Author: Ann Brashares
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: YA Dystopian/Time Travel
Format: ebook
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley
Rating: 3 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This
has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my
open and honest opinion.***
Synopsis
from Goodreads:
Follow the rules.
Remember what happened. Never fall in love.
This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.
But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.
My
Review:
I hadn’t heard great
things about this one which was disappointing because it sounded amazing. So I
went into it a bit cautiously and was surprised when I found myself quite
enjoying the story. I loved the time travel element and how the group had come
back to stop a deadly mosquito plague that was ravaging the future.
The main character was
enjoyable. I liked that she questioned things, but was also a bit timid. She
developed nicely throughout the story and I really enjoyed the way she thought
and acted. I was engrossed in the world that had been built and the end goal of
our heroine. The time travel aspect was simple and easy to understand which I
personally liked. Too much complicated science-y stuff never works for me.
So I’m about halfway
through trying to figure out what people didn’t like about this book and then
all of a sudden it happens. The dreaded. The worst. The feared. Insta-love. Oh
my, this book had a bad case of insta-love. Prenna (MC) and Ethan (love
interest) had barely spoken to each other and then all of a sudden they were
professing their undying love for one another and talking about how they
couldn’t live without each other. No.
But even with the
insta-love, I did enjoy the story. Some people might find the pace a bit slow,
but it worked for me. There wasn’t a ton of action and the story was pretty
simple, but I liked it. There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming and
the time travel does keep your brain working.
The one other thing
that didn’t work for me was the ending. It felt too open for my preferences
and, from my understanding, this is a standalone. I just wanted a bit more
closure. I wanted to find out what happened in the future. An epilogue would
have been perfect just to give us a brief glimpse of what ends up happening. But
like I said, for the most part it was an enjoyable, quick read that I found
entertaining. Will I remember it? Probably not, but it served its purpose and
gave me an interesting world to escape to for a few hours. Happy reading all!
Have you read this one? What did you think of the relationship? What about the time travel element? Did you like that the plot line was kind of simple?
Have you read this one? What did you think of the relationship? What about the time travel element? Did you like that the plot line was kind of simple?
I actually didn't mind the relationship, since it was clear they'd been aware of each other a long time (especially him)...but maybe that's because my husband and I were like that? Haha! The end was kind of hard for me, though. But I felt the same, overall--I mostly really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I understood that they had known each other awhile, but I just wasn't feeling it. I guess I felt like they moved really fast. Yeah, I just wanted to know what happened. Did they save the world or not?
DeleteDespite the insta love this book sounds good and is on my TBR list. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it!
DeleteI'm glad you liked it! I was definitely entertained by the book and I think it was because of the amount of action and those twists! I wasn't a fan of the love story for sure but my major issue was the lack of character exposition, especially when it came to point that were essential to the plot. Great review!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree. None of the characters really stood out to me and it's probably because we didn't really get to know them. Regardless the plot was interesting and it was a fun read.
DeleteThis book ended up being too slow for me. I kept putting it down because I would just get bored. I'm glad you enjoyed it though!
ReplyDeleteBummer! Sorry you didn't enjoy it! For me it was a quick fun read. :)
DeleteI was disappointed in this book, I have to admit. I thought the characters were pretty flat, especially Ethan. I just felt like we never got to know him and we don't see how he and Prenna became friends. And they barely seem to talk, but both of them are in love with each other? Based on what? Just wasn't feeling it.
ReplyDeleteWas it ever explained how they time traveled in the first place? And why does Prenna show up naked when apparently they could bring stuff back from the future? That was never explained and made no sense to me.
Sounds like you enjoyed it more than me, so that's good! ~Pam
Yeah the characters were definitely the biggest disappointment for me.
DeleteI think there was kind of a brief explanation about the time travel, but not very detailed. This didn't really bother me too much. I just chose to believe it worked I guess. Not sure about the whole naked thing. You're right though. Doesn't really make sense, but honestly I didn't even think about it.
Sorry that you didn't enjoy this one more!
The ending was a heartbreaker for me. I like your idea of an epilogue. A lot. I finished this really late, and felt a bit gutted. :-/ Liked the writing, like the characters, thought the world Ann created was interesting but some things felt a bit too thin + the book was short... she def. could have expanded on a few things.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree, I guess for me the plot was just a bit too simple. And then it just stopped. And I was sitting there wondering where the rest of the book went. I didn't really connect to any of the characters though, so I mean, it's not the end of the world, but I would still like to know what happened to them.
Delete