A review by never_too_many_books
Every Kingdom Divided by Stephen Kozeniewski
4.0
Actually rating: 4.5 stars
This is one of those books that I found immensely fascinating the entire time but couldn't decide whether I loved it or not until the end. This book is extremely well written and the story-telling method is unique (in all the best ways!).
The protagonist, Jack, has a dry sense of humor that very much appealed to me. Although I didn't find him personally relatable, he was a well-developed character and I truly enjoyed his story.
The most interesting thing about this book is the way it is told. At the beginning of the story, Jack is in front of a firing squad. He gets off the hook by being granted his last request, which was to "plead his case." The entire story, up until the final 50 pages, is composed of chapters that alternate between his tale and his current situation. This story-telling method makes it very difficult to lay the book aside! You cannot simply stop at the end of the chapter. The author is adept at perfectly placed cliff-hangers; so once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down! Like Graves, you'll want to "find out how it ends."
Another thing that amused me about this book is that the author, for the most part, created his own slang/profanities. I thought this was great because 1. It added to the setting of the story, and 2. It meant there was very little real cussing in the book, which I appreciated.
This book was surprisingly deep. The plot of this dystopian story revolves around primarily two sorts of people: the over-zealous Christians and the extreme atheists. Everything is black and white to each side. By the end of the story, it has become clear that things aren't always black and white. Situations aren't, religion isn't, and people most certainly aren't. Everyone has their good and their bad sides. But at the end of the day, we are all still human beings and each of us matters.
Overall, this book was engaging, well thought out, and well-written. I will definitely be recommending it!
This is one of those books that I found immensely fascinating the entire time but couldn't decide whether I loved it or not until the end. This book is extremely well written and the story-telling method is unique (in all the best ways!).
The protagonist, Jack, has a dry sense of humor that very much appealed to me. Although I didn't find him personally relatable, he was a well-developed character and I truly enjoyed his story.
The most interesting thing about this book is the way it is told. At the beginning of the story, Jack is in front of a firing squad. He gets off the hook by being granted his last request, which was to "plead his case." The entire story, up until the final 50 pages, is composed of chapters that alternate between his tale and his current situation. This story-telling method makes it very difficult to lay the book aside! You cannot simply stop at the end of the chapter. The author is adept at perfectly placed cliff-hangers; so once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down! Like Graves, you'll want to "find out how it ends."
Another thing that amused me about this book is that the author, for the most part, created his own slang/profanities. I thought this was great because 1. It added to the setting of the story, and 2. It meant there was very little real cussing in the book, which I appreciated.
This book was surprisingly deep. The plot of this dystopian story revolves around primarily two sorts of people: the over-zealous Christians and the extreme atheists. Everything is black and white to each side. By the end of the story, it has become clear that things aren't always black and white. Situations aren't, religion isn't, and people most certainly aren't. Everyone has their good and their bad sides. But at the end of the day, we are all still human beings and each of us matters.
Overall, this book was engaging, well thought out, and well-written. I will definitely be recommending it!