The idea behind this book is intriguing, that being said I found it frustrating at times to jump back and forth between so many narrators. While the author is building a new world, and that takes time, I felt like I had no clue what was happening for quite a while. Interesting read overall. ( )

This is, at first glance, your typical dystopian novel: the world's gone to hell so now it's up to a few nobodies to lead a rebellion and save it. In this book, the nobodies don't even have names, just numbers or words given in place of names when they passed their exams.

The premise of this story is interesting. The concept of the arts being forbidden and becoming the tools of rebellion is beautiful. The more-than-human overlords and the standardized testing that determines your fate is perfect dystopian story fodder. The idea of heroes who are broken and deadly is what makes for pop culture win. The story itself is attractive (if you get rid of that random, unnecessary incest). However, the things that make this book unique are the same things that ruin it for me: it's written in unrhymed prose from the points of view of seven main characters.

The writing style or the switching characters alone could have been very intriguing. Telling the story from several perspectives then bringing them all together sounds fantastic. But the combination of these two techniques, and the execution made for a difficult and confusing read. Just when we'd start getting to know a character, start to see behind their facade, it would switch to someone else. We would never get to really know the characters very well at all. I felt like the main character, Author, is the one we know the least, and much of the book is from her perspective!

It was very hard to keep everything straight in my head. I'm not stupid, but there were many things I didn't get until I read the time line after. Which is another thing. If you require a character guide at the start, and a time line at the end (which sums up what the entire book spelled out), your story might be too complicated.

I hate to give negative reviews, especially when there's so much potential in the story, but I cannot recommend this book. It was too confusing and jumbled.

Not Recommended, 1/5 Stars

I received this book from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This book was very different from the other books I have read. The format took some getting used to but when I did acclimate I thought the story line had real meat. It is not a casual read as you must focus on which character is speaking and it is not written in a normal time line fashion.
My thoughts on this book are: live on the edge and try something new!! There is a good story here! ( )

This book is very hard to read, I unfortunately didn't finish it. The text was centered on the page, which is very annoying to read. Also it is hard to grasp who the characters are in the beginning.
Maybe the story is good, but due to the less amiable features, I did not experience it. ( )

1984 meets Chaucer (4 Stars)

This is not an easy book to read, or review for that matter. Essentially, it is the story of a Dystopian world where reading and writing are largely outlawed and mankind has been separated into two groups: the 'angels' are the superior beings, who set and enforce the laws, while everyone else lives in the hives, until they are tested and their profession is chosen based on their scores. Those that pass generally go on to live in the camps, but those that fail are 'culled'.

Told in the first person in unrhymed verse, by several disparate characters, this is a difficult book to get into. Each chapter is only 1-3 pages long, with the narrative jumping to different time periods as much as it does characters, resulting in a disjointed narrative that requires you to pay attention and keep careful track of what's going on.
But does the book warrant such attention?
For me, it does, just. It's clear that a great deal of effort has gone into constructing the narrative and providing fascinating wordplay where each sentence is designed to have impact. That the text requires the reader to make a real effort and concentrate makes the book a challenge, but it also causes you to feel the time spent is actually an investment. It makes you feel as though you've achieved something by making it to the end and grasping the concepts presented. I found myself constantly pausing to take in the last few passages and while at first I wasn't sure if it was worth returning, I gradually found myself more and more drawn back into the lives of Breaker 256, Comet, Blue etc.

I couldn't in good conscience recommend this book to a casual reader, but if you like a challenge and try something well outside the norm, this is worth a go. ( )