Rating: ★ ★ ★
Authors: Jessica Fleck
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Format/Source: Netgalley ARC
From GoodReads: When her world divides, pitting light against dark, Veda must join a dangerous revolution to save her grandfather and fight against injustice...even if it costs her the boy she loves. On the island of Bellona, life is peaceful--as long as the citizens dutifully worship the Sun, which protects them from all harm. Seventeen-year-old Veda knows that keeping the Sun happy will protect her and her grandfather from the Night, the dangerous people who snatch innocent citizens from their beds under the cover of darkness, never to be seen again. As long as Veda follows the rules, she will be safe. But when Veda's grandfather is offered up as the next sacrificial offering to keep the Sun's favor, she starts to see that the safety she's been promised comes at a dangerous price. Maybe there is more to fear above than there is below. With a mysterious young man, Dorian, at her side, Veda has to figure out if the scary bedtime stories she grew up hearing are real--or dangerous lies.
Here's What I Think.....
So, initially this book sounded like something I HAD to read. The synopsys gave me so many thrills, I can't even put into words how excited I was to tackle this novel. *Insert WHOMPS* I definitely enjoyed the novel, but it was not what I expected, nor what is seemed to be by the hype. It felt like I was reading a retelling of any number of other YA novels - especially the Hunger Games. I really enjoy dystopian novels though, so I sucked it up and kept going.
There were MANY things that I really enjoyed about the novel. The mythology, or back stories behind the sun and moon worshippers was very well done. I enjoyed the tension between each class, that felt real and palpable. It was easy to forget at times that they lived on a tiny island, with how divided they were. This was mostly because of how complex each of the cultures were . That really did justice for building characters and situations. Each character did have their own layered personalities and flaws, which was refreshing - since a lot of the other aspects seemed like regurgitated YA tropes and plot lines.
I felt like the novel had SO much potential. It really seemed to aim for that potential at first, and then plummeted through the earth to hang with the Night. It just kept pulling me back to the "I've read this before" thoughts.
The Deja Vu tropes dropped the book from 4/5 stars to a 3/5 stars for me.
TL;DR
While the book was enjoyable, nothing particularly stood out for me. The plot was pretty basic, loved one gets sacrificed, fighting for their life, etc etc., but nothing really hold you to the story for too long, making it a long, difficult read for me. Perhaps if I had not read the hunger games, I would feel the same, but it just felt too much like deja vu to really enjoy the book.
Thank you to Swoon Reads for the e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the Author :
Jessika Fleck is an author, unapologetic coffee drinker, and knitter — she sincerely hopes to one day discover a way to do all three at once. Until then, she continues collecting vintage typewriters and hourglasses, dreaming of an Ireland getaway, and convincing her husband they NEED more kittens.
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