A review by kitvaria_sarene
The Given by Colby R. Rice
4.0
3,5 stars
I quite enjoyed the main character, and her family dynamics. Loving father, who's rarely there as he is working his feet off trying to earn money. A mom who has a drug problem, but tries to do the best for her family, even if it means sacrificing principles and dignity. A young woman trying to care for her sister. A family just trying to get through life in a world that has broken down and war and violence are ever closing in on the few civilian territories.
I liked how real and three dimensional people felt and how they just did what needed doing. I also quite enjoyed the mix of post apocalyptic world, fantasy aspects, police procedural, survival, family, trust, betrayal and mystery.
The dystopian story features a lot of societal topics like oppression, racism, abuse of power, ... And I thought they were handled rather well!
I would have wished for a bit more explanation, or clearer settings here and there. We get thrown right in the middle of teh story, and I had to track back every so often, thinking I missed something, when it just wasn't actually there. It wasn't so much it really threw me off, but I felt a bit lost at times.
I also miss a bit of overarching plot, as it seems like a random string of things happening, without much forward progress.
As this does fit in with just trying to keep your head above the water I didn't mind the meandering too much, and still quite liked the story overall!
I quite enjoyed the main character, and her family dynamics. Loving father, who's rarely there as he is working his feet off trying to earn money. A mom who has a drug problem, but tries to do the best for her family, even if it means sacrificing principles and dignity. A young woman trying to care for her sister. A family just trying to get through life in a world that has broken down and war and violence are ever closing in on the few civilian territories.
I liked how real and three dimensional people felt and how they just did what needed doing. I also quite enjoyed the mix of post apocalyptic world, fantasy aspects, police procedural, survival, family, trust, betrayal and mystery.
The dystopian story features a lot of societal topics like oppression, racism, abuse of power, ... And I thought they were handled rather well!
I would have wished for a bit more explanation, or clearer settings here and there. We get thrown right in the middle of teh story, and I had to track back every so often, thinking I missed something, when it just wasn't actually there. It wasn't so much it really threw me off, but I felt a bit lost at times.
I also miss a bit of overarching plot, as it seems like a random string of things happening, without much forward progress.
As this does fit in with just trying to keep your head above the water I didn't mind the meandering too much, and still quite liked the story overall!