Scan barcode
cc_sanders's review
3.0
Find my full *RANT* review in this video https://youtu.be/iji7KJRnVfA
I was really excited to start this book - it took me a little longer to get to it but I really wanted to be in the right mood for a good SciFi Dystopia. And ready I was.
Sadly I got really disappointed.
For the first 30% of the book I had no clue what was going on. It felt like we were running around with angel statues, which are forbidden but we have no idea why. A meteor shower that caused something incredibly important and scandalous. Of which we had no idea what the scandal really was. An angel statue pointing towards the meteor. A prophecy maybe?
The worldbuilding was so confusing that I had to go and read the synopsis to help me understand what this world was all about. Which helped me understand the framework. But shouldn't the book itself be able to do just that?
Slowly I understood that we are in a futuristic dystopian world where religion and art has been forbidden and is villified. Exciting premise! I love this type of idea and exploring what a society could come to if elements that we know in our world are taken away. Now I was excited to explore the world and understand the rules and limitations.
But alas, that is not the case. Instead, we are focusing on the main characters journey finding god. I love some religious exploration as well. But in this case, it is pushed onto the reader in a way where we are not only following the main characters thoughts, this book started to read like a religious pamphlet, trying to convert, "awaken" me to the word of god. The writing style was getting more and more preachy and religiously driven. In the end, our main charachters quest is to show the citizens of the place we are following "the truth", which translates to "God/religion". We are following a missionary in their quest to make everybody a believer. I still think it could be a really interesting premise, if the narrator would take a more neutral stance and explore the benefits of trying to convert people, but potantially also view the critical side and question this obsessively religious behavior. As such was not the case, this book was going way too far for my taste. I really would love to hear from some religious people how they experience this book! While reading I was really leaning between religious fanatics either loving this or considering this blasphemy.
This still does not mean that this is necessarily a bad book. I think the writing style is really nice at times and the overall premise/idea was nice. I just would have hoped for a little bit of a different execution.
I received Wake for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was really excited to start this book - it took me a little longer to get to it but I really wanted to be in the right mood for a good SciFi Dystopia. And ready I was.
Sadly I got really disappointed.
For the first 30% of the book I had no clue what was going on. It felt like we were running around with angel statues, which are forbidden but we have no idea why. A meteor shower that caused something incredibly important and scandalous. Of which we had no idea what the scandal really was. An angel statue pointing towards the meteor. A prophecy maybe?
The worldbuilding was so confusing that I had to go and read the synopsis to help me understand what this world was all about. Which helped me understand the framework. But shouldn't the book itself be able to do just that?
Slowly I understood that we are in a futuristic dystopian world where religion and art has been forbidden and is villified. Exciting premise! I love this type of idea and exploring what a society could come to if elements that we know in our world are taken away. Now I was excited to explore the world and understand the rules and limitations.
But alas, that is not the case. Instead, we are focusing on the main characters journey finding god. I love some religious exploration as well. But in this case, it is pushed onto the reader in a way where we are not only following the main characters thoughts, this book started to read like a religious pamphlet, trying to convert, "awaken" me to the word of god. The writing style was getting more and more preachy and religiously driven. In the end, our main charachters quest is to show the citizens of the place we are following "the truth", which translates to "God/religion". We are following a missionary in their quest to make everybody a believer. I still think it could be a really interesting premise, if the narrator would take a more neutral stance and explore the benefits of trying to convert people, but potantially also view the critical side and question this obsessively religious behavior. As such was not the case, this book was going way too far for my taste. I really would love to hear from some religious people how they experience this book! While reading I was really leaning between religious fanatics either loving this or considering this blasphemy.
This still does not mean that this is necessarily a bad book. I think the writing style is really nice at times and the overall premise/idea was nice. I just would have hoped for a little bit of a different execution.
I received Wake for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
fiction_aficionado's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first in a new dystopian series for young adults set in the future fictional city of Titus, where religion and all forms of expressive art have been banned. When Monet’s friend Luke discovers a history book containing pictures of angels – symbols of the ‘cult’ Monet’s mother belonged to before she was taken away for ‘rehabilitation’ – he is compelled to sculpt them from scraps of metal and other bits and pieces he has found. He is convinced that the ruling Triad is not telling them everything, and he plans to create a series of these illegal sculptures to place around the outskirts of the city.
It is a dangerous enough mission in itself, but when a meteor crashes to earth right where one of Luke's sculpted angels points its extended finger, Monet and Luke begin to suspect that there is much more going on than either of them understand. Their suspicions are realised when a strange phenomenon associated with the meteor produces ghostly images that allow them to watch history being replayed before their eyes. The quest for truth begins.
As the Triad closes in on Luke, Monet, and their friends Fox and Rand, they prepare to escape to the Wild Ones – those who live in the woods outside the boundary of Titus – but leaving Titus is forbidden and things don’t go according to plan. Monet is left behind in a city that is slowly fracturing, under the ever-watchful eye of The Triad. Can she awaken the citizens of Titus to the truth and find her way back to her friends before it’s too late?
This was a new-to-me author, and I found that I enjoyed the strong, well-paced writing. I also found the premise of a world where all forms of expressive art have been banned intriguing (although I can’t say I would like to experience it for myself!) although I would have loved it if this book had explored that concept a little more in its world building. For example, what impact would such a stricture have on society, apart from the obvious legal penalties for disobedience? How would it change individuals? In this novel we see the legal ramifications of challenging this law, but I couldn't help feeling that there would have been deeper consequences arising from the absence of expressive art; after all, it is a defining characteristic of our Creator. Nevertheless, this was an engaging read as Monet and Luke struggled to make sense of the events unfolding in Titus.
This is only the first part of Monet's story, so be prepared to be left anticipating the next part of their journey. I will be interested to see where it takes them.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
It is a dangerous enough mission in itself, but when a meteor crashes to earth right where one of Luke's sculpted angels points its extended finger, Monet and Luke begin to suspect that there is much more going on than either of them understand. Their suspicions are realised when a strange phenomenon associated with the meteor produces ghostly images that allow them to watch history being replayed before their eyes. The quest for truth begins.
As the Triad closes in on Luke, Monet, and their friends Fox and Rand, they prepare to escape to the Wild Ones – those who live in the woods outside the boundary of Titus – but leaving Titus is forbidden and things don’t go according to plan. Monet is left behind in a city that is slowly fracturing, under the ever-watchful eye of The Triad. Can she awaken the citizens of Titus to the truth and find her way back to her friends before it’s too late?
This was a new-to-me author, and I found that I enjoyed the strong, well-paced writing. I also found the premise of a world where all forms of expressive art have been banned intriguing (although I can’t say I would like to experience it for myself!) although I would have loved it if this book had explored that concept a little more in its world building. For example, what impact would such a stricture have on society, apart from the obvious legal penalties for disobedience? How would it change individuals? In this novel we see the legal ramifications of challenging this law, but I couldn't help feeling that there would have been deeper consequences arising from the absence of expressive art; after all, it is a defining characteristic of our Creator. Nevertheless, this was an engaging read as Monet and Luke struggled to make sense of the events unfolding in Titus.
This is only the first part of Monet's story, so be prepared to be left anticipating the next part of their journey. I will be interested to see where it takes them.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
More...