I absolutely LOVED this book. Everyone should read it, because I've never read anything like it. This book really has a post-apocalyptic feel to it, the main character doesn't know anything about life outside of his small town, in fact, he thinks there isn't any life outside of his small town. And to add on to that, there are no women in this world. They all died out. And on top of THAT, everyone can hear everyone's thoughts. And they aren't pretty. Convinced you to read it yet?
Reviewed by Prisha G
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This is needless to say, but I LOVE Shusterman books. They talk so simply and how any student would talk, but at the same time, they really make you think, and they're so deep. I could read this book over and over, and find new layers each time. Also, I won't spoil anything, but at the end of the book, there's one scene where someone we don't like goes through something terrible, and watching that unfold seriously disturbed me, even though he wasn't a good person. Overall, 10/10 book.
Reviewed by Prisha G I really liked the story as a whole, but I think my favorite part (apart from the way the author showed how color would be a foreign object/thing to Jonas, and how it was described as a "glitch" or something that he couldn't quite put his finger on) was the author's notes at the end. She noted that since the ending was left moderately vague, the readers often either saw themselves in Jonas (like that one kid who liked how he was frustrated with being forced to take care of his younger siblings) or interpreted both Jonas and Gabriel as reaching heaven (a response given by a boy who apparently didn't even realize that the author never even outright mentioned the two dying). I like to think that Jonas and Gabriel entered a different town, like the one hinted at in the third book of the series (I've only read the first two, but I really want to read the third and fourth as well). It was a little disturbing to read the book refute the ideas of the Elder Counsel, though, since I actually lowkey agree with their goal and agree that nobody should ever know what the bad things were like. It really made me take a good look at myself and what I consider most important both in society and myself.
Reviewed by: Baguette Mendez |