Helpful Score: 1
At first I wasn't so sure about this book, which I was asked to read by my sister-in-law.
I was confused in he beginning, simply because I have a hard time remembering the loads of character names used and thrown at me in books right away. This book is about 4 people: Clarke, Glass, Wells, and Bellamy and those that they love. They live on what seems to be a space station. Apparently something tragic happened on earth that destroyed it with radiation. It has been a few hundred years since and there is a system that is very strict on their space station. Many young kids get convicted of crimes and it seems as if there is little room for justice and for understanding at all.
Clarke is a young girl who had been confined for a few months. She was in love with Wells and cared so much for her parents who are scientists, when she found out a secret they were keeping and was concerned for them. She has no idea how to deal with this secret.
Glass (interesting name) is a girl who was also confined. The memories she has of Luke and wanting to make sure he is happy is all that matters to her. Something happened between them and she had to break it off, but a piece of her wants to never let him go.
Wells loves Clarke. She has no idea what he'd do for her and how much he is willing to give up anything to make sure she can live. His father is one of the people who is in charge and gives him advice that he believes is worth while. Wells will make you very irritated at the end of this book, I'm sure.
Bellamy seems to be the only person who has a sibling. He will do anything to protect her. He can survive just for her sake, but maybe his sister isn't all she seems to be to him anymore. Maybe someone else is starting to get his attention as well.
I was intrigued by this story and got very into it where I couldn't put it down after the first one hundred pages (so I finished the rest of it that day). There are many questions I have and then again there are many things yet to come that i am interested in finding out!! This was exciting!
I was confused in he beginning, simply because I have a hard time remembering the loads of character names used and thrown at me in books right away. This book is about 4 people: Clarke, Glass, Wells, and Bellamy and those that they love. They live on what seems to be a space station. Apparently something tragic happened on earth that destroyed it with radiation. It has been a few hundred years since and there is a system that is very strict on their space station. Many young kids get convicted of crimes and it seems as if there is little room for justice and for understanding at all.
Clarke is a young girl who had been confined for a few months. She was in love with Wells and cared so much for her parents who are scientists, when she found out a secret they were keeping and was concerned for them. She has no idea how to deal with this secret.
Glass (interesting name) is a girl who was also confined. The memories she has of Luke and wanting to make sure he is happy is all that matters to her. Something happened between them and she had to break it off, but a piece of her wants to never let him go.
Wells loves Clarke. She has no idea what he'd do for her and how much he is willing to give up anything to make sure she can live. His father is one of the people who is in charge and gives him advice that he believes is worth while. Wells will make you very irritated at the end of this book, I'm sure.
Bellamy seems to be the only person who has a sibling. He will do anything to protect her. He can survive just for her sake, but maybe his sister isn't all she seems to be to him anymore. Maybe someone else is starting to get his attention as well.
I was intrigued by this story and got very into it where I couldn't put it down after the first one hundred pages (so I finished the rest of it that day). There are many questions I have and then again there are many things yet to come that i am interested in finding out!! This was exciting!
Very interesting read. Leaves you wanting more. Good and fast read. What lengths would you go to for the one you love?
The book is interesting and the plot lines playing out have potential, but it didn't feel like a complete book. We are really left hanging with several cliffhangers in the balance. Also, I didn't feel the society and harsh laws governing these people were explored in depth. There's the teen love interests and a bit of a love triangle (ugh), but there was more to these relationships than the usual YA fare. A good read, but my advice is wait until the sequel is available to complete more of the story.
I think it is great story. I watched the 100 series. But It should next new episode and not finished "we meet again" and more happened is going on!
Having interviewed Kass Morgan last year and given the success of the CW series based on the books, I was plenty eager to give The 100 a try. While I haven't read a staggering amount of YA dystopian, the books in the genre that I have tried (e.g. classics like The Giver and the Uglies series), I absolutely loved; given my background, my initial impressions of the premise were highly anticipatory.
The book is told from four different teenagers' perspectives--Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass. All narratives aside from Glass's are told in a concurrent timeline, through the eyes of the delinquents who have been forced to settle on Earth for the first time in centuries. While Glass's story, which takes place back on the mothership, was initially the least interesting, it eventually pans out to serve as an anchor--a tie to the surviving, but still unstable lifestyle back in space.
Kass Morgan creates a vivid high-tech world in The 100, where citizens are divided by social standing and resources are limited--of course, except to the upperclass. Back on Earth, the prospects are obviously grim, but it's still a thrill of a journey to follow Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and the other 97, as they each rediscover a planet that they've only read about in books, yet have such a deep internal connection with. I appreciate the idea of providing different points of view, but think it was slightly too ambitious for the author to try to squeeze a Lord of the Flies-esque conflict AND a love triangle AND an undercurrent of radiation's aftereffects (say what?) into everything. It's all interesting until it just becomes too much; I'd have much preferred one central conflict with stronger relationship-building and more background insight.
While there is no one thing fatally wrong with any of the characters, all four of them are too generic, too idealized. Everyone loves having attractive/smart/clever characters to read about, but they all start to blend together when the author tries to make them all perfect, especially since everyone thinks in close third person. The unrealistic and unextraordinary characterization prevented me from developing any sort of attachment to any of them. The only one that seemed remotely human and believable was Bellamy, our resident rebel. But then again I've always been a sucker for bad boys with a past...
That said, the story itself is filled with drama and tension between the main characters (and secondary characters!) which makes The 100 exciting to read. The sheer nature of the resettlement of our planet is enthralling; Morgan does well with engaging readers to the surprises and twists scattered throughout the novel. There's definitely lots of action-filled scenes and, love it or hate, an INTENSE cliffhanger ending, that just leaves you thirsty for more.
Structurally, I found The 100 quite hard to work with. The constantly changing perspectives get a bit disorienting because it's not just a "he said, she said," but rather a "he said, she said, another he said, another she said." Kind of exhausting. On top of that, each of the narratives are very heavy on backstory which, in good fiction, is absolutely necessary. But when it takes up 50% of the book in the form of italicized flashbacks, it gets out of control.
Pros: Fascinating storyline and world-building // Engaging; keeps you hanging on constantly // Dramatic Earth-bound adventures and minor plot twists // Bellamy is a strongly written character // Ending makes me want to read the second book! That's what ultimately matters, right?
Cons: Abundance of flashbacks is annoying; causes disorder in the flow of the storytelling // Constant narrative shifts also gets chaotic // Stylistically unimpressive // All the characters are grossly idealized (i.e. sweet, pretty/handsome, kind, brave, etc.) and thus pretty forgettable (with the exception of Bellamy) // Cliffhanger ending may cause distress
Verdict: Despite my numerous quips with the lacking characters and structure of The 100, I found myself enjoying it while reading and left wanting more once finished. It's definitely a plot-driven sci-fi novel with lots of action and lots of suspense; if that's your thing, you should totally give it a chance. Kass Morgan's debut is one of those books that isn't mind-blowing, but is still hard to put down, so I definitely understand its appeal to mainstream young adult audiences. While unimpressive in a literary lens or by composition, The 100 is still a promising first installment in an exciting dystopian series.
Rating: 7 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; borrow, don't buy!
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, FSB Media!).
The book is told from four different teenagers' perspectives--Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass. All narratives aside from Glass's are told in a concurrent timeline, through the eyes of the delinquents who have been forced to settle on Earth for the first time in centuries. While Glass's story, which takes place back on the mothership, was initially the least interesting, it eventually pans out to serve as an anchor--a tie to the surviving, but still unstable lifestyle back in space.
Kass Morgan creates a vivid high-tech world in The 100, where citizens are divided by social standing and resources are limited--of course, except to the upperclass. Back on Earth, the prospects are obviously grim, but it's still a thrill of a journey to follow Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and the other 97, as they each rediscover a planet that they've only read about in books, yet have such a deep internal connection with. I appreciate the idea of providing different points of view, but think it was slightly too ambitious for the author to try to squeeze a Lord of the Flies-esque conflict AND a love triangle AND an undercurrent of radiation's aftereffects (say what?) into everything. It's all interesting until it just becomes too much; I'd have much preferred one central conflict with stronger relationship-building and more background insight.
While there is no one thing fatally wrong with any of the characters, all four of them are too generic, too idealized. Everyone loves having attractive/smart/clever characters to read about, but they all start to blend together when the author tries to make them all perfect, especially since everyone thinks in close third person. The unrealistic and unextraordinary characterization prevented me from developing any sort of attachment to any of them. The only one that seemed remotely human and believable was Bellamy, our resident rebel. But then again I've always been a sucker for bad boys with a past...
That said, the story itself is filled with drama and tension between the main characters (and secondary characters!) which makes The 100 exciting to read. The sheer nature of the resettlement of our planet is enthralling; Morgan does well with engaging readers to the surprises and twists scattered throughout the novel. There's definitely lots of action-filled scenes and, love it or hate, an INTENSE cliffhanger ending, that just leaves you thirsty for more.
Structurally, I found The 100 quite hard to work with. The constantly changing perspectives get a bit disorienting because it's not just a "he said, she said," but rather a "he said, she said, another he said, another she said." Kind of exhausting. On top of that, each of the narratives are very heavy on backstory which, in good fiction, is absolutely necessary. But when it takes up 50% of the book in the form of italicized flashbacks, it gets out of control.
Pros: Fascinating storyline and world-building // Engaging; keeps you hanging on constantly // Dramatic Earth-bound adventures and minor plot twists // Bellamy is a strongly written character // Ending makes me want to read the second book! That's what ultimately matters, right?
Cons: Abundance of flashbacks is annoying; causes disorder in the flow of the storytelling // Constant narrative shifts also gets chaotic // Stylistically unimpressive // All the characters are grossly idealized (i.e. sweet, pretty/handsome, kind, brave, etc.) and thus pretty forgettable (with the exception of Bellamy) // Cliffhanger ending may cause distress
Verdict: Despite my numerous quips with the lacking characters and structure of The 100, I found myself enjoying it while reading and left wanting more once finished. It's definitely a plot-driven sci-fi novel with lots of action and lots of suspense; if that's your thing, you should totally give it a chance. Kass Morgan's debut is one of those books that isn't mind-blowing, but is still hard to put down, so I definitely understand its appeal to mainstream young adult audiences. While unimpressive in a literary lens or by composition, The 100 is still a promising first installment in an exciting dystopian series.
Rating: 7 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; borrow, don't buy!
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, FSB Media!).
