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justindaze's reviews
403 reviews
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
5.0
Unwind. A quirky, sci-fi adventure and coming-of-age book with an outlandish premise that made me think about lots of things I'd never considered and at times horrified me to my core. A quick read to the end and while not perfect, it got the highest score possible from me because I loved every minute of it, and because it is a book that honestly left a ark on me and I won't forget it.
I picked up this book simply based on the premise. I'd never read a book by Shusterman and had I not heard the premise, I probably wouldn't have thought to read it because it's classified under young-adult. This book dissolved any prejudices I had against young adult books.
So this premise I keep talking about. Well if you want to go into this book cold, skip tothe next paragraph, but I'm only going to give the description they use on amazon so as not to accidentally give anything away. So here it is: The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not talented enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape — and to survive.
So there you have the premise, and this brings us to the major weakness of the book, as well as the first strength. The premise is a great hook, but to most people it will just seem like a very unlikely decision, at least at first. You keep asking yourself "Why would anyone agree to this, let alone a whole country?"
Not until nearly a third way through did I begin to buy the premise the book is structured on. By the halfway point I was completely sold. I was excited and i really cared Bout the characters. But for impatient readers, this may be a downfall. I can see many people not giving the book the time it needs to explain itself and just giving up on it.
In the end, I'm so glad I stuck with you. Once you are thoroughly immersed in the world of unwind, you begin to understand how it all could have evolved the way it did, out of greed and conflict and the steel grip of self preservation.
To sum up, I went into this young adult book skeptical and prepared to be let down. I came out having been philosophically challenged and, at times, thoroughly chilled by some of the more horrific scenes. In fact (and this is coming from a person who reads Edward Lee) this book has one of the most personally disturbing chapters of any book I've read, and it does so while loosely remaining teen fiction, although I might argue this book becomes a bit too adult at times, maybe that's what some teens need.
If you get a chance, check this out!
-Justin day
I picked up this book simply based on the premise. I'd never read a book by Shusterman and had I not heard the premise, I probably wouldn't have thought to read it because it's classified under young-adult. This book dissolved any prejudices I had against young adult books.
So this premise I keep talking about. Well if you want to go into this book cold, skip tothe next paragraph, but I'm only going to give the description they use on amazon so as not to accidentally give anything away. So here it is: The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not talented enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape — and to survive.
So there you have the premise, and this brings us to the major weakness of the book, as well as the first strength. The premise is a great hook, but to most people it will just seem like a very unlikely decision, at least at first. You keep asking yourself "Why would anyone agree to this, let alone a whole country?"
Not until nearly a third way through did I begin to buy the premise the book is structured on. By the halfway point I was completely sold. I was excited and i really cared Bout the characters. But for impatient readers, this may be a downfall. I can see many people not giving the book the time it needs to explain itself and just giving up on it.
In the end, I'm so glad I stuck with you. Once you are thoroughly immersed in the world of unwind, you begin to understand how it all could have evolved the way it did, out of greed and conflict and the steel grip of self preservation.
To sum up, I went into this young adult book skeptical and prepared to be let down. I came out having been philosophically challenged and, at times, thoroughly chilled by some of the more horrific scenes. In fact (and this is coming from a person who reads Edward Lee) this book has one of the most personally disturbing chapters of any book I've read, and it does so while loosely remaining teen fiction, although I might argue this book becomes a bit too adult at times, maybe that's what some teens need.
If you get a chance, check this out!
-Justin day
Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
5.0
My friend B recommended this book to me as revenge for me suggesting he read the short story "Another Zombie Contingency Plan", and boy am I glad he did!
I'll let you read the summary yourself, but let me say that this book MESSED WITH MY HEAD!! I felt like I was taking part in the scene from the Princess Bride where poison is in one of the cups and I have to figure out which cup to drink from. You know that the story can basically take one of two avenues, but the writer keeps volleying you between the two ideas by messing with your trust
OK, I'll stop talking about it. Just go read it. It's a fast read and it's so weird... you'll remember this one for a long time.
I'll let you read the summary yourself, but let me say that this book MESSED WITH MY HEAD!! I felt like I was taking part in the scene from the Princess Bride where poison is in one of the cups and I have to figure out which cup to drink from. You know that the story can basically take one of two avenues, but the writer keeps volleying you between the two ideas by messing with your trust
OK, I'll stop talking about it. Just go read it. It's a fast read and it's so weird... you'll remember this one for a long time.