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magencorrie's review
2.0
My Review
DNF
I tried to get into this one, but sadly I just couldn't get lost in the world that Duncan created. Though it is vivid in detail and deep in description with the mix of old and new in this fantasy world, I found the book lacking in action and intense emotion. When I pick up sci-fi books, I look for action that pulls me in and leaves me wanting more and when it comes to romance, I want to feel the intense raw emotions of the characters. I found neither of those in this one.
I did start out somewhat enjoying the book, but found myself growing a bit bored and then I found myself skimming the book. I ended up reading bits and pieces of the story and I pretty much got the sum of the book that way. I wasn’t surprised by the turn of events or how it ended (I did end up reading the last few chapters in the end and I found I wasn't that lost with how it wrapped up and with what happened). The pacing was also a bit too slow for me, I felt like it never really picked up.
Now, the reason I still gave the book a two star rating even though I didn’t really read the whole book is because it was still a very unique story. I loved the idea behind it. It also felt very much like the science-fiction show Firefly, in how there is a mix of new and old within the world. And I loved the idea of people living in space while others living on Earth, though in this one there is an animosity between them.
I hated that I just couldn’t get into this one because I really did try to love, but I definitely encourage others to pick this one up if they enjoy a science-fiction world filled with a mix of new world technology and the grunge of the old.
DNF
I tried to get into this one, but sadly I just couldn't get lost in the world that Duncan created. Though it is vivid in detail and deep in description with the mix of old and new in this fantasy world, I found the book lacking in action and intense emotion. When I pick up sci-fi books, I look for action that pulls me in and leaves me wanting more and when it comes to romance, I want to feel the intense raw emotions of the characters. I found neither of those in this one.
I did start out somewhat enjoying the book, but found myself growing a bit bored and then I found myself skimming the book. I ended up reading bits and pieces of the story and I pretty much got the sum of the book that way. I wasn’t surprised by the turn of events or how it ended (I did end up reading the last few chapters in the end and I found I wasn't that lost with how it wrapped up and with what happened). The pacing was also a bit too slow for me, I felt like it never really picked up.
Now, the reason I still gave the book a two star rating even though I didn’t really read the whole book is because it was still a very unique story. I loved the idea behind it. It also felt very much like the science-fiction show Firefly, in how there is a mix of new and old within the world. And I loved the idea of people living in space while others living on Earth, though in this one there is an animosity between them.
I hated that I just couldn’t get into this one because I really did try to love, but I definitely encourage others to pick this one up if they enjoy a science-fiction world filled with a mix of new world technology and the grunge of the old.
abaugher's review
5.0
my first response to the beginning chapters of this book was: "WTF? Amish in space?!" But I kept on, realizing that, with over 500 pages, there is sure to be an awesome conflict where things will get interesting. And they do. And the book becomes fabulous. And Ava's struggle becomes so much more focused than just getting by as part of an inferior group in her own unequal society; it becomes a struggle to find her own inherent worth, no matter where she goes. Debut novel: awesome!
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
4.0
4/5
I really enjoyed this book! I wasn't expecting it to be a sci fi for some reason, but it was refreshing since I can't remember the last time, I read a book within that genre. I'm already about to read the sequel and I have a feeling I'll like it better than this one but this one was good with setting up an amazing world and characters.
I really enjoyed this book! I wasn't expecting it to be a sci fi for some reason, but it was refreshing since I can't remember the last time, I read a book within that genre. I'm already about to read the sequel and I have a feeling I'll like it better than this one but this one was good with setting up an amazing world and characters.
angelatastic16's review
5.0
The beginning of this book is weirdly written and boring. But it only gets better from there! It was really fast paced and felt like three different stories in one book. It was really cool to see all the parts of the story link together and the character development over time. It really makes one think about social issues of today and age old philosophical issues from poverty to feminism. This book was completely different than anything I've ever read before (in a good way).
lynnea713's review
3.0
I really wanted to love this book, especially because of the feminist focus, and that sadly didn't happen. I will say that I didn't find the language or the weird words for things (i.e. crow = cell phone) distracting at all. I enjoy when an author plays with that words and grammar in that way and I think the author did that well. I also enjoyed the world she created with crewes and planetside cultures - that was very well done!
I sadly found the book to over all be rather just okay. The author is a great writer, and as this is her first novel I have high hopes for future books by her (and do plan on reading the second one), but the descriptions in the book are long and I found them unnecessary. I skipped several passages because of this. I also found Ava to be rather annoying at times and rather predictable. By the end, and I mean the VERY end, I finally liked her. Her character seemed to be stuck in the I'm-so-unsure-about-everything-so-I-must-run-away phase for the majority of the book but the ending does, FINALLY, make up for that.
Overall, it isn't a bad book but did seem overly long to me and unnecessarily so. It was sadly not as good as the reviews I read made me hope.
I sadly found the book to over all be rather just okay. The author is a great writer, and as this is her first novel I have high hopes for future books by her (and do plan on reading the second one), but the descriptions in the book are long and I found them unnecessary. I skipped several passages because of this. I also found Ava to be rather annoying at times and rather predictable. By the end, and I mean the VERY end, I finally liked her. Her character seemed to be stuck in the I'm-so-unsure-about-everything-so-I-must-run-away phase for the majority of the book but the ending does, FINALLY, make up for that.
Overall, it isn't a bad book but did seem overly long to me and unnecessarily so. It was sadly not as good as the reviews I read made me hope.
jeslyncat's review
2.0
The first 1/8 of this book was pretty good. But the remainder is a series of constant overly descriptive, pointless items. It just does on and on. I literally slammed it against my head at one point. It should have been about 300 pages shorter and had exactly 50% more plot and direction.
eiie's review
5.0
Salvage by Alexandra Duncan kept me up all night reading. Imagine a community that teeters between religious commune and religious cult out in the isolation of the American desert -- now imagine them in the isolation of a generation ship. That's where the narrator, Ava, grew up. As the novel opens, Ava thinks she's getting everything a teenage bride could want, but a series of cruelties and misunderstandings instead make her an outcast who tumbles to Earth. Earth, as it's been portrayed to the girls growing up on the generation ships, is a horrific place where no woman (ahem) has the skills or strength to survive, not the society nor the gravity. And that's what really sums up the attitude of these communes: They're supposed to have everyone leave the ships from time to time and train for greater, earth-like gravity, but only bother to do so for the men, because the women should not be of the world, they should float above its baseness like angels. Yet in spite of her many struggles on Earth, Ava finds herself thriving there in ways she never could have imagined. I'm not someone who's crazy for YA lit most days, but Salvage shows the beauty of young adult sci-fi that isn't dystopia.
pantsreads's review
4.0
A powerful, feminist, "finding your own path" story that really surprised me.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
beniceorleaf's review
3.0
There were parts I liked and the premise is great. In the end it suffered from too much YA tropeiness for me.
hywar's review
2.0
I was beyond excited to snag this book for free at a book sale - the description makes it sound beyond interesting and gave me hope for a great science fiction book with a strong female lead. I'm always on the lookout for these kinds of books for my middle school students, and I was hoping to be able to use this book during one of our daily book talks.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a book that I would feel happy doing that with.Salvage follows the life of Ava, a young girl who lives on a ship in space. In this futuristic world, Earth has become overpopulated, and many people choose to live in space rather than populate the planet. Ava finds out that she is to be wed soon, and becomes thrilled when she believes she will be wed to her long-time love interest, Luck. Unfortunately, a series of poor choices led to Ava being disowned, thrown off her ship, and sent to Earth - a place she's told she has no chance of surviving in.
As a science fiction tale, this book does well. Alexandra Duncan does a solid job of providing a unique form of language and dialect, and of creating a new world view that seems both familiar and different. Though at first the language choices can be annoying - the reader is presumed to be familiar with the terms, so no explanation is given - after a while the words start to become familiar and more comfortable.
Once Ava hits Earth, however, everything starts to drag. There's no real sense of excitement or wonder, and the entire story seems to take forever and go no where. It's bogged down by heavy descriptions that the reader doesn't really need to understand, and I can't imagine my young students having the attention span to sit through so many pages.
In addition, despite having so many pages to see things happen, Ava's transformation seems to happen all at once and is handled clumsily. One minute, Ava is on her male-dominated ship (where females have literally no power, and are treated as weak and pathetic). The next? She's apparently a proud feminist who believes she can do anything. This just doesn't work; Ava has just been disowned, and yet she seems to never think about her previous life whatsoever.
Ultimately, this book had great potential. I was looking forward to being able to recommend a science fiction, female-led book to my students. However, I don't believe this book suits the audience it's been published for; my students would likely get frustrated by the different language (and grow angry when they realized they couldn't even look up unfamiliar terms, as they've been taught to do), and Ava quickly stops being a relatable character.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a book that I would feel happy doing that with.
As a science fiction tale, this book does well. Alexandra Duncan does a solid job of providing a unique form of language and dialect, and of creating a new world view that seems both familiar and different. Though at first the language choices can be annoying - the reader is presumed to be familiar with the terms, so no explanation is given - after a while the words start to become familiar and more comfortable.
Once Ava hits Earth, however, everything starts to drag. There's no real sense of excitement or wonder, and the entire story seems to take forever and go no where. It's bogged down by heavy descriptions that the reader doesn't really need to understand, and I can't imagine my young students having the attention span to sit through so many pages.
In addition, despite having so many pages to see things happen, Ava's transformation seems to happen all at once and is handled clumsily. One minute, Ava is on her male-dominated ship (where females have literally no power, and are treated as weak and pathetic). The next? She's apparently a proud feminist who believes she can do anything. This just doesn't work; Ava has just been disowned, and yet she seems to never think about her previous life whatsoever.
Ultimately, this book had great potential. I was looking forward to being able to recommend a science fiction, female-led book to my students. However, I don't believe this book suits the audience it's been published for; my students would likely get frustrated by the different language (and grow angry when they realized they couldn't even look up unfamiliar terms, as they've been taught to do), and Ava quickly stops being a relatable character.