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abaugher's review against another edition
4.0
this sequel also brought up interesting questions about humanity and the seemingly ever-decreasing gap between man and machine. there was also a heavy emphasis on characters really not being able to trust one another...or themselves. and a lot of fighting, blameshifting, and distracting. kind of like real life with a teenager. ;)
cosmicrusalka's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. My. Gosh. I freaking LOVED this book. I could reread this series over and over.
It's so perfect. I love how Wasserman describes things, and I especially love how being a mech is described. There is much I can personally relate too.
It's so perfect. I love how Wasserman describes things, and I especially love how being a mech is described. There is much I can personally relate too.
reba_reads_books's review against another edition
1.0
I changed this 4 star rating to 1 star, because this is a one star series, and here's why.
Original Review:
I feel bad writing this review, because I read the first in this series years ago so I don't remember why I'd rated it 5 stars besides the fact that I remember blazing through the story wanting to know what happened next. I did that with this one too. The plot builds, tension mounts, and the author presents many paths for the main character Lia to choose...so, as a reader, naturally you're hooked to keep reading to find out which she chooses. However, this didn't feel like a five star book to me. I agree with some other reviewers that Lia's philosophical inner monologues were amazing in the first book but made me raise an eyebrow in this one. I was disappointed in Lia; for the entirety of this book she's totally neutral, so many sides to choose and you don't get the sense she's rooting for any one. This says something interesting about the moral dilemma they're in, but it unfortunately doesn't make for interesting character development. I wanted to be in *any* of the antagonists' heads...at least they *believed* in something. At least they'd *monumentally* grown since their bodies had failed them...whereas Lia, well, she seemed just as lost as she was in the first book, except this time she was cynical about it rather than heartbroken, which doesn't make for a likeable character. Also, the Riley/Jude/Lia romantic tension felt fake and forced...like it was expected to be there, which is why it was there. But seriously...Lia has basically turned into an asexual aromantic, so what motivation does she have to pursue romance? I couldn't help but wonder, she thinks so hard about everything else, why did she never think about her relationships? Her friendships? At least never in any deep way. Any thought that wasn't about her own immediate dilemmas and emotions was pretty much immediately dismissed. It made her come off as incredibly selfish, which is contradictory to the growth she seemed to have done at the end of the first book. I'm giving this four stars because, despite my criticisms, I really want to know what happens next. I care about the outcome of this plot, even though I'm still unsure if I care about the characters. And, I gotta give it to Wasserman, she's a talented writer; I lose myself in her prose every time. She makes it so easy to fall into the world she's created, like swimming into an ocean you don't want to emerge from.
Original Review:
I feel bad writing this review, because I read the first in this series years ago so I don't remember why I'd rated it 5 stars besides the fact that I remember blazing through the story wanting to know what happened next. I did that with this one too. The plot builds, tension mounts, and the author presents many paths for the main character Lia to choose...so, as a reader, naturally you're hooked to keep reading to find out which she chooses. However, this didn't feel like a five star book to me. I agree with some other reviewers that Lia's philosophical inner monologues were amazing in the first book but made me raise an eyebrow in this one. I was disappointed in Lia; for the entirety of this book she's totally neutral, so many sides to choose and you don't get the sense she's rooting for any one. This says something interesting about the moral dilemma they're in, but it unfortunately doesn't make for interesting character development. I wanted to be in *any* of the antagonists' heads...at least they *believed* in something. At least they'd *monumentally* grown since their bodies had failed them...whereas Lia, well, she seemed just as lost as she was in the first book, except this time she was cynical about it rather than heartbroken, which doesn't make for a likeable character. Also, the Riley/Jude/Lia romantic tension felt fake and forced...like it was expected to be there, which is why it was there. But seriously...Lia has basically turned into an asexual aromantic, so what motivation does she have to pursue romance? I couldn't help but wonder, she thinks so hard about everything else, why did she never think about her relationships? Her friendships? At least never in any deep way. Any thought that wasn't about her own immediate dilemmas and emotions was pretty much immediately dismissed. It made her come off as incredibly selfish, which is contradictory to the growth she seemed to have done at the end of the first book. I'm giving this four stars because, despite my criticisms, I really want to know what happens next. I care about the outcome of this plot, even though I'm still unsure if I care about the characters. And, I gotta give it to Wasserman, she's a talented writer; I lose myself in her prose every time. She makes it so easy to fall into the world she's created, like swimming into an ocean you don't want to emerge from.
booksong's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good sequel...but it wasn't anything to get too excited about, unfortunately. The plot and characters of this book seem to hitting snags in their development; I couldn't help feeling as I read that I'd seen too much of this stuff before.
For one thing, Lia's intense mental and moral angsting gets old. I like when characters muse over ideas and problems and think things through, but the constant and often repetitive buzz of Lia's angry, sad, tortured, thoughtful inner monologue started to wear on me after a couple hundred pages. The ideas behind her thinking are fascinating - "What constitutes humanity? Feeling? Memory? What is it to be alive?" - but she already hashed these questions out in the first book. It gets ad-nauseum here.
There is more action here, and some development in terms of who's good, who's bad, and who's going to be dangerous to our main characters. Many people are still very ambiguous, but not because they're being mysteriously developed, just because they seem to flip-flop between being kind of cool and being annoying. I still can't stand Jude, and not even in a respectful villainous way. Just that he's a monumental jerk, and I can't understand any of the various characters' sympathy, trust, or loyalty to him.
The one other area I had a problem with here was Lia's relationship with Riley. I get that she needs to spread out a little and explore exactly what constitutes love and desire in a mech body, but Riley was so...boring. And so was Lia's interaction with him. There was just no spark. Compared to her vital, touching relationship with Auden that developed in the first book, I felt let down, especially because Auden himself stays "offscreen" for most of this one.
The climax scene and last couple chapters were very good though (mostly because Auden reappeared and Lia interacted with him), and made me interested enough to probably read the 3rd and final book.
For one thing, Lia's intense mental and moral angsting gets old. I like when characters muse over ideas and problems and think things through, but the constant and often repetitive buzz of Lia's angry, sad, tortured, thoughtful inner monologue started to wear on me after a couple hundred pages. The ideas behind her thinking are fascinating - "What constitutes humanity? Feeling? Memory? What is it to be alive?" - but she already hashed these questions out in the first book. It gets ad-nauseum here.
There is more action here, and some development in terms of who's good, who's bad, and who's going to be dangerous to our main characters. Many people are still very ambiguous, but not because they're being mysteriously developed, just because they seem to flip-flop between being kind of cool and being annoying. I still can't stand Jude, and not even in a respectful villainous way. Just that he's a monumental jerk, and I can't understand any of the various characters' sympathy, trust, or loyalty to him.
The one other area I had a problem with here was Lia's relationship with Riley. I get that she needs to spread out a little and explore exactly what constitutes love and desire in a mech body, but Riley was so...boring. And so was Lia's interaction with him. There was just no spark. Compared to her vital, touching relationship with Auden that developed in the first book, I felt let down, especially because Auden himself stays "offscreen" for most of this one.
The climax scene and last couple chapters were very good though (mostly because Auden reappeared and Lia interacted with him), and made me interested enough to probably read the 3rd and final book.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. It wasn't specified that this was a second in the series but don't think it would have changed much for me. It wasn't terrible but I did not enjoy the story anywho. Didn't connect with the characters and didn't find the plot as exciting as I had hoped.
hannahxuereb's review against another edition
4.0
I am still in shock over the ending of this book and am finding it too hard to write a proper review so I'll just say this: Did not see that coming!
bxermom's review against another edition
3.0
This second book in the Skinned series moved along at a slow slow pace until I was about halfway in...that's why the 3 stars. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish it, but finally the action and story picked up and once again I was not disappointed. Its really hard to right a review on this series as its almost impossible to not mention spoilers...but I will say this...Lia's growing up, making choices, facing trouble, and still has a long way to go in adjusting to her new world. A must read!
kendracurless's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the first, but still a good read. Reminded me a lot of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Series, though there are not as much fun futuristic tidbits. I was interested up until the end for some odd reason. I think it's just because it was hard to relate to the characters because they are robots. Or because I started a different book before finishing this one.
silodear's review against another edition
3.0
Hm. I'm till intrigued by this series and I'm continuing to ponder what the message of the author might be... but I'm decidedly less overwhelmed by the conflict in my brain. This book was a decent second-book-in-the-trilogy. I still want you all to read it and help me make sense of what's happening.
stephhreads's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed Crashed while I read it, but it ended on an "ugh" note for me. I find the whole concept and debate on what it means to be a "person" or even a "human" very interesting. But I felt a bit uncomfortable reading Crashed. It made me want to squirm in my seat.