I reviewed each of these books independently on my blog. The sequel reviews will contain spoilers for the priors. Overall, I give the series three stars. The world-building had great detail, but the plot and characterizations were too dense, convoluted, and inconsistent to really grip me. Pure (#1) Fuse (#2) Burn (#3)
On Such a Full Sea
In the distant future, the world is split into three segments: the elite cities where the rich live in luxury, the labor colonies that provide the food, and the outside where life is a constant struggle. The story follows Fan, who was raised in B-Mor, which mainly supplies fish and vegetables to the cities. When her boyfriend goes missing, she walks away, unknowingly sparking the minds of those she leaves behind. The author did a fantastic job of spinning what feels like a fairy tale, […]
MelBivDevoe’s CBR Review #8: So, That Happened.
Well, that was certainly… something. I finished this novel over 24 hours ago and I’m still trying to collect my thoughts on it. Might as well start at the beginning. Be forewarned, there will be SPOILERS all over the place. The story picks up right where “The Year of the Flood” left off. As Ren, Amanda, Toby, and Jimmy attempt to deal with the murderous Painballers, the Crakers approach and, due to their lack of knowledge and fear, help the Painballers slip their bonds and […]
If you feel like Downton Abbey needs a splash of dystopia, you’re in luck!
This was an interesting mix of courtship, kind of Jane Austen-ish society romance with a dystopian story that was a lot like The Hunger Games. There’s a complicated class system, mysterious but hunky suitor, and all kinds of secrets and lies. It sort of feels like a book that was written specifically to appeal to me. Well, me and the millions of other people who like those things. You can read my full review of Landry Park here.
Mockingjay a Weak Finish to the Hunger Games Trilogy
Last year I decided to jump into the world of the Hunger Games and see what all the fuss was about. I thought the first installment was inventive and compelling (if a little light on characterization), and the second was a fantastic driving force, pushing the reader towards the inevitable climax. The third installment, Mockingjay, left me disappointed. First off, I want to be fair. This wasn’t really the book I was expecting, and that contributed largely to my disappointment. Suzanne Collins focuses on the […]
Let the Rain Wash Away All the Pain of Yesterday
“The Year of the Flood” isn’t really a sequel to “Oryx and Crake.” Instead, it tells the story of Toby and Ren, two members of the cult God’s Gardeners (GG), and how they have been able to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. It also, thankfully, fleshes out the two decades leading up to the cataclysmic plague from “Oryx and Crake” and manages to fill in the cracks from Snowman/Jimmy’s story. Toby came to the GG following the traumatic death of her parents, when she dropped […]