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btwnprintedpgs's Reviews (1.3k)
I just saw the expected publication date for Winter... let the depression ensue. Like you can't just leave me with that kind of cliffhanger and just UGH NOPE. -flails-
I really enjoyed this book. The story development was really well done.
Jake is determined to go to school, work, and get money to take care of his mother. He’s sensitive, sweet and loyal, and I absolutely loved him.
Maya and her family are recovering from a family tragedy that she feels guilt over. It took me a little longer to take to her, as she just sounded like one of those spoiled kids, just thinking like, I’m missing out on all these parties and hanging out with my Cali friends, blah blah blah. But as the book went on, I started to like her character. She cared for her family and worried over them as they all tried to get over the past. Then again, she was also selfish at times, but overall, a good character.
Something that I really liked about this book was that there was a connection at the beginning between Jake and Maya, but then the author allowed them to go their separate ways for a while. We get to see what their every day lives are like for a while prior to being a couple. I really liked this, because there was no instant obsession or a quick hop into a steamy romance. It was sweet, it was gradual, and it was perfect.
This book was very satisfying and it’s great if you want to take a break from all the fast paced action, dystopian, or even steamier romance novels. Well written, and well executed, I really enjoyed this one.
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.61/5
-review by Between Printed Pages
Jake is determined to go to school, work, and get money to take care of his mother. He’s sensitive, sweet and loyal, and I absolutely loved him.
Maya and her family are recovering from a family tragedy that she feels guilt over. It took me a little longer to take to her, as she just sounded like one of those spoiled kids, just thinking like, I’m missing out on all these parties and hanging out with my Cali friends, blah blah blah. But as the book went on, I started to like her character. She cared for her family and worried over them as they all tried to get over the past. Then again, she was also selfish at times, but overall, a good character.
Something that I really liked about this book was that there was a connection at the beginning between Jake and Maya, but then the author allowed them to go their separate ways for a while. We get to see what their every day lives are like for a while prior to being a couple. I really liked this, because there was no instant obsession or a quick hop into a steamy romance. It was sweet, it was gradual, and it was perfect.
This book was very satisfying and it’s great if you want to take a break from all the fast paced action, dystopian, or even steamier romance novels. Well written, and well executed, I really enjoyed this one.
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.61/5
-review by Between Printed Pages
I was not impressed by this book. Why? Let me count the reasons...
1. World Building
Yes, yes the world is covered in snow. It's cold. There was a flood at some point. Everyone lives in Vegas and gambles even though they don't have enough money to eat. Okay. Sure. But why? There's little to no explanation as to how this world came to be. Was it global warming? An atomic war? The moon disappearing or getting to close? LIKE. I need something. Throw me a bone here. We are simply introduced to a world full of trash with these magical people who suddenly popped out of nowhere with powers and indomitable strength. We get no history, and I find myself unable to really fall straight into this world and travel with the characters. There's also very little description of buildings or environment and when there was, it felt disjointed.
2. Plot Lines
Remember in 2nd grade when you had to do those little mountain drawings for plot lines, where you'd start off with the introduction, then move to a conflict, then the climax, and then the resolution? Yeah, this story was like that, but for every single chapter. It would be calm at the beginning, something would be seen, or something would jump out of nowhere, everyone would freak out and the story would suddenly start speeding along for all of two pages, and then the thing would be dead or they'd realize their mistake, and everything would just fix itself in second, and tada, end of chapter. Due to this, the story had very little fluidity and felt like a jerky car ride.
3. Character Development
There was a little bit of this, but the story never explains the intricacies of all the characters' stories, they just have snapshots here and there that don't really explain how the sixteen year old became a general, or how the powerful girl gets a job in a casino, or what one earth brought all the people together, prior to Nat. I also feel like that characters showed little connection to each other and little growth in general. People would often just pop out with new skills, powers, stories, etc. There was no practice, no honing of skills and it just didn't flow.
4. Lack of Explanation
There was no explanation for a lot of things: the world building, the character's abilities and origins. It made it hard for me to follow and it really gave little to no connection to characters and the whole dystopian scene. Honestly, it was like the authors thought, let's make it dystopian -sticks in winter scene with trashbergs- okay, okay, now we'll give the MC powers -throws the randomest powers to Nat- I don't know what the difference between any of the powerful people were because there was so little information on any of them. And that last part. My goodness. Just when I thought the book couldn't get more incredulously idiotic they came up with THAT. THAT is, simply, the most random insertion of something ever in any novel I've ever read. I just. NOPE.
Overall, this series just didn't agree with me. As with most books that aren't that great, this had some potential, but it fell so short of expectations that I can't even say I want to read the sequel. Getting through this book was like a chore and I really don't think reading should ever be this much of a struggle.
Plot: 2/5 Characters: 2/5 World Building: 1/5 Writing:1.5/5 Cover: 4/5 Overall: 2/5 GoodReads: 3.61
eBook obtained via Hachette Children's Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
-review by Between Printed Pages
1. World Building
Yes, yes the world is covered in snow. It's cold. There was a flood at some point. Everyone lives in Vegas and gambles even though they don't have enough money to eat. Okay. Sure. But why? There's little to no explanation as to how this world came to be. Was it global warming? An atomic war? The moon disappearing or getting to close? LIKE. I need something. Throw me a bone here. We are simply introduced to a world full of trash with these magical people who suddenly popped out of nowhere with powers and indomitable strength. We get no history, and I find myself unable to really fall straight into this world and travel with the characters. There's also very little description of buildings or environment and when there was, it felt disjointed.
2. Plot Lines
Remember in 2nd grade when you had to do those little mountain drawings for plot lines, where you'd start off with the introduction, then move to a conflict, then the climax, and then the resolution? Yeah, this story was like that, but for every single chapter. It would be calm at the beginning, something would be seen, or something would jump out of nowhere, everyone would freak out and the story would suddenly start speeding along for all of two pages, and then the thing would be dead or they'd realize their mistake, and everything would just fix itself in second, and tada, end of chapter. Due to this, the story had very little fluidity and felt like a jerky car ride.
3. Character Development
There was a little bit of this, but the story never explains the intricacies of all the characters' stories, they just have snapshots here and there that don't really explain how the sixteen year old became a general, or how the powerful girl gets a job in a casino, or what one earth brought all the people together, prior to Nat. I also feel like that characters showed little connection to each other and little growth in general. People would often just pop out with new skills, powers, stories, etc. There was no practice, no honing of skills and it just didn't flow.
4. Lack of Explanation
There was no explanation for a lot of things: the world building, the character's abilities and origins. It made it hard for me to follow and it really gave little to no connection to characters and the whole dystopian scene. Honestly, it was like the authors thought, let's make it dystopian -sticks in winter scene with trashbergs- okay, okay, now we'll give the MC powers -throws the randomest powers to Nat- I don't know what the difference between any of the powerful people were because there was so little information on any of them. And that last part. My goodness. Just when I thought the book couldn't get more incredulously idiotic they came up with THAT. THAT is, simply, the most random insertion of something ever in any novel I've ever read. I just. NOPE.
Overall, this series just didn't agree with me. As with most books that aren't that great, this had some potential, but it fell so short of expectations that I can't even say I want to read the sequel. Getting through this book was like a chore and I really don't think reading should ever be this much of a struggle.
Plot: 2/5 Characters: 2/5 World Building: 1/5 Writing:1.5/5 Cover: 4/5 Overall: 2/5 GoodReads: 3.61
eBook obtained via Hachette Children's Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
-review by Between Printed Pages
I wanted to like this book. Truly. It sounded so interesting the premise – a sort of mystery/thriller. But it wasn’t. It was more of a panic attack, mixed with filler story, with a touch of forced romance.
Edie sucks as a main character. I couldn’t like her. There was nothing attractive or nice or remotely relatable about her. She starts off judging a girl because she’s small, quiet, friendly, and dresses in a fair amount of black, basically kicking her to the curb because she looks different. Then she has the audacity to say that she doesn’t like bullying, but proceeds to make fun of her in her head and get annoyed that this girl is being friendly to her. Like really??
Then her mom disappears and she’s like THIS IS MY SECRET, but wait, I want to tell this person, and this person. But I think I will actually tell all my secrets to this guy who doesn’t like me at all and might just turn me in to save his own butt.
Is that really the best idea?
There’s such an inconsistency between her thoughts and actions. This makes it extremely hard to relate to her or care about what she’s thinking, if what she does is going to be the opposite.
Further, her character sucks. She’s not a frugal spender, and she uses money she steals on ‘dates’ and to pig out on meals that I don’t even provide myself when it’s my own money being used. She generally just had a bad personality and I couldn’t find it in me to like her.
Then there’s the romance. The romance was so forced and didn’t fit at all in the book. She’s supposed to be distressed and anxious, and she is, but it’s hot and cold as the romance takes over the storyline. And it’s so random. They’ve known (and hated) each other for like 20 minutes before they start making gooey eyes at each other and it bothered me so much. She has time to do all these things with him and yet she also states that finding her mother is number one priority (that inconsistency thing again).
The last thing I have to comment on is the writing style. It was a lot of fact fact fact, thing that is actually happening, and then fact fact fact again. I couldn’t get immersed in this world, despite my best efforts. On top of that, there were a lot of metaphors and similes that were fairly unnecessary or irrelevant that just cluttered the narrative.
I wanted to this like this, but there was basically no connection between me, the characters, and their world. I couldn’t bring myself to like them, or feel happy or sad for them. There just wasn’t anything in this book that did it for me.
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 1/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 2/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall: 2/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.14/5
eARC obtained via Dundurn via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Edie sucks as a main character. I couldn’t like her. There was nothing attractive or nice or remotely relatable about her. She starts off judging a girl because she’s small, quiet, friendly, and dresses in a fair amount of black, basically kicking her to the curb because she looks different. Then she has the audacity to say that she doesn’t like bullying, but proceeds to make fun of her in her head and get annoyed that this girl is being friendly to her. Like really??
Then her mom disappears and she’s like THIS IS MY SECRET, but wait, I want to tell this person, and this person. But I think I will actually tell all my secrets to this guy who doesn’t like me at all and might just turn me in to save his own butt.
Is that really the best idea?
There’s such an inconsistency between her thoughts and actions. This makes it extremely hard to relate to her or care about what she’s thinking, if what she does is going to be the opposite.
Further, her character sucks. She’s not a frugal spender, and she uses money she steals on ‘dates’ and to pig out on meals that I don’t even provide myself when it’s my own money being used. She generally just had a bad personality and I couldn’t find it in me to like her.
Then there’s the romance. The romance was so forced and didn’t fit at all in the book. She’s supposed to be distressed and anxious, and she is, but it’s hot and cold as the romance takes over the storyline. And it’s so random. They’ve known (and hated) each other for like 20 minutes before they start making gooey eyes at each other and it bothered me so much. She has time to do all these things with him and yet she also states that finding her mother is number one priority (that inconsistency thing again).
The last thing I have to comment on is the writing style. It was a lot of fact fact fact, thing that is actually happening, and then fact fact fact again. I couldn’t get immersed in this world, despite my best efforts. On top of that, there were a lot of metaphors and similes that were fairly unnecessary or irrelevant that just cluttered the narrative.
I wanted to this like this, but there was basically no connection between me, the characters, and their world. I couldn’t bring myself to like them, or feel happy or sad for them. There just wasn’t anything in this book that did it for me.
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 1/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 2/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall: 2/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.14/5
eARC obtained via Dundurn via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.