Kristen Martin
Autore di The Alpha Drive (Volume 1)
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Opere di Kristen Martin
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The Alpha Drive (Volume 1) di Kristen Martin
Kristen Martin knocks it out of the park with the first book in the Alpha Drive trilogy. It's full of mysterious intrigue and kept me turning the pages until the very end. The concept, idea, premise and overall story is compelling and unique. Looking forward to reading the second installment: The Order of Omega.
The Alpha Drive is a great fantasy story that creates a world where people are in a coma like state but do not know it, Matrix like. Only a few know what is going on. They want to recruit Emery to help them stop the enemy from killing off the Dormants (coma state people). Torin, computer geek/hack, thinks that it is a different government group. Which secret op is really the good guys? The plot is well developed as well as the characters. Lots of action, imagination, twists, turns, guessing who is really on what side, and a fun read. Received this book for a honest review.… (altro)
Oh boy. Here we go. I always hate writing negative reviews, especially of books that don't have a lot of reviews to begin with. It's a lot of pressure when your review could considerably lower the book's average rating! But I just can't pretend that I loved this book.
But, as always, please remember that doesn't mean that you won't love it.
This was an impulse pick from Netgalley. I was trying to find something to read, and while I usually steer clear of the Read Now section, I jumped in and picked this book. It's a pretty intriguing description:
Futuristic world! Alternate reality! Anarchist organizations! Intelligent, introverted MC! Boarding school! Hacker boys! These are all things I like in my books. But, ugh. The execution could have really used some work, starting with the whole basis of the plot in general. Half the world lives in Dormance, a state where their bodies are held in suspension as they live out some sort of virtual reality. Sure, makes sense for the first generation. How do you explain their virtual babies? Do babies just appear in suspension when born in Dormance? Or do people just not get pregnant, and think nothing of it? But also, where do they keep all these bodies? We're told where a whopping total of twelve bodies are kept. There are supposedly millions of people in Dormance. I don't get it.
But anyway, setting that aside, let's talk about Emery's recruitment and training for The Alpha Drive. She receives a phone call from a man who doesn't identify himself, asking her to come alone to a location she's unfamiliar with. She thinks, Hey, why not and leaves without telling her roommate what she's doing or where she's going. I thought Emery was supposed to be smart? Of course, everything works out in the end, except for the fact that she has a microchip implanted and has to sign a confidentiality agreement with unfortunate repercussions, including memory wipes in the event of anybody figuring out her identity, or if she figures out another Alpha Drive participant's identity. We can set that aside, too, because I guess if I were running a top secret scary recruitment program, I might be just as serious about confidentiality. (Probably not, but carrying on...) Emery is trained in the elements. In aquam, she has to dive and swim and deal with seeing dead family members. In ignis, she basically has to set herself on fire. In terrae, she runs through the wilderness as manticores chase her. Somehow, this is meant to prepare her for battle.
Enter Torin Porter, a lovable hacker working for The Alpha Drive's mortal enemy, Seventh Sanctum. Emery has been led to believe that The Alpha Drive are the good guys, and 7S wants to destroy the world, but Torin tells her it's actually the opposite. And... she just believes him. He's right, of course, but come on, Emery. Again, I thought you were supposed to be smart?
At this point, the book derails into a series of romantic conflicts, but I don't know why I expected anything different from young adult sci-fi. Emery has arguments with her clingy boyfriend from home, who somehow never has trouble getting into her supposedly secure campus. Emery sneaks off and spends the night with a boy she meets at a party. She's not sure what that means. She and her roommate develop a crush on the same boy, and spend the rest of the book bickering about it. Neither of them are familiar with girl code of not hooking up with/dating a boy your friend likes, I guess. Even Torin develops a crush on Emery. Half the world lives in an alternate reality, but the most important thing at this moment is whether or not Emery made out with Mason and whether or not that upset Rhea.
The last 20% of the book is a mess. As I was reading it, I found myself asking (out loud) what just happened. It's convenient. (Come on, Emery, even I could have guessed the password for The Alpha Drive's safe.) The resolution, if you can call it that, doesn't make sense. It doesn't at all make me want to read the rest of the trilogy.
I know I have a lot of complaints, but this book sure kept me entertained. Despite everything, I still wanted to know what would happen next. I think it started off better than it finished, and with a lot of polishing, it could be a great story.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!… (altro)
But, as always, please remember that doesn't mean that you won't love it.
This was an impulse pick from Netgalley. I was trying to find something to read, and while I usually steer clear of the Read Now section, I jumped in and picked this book. It's a pretty intriguing description:
It's the year 2055 and an anarchist organization has taken control with the aim to create a world-class society. Half of humankind is unknowingly living in an alternate reality called Dormance... and there are no plans to wake them up.
Sixteen-year-old introvert Emery Parker is one such dormant. An academic scholar who avoids ruffling feathers at all costs, Emery finds herself being transferred to a boarding school on the outskirts of Arizona. Little does she know, a family secret has the power to change the course of the future. When she's approached with an opportunity to free the dormants, she sees no other choice but to accept, even though failure could mean having her memory wiped clean.
But when tech-savvy Torin Porter reaches out to her from the other side, Emery begins to question everything she was told about Dormance. If her family's secret falls into the wrong hands, the world as she knows it will be faced with irreversible consequences. Now Emery must play both sides to uncover the truth about her family's past or risk leaving mankind to live in an unconscious reality.
Futuristic world! Alternate reality! Anarchist organizations! Intelligent, introverted MC! Boarding school! Hacker boys! These are all things I like in my books. But, ugh. The execution could have really used some work, starting with the whole basis of the plot in general. Half the world lives in Dormance, a state where their bodies are held in suspension as they live out some sort of virtual reality. Sure, makes sense for the first generation. How do you explain their virtual babies? Do babies just appear in suspension when born in Dormance? Or do people just not get pregnant, and think nothing of it? But also, where do they keep all these bodies? We're told where a whopping total of twelve bodies are kept. There are supposedly millions of people in Dormance. I don't get it.
But anyway, setting that aside, let's talk about Emery's recruitment and training for The Alpha Drive. She receives a phone call from a man who doesn't identify himself, asking her to come alone to a location she's unfamiliar with. She thinks, Hey, why not and leaves without telling her roommate what she's doing or where she's going. I thought Emery was supposed to be smart? Of course, everything works out in the end, except for the fact that she has a microchip implanted and has to sign a confidentiality agreement with unfortunate repercussions, including memory wipes in the event of anybody figuring out her identity, or if she figures out another Alpha Drive participant's identity. We can set that aside, too, because I guess if I were running a top secret scary recruitment program, I might be just as serious about confidentiality. (Probably not, but carrying on...) Emery is trained in the elements. In aquam, she has to dive and swim and deal with seeing dead family members. In ignis, she basically has to set herself on fire. In terrae, she runs through the wilderness as manticores chase her. Somehow, this is meant to prepare her for battle.
Enter Torin Porter, a lovable hacker working for The Alpha Drive's mortal enemy, Seventh Sanctum. Emery has been led to believe that The Alpha Drive are the good guys, and 7S wants to destroy the world, but Torin tells her it's actually the opposite. And... she just believes him. He's right, of course, but come on, Emery. Again, I thought you were supposed to be smart?
At this point, the book derails into a series of romantic conflicts, but I don't know why I expected anything different from young adult sci-fi. Emery has arguments with her clingy boyfriend from home, who somehow never has trouble getting into her supposedly secure campus. Emery sneaks off and spends the night with a boy she meets at a party. She's not sure what that means. She and her roommate develop a crush on the same boy, and spend the rest of the book bickering about it. Neither of them are familiar with girl code of not hooking up with/dating a boy your friend likes, I guess. Even Torin develops a crush on Emery. Half the world lives in an alternate reality, but the most important thing at this moment is whether or not Emery made out with Mason and whether or not that upset Rhea.
The last 20% of the book is a mess. As I was reading it, I found myself asking (out loud) what just happened. It's convenient. (Come on, Emery, even I could have guessed the password for The Alpha Drive's safe.) The resolution, if you can call it that, doesn't make sense. It doesn't at all make me want to read the rest of the trilogy.
I know I have a lot of complaints, but this book sure kept me entertained. Despite everything, I still wanted to know what would happen next. I think it started off better than it finished, and with a lot of polishing, it could be a great story.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!… (altro)
*There are some minor spoilers included in this review*
Although I was able to finish ALPHA DRIVE I found there were a lot of issues along the way.
THE ALPHA DRIVE lacked world building. If I hadn't read the blurb for the book, I don't think I would have known what the heck was going on and even after reading the blurb, I didn't fully understand everything that was involved in the world.
The friend relationship between Emery and her brand new roommate was weird. They JUST met each other yet the roommate is super obsessed with knowing everything Emery does and gets upset with her like they are best friends that have known each other for ages instead of a small amount of time. I also didn't understand the point of Emery having a relationship with Anthony in THE ALPHA DRIVE. She makes it clear that she doesn't feel the same way about him as she did when they first met and she is a total bitch to him. I don't understand how he came to visit her so often when he lived so far away—when her sister came with her to drop her off at school, she took a plane back home—and there wasn't much to his visits when they happened. It didn't move the story along in any way or develop Emery's character at all. There just didn't seem to be much point to her having a relationship in the book at all. On top of these two secondary characters, there were others that didn't add much to the story. Emery's childhood best friend is mentioned, but Emery talks to her like once throughout the whole book, why mention her at all?
After reading THE ALPHA DRIVE I am left with about a million questions and not in the 'I have to get my hands on the next book' kinda way. The last portion of the book was a jumbled mess and although I wouldn't mind knowing what happens after the end of THE ALPHA DRIVE, I don't think I will bother going out of my way to find out.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)
Although I was able to finish ALPHA DRIVE I found there were a lot of issues along the way.
THE ALPHA DRIVE lacked world building. If I hadn't read the blurb for the book, I don't think I would have known what the heck was going on and even after reading the blurb, I didn't fully understand everything that was involved in the world.
The friend relationship between Emery and her brand new roommate was weird. They JUST met each other yet the roommate is super obsessed with knowing everything Emery does and gets upset with her like they are best friends that have known each other for ages instead of a small amount of time. I also didn't understand the point of Emery having a relationship with Anthony in THE ALPHA DRIVE. She makes it clear that she doesn't feel the same way about him as she did when they first met and she is a total bitch to him. I don't understand how he came to visit her so often when he lived so far away—when her sister came with her to drop her off at school, she took a plane back home—and there wasn't much to his visits when they happened. It didn't move the story along in any way or develop Emery's character at all. There just didn't seem to be much point to her having a relationship in the book at all. On top of these two secondary characters, there were others that didn't add much to the story. Emery's childhood best friend is mentioned, but Emery talks to her like once throughout the whole book, why mention her at all?
After reading THE ALPHA DRIVE I am left with about a million questions and not in the 'I have to get my hands on the next book' kinda way. The last portion of the book was a jumbled mess and although I wouldn't mind knowing what happens after the end of THE ALPHA DRIVE, I don't think I will bother going out of my way to find out.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)
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- Opere
- 7
- Utenti
- 46
- Popolarità
- #335,831
- Voto
- 3.0
- Recensioni
- 4
- ISBN
- 11