by Nick James. I have decided to do something a little different today in my review format. Along with my typical characters-plot-writing review, I am going to add a brief summary (probably just the one on the Amazon page), plus section about who I recommend (or don't recommend) this book for. Warning: some parts of this review are slightly spoilery, though nothing too big is revealed. Summary (from Amazon.com)
A devastated Earth's last hope is found in Pearls: small, mysterious orbs that fall from space and are capable of supplying enough energy to power entire cities. Battling to control the Pearls are the Skyship dwellers—political dissidents who live in massive ships in the Earth's stratosphere—and the corrupt Surface government.Jesse Fisher, a Skyship slacker, and Cassius Stevenson, a young Surface operative, cross paths when they both venture into forbidden territory in pursuit of Pearls. Their chance encounter triggers an unexpected reaction, endowing each boy with remarkable—and dangerous—abilities that their respective governments would stop at nothing to possess.
Enemies thrust together with a common goal, Jesse and Cassius make their way to the ruins of Seattle to uncover the truth about their new powers, the past they didn't know they shared, and a shocking secret about the Pearls.
My Review
As usual, let's start with characters. There were not really any characters that I loved in this book. The two main characters (Jesse and Cassius) were both well developed, unique characters, whom I just did not like. It is important to note, however, that they can still be terrific characters if they are unlikable. My problem lies with all the other characters. I felt that none of the other characters were that well fleshed out, even the villains, and the supporting characters who were important parts of the story.I liked the plot more than I thought I would. The ending was almost cheesy, but somehow managed to avoid that title. I don't have a whole lot else to say about the plot other then that it flowed pretty well, and kept up with the characters well (expect a post on this topic sometime in the future).
On to writing. For the most part, the writing is strictly middle rating. It was pretty good, and I often stopped noticing it altogether. The one thing that I disliked about the writing was that it often shifted back and forth between first and third person, and between present and past tense. When I had the opprotunity to talk a little with the author at a teen writing conference I was at (expect a post later this week), he mentioned that choice he made. He said that he did it to help created unique identities for Jesse and Cassius. When Jesse is narrating, it is in first person present, but Cassius's chapters are third person past. As I thought more about it, I realized that this aspect I did not like was a huge factor in my favorite aspect (the unique qualities of the main characters).
Who Should Read It?
This is a good "boy book" more then most YA books, so I would recommend it to most preteen and maybe teen boys. If you are looking for a fun, quick, interesting summer read, I highly recommend checking this book out. Don't go into it with super high expectations and you won't be disappointed.*This post contains affiliate links.
I hear you about the "boy book" thing. The young boys probably eat it up. I personally thought the main character was a bit of a self important little turd. I had 100X more sympathy for the "bad guy" character. But I think that was due to the jarring jerking around from first person present to third person past. And don't get me started on the climax. The character reactions at the climax were extremely unbelievable, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI also felt like instead of talking up to the audience (using language that was a teeny bit more advanced than the target age group so that it encouraged them to improve their language and communication skills), it talked down to the audience. I personally think it was dumbed down way too much and does a disservice to the intellect of YA readers.
The paid reviewers love it, Nick James' students love it. There is no doubt he has managed to capture an audience with it. But it is very much a limited audience. Not something just anyone can pick up and enjoy.