The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau My rating: 2 of 5 stars Initial reaction: I’m less than impressed with “The Testing.” It started off intriguing enough, but as the story continued, I think the quality of it devolved and I couldn’t suspend my disbelief with respect to many elements that came across and unraveled at the … Continue reading »
‘Til The World Ends by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre, and Karen Duvall My rating: 4 of 5 stars Initial thoughts: Of all the stories in this compilation, I think Ann Aguirre’s “Thistle and Thorn” impressed me the most, followed by Kagawa’s “Blood of Eden” (which was good but I had some qualms about it), then … Continue reading »
Stung by Bethany Wiggins My rating: 1 of 5 stars Initial reaction: I definitely have a number of constructive things to say about “Stung”, but in the string of YA dystopian novels I’ve read, this proved disappointing on many levels. The thematics, the cliches, the structuring and characterizations. And that hurts considering the premise is … Continue reading »
Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch My rating: 2 of 5 stars Initial reaction: My second read from Jeff Hirsch in “Magisterium” definitely lacked a bit of finesse and progression. I had a hard time caring about the characters and the plot often had rough transitions that made it a more difficult read than it had to … Continue reading »
Unwind by Neal Shusterman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Initial thoughts: Yeah, I don’t have many words right now to say how much I enjoyed this book. Following Connor, Lev, Risa, Cy, among the cast of Unwinds (even the Admiral) was such a journey. Though truth be told, I would not wanna live in … Continue reading »
Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin My rating: 2 of 5 stars “Yesterday” was my first read from C.K. Kelly Martin, and it’s one of those reads that has a brilliant premise shaping the framework of the story, but the overarching execution leaves much to be desired. I did not like the structuring of the story … Continue reading »
Crewel by Gennifer Albin My rating: 2 of 5 stars The first thing that I thought about Gennifer Albin’s “Crewel” when doing my overall reflective thoughts about it was that I probably should’ve never read it in consideration as a dystopian work (in general) right after the rather developed and meticulously constructed thematic of “Ready … Continue reading »
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline My rating: 5 of 5 stars Initial reaction: And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you write a fun dystopian book with loads of pop culture/gaming references. I loved this from beginning to end and Wil Wheaton’s narration of the audiobook was flawless. Certainly among my favorite reads of … Continue reading »
Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt My rating: 1 of 5 stars Initial reaction:Before I start this review, I want to clarify a few things. First, I’ve read the whole of this novel. I’m not judging it on the cover (though I think in the measure of this review, I’d like to talk about that separately), … Continue reading »
Across the Universe by Beth Revis My rating: 4 of 5 stars I originally read “Across the Universe” back in 2011, but wanted to reread it in recent considerations via audiobook. I definitely loved the narration by Lauren Ambrose and Carlos Santos, which added to my enjoyment of the overarching novel. The premise centers around … Continue reading »
What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang My rating: 3 of 5 stars Initial thoughts: I know what you’re thinking: “Rose! Woman! 3-stars? 3-stars! Explain yourself this minute! You said you really liked this book, why are you giving it only 3-stars?!” I’ll explain, I promise. XD First things first, I have to give it … Continue reading »
Insurgent by Veronica Roth My rating: 2 of 5 stars It’s taken me forever to write a proper review/reflection on “Insurgent” – primarily because I feel like I’m not sure what to say about its impact on me – it definitely didn’t take me on the rollercoaster ride that “Divergent” had done. If anything, it … Continue reading »
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau My rating: 3 of 5 stars “The City of Ember” is a dystopic work centering around Lina and her friend Doon, who reside in an underground city called Ember. The city was meant as a refuge for the human race, designated by The Builders, with limited supplies and … Continue reading »
Blood Red Road by Moira Young My rating: 4 of 5 stars Moira Young’s “Blood Red Road” took me by complete surprise, I’ll admit. I didn’t expect such a engaging dystopian novel about a girl who travels out of the realm of her hometown to search for her abducted brother. Saba’s not the most likable … Continue reading »
The Giver by Lois Lowry My rating: 4 of 5 stars “The Giver” was probably one of the first dystopian novels that I had ever read, probably before I ever knew it was considered a dystopian work. It was introduced to me by my fifth grade English teacher, but I didn’t get a chance to … Continue reading »
