I Am Alive
by Cameron Jace
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Series: I Am Alive, #1
Other Reviewed Titles: None
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Pages: 267
Format: ebook
Source: Author
Challenge: None
My Thoughts:
Decca Tenderstone lives in a world where teens are given a rank between 5 - 9 at the age of sixteen. For some, this rank defines their futures but for others it means the end of their lives. Those unlucky enough to be ranked under a 5 are called “Monsters” and are seen as a burden to society. Because the government seeks Utopia, those unranked are thrown into an arena and forced to play deadly games. No one has ever come out alive.
Let me just start off by saying that I really did give this a fair try. I had planned on finishing it, but I couldn’t even make it halfway. According to my Kindle for Mac app I read exactly 30% before I finally gave up.
This really lacked creativity in my opinion. This is basically The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins except for a few details here and there. Instead of drawing 2 tributes from each district, any sixteen-year-old in Faya that was not ranked above a five was thrown into an arena (at one point there are actually about 3,000 kids in there) where they had to survive deadly games. This “Monster Show” was broadcasted all over the world and overseen by a Trickster. Also, Decca, kisses one of the “Monsters,” Leo, in order to keep him in the games and save his life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it is EXACTLY like THG, but it was all way too similar for me.
The dialogue between the characters was also problematic. It just felt unnatural. The characters would all basically just blurt out a bunch of facts instead of having actual conversations; there was too much telling and not enough showing. Plus they didn’t even sound like they were 16. I haven’t been this age for 3 years now, but even I know sixteen-year-olds don’t talk like this.
Remember: Just because I didn’t enjoy this doesn’t mean you won’t. I read a lot of 4+ star reviews for this, so if you think you’ll like it, give it a go.
reading through your first words really did gave me the idea that it's yet another dystopian story. It's disappointing when a new dystopian series barely tries to stand out from the many that were already presented. I hope your next read will be better. Great review :)
ReplyDeleteczai @ the Blacksheep Project
Yeah this was pretty much a mix between THG and Divergent. I feel like there's so many out there that it's getting harder and harder to make them unique....
DeleteThanks for stopping by! :)