events - works impressively well despite the world-building hiccups. Most readers who give this one a try will probably enjoy it.
There's an appeal here to anyone who liked [b:Incarceron|332775|Incarceron (Incarceron, #1)|Catherine Fisher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327414514s/332775.jpg|323310].
As an Austen retelling it's actually pretty good - solid writing that does a fair job mimicking the style and a story that sticks fairly close to the original (from what I remember of Persuasion anyway) while still inserting its own ideas.
As a post-apocalyptic story, however, the world-building falls just a little flat for me. I would have appreciated a little more information about how the world got to be where it is when the story takes place. Then again the information we are given, limited as it is, kind of makes sense given the beliefs of the Ludite caste system and one of the points of the story is that
Spoiler
their system is flawedIn the end the blending of these two distinct elements - the Austen style with post-apocalyptic events - works impressively well despite the world-building hiccups. Most readers who give this one a try will probably enjoy it.
There's an appeal here to anyone who liked [b:Incarceron|332775|Incarceron (Incarceron, #1)|Catherine Fisher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327414514s/332775.jpg|323310].
mliztucker's review against another edition
4.0
I super enjoyed this. I really liked the world building. The characters at some points fell flat for me but I was interested enough to continue. Definitely will read the next.
suflet's review against another edition
4.0
The romance in this was intense and interesting, though I did come away with mixed feelings and an emotional hangover.
Drawbacks:
1) Sometimes did an okay job dealing with the slavery/plantation/oppression subject matter, but often did a poor job of it. I understand the point was to have the MC Elliot evolve her understanding of oppression and abuse and to outgrow her own belief of herself as a "benign master" who was there to "prevent worse abuses," but the concept of a benign slavemaster is a gross one so I would say the MC required a lot more rehabilitation than was shown.
2) Because of the major differences between the background here compared with the background in Jane Austen's Persuasion, it's understandable that Kai is a much angrier, more bitter character than Captain Wentworth in Persuasion. That said, just understand that the dynamic between Elliot and Kai in this story is not at all very similar to the dynamic between Anne and Captain Wentworth for these reasons. It's a totally different situation. That's not inherently a bad thing, they're just different stories.
Drawbacks:
1) Sometimes did an okay job dealing with the slavery/plantation/oppression subject matter, but often did a poor job of it. I understand the point was to have the MC Elliot evolve her understanding of oppression and abuse and to outgrow her own belief of herself as a "benign master" who was there to "prevent worse abuses," but the concept of a benign slavemaster is a gross one so I would say the MC required a lot more rehabilitation than was shown.
2) Because of the major differences between the background here compared with the background in Jane Austen's Persuasion, it's understandable that Kai is a much angrier, more bitter character than Captain Wentworth in Persuasion. That said, just understand that the dynamic between Elliot and Kai in this story is not at all very similar to the dynamic between Anne and Captain Wentworth for these reasons. It's a totally different situation. That's not inherently a bad thing, they're just different stories.
roseice's review against another edition
3.0
Aww, darn. I was hoping for a little more from this one, but it was garnished with a dollop of cheese at the end after all. I need to find me some well-written 'childhood romance to adult animosity,' because it's a trope I just adore. But man, yea… this just could've been much more, but it was a little too quiet, and once affections were finally professed, way too cheesy for my taste.
kimreadsthings's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed Elliott and I enjoyed the world that this is set in, but this book was honestly kind of a drag. My grievances:
* We really don't get to know Kai all that well.
* What we do see, he's kind of a dick. Like, unnecessarily cruel to Elliott in the beginning and continually hostile to her until more than halfway through the book.
* So there really wasn't enough time to actually build up the tension. It was hate hate hate hate>is somewhat nice to her>he's never stopped loving her after all! No gradual progression.
And uh yeah. That's pretty much it. No swoons occurred at all! Argh!
* We really don't get to know Kai all that well.
* What we do see, he's kind of a dick. Like, unnecessarily cruel to Elliott in the beginning and continually hostile to her until more than halfway through the book.
* So there really wasn't enough time to actually build up the tension. It was hate hate hate hate>is somewhat nice to her>he's never stopped loving her after all! No gradual progression.
And uh yeah. That's pretty much it. No swoons occurred at all! Argh!
sareidle's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
hiii_ris's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't really dislike the book, and I managed to get through it fairly quickly. There was something a bit uncomfortable as I was reading it, however, and I only realized what it was in the end. While I do like the idea of a dystopian future retelling of Persuasion, the what-was-essentially slavery aspect was hugely unnecessary and the author should have figured out a different premise without such Unfortunate Implications.
bookladysreviews's review against another edition
4.0
So after reading this book I really need to read persuasion and compare them.Seriously.At the beginning I thought that I wasn't going to like this book because I'm more into the kick ass heroine stuff.So I was really surprised when I discovered that during and after reading this book,Kai's and Elliot's story is so fascinating and interesting that I would really like to read more.I didn't expect for this book to be that good.I also understood that you don't need to know how to fight to be a kick ass heroine.Because people,let me tell you.Elliot certainly is a kick ass heroine because she stands out for the people she loves,she protects and doesn't want to abandon them.She used her mind to cope with bad situations and obstacles and that's what makes her one of my favorite kick ass heroines.In those certain parts where Kai was really rude and brought Elliot to tears,I swear that if I could I would climb into the freaking book and punch him in the face.So when you feel what the characters feel and experience stuff...and I don't consider myself stupid for saying things like that because I certainly do feel different emotions while reading a book.Sometimes I want to laugh and then cry and then shout and then scream.That's what happens when you're obsessed with books so...You can't blame a girl for loving books.Back to the point.So I loved this book and you must be wondering why I gave it four stars.That's because I just found out that the other books aren't going to be about Elliot and Kai.No people.And that's what angers me the most.When they publish the first book of a series and then when you finish that book you can't wait to read the second one.Meaning:you can't wait to learn what happens next with the characters you love...You find out that the other books will be about other people.And that's really frustrating.WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!Anyway....wanna read Persuasion so badly right now!XD
rosiethespy's review against another edition
3.0
Jane Austen's Persuasion retold as in a dystopian post apocalyptic future--what's not to like?
nyctose's review against another edition
4.0
It's a story that'll leave you breathless. I couldn't stop reading it once I started, and finished it within a few hours. It's sci-fi and a retelling of Persuasion, and strange as it may sound, it turned out that it couldn't have been any better...it didn't get five stars because to me the third part seemed a bit abrupt.