My rating: ★★☆☆☆
I don't generally write reviews of books I didn't absolutely love or absolutely hate, but this one is on both ends of the spectrum for me. I'll start with the things I hated:
The main character: Okay, I realize that a lot of the things Rose feels and the way she deals with situations can be chalked up to things that are entirely not her fault, but I can't help wanting to smack her in the face a little bit. For at least the first 150 pages she's a whiny, self-loathing ninny. She literally falls for the first boy she sets her eyes on. I guess all of this could stem from the fact that this is sort of a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but really? Of all the things about a fairy tale that could've been changed, you chose to retain the meek, passive heroine?
The "science fiction": I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the author is not by any means a scientist. I had a lot of trouble getting past all the new technology, as it seemed to arise with convenience rather than with the setting, and the whole entire concept of the "Dark Times." It would have made sense to leave the "Dark Times" as merely an economic phenomenon, but it also included the resurrection of the Bubonic Plague and tuberculosis? If the science in this future society is so advanced, why are they even less capable than we are of containing diseases? I mean, the Plague is nothing by today's standards. Isolate, treat, prevent. I rolled my eyes and began skimming the pages at every mention of the Dark Times.
Overdescription: I skimmed so much of this book, and I don't feel like I've missed anything. There are pages upon pages of Rose considering her life, her options, and explaining her exact thought processes. This slowed down the most action-intense moments of the book and made me completely uninterested in what was happening.
Now on to what I actually liked:
The other characters: Namely, Xavier, Bren, and Otto. Although I feel like Bren and Otto could have been combined into one person, they still stick out to me as characters all their own. Xavier was a consistent character who I was always rooting for, even when I got to the bittersweet end of the story. I loved his passion, how he was the only person who knew about Rose's life and how screwed up her parents were, and he actually fought for her. He wanted better for her than she thought she deserved, and he was the one who turned her into someone willing to fight for herself. And the thing was, he didn't stop after they "broke up," or when they couldn't be together again. He was still the same person 62 years later, except the life he wanted for himself had been taken away, so he was a more hardened version of the Xavier Rose knew before. Believable. Heartbreaking. Necessary.
The ending: I know the ending scheeved a lot of people out and, yes, it certainly left me thinking "What in the world did I just experience?!" But at the same time, I really enjoyed it. Rose finally gives herself a little credit, and the repetition of "for now" at the end is the perfect way to set up for the next book. I may actually check the sequel out even though I didn't particularly like this book, just because finally I can deal with the main character. And I'd like to see where things are going.
Hey! I read this book, too. I actually loved the science part of this fiction. It was really believable. Especially the part about tuberculosis and the plague. That is so very close to reality. Read the following for example:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.who.int/tb/challenges/mdr/en/
From a literary standpoint it is great to see a thoughtful use of science. Rather than just search for a dramatic deus ex machina to move the story along, the author chose a boring but highly probable scientific explanation. Entire movies revolve around an asteroid hitting the earth or a volcano erupting in the middle of LA. Those things are entirely unlikely. On the other hand microbial evolution (and misuse of antibiotics) leaves us just one handshake and face-kissing greeting away from pandemic.
I also like the response to the plagues in this book. No magic bullet. The plagues died out and people no longer shake hands and such. Practical and realistic and low-tech. That is most likely how things would turn out.
Take a class in microbiology or parasitology if you get a chance. It will scare you into buying a negative-pressure room to sleep in. And then reconsider giving this cool book at least one more star.
Thank you for the comment! I honestly just think I was thrown off by it being referred to still as the Plague, because if it were a case of microbial evolution I feel like it would be considered something different. From what I learned in the biology classes I have taken, The Plague as we know it would take simple antibiotics to cure today.
DeleteI agree that a thoughtful use of science is great to see in literature, especially YA lit. I just didn't think this one was particularly well-written and it could have used some more details for people like me who aren't that scientifically knowledgable but love science fiction. It just kind of fell flat for me, as the whole Dark Times concept seemed to be mostly a plot device. Just my opinion though! I will read the next book and see if it changes my mind :)