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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Ended up liking this a lot better than I initially thought I would. Looking forward to the sequel.
This was a surprisingly fun read. Cruise ships sinking, tsunamis, belligerent sharks, some scary red-eye disease, and mysterious islands, what's not to like?
I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series.
I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series.
I put off writing this review for weeks, mostly because I didn't want to hurt Matt's feelings or admit to my fellow fans that I just didn't like this one. I love every other book of his, and didn't know this was going to be such a departure from his other work. It was just *too much*. I liked the main characters, and could have seen the interactions with them on the cruise ship be the only focus of the novel. Class issues, responsibility, outside relationships, trust, inadequate health care, figuring yourself out...all could have been its own book. Too many other sensationalist layers are thrown on top of it, making my suspension of disbelief impossible to sustain. Men in black stalking him? Why does my dad have your picture in his pocket? A terrible terrible life threatening storm? Pseudo Ebola? Apocalyptic earthquakes ALL OVER the entire west coast? Tsunami? Not enough lifeboats? A chandelier that falls on the bad guy? Fire? Sharks that ram the bottom of the boat? People with guns? Secret Big Pharma island? Napalm? Mysterious and wise black man with surprising skills? It was all just too too much. By the time the shark launched itself onto the life raft, I had had it. I just wanted to finish the stinking book to see how Shy was going to get out of it. Instead, Matt decides this is a great time to join the ranks of the series writers, and leaves us hanging.
I still want to support him as a writer, but the kids I will recommend this book to are mostly pretty different than the kids that I recommend his other books to. Looking for nonstop, unrealistic action with the promise of a sequel in early 2015? This is the book for you.
I still want to support him as a writer, but the kids I will recommend this book to are mostly pretty different than the kids that I recommend his other books to. Looking for nonstop, unrealistic action with the promise of a sequel in early 2015? This is the book for you.
This is a super book with a lot happening in the story. The main character is a boy which will appeal to many of the young adult readers. When I finished and found out there was a sequel I looked it up and was disappointed it doesn't come out until 2015.
although the bad guys are obvious from the start, still an exciting read
Shy (dumb name. I kept reading it as She) is working on a cruise ship to earn some money to help out his family living in a border town near San Diego when a tsunami hits. People die, ship sinks, Shy makes it to life raft with annoying white girl. Sharks literally circling. Not sure how I feel about his one. Lots of action. Combo of Poseidon Adventure, Titanic, Life of Pi, and a sci fi thriller. Kinda fun, but even I had a hard time suspending some disbelief. And I think it just tried to be too many things.
What an awesome book! I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.
NC HS BOB has second book on reading list (which always drives me nuts) so need to read this first!
Once the plot started going de la Pena really moved. Very realistic apocalyptic violence, with dead bodies and murder, etc. so certainly for older teen audiences. Other than Shy, the characters felt like stereotypical tropes, which is surprising coming from de la Pena. Think teens will be sucked into the fast pace and the ending is such a cliffhanger they'll want to read the second.
Once the plot started going de la Pena really moved. Very realistic apocalyptic violence, with dead bodies and murder, etc. so certainly for older teen audiences. Other than Shy, the characters felt like stereotypical tropes, which is surprising coming from de la Pena. Think teens will be sucked into the fast pace and the ending is such a cliffhanger they'll want to read the second.
This book was a good read-a-loud. While the plot twists and transitions were all over the place, encompassing at least three different genres, the kids and my husband kept urging me to keep reading. It was a success from that standpoint.
Review Copy: Purchased
On the surface, The Living appears to be a typical survival story with the possibility of a romance, but there are intriguing layers to this story that the reader can catch glimpses of along the way. Matt de la Peña is an excellent storyteller, but aside from the action and suspence, he is also tackling both race and class issues. Yes, there is an earthquake and shark infested waters, but those aren’t the only things Shy will need to navigate.
A summer job on a cruise ship sounds glamorous, but for Shy it’s like any other summer job. Shy is a Mexican American from a working class single parent home. He is trying to earn enough money to help out his mom and grandma and have a little left over for himself. He has fun with his co-workers and has fairly light responsibilities. Occasionally he must deal with obnoxious wealthy people, but it’s not a hard job. Life gets complicated very quickly though. On his first cruise out, Shy witnesses something that inspires nightmares and brings a man in black to follow him around.
This mystery takes second place though when a huge earthquake and the subsequent chain reaction of disasters hit. Shy is in a fight for his life and for those around him. The man against nature portion of this book is excellent and Matt de la Peña really created a believable character in Shy. He is a good kid and tries to follow the disaster procedures for his job, but he is in over his head in more ways than one. I felt like I was right there witnessing the disaster first-hand through his eyes feeling all of his fear and frustration.
Beyond the fight with nature, there are dangers among the people around him too. It’s difficult to discuss without revealing too much, but this book deals with race, class, and ethics on a scale that I was not anticipating. Matt de la Peña discussed a little bit about this in his interview with NPR.
Recommendation: Buy it now. This is a fantastic read for entertainment purposes, but it also provides a lot to think about. I am very eager to see what de la Peña has in store for us in the sequel.
Originally reviewed on the blog http://richincolor.com/2014/01/book-review-the-living/
On the surface, The Living appears to be a typical survival story with the possibility of a romance, but there are intriguing layers to this story that the reader can catch glimpses of along the way. Matt de la Peña is an excellent storyteller, but aside from the action and suspence, he is also tackling both race and class issues. Yes, there is an earthquake and shark infested waters, but those aren’t the only things Shy will need to navigate.
A summer job on a cruise ship sounds glamorous, but for Shy it’s like any other summer job. Shy is a Mexican American from a working class single parent home. He is trying to earn enough money to help out his mom and grandma and have a little left over for himself. He has fun with his co-workers and has fairly light responsibilities. Occasionally he must deal with obnoxious wealthy people, but it’s not a hard job. Life gets complicated very quickly though. On his first cruise out, Shy witnesses something that inspires nightmares and brings a man in black to follow him around.
This mystery takes second place though when a huge earthquake and the subsequent chain reaction of disasters hit. Shy is in a fight for his life and for those around him. The man against nature portion of this book is excellent and Matt de la Peña really created a believable character in Shy. He is a good kid and tries to follow the disaster procedures for his job, but he is in over his head in more ways than one. I felt like I was right there witnessing the disaster first-hand through his eyes feeling all of his fear and frustration.
Beyond the fight with nature, there are dangers among the people around him too. It’s difficult to discuss without revealing too much, but this book deals with race, class, and ethics on a scale that I was not anticipating. Matt de la Peña discussed a little bit about this in his interview with NPR.
Recommendation: Buy it now. This is a fantastic read for entertainment purposes, but it also provides a lot to think about. I am very eager to see what de la Peña has in store for us in the sequel.
Originally reviewed on the blog http://richincolor.com/2014/01/book-review-the-living/