Review: I like it, but...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 17, 2012
This is a tough review for me. I really love a good dystopian read, so I'm always delighted to read anything like that. This dystopian series has a number of scenes that are too similar to other existing series. I don't like that. It still needs more proofreading and revision. The bottom line is that I read the first two for free and kept purchasing the rest of the episodes for book 1 and book 2...so I liked them! I want to read more, but I wish the author would make more effort to steer clear of anything that smacks of a Hunger Games/Twilight/Uglies remix. The series will stand well without that.The author includes a disclaimer of sorts at the beginning of the novel that states that basically, young people dying for entertainment value isn't a new concept, and even Hunger Games had similar themes that came before it. True. I've read those other books (and more) and was very entertained by them. The "I Am Alive" series has some new twists and elements that would keep it fairly fresh, but then it pulls in scenes that feel like they are replicated from another YA series (Hunger Games, Twilight, Uglies) and it's just not necessary.President Snow, er, I mean Prophet Xitler, shouldn't have lips that are mysteriously too red, like from blood. We don't need to see manipulated "made for TV" kisses or sedatives to keep someone safe in the games. I guess a love triangle is a love triangle is a love triangle, but boy this feels familiar! The Leo/Peetah/Edward vs. the Woo/Gale/Jacob characters need a little more individuality. Decca seems to be going for the Woo/Gale/Jacob instead of the Leo mix, and that shouldn't bother fans, but I was periodically slammed with references that made Woo and Leo too trite. Team Woo and Team Leo just don't have the right ring to them, anyway.I sort of feel like I did all this in Hunger Games (do the game, become victorious at game, uh-oh...back in the game and repeat, while at the same time--work on a revolution) and I'm sort of pulled back to the Uglies a lot, too.  But there are some other story lines that are referenced that make me intrigued and I want to know more. I want to hear more about the rest of the world, the Burning Man and the underground cache. Is the rabbit hole some kind of reference to a Watership Down type theme? Could there be some other original survivors underground? I'm hoping future episodes will be fresh and won't continue to repeat what we've already experienced or won't just remind us of one of those other popular series.I will be purchasing the next episode.