Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I wasn't sold on the first book. The first book was enjoyable but I should have stopped there. There were a lot of loose ends and that is why I tried this book. I don't feel the story was well put together and there was nothing in the book that grabbed my attention. Sorry, this book was not for me.
I did not enjoy this book the way I did the first one in the series. It was confusing to keep up with the characters and what was taking place in the real world vs. virtual reality. I felt like I was just pushing through it to finish it.
Mini-Review:
4.5 Stars for Narration by Nick Podehl
4 Stars for Concepts
2.5 Stars for Lopsided Progression
Currently on KU Read & Listen
Overall, a fun SF that pulls together a bunch of interesting tropes. This is a story you have to experience and it's best if no one tells you what happened. I knew I would get a nice payoff if I made myself stick with the story to the end and I got it! It's impossible to enjoy all of the events at the end without the building blocks put into place before. I figured out what was going on as the story unfolded and enjoyed how my guesses were revealed.
Cool Bits:
- Futuristic World, Tech, Bending of Virtual of the Fantastic/Bizarre/Nightmare/Beautiful
- Solid Characters (Not all are meant to be likable but great parts to a whole.)
- Cool showing of different perspectives/arguments/choices/consequences.
Meh:
- Abstract ideas that are not well expressed.
- Relationships are very cookie cutter but good enough to float the raft of ideas.
- While parts of the boundaries of belief are pushed hard, the story plays it safe & becomes YA in a few events. YA vibe is not in the whole book, but does come into play at parts.
4.5 Stars for Narration by Nick Podehl
4 Stars for Concepts
2.5 Stars for Lopsided Progression
Currently on KU Read & Listen
Overall, a fun SF that pulls together a bunch of interesting tropes. This is a story you have to experience and it's best if no one tells you what happened. I knew I would get a nice payoff if I made myself stick with the story to the end and I got it! It's impossible to enjoy all of the events at the end without the building blocks put into place before. I figured out what was going on as the story unfolded and enjoyed how my guesses were revealed.
Cool Bits:
- Futuristic World, Tech, Bending of Virtual of the Fantastic/Bizarre/Nightmare/Beautiful
- Solid Characters (Not all are meant to be likable but great parts to a whole.)
- Cool showing of different perspectives/arguments/choices/consequences.
Meh:
- Abstract ideas that are not well expressed.
- Relationships are very cookie cutter but good enough to float the raft of ideas.
- While parts of the boundaries of belief are pushed hard, the story plays it safe & becomes YA in a few events. YA vibe is not in the whole book, but does come into play at parts.
I was reluctant to write this review since the author kindly sent me an advanced copy, and I didn't like this book as much as its predecessor, [b:Complete Atopia Chronicles|15794568|Complete Atopia Chronicles (Atopia Chronicles 1-6)|Matthew Mather|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345771518s/15794568.jpg|21516661]Atopia chronicles.
What in the previous book was an interesting, exhaustive extrapolation of the possible consequences of virtual (synthetic) reality, is here derailed into realms of quasi-religious speculation.
There are also other problems with the book, I felt the first third was quite pointless, with characters that don't appear again and go from one place to another without much direction.
So, two stars, meaning "it was OK". Not my cup of tea, less hard SF in this volume, although there are a few nice ideas here and there.
Note that I was provided an Advance Review Copy at no cost.
What in the previous book was an interesting, exhaustive extrapolation of the possible consequences of virtual (synthetic) reality, is here derailed into realms of quasi-religious speculation.
There are also other problems with the book, I felt the first third was quite pointless, with characters that don't appear again and go from one place to another without much direction.
So, two stars, meaning "it was OK". Not my cup of tea, less hard SF in this volume, although there are a few nice ideas here and there.
Note that I was provided an Advance Review Copy at no cost.