I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I picked up Alive from Netgalley because the concept sounded slightly similar to The Maze Runner which I enjoyed, but not so similar it would be boring. I was right, it wasn't very similar at all. The only real similarity was a group of young people waking up not knowing who or where they were. Otherwise, it was completely different.
What Worked:
- Alive was a real page turner! It was fast paced and kept me curious.
- Alive actually snuck in a lot of social issues/questions in an unexpected way. The question of nature versus nurture is all over this book. Are we who we are because of what we experience and how we are raised or because of our genetic makeup? It also questions the role of religion - in a kind of jarring way, but still - I liked that the book makes you think.
- I have to say I like that it was written in present tense - something I usually HATE - because it really suspended that feeling of living only in the present. The characters have no sense of their own pasts or future so the present is all they have. A really smart choice by the author.
What Didn't Work:
- Alive was CONFUSING! I know that some of that was necessity. The characters don't know what's going on, so how can we? But sometimes things were just introduced in really haphazard, awkward ways - like the religion element. It's just BAM! out of the blue. I felt the character's frustrations, that's for sure.
- At some points, I think it was a little too weird for me. I don't want to give specifics and spoil, but there were elements I really couldn't even visualize.
- I kind of hated the main character. She wasn't evil or anything that bad, but I did not like being in her head at all. Her obsession with everyone's beauty and how much older they all were got tiring. Her endless NEED to be in control frustrated me. I was not her fan.
Because the characters are in a place of constant discovery telling you too much about the book would really ruin the experience and I did like it enough to say you should try it out for yourself, so I don't want to ruin that. I think I'll read book 2 when it comes out next month - though if I don't ever get around to it, the way Alive ended would work as a standalone too. If you try it, let me know I'd be curious to know what you think!