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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
This definitely wasn't my favorite book. it was very confusing to me and, although that might've been my fault for not paying as much attention as I should have, it took me longer to read because it didn't really pull me in. It wasn't boring exactly, but it wasn't exciting either. Maybe dystopian just isn't a series I like very much, because I couldn't get into the Maze Runner either ... (but I like Divergent and The Hunger Games, so what's up with that?). I had extremely high hopes for this book when I first got it in my Owlcrate, because it was compared to Lost, which is my favorite television series of all time, but honestly, I was let down. I think maybe if I read it again in the future and force myself to pay more attention, I could like it more, but my first time reading it wasn't the best experience. If I had to pick out one thing I liked it was the characters. I liked Lonan's character the most.
The original review was posted to MissHeard here: http://www.missheardmedia.com/kayla-olson-sandcastle-empire/
Escape to a killer remote island this summer with Kayla Olson’s The Sandcastle Empire
by Nina Perez
Before the war, Eden’s life was easy. Then the revolution happened, and everything changed.
If you’re thinking about how you can escape a bit this summer, this new dystopian YA novel will help you do just that. I just wouldn’t recommend reading it on the actual beach though unless you want to imagine flesh-eating bugs attacking you!
Just published earlier this month, The Sandcastle Empire is already being optioned for a film by Paramount with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions. And with Leo’s interest in climate change, it’s no surprise that Olson’s novel made a splash. Set in a future ravaged by the sea level rise, the world has become divided between the Wolfpack (a massive collective that revolted against the elite and instituted martial law) and the Resistance (a group made up of individuals who were able to escape the take over).
Now a powerful group called the Wolfpack controls the earth and its resources. And even though Eden has lost everything to them, she refuses to die by their hands. She knows the coordinates to the only neutral ground left in the world, a place called Sanctuary Island, and she is desperate to escape to its shores.
At the center of all this is Eden, an industrious heroine whose ability to maintain her compassion sets her apart in an otherwise violent world. Eden contends with mines, killer elements, advanced technological warfare, and even a little bit of romance. What I found most interesting though is how Eden has to readjust to building community. After isolating herself to cope with the loss, Eden is forced to work in a team when she is all of a sudden thrown with three other teens in her escape from the Wolfpack. Overtime, these relationships become critical to Eden’s growth in the novel.
Eden finally reaches the island and meets others resistant to the Wolves. But the solace is short-lived when one of Eden’s new friends goes missing. Braving the jungle in search of their lost ally, they quickly discover Sanctuary is filled with lethal traps and an enemy they never expected.
While I did find myself feeling oddly nostalgic for Water World while reading it, I appreciated the fresh way the author tackled the complexity of human responses to ecological disasters and the dangers of fear based survival. Something that would strengthen the story would be if several of the surrounding characters were more developed. I sometimes felt like a barely knew them, so when they moved the plot and engaged with the heroine I wasn’t really invested in their roles.
This island might be deadlier than the world Eden left behind, but surviving it is the only thing that stands between her and freedom.
Overall, Olson’s story is one of the resilience of the human spirit and let’s keep our fingers crossed that we see a movie in the works soon!
Note: MissHeard provided a free copy of this novel for review.
Escape to a killer remote island this summer with Kayla Olson’s The Sandcastle Empire
by Nina Perez
Before the war, Eden’s life was easy. Then the revolution happened, and everything changed.
If you’re thinking about how you can escape a bit this summer, this new dystopian YA novel will help you do just that. I just wouldn’t recommend reading it on the actual beach though unless you want to imagine flesh-eating bugs attacking you!
Just published earlier this month, The Sandcastle Empire is already being optioned for a film by Paramount with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions. And with Leo’s interest in climate change, it’s no surprise that Olson’s novel made a splash. Set in a future ravaged by the sea level rise, the world has become divided between the Wolfpack (a massive collective that revolted against the elite and instituted martial law) and the Resistance (a group made up of individuals who were able to escape the take over).
Now a powerful group called the Wolfpack controls the earth and its resources. And even though Eden has lost everything to them, she refuses to die by their hands. She knows the coordinates to the only neutral ground left in the world, a place called Sanctuary Island, and she is desperate to escape to its shores.
At the center of all this is Eden, an industrious heroine whose ability to maintain her compassion sets her apart in an otherwise violent world. Eden contends with mines, killer elements, advanced technological warfare, and even a little bit of romance. What I found most interesting though is how Eden has to readjust to building community. After isolating herself to cope with the loss, Eden is forced to work in a team when she is all of a sudden thrown with three other teens in her escape from the Wolfpack. Overtime, these relationships become critical to Eden’s growth in the novel.
Eden finally reaches the island and meets others resistant to the Wolves. But the solace is short-lived when one of Eden’s new friends goes missing. Braving the jungle in search of their lost ally, they quickly discover Sanctuary is filled with lethal traps and an enemy they never expected.
While I did find myself feeling oddly nostalgic for Water World while reading it, I appreciated the fresh way the author tackled the complexity of human responses to ecological disasters and the dangers of fear based survival. Something that would strengthen the story would be if several of the surrounding characters were more developed. I sometimes felt like a barely knew them, so when they moved the plot and engaged with the heroine I wasn’t really invested in their roles.
This island might be deadlier than the world Eden left behind, but surviving it is the only thing that stands between her and freedom.
Overall, Olson’s story is one of the resilience of the human spirit and let’s keep our fingers crossed that we see a movie in the works soon!
Note: MissHeard provided a free copy of this novel for review.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
DNF at 25%.
An extremely rare DNF for me, I even tried just barely skimming it, but could not make it through. The very beginning of the book was intriguing, but by the time they are on the island it's all the same inner dialogue, over and over. None of the characters feel real somehow and the constant ending of short chapters with the strong definitive sentences irritated me.
I was surprised to have disliked this so much, I loved "The Lodge".
An extremely rare DNF for me, I even tried just barely skimming it, but could not make it through. The very beginning of the book was intriguing, but by the time they are on the island it's all the same inner dialogue, over and over. None of the characters feel real somehow and the constant ending of short chapters with the strong definitive sentences irritated me.
I was surprised to have disliked this so much, I loved "The Lodge".
It started out with an eerie and mysterious 'Lost' vibe which appeared promising but ended up taking more of a sci-fi turn as the story progressed. The writing was quite good but there wasn't enough in the plot or characters to really set this story apart from other dystopian novels.
stayed up until 2am to finish this and I'm crying. legit read it in one sitting (except for a quick Popsicle break) and I love it so much.
REVIEW:
I read this book in one sitting. (Well, two. I had to take a popscicle break) while the first for chapters confused me so much, I pushed through and what I found inside utterly captivated me.
One things that drew me in so desperately was how freakishly real this book felt. All the things before Zero Day sounded like a normal day. And then the horrors that came after, the pain and loss and everything… the way this book was written made it feel like it was happening to me, to this earth.
I definitely don’t want to say a ton, because I went into this book completely blind and it made the reading experience so much better. Since I don’t want to reveal much, this review will probably be kind of short, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love the book!
Okay so, this book. The writing is lyrical. I’ve said this before about other books but with this one… I’m not kidding y’all. This writing is absolute perfection. I came out of this book wanting to paint these words all over my walls.
(Example) “I just nod, like some brainless bobblehead on a dashboard. Because what is there to say? Everyone has lost someone. Everyone is homeless. No one can rewind time and go back to the days where our biggest problems amounted to spilled nail polish and broken teacups. Dwelling on it won’t help anything, especially not today.”
“It never ceases to amaze me, all the things I took for granted. Before: when smiles appeared without asterisks attached, when tears were for more than just sorrow, when truth was black and white and gray and not permanently tinged with blood.”
Y’ALL THE WHOLE BOOK IS WRITTEN LIKE THAT AND HONESTLY IT’S A WORK OF FREAKING ART. I just can’t even. This book is what I aspire to have my writing look like, this book makes me remember why I write. I want to have someone feel this way about my books someday.
I’m almost done flailing, but let me just say before I go: this book is amazing. Don’t believe me? Here’s a few things it has:
(!) killer (literally) island
(!) a++ slowburn romance
(!) “please tattoo this beauty in my skin” writing
(!) it’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian survival thriller (I made this genre up for this book)
NOW GO AND PREORDER IT YOU USELESS REPTILE (don’t hate me! I’m just quoting a movie)
REVIEW:
I read this book in one sitting. (Well, two. I had to take a popscicle break) while the first for chapters confused me so much, I pushed through and what I found inside utterly captivated me.
One things that drew me in so desperately was how freakishly real this book felt. All the things before Zero Day sounded like a normal day. And then the horrors that came after, the pain and loss and everything… the way this book was written made it feel like it was happening to me, to this earth.
I definitely don’t want to say a ton, because I went into this book completely blind and it made the reading experience so much better. Since I don’t want to reveal much, this review will probably be kind of short, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love the book!
Okay so, this book. The writing is lyrical. I’ve said this before about other books but with this one… I’m not kidding y’all. This writing is absolute perfection. I came out of this book wanting to paint these words all over my walls.
(Example) “I just nod, like some brainless bobblehead on a dashboard. Because what is there to say? Everyone has lost someone. Everyone is homeless. No one can rewind time and go back to the days where our biggest problems amounted to spilled nail polish and broken teacups. Dwelling on it won’t help anything, especially not today.”
“It never ceases to amaze me, all the things I took for granted. Before: when smiles appeared without asterisks attached, when tears were for more than just sorrow, when truth was black and white and gray and not permanently tinged with blood.”
Y’ALL THE WHOLE BOOK IS WRITTEN LIKE THAT AND HONESTLY IT’S A WORK OF FREAKING ART. I just can’t even. This book is what I aspire to have my writing look like, this book makes me remember why I write. I want to have someone feel this way about my books someday.
I’m almost done flailing, but let me just say before I go: this book is amazing. Don’t believe me? Here’s a few things it has:
(!) killer (literally) island
(!) a++ slowburn romance
(!) “please tattoo this beauty in my skin” writing
(!) it’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian survival thriller (I made this genre up for this book)
NOW GO AND PREORDER IT YOU USELESS REPTILE (don’t hate me! I’m just quoting a movie)
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This read feels quite timely considering the state of the US currently. It’s very plot driven and compelling in ways that remind me of The Maze Runner without the disappointment of it being a zombie story. This one left me completely satisfied as a standalone novel. I really liked this one! It’s got a lot of elements in it that fill that dystopian/post-apocolyspe/rebellion void.
2.5/5
After all the hype, I was looking forward to this book. But although I enjoyed reading it, it didn't feel fresh, nor is the story going to stick with me.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
After all the hype, I was looking forward to this book. But although I enjoyed reading it, it didn't feel fresh, nor is the story going to stick with me.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Science goes whacky in the hands of anarchists when sea levels rise. Former rich kids end up in gulags, working to provide the tech needed for the former lower class now overlords to have a life of luxury and security despite climate change.
Except...
One girl - no, actually, FOUR girls! - escape the gulag! Search for amnesty on a mythical island, find it - the island anyway - and are promptly harassed by weird science, a lack of food and water, and boys. At least the one boy is cute. ;-)
Adventures ensue!
I really enjoyed it. Reminded me a little of the later Hunger Games with the whole pushing science too far and having hideous, twisted results.
Except...
One girl - no, actually, FOUR girls! - escape the gulag! Search for amnesty on a mythical island, find it - the island anyway - and are promptly harassed by weird science, a lack of food and water, and boys. At least the one boy is cute. ;-)
Adventures ensue!
I really enjoyed it. Reminded me a little of the later Hunger Games with the whole pushing science too far and having hideous, twisted results.