Reviewed by Quirky Cat on
On the whole I found this to be a pretty forgettable and bland read. It's not that there was anything wrong with it; I just didn't find myself caring about any of the characters or the world itself. Being a fan of Rachel Vincent, I really wanted to care, but I just couldn't.
Part of the problem is the lack of character development for Dahlia 16. Or more accurately, there's no transitioning phase for her. She starts out very bland and focused on her world and her work. She thinks like all the other girls, and doesn't really stand out (other than being the best at growing tomatoes). Then suddenly, wham! She gets isolated for an extended period of time with a boy, and that makes everything change. The transition was jarring, going from not even noticing boys as the opposite gender to suddenly being obsessed with one. I don't have anything against the idea, but it just wasn't done well in this case.
There's a point where something very tragic happens, and we're clearly supposed to feel horrified and upset about it. I'll admit I was upset that the higher ups would be willing to do something like that, but I didn't get as emotional as I could have. I think the author could have pushed this even farther, made me even more upset and therefore more invested in the outcome.
On the whole I called it ultimately forgettable because while it was a decent sized book, there was little detail and the world shown was relatively small, giving us little to remember after the fact. I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I'll follow up with the rest of the series.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 21 May, 2017: Finished reading
- 21 May, 2017: Reviewed