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samantha_randolph 's review for:
Mirror X
by Karri Thompson
2.5 rounded up
Short and Sweet:
While the world building kicks ass in this, it felt rushed at times, and sadly I was NOT on board with the romance. I liked it over all though.
To Elaborate...
Cassie is the savior of the human race; she just doesn't know it yet. When Cassie wakes up in a time 1,000 years after her own, she is thrust into a world where clones rule and reproduction is next to impossible. Cassie has to decide how important human rights are when the fate of the entire human race is in her hands.
For this review, I think it's best broken down into things I loved and things that did not work for me at all. There was very little middle ground on that. What I loved most was the world building. It's eerily reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, but there's just something about it that's so alluring in a creepy, jacked-up way. It pulls you in, and combined with the premise of the story (saving the human race when the methods themselves are inhumane), it makes you really think about the price of human life. I also love Cassie's passion for archeology. It shows so well and adds a unique touch to the story.
What I wasn't feeling falls primarily into the romance and pacing categories. While it isn't insta-love per say, as in they definitely don't actually say they (Cassie and Michael) love each other, it's insta-intense feeling with nothing to back it up. It seems like 5 seconds after they meet, they're talking seriously about all these intense feelings they have and how any relationship between them would be forbidden, etc. I just never understood what actually connected them other than a couple of hours playing a board game that seemed to just pass the time. I couldn't believe in them as a couple, especially when Michael kept REPEATEDLY (like at least 3 or 4 times) lying to her, and she was just like "Ok, I'm mad, but you're forgiven because you're cute".
The pacing was also sporadic. While some parts went almost day by day, Cassie's *highlight for a semi-spoiler* pregnancy went by in maybe a chapter or two. It just felt way off balance and rushed through in that part. Naturally, some areas will be quicker than others, but this hardly had any consistency.
Overall, I really did think it was worth the read. The world and premise were so captivating, and I still want to read the next book, especially if the romance dynamics and pacing improve. However, those areas were definitely a set back for me with this one (enough to cost it a higher rating). While this wasn't my favorite, I think there is enough potential laid down for me to want to keep reading.
Also, look at that cover. It might be my favorite cover of 2014 so far.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-mirror-x-by-karri-thompson.html
Short and Sweet:
While the world building kicks ass in this, it felt rushed at times, and sadly I was NOT on board with the romance. I liked it over all though.
To Elaborate...
Cassie is the savior of the human race; she just doesn't know it yet. When Cassie wakes up in a time 1,000 years after her own, she is thrust into a world where clones rule and reproduction is next to impossible. Cassie has to decide how important human rights are when the fate of the entire human race is in her hands.
For this review, I think it's best broken down into things I loved and things that did not work for me at all. There was very little middle ground on that. What I loved most was the world building. It's eerily reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, but there's just something about it that's so alluring in a creepy, jacked-up way. It pulls you in, and combined with the premise of the story (saving the human race when the methods themselves are inhumane), it makes you really think about the price of human life. I also love Cassie's passion for archeology. It shows so well and adds a unique touch to the story.
What I wasn't feeling falls primarily into the romance and pacing categories. While it isn't insta-love per say, as in they definitely don't actually say they (Cassie and Michael) love each other, it's insta-intense feeling with nothing to back it up. It seems like 5 seconds after they meet, they're talking seriously about all these intense feelings they have and how any relationship between them would be forbidden, etc. I just never understood what actually connected them other than a couple of hours playing a board game that seemed to just pass the time. I couldn't believe in them as a couple, especially when Michael kept REPEATEDLY (like at least 3 or 4 times) lying to her, and she was just like "Ok, I'm mad, but you're forgiven because you're cute".
The pacing was also sporadic. While some parts went almost day by day, Cassie's *highlight for a semi-spoiler* pregnancy went by in maybe a chapter or two. It just felt way off balance and rushed through in that part. Naturally, some areas will be quicker than others, but this hardly had any consistency.
Overall, I really did think it was worth the read. The world and premise were so captivating, and I still want to read the next book, especially if the romance dynamics and pacing improve. However, those areas were definitely a set back for me with this one (enough to cost it a higher rating). While this wasn't my favorite, I think there is enough potential laid down for me to want to keep reading.
Also, look at that cover. It might be my favorite cover of 2014 so far.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-mirror-x-by-karri-thompson.html