Published by Simon and Schuster on October 1, 2013
Length: 368 Pages
Genre (s): Contemporary, Mystery
Source(s): Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
On the floating city of Internment, you can be anything you dream, unless you approach the edge. Morgan Stockhour knows getting too close can lead to madness, like her older brother Len, a Jumper. She takes solace in her best friend Pen, and in Basil, the boy she’s engaged to marry. When she investigates the first murder in a generation, she meets Judas. The suspect was betrothed to the victim, but Morgan believes he is innocent. Nothing can prepare Morgan for the secrets she will find – or whom she will lose.
Basically the story happens in this chunk of land that's been carved out from the ground and then plopped on the sky, a floating utopia. A world all on its own, that's well equipped and revolutionized. Although its a seemingly perfect world but it comes with a certain price. It's a well controlled environment with little freedom that seems almost brutal, but no one is talking. It's "almost" on the level of oppression. Or perhaps no one talks upfront that is.The government runs population control. Even who they marry is controlled by the government.
The world building despite its less than glaring loopholes is quite good and it just stood out with Lauren DeStefanos writing style that just glides off the pages. It's the strongest point of the whole book.
Although as running themes go this didn't manage to avoid the eventual dystopian novel sinkhole: the social unrest and political resistance. Somewhere along every dystopian novel these two components just lingers in the background and is just waiting to be strung upfront. This one was no exception. It was actually pretty obvious since the beginning, given how Morgan is just this perpetually curious person, always wondering about what the ground is like most of the time.
I think the murder added in the mix just kicked things into gear, but after that, the story just lacked that added momentum for me. For the most part, the story didn't manage to pick it's pace. We just got some action near the end of this book but that's just about it. The pacing was the biggest issue I had with this book. I often checked how far I have progressed page wise and was constantly tempted to just read the last chapter which is really sad.
It was a concept with a whole lot of promise. It just lacked that needed oomph and correct timing. Things just plateaued at some point and barely took off after that.
It was a concept with a whole lot of promise. It just lacked that needed oomph and correct timing. Things just plateaued at some point and barely took off after that.
Character wise I actually liked the secondary characters the most. I dunno if its just me but I usually end up liking the support rather than the main characters the most. Morgan just fell on the short end of the stick for me. She just came of as lackluster with the tendency of becoming too self concerned and unsure. Lex though was a far more interesting character, despite how brooding and cynical he appeared to be.
The romance didn't manage to convince me enough. Just that the devotion Basil and Thomas had for the girls they were betrothed to, sure it was almost dreamy but at same time came off obsessive and smothering. I actually preferred how the love angle was written off for Lex and Amy (Morgan's older brother and her sister in law). Yes they were betrothed but their love wasn't all that perfect, it was flawed but it felt real.
The end was a litlle bit of a cliffhanger and despite the not so stellar marks I have, I am still looking forward to reading the next installment of this book probably because the whole idea of them finally setting ground on what was below them their whole lives is an idea that intrigues me. Maybe this would provide me with the much needed answers that the first book left out.
Overall it was an interesting read but not wholly extraordinary on its league.
RATING: 3.5 Bookish Stars
The end was a litlle bit of a cliffhanger and despite the not so stellar marks I have, I am still looking forward to reading the next installment of this book probably because the whole idea of them finally setting ground on what was below them their whole lives is an idea that intrigues me. Maybe this would provide me with the much needed answers that the first book left out.
Overall it was an interesting read but not wholly extraordinary on its league.
RATING: 3.5 Bookish Stars
