Gemma Youngman từ Bruce Rock WA , Australia

gemmayoungman

05/03/2024

Dữ liệu người dùng, đánh giá và đề xuất cho sách

Gemma Youngman Sách lại (10)

2018-03-17 23:30

Lời Nói Dối Vĩ Đại Của Não Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn

Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Kelly McGonigal

Under the Never Sky and I were bound to have a rocky relationship. The original description for the novel was a "take on Romeo and Juliet in a post-apocalyptic setting." Mention Romeo and Juliet, and my hackles rise. Romeo and Juliet did a lot of stupid things for the sake of lust "love" – and, as much as recent young adult books have tried to paint Shakespeare's famous tragedy as a "great love story," it's not something that should be emulated or, frankly, even wanted. Thus, coming into reading this novel, I was wary of what I would receive. Would the novel be a nauseating love story, or would it actually be able to stand its ground against other dystopian young adult novels I had read and loved? To my surprise, Under the Never Sky actually has a well-realized, intriguing world as its landscape. People live in scattered and closed-off places called Pods, and they spend their time in virtual realities called the Realms. But there are dangers lurking in the outside world: storms caused by Aether swirls churning in the sky, diseases and germs that attack those least immune, and tribes of violent savages and bloodthirsty cannibals. Aria has lived in the Pod known as Reverie for all her life, but one misstep – rule-breaking that leads to fire and a breach in which an Outsider comes into the Pod – eventually incurs Aria's ejection into the dangerous outside world. The Outsider, a Tide tribesman known as Perry, has his own worries and concerns, but one thing is certain: he needs Aria's help to make things right for himself and his tribe. What makes this world so interesting? It holds much of the danger and adventure present in fellow post-apocalyptic novel Blood Red Road, though in a more subtle fashion. The inclusion of "powers" called Senses is familiar yet unique, done in such a way that allows for some surprises along the way. The history of what caused the world to fall into this state isn't explored in this first installment, but the lack of information doesn't really affect the logic of the world-building itself. The disappointment, sadly, came with the characters themselves. Aria and Perry are interesting characters, yes, but I didn't connect to them or find them particularly endearing. It was hard to believe, then, that they could connect to one another and find each other endearing. (view spoiler) I didn't buy that their prejudices against one another could be smoothed over so easily. Wouldn't there be more hurt feelings? Wouldn't there be more distrust and wariness that wouldn't be so easily swept away? It seemed too simple and easy for them to jump so quickly from near-enemies to allies to somewhat friends to something more. I understand that things like war and survival can make brothers (or, I guess in this case, lovers) of enemies, but...will this attachment they have even last during more "peaceful" times? Can they sustain what's between them? I'm not convinced they can or, frankly, even that they should. Lest I paint some false impressions, Under the Never Sky is a very readable book, even despite some choppy passages and a conservative writing style that doesn't offer much in the way of "poetic prose." The draw to this novel is the discovery of the world and the adventure, one page at a time. My feelings were mixed, but others may find this story to be a shining gem among the oft-disappointing bevy of young adult dystopian novels to be had. If nothing else, the world-building within the novel is more than enough to give this novel a look. Give it a try if you feel so inclined. Note: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Người đọc Gemma Youngman từ Bruce Rock WA , Australia

Người dùng coi những cuốn sách này là thú vị nhất trong năm 2017-2018, ban biên tập của cổng thông tin "Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn" khuyến cáo rằng tất cả các độc giả sẽ làm quen với văn học này.