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Alice (12 KP) rated Divergent in Books

Jul 3, 2018  
Divergent
Divergent
Veronica Roth | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.1 (140 Ratings)
Book Rating
As an avid reader of novels I've found myself persistently let down with YA novels and I thought the same of Divergent before I had even read it. I got a sample and downloaded the book and finished it in under ten hours. Couldn't put it down. Very good YA novel and an interesting twist on a dystopia. Don't think I will be judging a book by its cover any time soon again
  
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Sam (74 KP) rated Matched (Matched #1) in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
Matched (Matched #1)
Matched (Matched #1)
Ally Condie | 2010 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (35 Ratings)
Book Rating
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this at the beginning. I rarely read dystopia. I can’t say exactly why I’ve always disliked it – I can only put it down to how in the past, I used to always avoid the popular books. This means I was never a Hunger Games reader when there was the hype for that. And I think that the fact I don’t read dystopia comes from my old tendency to avoid popular books.

I really got along with the majority of the characters in this book. I loved Cassia and her determination to get what she wants, even if it is frowned upon by society. She plays by her own rules even though she is terrified of the repercussions because of her being practically perfect.

The only character I wasn’t completely onboard with was Xander. I didn’t really like him from the start as much as I feel as I was supposed to because I just felt like he was a bit full of himself, and I definitely believe there is more to the story behind him matching with Cassia.

I loved the Banquet and how the whole story stems from that one night. It’s a different take on a prom which made it quite relatable and not too dystopian.

I will definitely be reading more of this series – the next book is waiting on my Wishlist! I’m going to stop saying that I don’t usually like dystopia now because as the past few dystopian novels I have read have proved – I actually do love it!
  
SO
Sisters of the Raven
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Why do I have to give a book at least one star for it to be considered rated? 0 is a rating!

I put this book on the "read" shelf just so I won't forget that I tried it and didn't like it. Hambly's writing is excellent, as usual, but I wasn't in the mood for dystopia and I just didn't care much about the characters after the first 100 pages or so. I figure my time is much better spent elsewhere.
  
D(
Dystopia (Dystopia, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
[Dystopia] by [Janet McNulty] is a modern version of [1984] and example of when good intentions get caught up in greed and people are too lazy to care. The characters were very well developed as well as their relationships. The whole idea struck me as what people in the old Soviet Union must have felt like. (I am a history nerd.) I feel the message is that no matter what if people are apathetic they will lose what means the most to them and sometimes standing up for what is right can be really hard.
  
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Paige (428 KP) rated Tideland (2006) in Movies

Jul 28, 2017  
Tideland (2006)
Tideland (2006)
2006 | Drama, Sci-Fi
Raw, boundary-pushing, original, ahead of its time (0 more)
Too intense for most people (0 more)
I loved it. Everyone else hated it.
A dark, modern, American twist on Alice's wonderland. This really disturbing, cringe inducing stuff coupled with bizarre charm is part of Gilliam's gift, and I would argue this stands up to his most famous work. Though this is definitely a little smaller in stature than Brazil, it has it's own elements of dystopia- albeit on a more personal level- and hits a little closer to raw emotion. Not for the faint of heart.
  
The Great Divide
The Great Divide
Ben Fisher, Art by Adam Markiewicz | 2017 | Comics & Graphic Novels
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A dark and gritty near future dystopia where a mysterious plague has fallen on mankind, where the slightest contact of bare flesh will cause immediate death for one of those being touched, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to who lives or dies. On top of that, the survivor also then carries around in their head the persona of the person they killed. This can sometimes cause madness in the survivor, but some can coexist with their new passenger. Of course, with no physical skin-to-skin contact possible, sex is off-limits but brothels survive, with watching, no touching, rules in place. Isolation becomes the means of survival, but with that isolation also comes the end of the human race. That is, until two unlikely allies possibly discover the cause of the plague, and possibly a means to undo it.

The Great Divide is definitely not for the lighthearted. This is a very grim look at humanity and what happens when all means of physical contact is stripped away. It is a violent, sexualized dystopia that Ben Fisher and Adam Markiewicz give us, but it is still a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
  
Station Eleven
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
5
7.9 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
Coherent plot, multiple points of view done well (0 more)
Meh (0 more)
Okay?
This was marketed as a dystopia, but it’s really more post-Apocalypse fiction. There’s a fine line between the two – and sometimes things can straddle it – but I wouldn’t call this a dystopia. So I’m a little disappointed there. Otherwise, it was good. I’m left not really sure how I should feel about it, though. I prefer books that make me feel a certain way – romances make me happy, non-fiction usually makes me feel smarter, like I’ve learned something, graphic novels make me nostalgic. I’m even okay with books like The Fault in Our Stars, or The Crown’s Game, that left me a weeping mess. Station Eleven just left me with an “…o-kay?” Like, what am I supposed to do with this? Unlike most dystopias, I don’t feel like it was a social commentary because it’s post-apocalyptic. (In this case, a virus swept through and killed about 99% of Earth’s population.) But at the same time, because it details events both before and after the apocalypse, I feel like it was trying to be?

See my full review at https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/book-review-station-eleven/
  
Red Clocks
Red Clocks
Leni Zumas | 2018 | Gender Studies, Science Fiction/Fantasy
2
6.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
A near future dystopia that is worth considering. (0 more)
Awkward prose, confusing characters, lacking clear arc. (0 more)
Interesting premise, writing got in the way.
I wanted to like this book. Managed to get through it in a few sittings, but it was a struggle. All but one of the women were unrelatable and shallowly formed. Frustrating that they were reduced to “titles” with their names seldom acknowledged.

Overall, it didn’t really spark any new thoughts on a complex issue, nor did it offer any resolution or new commentary about what an overturn of Roe v Wade would have on society.


Very disappointing. Not recommended.
  
IO
Inside Out (Insider, #1)
4
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I normally love a dystopia/post-apocalyptic story, filled with engaging characters and an interesting plotline.

Unfortunately, for me, this one fell flat. The storyline didn't pull me in right away (or ever, if I'm being brutally honest) and I didn't connect with the characters or their plight to escape Inside.

I was just determined to not have another DNF so I persevered and finished it last night.

I've also tried reading one of the author's other works and I couldn't get into that either so I think this will be the last and only book I read by Maria V. Snyder
  
Hunted (Talented Saga, #3)
Hunted (Talented Saga, #3)
Sophie Davis | 2012 | Dystopia, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book in the series.

The book is very good, it answers some questions but definitely poses a lot more. It is possible to start to see some of the direction the series may take and who the key players are. Also to begin to make your own predictions and hopes.

It is good to see Talia and Erik continue to grow as people and their relationship evolving. They are both having to face the real world and the decisions they are making. They are also questioning what they are doing and why. The naivety of the previous books is gone.


I have really enjoyed this series and recommend it if you enjoy dystopia.