Age: 16
Title: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 09/03/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Bravo, Kass Morgan! I'm on my toes in anticipation for the sequel I really hope you're writing. Your even and quick pacing was purely excellent as you brought a Lord of the Flies style tale into a futuristic setting.
Usually I'm picky when it comes to flashbacks. I've seen a lot of authors use the technique in an unsuccessful way, revealing something in a complex way that really should have been simplified. However, I truly enjoyed your use of flashbacks in each chapter, dishing out a little bit of information on every character, pushing me to change how I felt about certain people. (Ahem, Wells! What an idiot!! He endangered so many people.) Great job on that front, and consequently in character development.
It was amazing to see all the stories connect in ways I wouldn't expect, though I wish we went into depth more on the relationship previously shared by Clarke and Wells and how they fit into each others world in terms of their friends and family. I wasn't really feeling the connection between them, which was a big problem for me when it came to the focus on the two of them as a couple.
I also would have liked to learn more about the villain, Graham, and his past. What made him so bitter? What was his life back in space? What landed him in Confinement? I wish we would have discovered his motivation and what makes him tick. He plays a major role on Earth, an extremely powerful force in the teens' community, but we just didn't know him. A view on his story would have really enhanced the book overall.
All in all, I'm in love with this book. I have already recommended it to all my friends who are itching to get their hands on copy. I'm sure the next installment will be as well written and thrilling!Memorable or Forgettable: This book is memorable due to character development (which I felt mostly in Glass) as well as the plot. It was very Lord of the Flies-esque, but I saw a new twist in it from the setting and other key plot-points that set it apart.
Cover: The cover definitely wasn't awful. I adore the emphasis on typography which I'm seeing more and more in Young Adult covers. The white contrast to the large and dark letters was beautiful. However, I still felt that some element was missing. I understand that the images probably involve scenes from the upcoming tv show based on the book, but I, on principle, am not a fan of film-based book covers.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: In a new kind of sci-fi adventure, Kass Morgan explores a post-nuclear war society. Forced to flee Earth, humans now live in floating neighborhoods in space with a corrupt government and distinct class system. With oxygen running low, the elites choose to send one hundred criminal teens back to Earth. But with each of these young guinea pigs carrying around their own secrets and histories, an Earth-bound penal colony may not work out--especially when the planet hides secrets of its own.
tags: science fiction / dystopian / post-apocalyptic / The Hundred / ya lit
No comments:
Post a Comment