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lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received a copy of this book as part of my subscription to FairyLoot.
"Poster Girl" follows a young woman named Sonya. Sonya long believed in the Delegation's moto: " WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT". She followed it without question or second thought. But when the Delegation fell, and she is locked up with other important members of the Delegation in the Aperture, she begins to rethink everything. She is given the opportunity to earn her freedom and get out from under their watchful eye. Sonya is tasked with finding a missing girl, a second born to a family who should not have had a second child under the rules of the Delegation. Through her investigation, Sonya uncovers decades old secrets that could destroy her community's reality.
I really liked the idea of this book and the exploration of how surveillance is slowly encroaching on every part of our lives. It is easy to feel like wherever you are, technology will find you, and that might not be such a great thing. I also greatly appreciated that this book does not get too techy in explanation. I have a very visceral understanding of technology, so too much detail about the cloud would have really taken be out of the story.
Sonya as a character felt kind of flat to me. I wanted to see her complete her task, but I was never rooting for her. She is flawed and we learn something about her that is heartbreaking, but I never felt super connected to her as a person.
I think Veronica Roth does dystopian well, but this particular story just did not grab me like her others. Perhaps this was too futuristic with technology for me personally? Overall, I felt like this story was fine. I am happy I read it, but I likely will not think much about it.
I will probably pick up Veronica Roth in the future, just maybe not anything set in this world
"Poster Girl" follows a young woman named Sonya. Sonya long believed in the Delegation's moto: " WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT". She followed it without question or second thought. But when the Delegation fell, and she is locked up with other important members of the Delegation in the Aperture, she begins to rethink everything. She is given the opportunity to earn her freedom and get out from under their watchful eye. Sonya is tasked with finding a missing girl, a second born to a family who should not have had a second child under the rules of the Delegation. Through her investigation, Sonya uncovers decades old secrets that could destroy her community's reality.
I really liked the idea of this book and the exploration of how surveillance is slowly encroaching on every part of our lives. It is easy to feel like wherever you are, technology will find you, and that might not be such a great thing. I also greatly appreciated that this book does not get too techy in explanation. I have a very visceral understanding of technology, so too much detail about the cloud would have really taken be out of the story.
Sonya as a character felt kind of flat to me. I wanted to see her complete her task, but I was never rooting for her. She is flawed and we learn something about her that is heartbreaking, but I never felt super connected to her as a person.
I think Veronica Roth does dystopian well, but this particular story just did not grab me like her others. Perhaps this was too futuristic with technology for me personally? Overall, I felt like this story was fine. I am happy I read it, but I likely will not think much about it.
I will probably pick up Veronica Roth in the future, just maybe not anything set in this world
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Suicide, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Death of parent
arantzazureads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was good but not amazing. It was thought-provoking and well-written; I definitely highlighted a lot of quotable passages! The sedate tone and style matched the protagonist’s personality which was also well-tied in with the plot and setting. It all hung together very skillfully. I really liked the ending. But the pace felt slow and reflective in a way that never got very exciting or emotionally personal for me so it took me a couple weeks to come back to it and finish it. Wasn’t a binging book for me (but that’s okay). I’d say read it if you’re interested in a story about the *aftermath* of what usually is the hot, exciting traditional dystopian tale (aka this author’s famous Divergent series). This is obviously a more mature writer and story which has its own pros and cons depending on the reader. But the setting and the way she handled the complexity and nuance of what happens to the poster child of a fascist regime after it toppled was well-done in my opinion. Definitely check content warnings though. I teach about these topics (fascism, propaganda, surveillance, censorship), and I’d recommend it if I worked with older high school or college kids.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical content, Violence, Grief, and Suicide
ccouey's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Suicide, and Drug use
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
hannahmayhere's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
marareading's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this look into a dystopian regime being overthrown by another government. Such an interesting thought process. The original corrupt government rewards citizens by paying/removing rewards via monitoring eye implants and reporting behaviors by citizens. When overthrown all citizens who supported the government are held in a secluded and guarded community for life. Including MC Sonya, who was the literal poster child for the deligation government. Now the new government is offering her her freedom in exchange for finding a missing person displaced my the deligation. She will find that the government she knew as a child wasn't as she thought it wasn't uncovering secrets and very uncomfortable information she didn't know she'd rather leave buried.
This is a slow burn and I couldn't put it down. Perfect for a dystopian weekend read. Highly recommend, and eerily relevant to the times.
This is a slow burn and I couldn't put it down. Perfect for a dystopian weekend read. Highly recommend, and eerily relevant to the times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, Drug use, Medical trauma, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts
starrysteph's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Poster Girl is an uncomfortable portrait of guilt and identity.
We follow Sonya, the former teenage poster girl for an oppressive dystopian regime. She’s been living in a prison for the past 10 years alongside fellow members of the Delegation. But now, an old enemy visits her with an enticing offer: if she finds a missing child who was stolen by the old regime, she can earn her freedom.
Roth has great skill at building dystopian worlds; the society felt very adjacent to our current reality. The invasive tech & government surveillance aspect felt very believable.
The characterization was excellent. Sonya is a compelling morally gray protagonist - you’re angry with her and hopeful for her and yet a little hesitant to root for her. We don’t usually get dystopian lit from the point of view of a character with privilege & that benefited from the regime.
I also enjoyed that we’re dropping into this story 10 years after the revolution. The world has settled (although there are of course complications with the new leadership), and Sonya is an adult who has essentially been living in limbo - with space from her personal trauma and plenty of time to allow for reflection. She was fully indoctrinated and still lives in that bubble at the start of the story; it’s intriguing to watch her discover the ethical horrors of what she once accepted as truth.
One weakness for me was the romance aspect. It felt a bit tacked on & that thread didn’t seem to lead anywhere or add to the plot outside of a device for Sonya to yet again recognize her manipulation and recalibrate her sense of self.
Additionally, there was so much distance from the overthrowing incident that the mystery plot & tension didn’t feel as urgent or engaging as I wanted it to be.
Overall, Poster Girl was fascinating, but I wished for a little more depth and higher stakes.
CW: murder, death, child death, suicide, suicidal thoughts, violence, alcoholism, drug use, confinement, gun violence, addiction, grief, mental illness, panic attacks, police brutality, war, kidnapping, child abuse
(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Addiction, Police brutality, War, Child abuse, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Child death, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
fromjuliereads's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
**Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
When I saw that one of the "classic" dystopian authors was releasing a new dystopian, I was excited to check it out - and very excited to get an advanced copy! I know that some people still hold Allegiant against Roth, but while it definitely wasn't my favourite series ending, I don't hold any grudges about it. I was excited for an adult dystopian!
This book was kind of a dystopian crossed with a mystery, with a lot of social and political commentary. It had a really good combination of these things, and I did really like the commentary. There were some really interesting things said and discussed between characters, or just commented on by the main character.
The one thing I was kind of excited about, even though it was so small, is that this book is set in the Pacific North West - or I guess what would have been it? - and it mentions places like Portland, Seattle, and even Vancouver! It was kind of exciting to see a Canadian city included - oh the small things that make us happy! I did also really like the writing of the book, and how short it was. Roth was able to pack so much into a shorter novel without missing anything integral to the story.
I did really enjoy the story, but I admit there were just a couple things that made me not give it a higher rating. Even though I loved how short the story was, there were a couple parts that felt almost like filler. We got a lot of background information, or more details on the way the new dystopia works - as one has taken over after a different one - but some of those sections made things drag just a little. I almost wish the pace had been kept up a bit more, especially through certain sections.
I also guessed a couple of the twists. Don't get me wrong! There are some absolutely fantastic twists and reveals throughout the book that I did NOT see coming - two that I could name right away as being fantastic twists in the book! But there were a couple others that felt a little predictable. And the ending, well, I have very mixed feelings on it. While it was the type of ending that I wanted for so many other dystopians I read during the height of that genre, it felt a little lackluster for this story.
But perhaps my biggest reason I couldn't rate this higher is that the characters weren't as developed as I would have liked them to be. I couldn't ever fully get a grasp on Sonya. She didn't feel developed enough for me to really have feelings about her through the story. The same went for Alexander, even the other side characters. I think somehow the ones that were developed were characters who were integral to the story but had such short little moments. It was a strange combination.
Overall though, if you are looking for a plot-focused dystopian that has some great twists and brings you back to the dystopian novels that we used to read - it will deliver on those fronts, in a short novel even!!
When I saw that one of the "classic" dystopian authors was releasing a new dystopian, I was excited to check it out - and very excited to get an advanced copy! I know that some people still hold Allegiant against Roth, but while it definitely wasn't my favourite series ending, I don't hold any grudges about it. I was excited for an adult dystopian!
This book was kind of a dystopian crossed with a mystery, with a lot of social and political commentary. It had a really good combination of these things, and I did really like the commentary. There were some really interesting things said and discussed between characters, or just commented on by the main character.
The one thing I was kind of excited about, even though it was so small, is that this book is set in the Pacific North West - or I guess what would have been it? - and it mentions places like Portland, Seattle, and even Vancouver! It was kind of exciting to see a Canadian city included - oh the small things that make us happy! I did also really like the writing of the book, and how short it was. Roth was able to pack so much into a shorter novel without missing anything integral to the story.
I did really enjoy the story, but I admit there were just a couple things that made me not give it a higher rating. Even though I loved how short the story was, there were a couple parts that felt almost like filler. We got a lot of background information, or more details on the way the new dystopia works - as one has taken over after a different one - but some of those sections made things drag just a little. I almost wish the pace had been kept up a bit more, especially through certain sections.
I also guessed a couple of the twists. Don't get me wrong! There are some absolutely fantastic twists and reveals throughout the book that I did NOT see coming - two that I could name right away as being fantastic twists in the book! But there were a couple others that felt a little predictable. And the ending, well, I have very mixed feelings on it. While it was the type of ending that I wanted for so many other dystopians I read during the height of that genre, it felt a little lackluster for this story.
But perhaps my biggest reason I couldn't rate this higher is that the characters weren't as developed as I would have liked them to be. I couldn't ever fully get a grasp on Sonya. She didn't feel developed enough for me to really have feelings about her through the story. The same went for Alexander, even the other side characters. I think somehow the ones that were developed were characters who were integral to the story but had such short little moments. It was a strange combination.
Overall though, if you are looking for a plot-focused dystopian that has some great twists and brings you back to the dystopian novels that we used to read - it will deliver on those fronts, in a short novel even!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
The suicides are referenced back to, and they are drug overdose related.kimmykelly's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Grief, and Suicide
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