Review: excellent pacing, attention-grabbing concept
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 8, 2011
The concept of this book was enough to grab my attention from the very beginning and excellent pacing and an intriguing story meant it kept my attention throughout the entire book. With few exceptions, I thought the characters were well-wrought, the story interesting, the motivations believable. Thanks to the foreign-but-similar political situation she created in her near-future sci-fi, Melissa is able to explore many different political and moral issues without preaching or being boring.Bryn was a pretty good character, though I had trouble establishing her age at the beginning. She was going to drive, so I knew she was at least 16, but she felt younger to me at first. And then later, I think maybe she acted a little too old and mature, given both her age and her situation.I enjoyed Scott's character as well, though I would have liked to have seen a little more of his motivation in his internal dialogue. When the POV changes between Scott's and Bryn's the voices are just different enough to help you differentiate between them, but similar enough to keep the same tone/atmosphere throughout the book, which is a delicate balance that Melissa pulls off wonderfully.There were many supporting characters, and I have to compliment Melissa on making each one truly unique. Often, with this many characters, I found myself having to go back and check who is who, but that was not so with this book. Each and every character had a distinct personality.The world building and the interweaving plot lines were definitely the two strengths of this book. I enjoyed the picture of an America, not too much different from our own, but is obviously crumbling in some segments. As for plot, there are many different sub-plots and motivations that all kind of come together in the end and I had fun following those paths.There were a few plot points/details that pulled me out of the story for a second (everything is electronic but Bryn has to wait for a paper check? I didn't buy Dundee's behavior during the clinic evacuation and didn't believe that Padme would have a room of her own with as jealous as Lupus is. Also, the nanoneurons capabilities felt like an afterthought and could have been eliminated or explored more if they're necessary further in the series.), but these didn't distract much from the overall story.The writing style is clean and accessible. After about 80 pages in, mistakes like missing words and words very obviously meant to mean something else became slightly more prevalent, but they're minor and it wasn't overwhelming. (The author has contacted me before publication of this review that she has fixed many typos since she sent me the book.)I read a .pdf on my nook so I can't comment too much on the internal formatting, but, for me, the cover is a total turn off.In summary, this was an extremely entertaining read with ethical implications that will leave you thinking long after you've finished the book. There are minor weaknesses, but not enough to keep me from recommending this book. I give it 4.5 stars.Review by: Sarah of Sift Book ReviewsSift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.