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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Well-written, but the plot was really predictable, as in, I guessed the twist as soon as the hint came up.
It's a fast, easy read. Lots of action, high body count. Disasters - natural and man-made. Friendships and romance. Matt de la Pena knows his audience and isn't afraid to give his readers what they want.
The pages are bursting with action and conflict. Every page drew me further and further into the action. Phenomenal suspense!!
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5. This was worth reading, but I didn't love it. I wasn't really invested in anything that was happening.
An engrossing read. This is a situation that's unusual in YA, and very fresh -- the teens working a cruise ship are put in a life of death struggle when the ship sinks after a major earthquake creates a tsunami. I found myself reading late into the night! De la Pena could do better with the female characters. While his male protagonist, Shy, is complex, the women are "beautiful" and mainly serve as objects of his admiration.
I liked this book a lot and hope to check out more from this author. Interesting novel which is by turns a story about relationships, a disaster/ survival narrative, and a . I thought the book could have used a little more editing (e.g. unnecessary melodramatic statements on occasion) and the ending was a little over the top. Also, I wanted more denouement; I don't like when the action ends on just about the very last page of the book - I like a little more wind-down time. But I liked the characters a lot. And it was nice to read a SF/ dystopian novel which addressed issues of race and class, told from point-of-view of a working-class person of color.
Spoiler
slightly futuristic evil-scientist-experimentation drama
4.5 stars, but I decided to round up.
I loved this book! I had read some mixed reviews, but I was drawn in by comparisons to the show LOST. I was not left disappointed - it had the shipwreck, a fight for survival, arriving on a strange island, and the discovery that dark things were happening on that island. It hit nearly all of the points that I find attractive in a novel, and I am glad that it has at least one sequel. I will definitely be reading the follow-up book!
I loved this book! I had read some mixed reviews, but I was drawn in by comparisons to the show LOST. I was not left disappointed - it had the shipwreck, a fight for survival, arriving on a strange island, and the discovery that dark things were happening on that island. It hit nearly all of the points that I find attractive in a novel, and I am glad that it has at least one sequel. I will definitely be reading the follow-up book!
Welcome to Book City
Date: November 26, 2014
Spoilers Ahead
Headline
The Living
Matt de La Peña
Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he'll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different passengers, after all.
But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy's only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed.
The earthquake is only the first disaster. Suddenly it's a fight to survive for those left living.
City Calendar:
This is what happened during the week.
A rich guy who co-owns a company jumps off the ship. Rodney celebrates his birthday. Kevin tells Shy about a guy asking around about Shy. Shy talks to Carmen about everything. They kiss, but Carmen pushes Shy off. The next day comes, and a storm comes. Shy goes to pack the deck. He sees Addison and Cassandra. They go inside, and Shy sees the guy who was asking about him named Bill. The storm officially hits the ship. Emergency procedures start. Some of the lifeboats sink. A tsunami comes. Many are killed. Shy gets on a life raft with some others, but the raft hits a wave. People are knocked off. Shy gets on a lifeboat that is sinking. He sees Addison and Mr. Henry the oilman. The oilman is hurt by the sharks surrounded their raft. They both get on board. Addie and Shy row the boat. The oilman jumps off, but he leaves Shy his ring. They find a boat. Shy goes inside and sees dead scientists. They are saved by Shoeshine. They go to an island. Addison faints. Shy finds Carmen. They find out that the survivors intend to leave the island. Shy finds out that the penthouse has people dying or dead from Romero Disease. Bill explains that Romero Disease was created by LasoTech Addie's dad's company. Shoeshine kills Bill who was going to kill Shy. The people go to leave, but they are killed by the 'researchers'. Marcus, Shy, Carmen, and Shoeshine escape the island.
And that's what happened this week.
Personal Ads:
Shy.
Teen boy. Has crush on Carmen. Looking to make money for his family. Has nephew with Romero Disease. Had grandmother who died of Romero Disease. Seventeen. Flirty. Brave. Puts grudges aside and will save people. Cares for friends. Good looking.
Addie.
Daughter to co-owner of LasoTech. Snobby. Stuck-up. Ends up having a heart. Has panic attacks after ship is sunk. Loses her best friend.
Carmen.
Has fiancé. Sexy and seductive. Flirts. Had father killed by Romero Disease. Shy likes her. Eighteen. Singer. Good looking. Understand Shy. Can be deep and understanding.
Opinions:
I have mixed feelings about this book.
I love the action. It's quick and fast paced. It's quite amazing. I like the survival. They need water. They need food. The struggle for survival is in this book. They need to survive, and they have to find reasons to survive. I dislike that the survival isn't throughout the book. And we also don't get descriptions of the survival. No aching stomach. It's like the characters aren't exactly starving. Even if you know they are.
The love triangle and the romance are annoying. Shy. Choose one or the other. Love triangles aren't cool. At all. I think Shy and Addie are better. They have chemistry. They might not understand each other like Carmen understands Shy, but they have chemistry. That last line in the lifeboat? Perfect. It makes me root for Shy and Addie. But the romance isn't needed in this book. It would be okay if they were just friends. Truly.
I also dislike Shy. He's an annoying character. The characters are all mildly annoying. I dislike Shy the most. Even Addie grows on you. Shy is the guy who want to like...but can't. He whines a little to much. We get it. You have grieved. You are grieving. But please stop. You don't have to act like a total dunce around Carmen. Sex is a terrible way to get over grief. She has a fiancé. Stop. Get over her. Can't you just be friends? Can't you just not like anyone as anything more than friends?
Weather:
Cloudy with a 80% chance of rain
2/5
Date: November 26, 2014
Spoilers Ahead
Headline
The Living
Matt de La Peña
Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he'll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different passengers, after all.
But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy's only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed.
The earthquake is only the first disaster. Suddenly it's a fight to survive for those left living.
City Calendar:
This is what happened during the week.
A rich guy who co-owns a company jumps off the ship. Rodney celebrates his birthday. Kevin tells Shy about a guy asking around about Shy. Shy talks to Carmen about everything. They kiss, but Carmen pushes Shy off. The next day comes, and a storm comes. Shy goes to pack the deck. He sees Addison and Cassandra. They go inside, and Shy sees the guy who was asking about him named Bill. The storm officially hits the ship. Emergency procedures start. Some of the lifeboats sink. A tsunami comes. Many are killed. Shy gets on a life raft with some others, but the raft hits a wave. People are knocked off. Shy gets on a lifeboat that is sinking. He sees Addison and Mr. Henry the oilman. The oilman is hurt by the sharks surrounded their raft. They both get on board. Addie and Shy row the boat. The oilman jumps off, but he leaves Shy his ring. They find a boat. Shy goes inside and sees dead scientists. They are saved by Shoeshine. They go to an island. Addison faints. Shy finds Carmen. They find out that the survivors intend to leave the island. Shy finds out that the penthouse has people dying or dead from Romero Disease. Bill explains that Romero Disease was created by LasoTech Addie's dad's company. Shoeshine kills Bill who was going to kill Shy. The people go to leave, but they are killed by the 'researchers'. Marcus, Shy, Carmen, and Shoeshine escape the island.
And that's what happened this week.
Personal Ads:
Shy.
Teen boy. Has crush on Carmen. Looking to make money for his family. Has nephew with Romero Disease. Had grandmother who died of Romero Disease. Seventeen. Flirty. Brave. Puts grudges aside and will save people. Cares for friends. Good looking.
Addie.
Daughter to co-owner of LasoTech. Snobby. Stuck-up. Ends up having a heart. Has panic attacks after ship is sunk. Loses her best friend.
Carmen.
Has fiancé. Sexy and seductive. Flirts. Had father killed by Romero Disease. Shy likes her. Eighteen. Singer. Good looking. Understand Shy. Can be deep and understanding.
Opinions:
I have mixed feelings about this book.
I love the action. It's quick and fast paced. It's quite amazing. I like the survival. They need water. They need food. The struggle for survival is in this book. They need to survive, and they have to find reasons to survive. I dislike that the survival isn't throughout the book. And we also don't get descriptions of the survival. No aching stomach. It's like the characters aren't exactly starving. Even if you know they are.
The love triangle and the romance are annoying. Shy. Choose one or the other. Love triangles aren't cool. At all. I think Shy and Addie are better. They have chemistry. They might not understand each other like Carmen understands Shy, but they have chemistry. That last line in the lifeboat? Perfect. It makes me root for Shy and Addie. But the romance isn't needed in this book. It would be okay if they were just friends. Truly.
I also dislike Shy. He's an annoying character. The characters are all mildly annoying. I dislike Shy the most. Even Addie grows on you. Shy is the guy who want to like...but can't. He whines a little to much. We get it. You have grieved. You are grieving. But please stop. You don't have to act like a total dunce around Carmen. Sex is a terrible way to get over grief. She has a fiancé. Stop. Get over her. Can't you just be friends? Can't you just not like anyone as anything more than friends?
Weather:
Cloudy with a 80% chance of rain
2/5