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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received a copy of this book as part of my subscription to FairyLoot.
"Poster Girl" follows a young woman named Sonya. Sonya long believed in the Delegation's moto: " WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT". She followed it without question or second thought. But when the Delegation fell, and she is locked up with other important members of the Delegation in the Aperture, she begins to rethink everything. She is given the opportunity to earn her freedom and get out from under their watchful eye. Sonya is tasked with finding a missing girl, a second born to a family who should not have had a second child under the rules of the Delegation. Through her investigation, Sonya uncovers decades old secrets that could destroy her community's reality.
I really liked the idea of this book and the exploration of how surveillance is slowly encroaching on every part of our lives. It is easy to feel like wherever you are, technology will find you, and that might not be such a great thing. I also greatly appreciated that this book does not get too techy in explanation. I have a very visceral understanding of technology, so too much detail about the cloud would have really taken be out of the story.
Sonya as a character felt kind of flat to me. I wanted to see her complete her task, but I was never rooting for her. She is flawed and we learn something about her that is heartbreaking, but I never felt super connected to her as a person.
I think Veronica Roth does dystopian well, but this particular story just did not grab me like her others. Perhaps this was too futuristic with technology for me personally? Overall, I felt like this story was fine. I am happy I read it, but I likely will not think much about it.
I will probably pick up Veronica Roth in the future, just maybe not anything set in this world
"Poster Girl" follows a young woman named Sonya. Sonya long believed in the Delegation's moto: " WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT". She followed it without question or second thought. But when the Delegation fell, and she is locked up with other important members of the Delegation in the Aperture, she begins to rethink everything. She is given the opportunity to earn her freedom and get out from under their watchful eye. Sonya is tasked with finding a missing girl, a second born to a family who should not have had a second child under the rules of the Delegation. Through her investigation, Sonya uncovers decades old secrets that could destroy her community's reality.
I really liked the idea of this book and the exploration of how surveillance is slowly encroaching on every part of our lives. It is easy to feel like wherever you are, technology will find you, and that might not be such a great thing. I also greatly appreciated that this book does not get too techy in explanation. I have a very visceral understanding of technology, so too much detail about the cloud would have really taken be out of the story.
Sonya as a character felt kind of flat to me. I wanted to see her complete her task, but I was never rooting for her. She is flawed and we learn something about her that is heartbreaking, but I never felt super connected to her as a person.
I think Veronica Roth does dystopian well, but this particular story just did not grab me like her others. Perhaps this was too futuristic with technology for me personally? Overall, I felt like this story was fine. I am happy I read it, but I likely will not think much about it.
I will probably pick up Veronica Roth in the future, just maybe not anything set in this world
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
starrymess's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
kaylinvm94's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Murder
honuzbubbles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
arantzazureads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was good but not amazing. It was thought-provoking and well-written; I definitely highlighted a lot of quotable passages! The sedate tone and style matched the protagonist’s personality which was also well-tied in with the plot and setting. It all hung together very skillfully. I really liked the ending. But the pace felt slow and reflective in a way that never got very exciting or emotionally personal for me so it took me a couple weeks to come back to it and finish it. Wasn’t a binging book for me (but that’s okay). I’d say read it if you’re interested in a story about the *aftermath* of what usually is the hot, exciting traditional dystopian tale (aka this author’s famous Divergent series). This is obviously a more mature writer and story which has its own pros and cons depending on the reader. But the setting and the way she handled the complexity and nuance of what happens to the poster child of a fascist regime after it toppled was well-done in my opinion. Definitely check content warnings though. I teach about these topics (fascism, propaganda, surveillance, censorship), and I’d recommend it if I worked with older high school or college kids.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
shainabriley's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Murder
americandropout's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
onthesamepage's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I know this is technically a scifi mystery, but if I take a moment to really analyze the themes here, I would almost consider this horror. Not the slasher kind, or the kind with monsters and supernatural creatures, but a type of psychological horror born from living in a surveillance state. Of course this book paints an extreme picture where every choice you make has positive or negative consequences, and the government monitors you constantly, but I think the surveillance part especially probably happens far more than we think it does. Which is a scary thought.
"It seems to me," she says, "that if your every choice is in defiance of a system, you are as much a servant of that system as someone who obeys it."
I'd consider this book more of a character-driven story than a solid mystery. It's about Sonya learning to let go of all the rules she has lived by her entire life, and about how the Delegation isn't the utopian society she still considers it to be. The mystery of the missing child is what forces her to confront some of her convictions, but it ultimately feels more like the driver for Sonya's character development than the core of the story. That said, I enjoyed seeing Sonya come to terms with what she thought to be true. She comes across initially as someone who is a stickler for the rules. She keeps a constant tally in her head of all the things she does, and how many points they would get her in the old system. However, there are also moments where she exhibits an unexpected fierceness and unwillingness to let others walk over her, and I think we got more of those moments as the story progresses.
I do feel like there are some plot holes here. For example, Sonya has an Insight in her eye, which allows the current government to access footage of where she has been and what she's been doing. I just keep wondering, why didn't she cover it with an eye patch to stop them from tracking her? She even mentions how uncomfortable she used to find the thought that they could watch her undressing, and how she had to let go of doing everything in the dark because it just wasn't possible. An eye patch seems like a pretty decent solution to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Violence
Moderate: Murder
opalia's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Technical errors of execution which I think prejudice this book rating. I personally think this book is so dear to me now. I just finished it but I may comeback later for some kind of analysis; I feel some people missed some big points of the characters ! I recommend it A LOT if you know how a book is written correctly (technique) so you can enjoy your read understanding through the flaws.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, and Murder
albon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent