Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: April 2011
ISBN: 9780312650087
Source: Library
Deuce has spent her life hoping she'll be chosen as a hunter. When she receives her name and the huntress' marks at fifteen, she is content with her life in an underground home. But when she's paired with a hunter named Fade and they are sent on an impossible mission, her perspective of the world begins to change. The freaks that occupy the tunnels between enclaves are changing and her world is about to turn upside down.
Things I Liked:
I enjoyed the glimpse of another possible future. I thought it was interesting to have a whole society that lives underground in abandoned subway tunnels, though I really didn't understand why they were there. Deuce's enclave was somewhat predictably not-what-they-say-they-are, which is kind of what you expect in a dystopian book. I was a bit more intrigued by the second half, which showed the world topside and what was going on there. An interesting concept and world view.
Things I Didn't Like:
I really didn't find much else to enjoy, though. I thought it felt a little disjointed, more like the story was all about just describing this crazy future world than about the characters or the story. There weren't logical connections to me between what happened underground and then where Deuce ended up. Or how the Freaks came about. Or what they were. I couldn't figure out why they were so keen on getting to the library and figuring out what happened to make the world that way, except so that we as the reader would know what happened. It made the story feel awkward. I also didn't care much for the characters or the romance. I felt no connection to anyone and just wasn't that interested in what happened to them. I think it's a case of an interesting concept, but a story that just didn't work for me. *Mild spoiler* Oh, and I thought it was a bit odd that the book Deuce finds about half way through the story has an inscription "with love to Gracie from Mary" in the front, but at the end, it turns out to be a library book. Who gives a book to someone "with love" that they either took from the library or bought after the library discarded it? A small thing that really bugged this librarian. :) *End mild spoiler*
Read-alikes:
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
some, nothing too strong
mrg-factor: X
a little bit implied
v-factor: ->->->
definitely some gory fighting action
Overall rating: **
Did this one work for you or not? I think I'm in the minority for this book.
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Posts
I've heard great things about this, but haven't read. I love dystopians but sometimes writers are busy painting us a new world that other relatable items in the story fall short. Hmmmm, I may have to try this one for myself.
ReplyDeleteJen
Well, I thought this one sounded great so I bought it. Now everyone is less than impressed and I'm starting to worry. Hopefully I won't hate it too bad. ;)
ReplyDeleteJen, I'd definitely give it a shot! Lots of folks loved it.
ReplyDeleteJenny, you probably won't hate it as much as I did :)
I read this book and felt exactly the same way! The concept was interesting, but there were some serious logic problems with the plot. I wish the freaks had been explained.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, one thing I want to say is about the "with love" inscription in a library book. I buy a ton of used books from library book sales, and many of them have written inscriptions (many saying "with love"). These books may have been given as gifts, then later in their lives donated to the library, which eventually ended up being sold at a library book sale. I think it's fascinating to open up a book and see if I can track some of the history of where it's been based on inscriptions and whether or not it was a library book.
Emily, so glad I'm not alone! I can see how it would happen, but that seems a little awkward for all that to happen and then the person to treasure it enough to put it in a special box. My library sale books are definitely not the ones I'd treasure the most. But it really is a minor issue. :)
ReplyDelete