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thebookishmutant's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at about 100 pages. Can’t quite remember.
Regardless, I am SO DONE. Done with the lackluster dialogue. Done with the cardboard characters and their idiotic names. Done with the lack of detail. Done, done, done, and done. *Hellboy II troll thing voice* “Make it go awaaaaaay...”
Regardless, I am SO DONE. Done with the lackluster dialogue. Done with the cardboard characters and their idiotic names. Done with the lack of detail. Done, done, done, and done. *Hellboy II troll thing voice* “Make it go awaaaaaay...”
ngocttran's review
2.0
I feel like I just read 300 pages of Literally Nothing Happening. This is not a drill. I am 120% serious. :(
bookish720's review
3.0
I loved the Matched trilogy so much I jumped at the first chance I got to read this book. I wasn't super impressed. I felt that it was kind of boring for my taste. In the beginning not much was happening. Towards the end it definitely got better but this was just not a favorite for me.
jesscozycorner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
libraryladykati's review
4.0
Original concept and intriguing read. A bit rushed or undeveloped at times, but the whole concept about sirens and mythology was interesting to me.
megglian's review
5.0
Oh man, this book was good. It quite happily grabs one of the top-spots on my imagined places list. If you can have wanderlust for a fantastical place then I have it.
The Below is a city deep at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded yet untouched by water. With metal trees and animal gods, it's an attractive mixture of some ancient mythical city and a dystopian, hellish future. The Below is a place for the privileged, and the Above the suffering - or so it seems.
What I liked about Ally Condie's writing is that I didn't only have a fantastic visualisation of the area, but of the characters. Rio, our protagonist, is probably one of the best written characters I've read. She goes through such a turmoil of emotions through the novel, but there isn't a moment where I couldn't sympathise. She doesn't always do the sensible thing and she doesn't always trust the people she can trust, and in some protagonists it drives me crazy, but every move she makes doesn't seem like some superfluous effort to sophisticate the plot, but is warranted. People aren't perfect.
This novel was so much about family, but not in a fluffy-bunny sort of way. This book is definitely not soft at all. We start with Rio and Bay's mother's death, and then we move onto Bay's apparent abandonment of Rio to go Above, despite the fact it's Rio who's always wanted to. The plot thickens: Why did Bay go Above? Why did their mum die? Who can Rio trust? To me this book was all about rebuilding trust and reshaping relationships, and dealing with a lot of familial feels.
Under all this is one of the Below's 'miracles': Sirens (people with the ability to convince and sway the judgements of others using the power of their voice). Sirens are controlled by the government to stop them getting too powerful, but Bay and Rio's mother hid a biggie by urging Rio to suppress her own Siren voice to stop her being taken by the government. Forced to speak in a monotone all her life, Rio doesn't quite know her own potential, and must rely on a mentor she doesn't trust to learn how to use it wisely.
The government perhaps isn't as benevolent as it seems on the outside, and there's a lot of corruption going on between the Above and Below. The key to finding the answers to her many questions, however, lies within knowing the extent of the corruption of the council.
A lot of things give great little, life-like features to the story, mechanical fish, scary co-workers, unnatural disasters, and illegal racing being some of them. My favourite was True, or should I say Rio and True together. They have a great relationship built on a sense of mutual understanding and empathy. And it wasn't sickly either.
Overall, I recommend this book to any fantasy and dystopian lovers! Plus, it's also an aesthetic beauty to add to your book-shelf.
The Below is a city deep at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded yet untouched by water. With metal trees and animal gods, it's an attractive mixture of some ancient mythical city and a dystopian, hellish future. The Below is a place for the privileged, and the Above the suffering - or so it seems.
What I liked about Ally Condie's writing is that I didn't only have a fantastic visualisation of the area, but of the characters. Rio, our protagonist, is probably one of the best written characters I've read. She goes through such a turmoil of emotions through the novel, but there isn't a moment where I couldn't sympathise. She doesn't always do the sensible thing and she doesn't always trust the people she can trust, and in some protagonists it drives me crazy, but every move she makes doesn't seem like some superfluous effort to sophisticate the plot, but is warranted. People aren't perfect.
This novel was so much about family, but not in a fluffy-bunny sort of way. This book is definitely not soft at all. We start with Rio and Bay's mother's death, and then we move onto Bay's apparent abandonment of Rio to go Above, despite the fact it's Rio who's always wanted to. The plot thickens: Why did Bay go Above? Why did their mum die? Who can Rio trust? To me this book was all about rebuilding trust and reshaping relationships, and dealing with a lot of familial feels.
Under all this is one of the Below's 'miracles': Sirens (people with the ability to convince and sway the judgements of others using the power of their voice). Sirens are controlled by the government to stop them getting too powerful, but Bay and Rio's mother hid a biggie by urging Rio to suppress her own Siren voice to stop her being taken by the government. Forced to speak in a monotone all her life, Rio doesn't quite know her own potential, and must rely on a mentor she doesn't trust to learn how to use it wisely.
The government perhaps isn't as benevolent as it seems on the outside, and there's a lot of corruption going on between the Above and Below. The key to finding the answers to her many questions, however, lies within knowing the extent of the corruption of the council.
A lot of things give great little, life-like features to the story, mechanical fish, scary co-workers, unnatural disasters, and illegal racing being some of them. My favourite was True, or should I say Rio and True together. They have a great relationship built on a sense of mutual understanding and empathy. And it wasn't sickly either.
Overall, I recommend this book to any fantasy and dystopian lovers! Plus, it's also an aesthetic beauty to add to your book-shelf.