Julia KarrRecensioni
Autore di XVI
Recensioni
The concept and the blurb drew me in, and I was excited to read this, but in all honesty... it was just something of a let-down, and definitely not enough to pull me into reading the next book in the series.
All-told, the only character who had any depth was the narrator--and even she was a bit too much of EXACTLY what you'd expect from a narrator of a YA dystopian book centered on a 15/16-year-old girl. With the other characters being either stereotypes or just, simply, very flat, the work really needed to be able to depend on outstanding plotting and/or writing, and it just couldn't. The world's details were interesting, for what they were, but a lot more vague than I'd expect from a book like this, and far too predictable. The foreshadowing and the various ideas (again, the ideas being exactly what you'd expect from a YA dystopian) were also so heavy-handed that the book went back and forth between feeling contrived and being predictable, to the point where I never felt any real suspense about what was coming, and the ending ended up being incredibly anti-climactic.
I do think the author had a lot of good ideas, but perhaps felt like it being a YA book was an excuse to get lazy on the details(?) and focus instead on a lot of angst, but with characters who just weren't that strong or developed, there just wasn't enough here to give the book real substance.
So, could I recommend it? Nope, I'm afraid not. I probably won't be picking up more work by Karr, either, since the concept here struck me, but the execution just wasn't up to what it needed to be.
1 
whitewavedarling | 61 altre recensioni | Nov 29, 2017 |
whitewavedarling | 61 altre recensioni | Nov 29, 2017 | Still trying to figure out how I feel about this one. The writing was a little clunky at times and it took me awhile to get into it. Still, overall it was entertaining.
3.75 I think...
3.5
Plot: The biggest reason I decided to give this book 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the plot. It was somewhat unique and kept me interested until the last couple of pages. The book is set in the future, but it’s a very different future than most people write about. It made me glad that I was born in this century and not 140 years into the future. But this was probably the only interesting aspect of the whole plot. Overall, the plot was very confusing and unorganized. Things just kept randomly happening and there was really no connection between them. Also, Nina was terrified of turning 16 from page one, but nothing ever happened that really explained why she was so scared. I thought this was going to be the major focus of the book, but it was barely ever covered unless Nina was complaining about it. At the end, I was just as confused as I was in the beginning and I feel that a second book is needed in order for us to understand and know everything the author wants us to because so many questions were left unanswered; not just for the reader, but also for Nina.
Characters: The characters were all pretty cool and they had the potential to be even better, however, they never reached that potential because the writing was just not there to help. I couldn’t connect with the characters and that really took away from the book. Something tragic happens to Nina’s family in the first couple of chapters, but I didn’t really feel anything for her or her family; I knew it was a very bad thing that no one wants to go through, but I couldn’t get myself to really care. Nina also seemed to overreact to almost anything. She would randomly freak out or not care enough which I just thought was really weird. She was very confusing, awkward and paranoid. The other characters were about the same. There was a lot of mystery surrounding Nina’s new friends and we never really get to know what they know or who they really are.
Cover: I like the cover a lot which is also one reason I even chose to read this book. I am sad to say that I do choose books by their covers most of the time.
Overall Impression: Not my favorite dystopian novel, but fans of The Uglies Trilogy or The Hunger Games might find it to be interesting and a good read.
a really mind-engaging, interesting read. i really enjoyed it, it made me think about society in a different way. can't wait to read the sequel. :)
I was originally excited to read this book. It sounded gritty and edgy, taking on teen sexuality and the way that the media presents women as sex objects. It sounded like the author would present an interesting discussion of the subject wound up in a YA package. NOPE!
What you get instead is a cliched generic dystopian society with a big dollop of slut shaming. All men except for a few of the protagonist's family and love interests are creepy sex-animals who will almost literally rape girls on sight. Which is offensive to both men and women.
I also really dislike how Nina was portrayed as 'pure' and she looked down on all the other girls for having sexual desires and wearing clothing that she deemed provocative. Nina then takes a 180 when she meets a boy she finally likes and starts experiencing such feelings herself, but since she's so 'pure' and good she doesn't act on them. Because according to this book, that would make you a sex-crazed whore.
This book had potential, it really did, which is the only reason it gets 2 stars over 1. But it let me down. When the book introduced the FELs program,
Honestly, I'm surprised that this was published under the Speak/Puffin name considering the book's views on sexuality contrasted with the publisher's groundbreaking namesake book [b:Speak|439288|Speak|Laurie Halse Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1310121762s/439288.jpg|118521] by [a:Laurie Halse Anderson|10003|Laurie Halse Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1236694913p2/10003.jpg].
I am very impressed with the work that went into this book. It is about ancient inhabitants of Ireland. This group of people were starwatchers and studied the heavens. They carved the cycles of the solar system and season into rock and temples. They were a peaceful people,
They must deal with Invaders from the sea who come to plunder the metal resources and leave destruction in their quest for precious metals. The Invaders take natural resources from the starwatchers without a care to trade or whether or not it takes the food that they needed for the winter season. The detail that J.S. Dunn explains the process of the early miners and the refining process of copper is very interesting. You can tell that he did meticulous research on the Bronze Age. In his Biography at the back of the book it states that he has a keen interest in the early Bronze Age Culture. It also indicates that he researched and made friends in the fields of "archaeology, geology, and Bronze Age tool-making."
Boann is learning of the heavens from her father, his apprentice, Cian, has left the community to dwell with the invaders. She is planning on taking her father's place when he passes and carving the history of the stars into stone. It is a very meticulous and exact trade. She is placed in a position to keep peace between her people and the Invaders by marrying their chief.
Cian watches and learns from them. He then is placed into a position where he can help his people by learning from the enemy and knowing how they work.
This historical fiction novel is well thought out and very interesting. I personally love to find out about ancient cultures. I was unfamiliar with the people of the Boyne. They have left amazing mounds as a tribute to their culture that predated Stonehenge. If you love historic fiction and ancient civilizations then I highly recommend this book to you.
"I liked this book. It was interesting and fun to read. I liked the futuristic jargon "Skivs!" and the world that Julia Karr has created. It sucks you in from the first page."
At least this is what I thought when I first wrote this review. Since then I've edited it. Now looking back on my past review, I think I was a little too kind.
The writing was at times, immature and unrealistic, but I let her off for some parts of it because I told myself to remember it's from the viewpoint of a teenage school girl- although it doesn't quite work when someone who isn't a teenager, is trying to get into the mind of one. She JUST managed it. Not quite.
I thought the sudden death of Sandy was very shocking and unexpected and pretty rushed actually. When I read it I felt sad even though Sandy did get on my nerves at times.
My problem is not necessarily with the characters, even if they are the stereotypical types -Nina: the quiet, mousy, unaware of her beauty, untouched blossom, Bella Swan type and Sandy: well where do I begin?
Typically Julia Karr has to accentuate Sandy's 'Slut' title by dressing her up like one, making her walk and talk like one and of course given her 'what she deserves' by making sure she's treated like one in the end.
As if the author's point wasn't obvious enough already for our dumb teenage brains to grasp (?) And yes I was being sarcastic. She really needed to make her hate of 'sluts' loud and clear, didn't she?
The reason this didn't bother me as much until after I finished the book and thought back, was because at the time I saw Sandy for what she was. A lost girl, with no decent role models, support, guidance and who secretly felt belittled and judged by her prissy, perfect friend. She was rebelling and was a bit of an idiot for it but I got where she was coming from even though we're complete pole opposites.
My problem was the author's view of the characters, especially Sandy. I only realized it until after I'd read it at just how black and white her mindset is. Her writing is average, the idea was good- could have been brilliant- if it had been done with more maturity and acceptance that everyone has good and bad in them and no one should be pidgeonholed I'd have given her a few more stars.
There are many shades of grey to people. Nina isn't and should never have been portrayed as a saint and Sandy as the Pariah. I hate that. Main characters should have good and bad qualities, but more good than bad. You can relate to them then.
Other than that, there were still things I'd like to know. About her father and the Resistance. I do plan on reading the second book, hopefully without regret and then I'll see if I can forgive her for this shallow minded folly.
This review was re-edited 07 August 2012. Left it a while I know.
I had given this book 4 out 5 stars, but severely changed my mind. It really wasn't as good as I'd first thought. And that's down to the author, not the story.
Sorry Julia.
XVI is a futuristic/dystopian young adult debut by Julia Karr that introduces us to Nina Oberon and her world of media brainwashing and strange government control over society. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy XVI as much as I had anticipated. While I did enjoy the steady pacing and writing style, I thought that there wasn’t enough plot to carry the story. I would compare reading this novel to going to an amusement park and riding only the carousel. Its an enjoyable enough ride, relaxing and nice, but while you can just see the roller-coaster over the hill, you never quite make it there. Instead continuing at the same slow steady pace to the end, no ups, downs, twists or surprises.
Nina Oberon’s world almost seems like a pretty scary place with the government listening and watching everything you do, media flashing advertisements convincing you of who you want to aspire to be, and the underground resistance fighting against the status quo. But in XVI, we only get a small glimpse at all that’s going on, we never get to see the inner workings of either side and so I was left without a very clear understanding about the world. I felt the same about Nina’s friends and family, that the author just barely scratched the surface of who they were and I really couldn’t relate to any of the characters, plot, or world enough to be completely invested in the story.
I liked that the author tackled some serious issues such as teen self image and sexuality as it is influenced by the media. However, once again, I wish there would have been more to it than it just being mentioned throughout the book. There were too many things left unexplained, unexplored, and undeveloped for me to have enjoyed this. It felt too safe for the subject matter.
So, XVI by Julia Karr was simply not for me. It might, however, be just what you’re looking for!
Dystopian books are all the rage right now, and there are a crop of them popping up this year. Some of them are better than others. Overall, I really enjoy this genre and ever since The Hunger Games I have been devouring these books. XVI is an exciting new dystopian novel by debut author Julia Karr. XVI paints a dark picture of the future, and makes you wonder if this is where we’re headed.
The year is 2150 and the world is a dangerous place, especially for young girls. At the age of sixteen, girls are tattooed with an XVI on their wrist to show that they are legal and ready to have sex. They are called sex-teens. These girls have been taught by the media to look, dress and behave a certain way to attract the opposite sex. Men basically feel like they have the right to have sex with any girl with the XVI marking.
The protagonist is Nina Oberon, and it is her worst nightmare to become a sex-teen. Nina is a smart, thoughtful, responsible girl. Nina’s mother Ginny has encouraged her to think for herself and not trust the government. Ginny has encouraged Nina to be an artist to carve a different path for her. Tragedy strikes when Ginny is murdered, and with her dying words sends Nina off to discover the clues of her mother’s secret life. Nina also must protect her little sister Dee from being abducted by Ginny’s evil ex-boyfriend.
Nina and Dee go to live with their grandparents, and attend a new school. Nina is separated from her best friend Sandy after she moves away. Sandy has bought into the whole sex-teen thing and can’t wait to turn sixteen and live the glamorous life portrayed in the media. They have two friends, Mike and Derek, who are sweet and supportive and have known the girls since grade school. Nina runs into a new boy, Sal, who questions the government’s motives and practices, much like Nina’s parents did. Ginny’s boyfriend Ed is one of the villains of the book, and he is very creepy with his taste for young girls and violence towards women in general.
Nina finds herself infatuated with Sal, and is conflicted about starting a romance with him. Her life is complicated, and she is worried about being a sex-teen. Their relationship was a strong point for me, and I just wish it were developed a little more. Nina also becomes friendly with a cool, confident, girl named Wei, who studies Cliste Galad martial arts. I hope to find out more about her and the martial arts in the next book in the series.
I was fascinated and horrified with XVI’s dystopian world, where there is no free speech, and girls are objectified and monitored with implanted gps devices. Verts/Advertisements are everywhere and the government is always listening and monitoring your every move.
XVI has a great story and characters, has a feminist theme, and makes you think about the future. As a bonus, I also loved that the society is vegetarian, and eating meat is outlawed due to the fact that there are so few animals left in the world. The story is fast-paced and kept me turning the pages (or clicking next on my kindle.) The ending was satisfying on it’s own, but I’ll definitely be ready to pick up the next book in the series.
I like the concept of this book a lot. I really admire the guts it took to write such a naked examination of the way teenage girls are commodified in our culture. The problem is the pacing. The novel drags rather badly, which is a shame because I wanted to like this one. Chapter 24 was also filled with way too many coincidences for me to continue to take the book seriously. I hate being so rough on a first novel, especially one with such a great, brave concept, but it just wasn't executed very well.
RATING: 2.5 stars.
I really, really didn't want to write this review, because I feel like I have been posting a lot of reviews highlighting negative points; I'm not sure if the books are all that bad or if it's just me that can't read a book, like it and write an 100% gushing, glowing review. Maybe I am just one of those grumpy people who likes to find flaws in everything, but I haven't read a book that was 100% perfect... yet.
That said, I liked "XVI". Overall it wasn't "that bad". But I did find a lot of flaws, from the glaring grammatical errors to world and character building.
I had high expectations for "XVI". I read all the praise I saw it mentioned on numerous blogs and it seemed like everyone was talking about it. So I decided to buy a copy; I mean, if so many people like it, it must be good... right?
The problem with high expectations is that most of the time you end up disappointed. I was. I had a hard time reading this book and maybe a small part of it was because I wasn't in the mood for dystopian fiction; but most of the disappointment came from the book itself because, as I said before I found a lot of rough edges that I thought needed polishing.
"XVI" is one of those books that has a good concept but a flawed execution. I liked the idea of a futuristic totalitarian society (sort of like "The Hunger Games", but global) where the Media controls every aspect of your life (how to dress, what to eat, how to think) and is closely linked to the "Governing Council". I was astonished at the way women were viewed and treated (completely objectified and viewed as inferior). I was impressed at how the author used "consumerism" and the Media as means of control. In some ways, it was very like our current society, but taken to the extreme... commercials all the time, extreme attention to trends and fashion and a culture that encourages women to think of themselves as sex objects. Some are very rich (high-tiers) while most are poor (lower tiers), and people are shunned or admired by the volume of their wealth. This society is so stratified there is almost no chance for a poor person to get a good job and 'get out' of their "tier".
Then I wanted to know why the society evolved that way (or went backwards). And I simply couldn't find an answer. There is no explanation as to why this 22nd century society is how it is; a war of great proportions is mentioned but that's all. Also, the author plunged right into the story, introducing new concepts without explaining or even describing them properly. "Trannies" and "PAVs" were mentioned but the reader can never get a clear picture of what those are or how they work. Basically the world building needed some work.
The characters also bothered me a bit (I didn't like the names, but that's a matter of personal taste). Nina most of all. She was supposed to be a strong, stoic character (I think) but came off as expressionless. Her trusting attitude also seemed a bit unbelievable because, well, she does live in a non-democratic society.Another thing I found odd was the lack of physical descriptions. If there were any, they weren't very detailed. I'm not saying I like to read pages and pages of hair and eye color, body types and the color and pattern of their shirts but I do like to be able to imagine the characters in my head and with this book... I couldn't since there were only generic descriptions.
The story was all over the place. The romantic part was rushed and unrealistic, the pacing was off and some elements of the plot were pretty unbelievable (Sal and Nina's encounter; Joan's appearance and many others).
Overall, this book had a good concept for a distopian novel, but unfortunately the author didn't develop it in a way that made it interesting. Also the story was very uneven and not enthralling enough to keep me reading. I managed a few chapters a day and this book has little more than 300 pages. Karr could have done so much more with this book and it's characters (who lacked charisma, most of all). Maybe the sequel will be better.
Reviewed for: http://pinkgum.blogspot.com/
This was quite an interesting read. It was gripping and the setting was ominous and creepy, sure, but I felt like it was missing something. I just can't figure out why exactly I feel this way. I liked most of the characters, especially Wei. I hated Ed fiercely. Many things happened randomly and I think the author set up a lot of "events" to keep you interested, then she just dropped them like they were hot. It got kind of annoying to be thrown into some plot twist, only to find out three or four pages later that it wasn't a plot twist at all, just some random thing that meant absolutely nothing to the plot. Still, it was a good read and I enjoyed most of it.
I read this book for my March Random Reads pick. Going into the book I knew it wasn't going to amaze me. I read a lot of bad reviews on this book, but of course I still forged ahead to make my own decision. Unfortunately, the reviews were right with the one. It had great promise, an interesting plot, but it just wasn't executed eloquently. So my run of mediocre books continues. I feel like I haven't read a solid four or five star book in forever!
Nina Oberon is fifteen, soon to be sixteen. In her world sixteen year olds or "sex-teens" have no rights. They are basically expected to have sex with whomever. One of the problems I had with this book is that the author didn't do a lot of background world building. The End-Of-Wars was mentioned frequently, but what were they? How did this sex-teen world come to be? The concept of the world is interesting, but it wasn't explained very well.
Girls don't have choices in this world. Women's reproductive rights are no existent. If a girl gets pregnant before she is sixteen she is forced to have an abortion and if she is sixteen, she doesn't get to decide, only the guy's opinion matters. Throughout the novel girls were either deemed virginal if they dressed conservatively or whores and deserved what they got if they dressed provocatively. There was a lot of unanswered questions I had by the time I finish the book. Hopefully, they will be answered in the next book, but I honestly don't think I will be continuing with this series.
1 Ashley29 | 61 altre recensioni | Apr 8, 2013 |
Ashley29 | 61 altre recensioni | Apr 8, 2013 | Author
Julia Karr grew up in Seymour, Indiana. She has lived all around the US but now resides close to her hometown. She has two daughters.Her love for writing has been a part of her all her life. After having children and reading to them she grew into writing stories for children. For more information visit http://juliakarr.com
Review
This books proves again that I am not made for dystopian novels. The story is good very strong but I cannot get used to worlds that different. I start to imagine all these weird and impossible things and it does not feel right. After I try to morph the whole dystopian world back into something familiar so I can at least make an effort to keep up with the story without being to distracted but that is not always working either. It is a shame cause as mentioned already this is a strong story.
The main character Nina is your average 15 year old girl. As a woman you will definitely be able to get identify with her. The other characters are brought to you trough Nina's mind giving you a bit of a colored opinion on them but that helps with attaching to the right characters and building up aversion against the bad people. The author did a good job on this.
The story could be placed in any time, past, present and future. Girls and their sexuality. How man (mis) treat them and decide for them when they are ready. Not much respect there. That message is very clear. But unfortunately for this book it is all set in a futuristic world where people can be tracked with GPS and girls get tattoos and there are little carts floating but still in need of roads and as soon as that whole world kicks in I loose concentration.
For lovers of dystopian books this is a to read for sure. Specially Hunger Games and Mortal Instrument readers will enjoy this book. For me it has been a pleasant and entertaining reminder to stay away from dystopian novels.
Truth is the companion novel to one of my favorite dystopians this year, XVI. The Governing Council has everyone convinced that teenage girls are sex-crazed, and they are the mastermind behind a sex-slavery ring. A world like this, where women have no rights, is truly terrifying. Rape goes unpunished, and women are pushed back to medievil stereotypes.
Karr did an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere. Even after I put the book down to take a break, there was a lingering paranoia left over. Not many authors can do that.
In Truth we get to see Nina really come into her own. She notices some of the same beliefs being held in her niche of the Resistance: the men don't think the girls and women are capable to taking care of themselves, or in making progress for their cause. Tired of constantly being told what to do, Nina joins a subgroup of girls determined to be heard and make a difference. This really kicks off the story for me, and it's very enjoyable seeing a female protagonist taking action of her own accord.
Dee really grew on me in this second installment. You could tell that her surroundings were really making her grow up. Instead of retreating further into herself, Dee was starting to shine. I wish that Nina and the other NonCons would have told her the truth. That's what the book was about, after all.
The ending of Truth left me crying. I won't say what happened, but, having a little sister myself, I just don't think I could be as strong as Nina. There were a few loose ends, so I'm hoping for a sequel. All the same, though, Truth was wrapped up well, and left a little to the readers' imagination. I just don't want Nina's journey to end here, though!
XVI was one of my favorite dystopian stories of the year. It was totally different from the others, and the main character, Nina, was a treat to read about. I definitely recommend picking this series up if you enjoy dystopia. Especially lovers of Delirium.
I was hoping for an explicitly feminist young adult dystopia here, maybe an updated [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1294702760s/38447.jpg|1119185] for the younger crowd. Something empowering, that assured teen girls that yes, sexuality is sometimes complicated, and exploring it is okay if you want to, and waiting is just fine too. Instead, what I got was some wishy-washy future-lite with a trite love story thrown in. Ugh.
Can I just say? I am so fucking sick of love triangles. Or complex polygons, as might be more appropriate here. Maybe I'm getting too old for silly high school drama. I did appreciate the absence of a "love at first sight" storyline. It does, however, feature the "love interest is a creepy stalker (but his dedication is endearing!)" trope.
So anyway, in Julia Karr's dystopian vision, all girls are tattooed with the Roman numerals "XVI" on their wrists upon reaching the age of sixteen. This lets any leering men nearby know they're fair game for sex and violence and whatever other recreational perviness they can imagine. The government and media advertise this as a rite-of-passage all girls should aspire to, and lots of girls embrace being "sex-teens". But not our protagonist, Nina, because she is an innocent, virginal girl we should all emulate! Excuse me while I gag on all the self-righteousness.
Of course, since this is a dystopia, the government and media are responsible for lots of other vaguely sinister things, but I honestly feel like "dystopia" should be in scare quotes because the world-building is so lazy. Cliches abound. Surveillance everywhere? Check. Hovercars? Check. Future-slang and unnecessary acronyms? Check, check. High-tech communication gadgets that sound exactly like cell phones? Check. (Seriously, this was written last year -- you can't even extrapolate from modern technology?) Other than a few such futuristic acoutrements, we're given no information on how society has changed in the intervening decades between the present day and the 2170s, when this novel is supposed to be set. One could almost guess this was a contemporary novel. The rape culture represented here is certainly very similar to what women today live with.
Which brings me to my biggest issue with this book. For what is apparently supposed to be a feminist novel, there is a ridiculous amount of slut-shaming here. Every interaction Nina has with her best friend, Sandy, is a classic example of the virgin-whore dichotomy at work. What's more, the author seems completely oblivious to this. I'll spoiler-alert this, but it should come as no surprise to people who are familiar with how sexual female characters are portrayed in mainstream entertainment:
I wish these awful stereotypes and terrible messages to send to teenage girls could have been at least partially offset by good writing, but that is sadly not the case. The first third of the book largely consists of clunky infodumps in the form of "As you know..." dialogue, the foreshadowing is over-the-top obvious, and all the twists can be seen coming from a mile away. The characters are all pretty one-dimensional and I'm shocked the villain didn't have a mustache to twirl, because he was a walking cliche in every other way. The whole thing was just extremely heavy-handed stylistically.
You know what? This started off as a two-star review, because I really liked the concept and it was a quick, easy read, but now I'm pissed. One star. Goddamnit.
2 agirlnamedfury | 61 altre recensioni | Mar 30, 2013 |
agirlnamedfury | 61 altre recensioni | Mar 30, 2013 | Nina is just a few months out from her 16th birthday. Her best friend is excited about it: when they turn 16, they'll be legal to have sex! And be chosen for the FeLS program! [Female Liason Somethingorother, basically escorts, I think, for government officials?] It's a way out of their Tier 2 lives, anyway. Nina is less than thrilled: being 16 means men can force themselves on her pretty much whenever they want with no repercussions. Things are going poorly enough for her already, but then her mom is killed, and right before she dies she tells Nina that her late father is actually still alive and she needs to bring him a particular book. No easy task, since her mother was possibly working for a resistance movement while Mom's abusive boyfriend is a government agent. Kidnapping, stalking, conspiracy, you name it, until the book mercifully ends.
I want to say there's a big point here in the whole "at 16 girls can legally have sex" and in the caste system, but that part of the world is never really explored. There's talk (in the "As you know..." style of dialogue) about how the world is vegetarian now, but no discussion of when the world became so misogynistic as to openly objectify young women and establish government programs for sex slavery. (Wait, that was supposed to be a big reveal, except it's totally obvious from the beginning, so idk.) Nina's best friend, the boy-crazy airhead, is basically slut-shamed at every opportunity, from the way she dresses to her flirting to her desire to be chosen for the FeLS program (somehow not guessing what the "Female liasons" might do). Advertising is omnipresent (again, no commentary on the society; it's just there), and the class system supposedly allows for no blending among the classes, except that Nina and her friends range across the whole spectrum.
Overall: not something I can recommend in any capacity, really. The dystopian elements are so underrepresented that it seems a stretch to even list this as dystopian. It's not even background; it's just not there.
1 librarybrandy | 61 altre recensioni | Mar 30, 2013 |
librarybrandy | 61 altre recensioni | Mar 30, 2013 | While some of the cyberpunk/dystopia feel to this book was interesting, I just couldn't get behind the story, writing and views on sex, which were so black and white. I know the society had warped female sexuality, but still, the girls who went against the grain also seemed to come across with an outlook on sexuality that wasn't their own, just reactionary, and those who were sexual/into the idea of being so were doomed to horrible fates. I know the society was really messed up, but still working within it didn't sit well with me. The relationships felt clunky because of this, especially with Sal and Nina.
Truth is the companion novel to one of my favorite dystopians this year, XVI. The Governing Council has everyone convinced that teenage girls are sex-crazed, and they are the mastermind behind a sex-slavery ring. A world like this, where women have no rights, is truly terrifying. Rape goes unpunished, and women are pushed back to medievil stereotypes.
Karr did an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere. Even after I put the book down to take a break, there was a lingering paranoia left over. Not many authors can do that.
In Truth we get to see Nina really come into her own. She notices some of the same beliefs being held in her niche of the Resistance: the men don't think the girls and women are capable to taking care of themselves, or in making progress for their cause. Tired of constantly being told what to do, Nina joins a subgroup of girls determined to be heard and make a difference. This really kicks off the story for me, and it's very enjoyable seeing a female protagonist taking action of her own accord.
Dee really grew on me in this second installment. You could tell that her surroundings were really making her grow up. Instead of retreating further into herself, Dee was starting to shine. I wish that Nina and the other NonCons would have told her the truth. That's what the book was about, after all.
The ending of Truth left me crying. I won't say what happened, but, having a little sister myself, I just don't think I could be as strong as Nina. There were a few loose ends, so I'm hoping for a sequel. All the same, though, Truth was wrapped up well, and left a little to the readers' imagination. I just don't want Nina's journey to end here, though!
XVI was one of my favorite dystopian stories of the year. It was totally different from the others, and the main character, Nina, was a treat to read about. I definitely recommend picking this series up if you enjoy dystopia. Especially lovers of Delirium.
I checked out XVI from the library after reading a review which compared it to Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I had just read Delirium, so I decided to read them back-to-back, and it was hard not to make comparisons.
Like Delirium, XVI deals with issues of love and sex in a dystopian society. I see these stories as opposite sides of the same coin though. Where Delirium was about seeing love as a disease, XVI is about society’s obsession with sex – where the physical act of sex has been marketed to the point of having no emotional associations with love.
What the two stories have in common are protagonists trying to avoid a process that could possibly cause them harm. In Delirium it’s the operation to cure them of deliria-causing “love,” while in XVI it’s the tattoo that girls get at age sixteen that brands girls as being available to anyone for sex.
XVI is certainly a more intense and dark story in that the girls face potential rape – they are considered fair game to anyone who wants them. Although there are some moments when guys try to cross the line, there aren’t any rape scenes in the book.
In addition to the stress of her impending tattooing, Nina’s life is also complicated by the death of her mother and her violent step-father who follows her every move. Upping her stress load even further – she has a couple of potential romantic interests whom she isn’t sure she wants to encourage, especially when she’ll be tattooed soon.
The only thing I could see annoying some people is the futuristic slang terminology. It can be distracting, but I was drawn into the story enough that it faded into the background of Nina’s world while I rooted for her to beat the odds and become a strong women in her society of passive femininity.
Truth is the second book in the XVI series about a dystopia set in 2150. In XVI, we learned that when a girl turns sixteen (or “sex-teen” as it is known), she gets "XVI" tattooed on her wrist. This means she is now legal sex bait for anyone who can get to her. Unfortunately, the result of having the tattoo often translates into a legal license to rape girls, and/or impress them into service as prostitutes.
Nina Oberon has just turned sixteen, and now has her tattoo. She comes from a family of “nonconformists” however: those who are opposed to governmental tyranny and especially the abuse of women. As the story begins, Nina and her younger sister Dee have just been evicted after Nina’s grandpa was arrested for subversive activities and her grandmother is hospitalized for a heart attack. The two girls move in with Nina’s good friend Wei, whose family is also part of the underground movement.
While at Wei’s, Nina grows closer to Wei’s older brother Chris, especially because her boyfriend Sal is always off doing “noncon” work. But this is not a book that focuses on the triangle. Rather, it seems to be included more to elucidate different aspects of gender relationships. And indeed, Nina is increasingly conflicted over her growing feminism and her feelings about boys. Is it loving and nurturing if they want to protect her, or is it an insult to the capabilities of females? Can a need for love go with a desire for independence?
Nina manages to get herself and her adoptive family into serious danger when she refuses the advances of an older and very powerful man. None of them are safe anymore, so they are forced to take drastic action that changes the lives of all of them.
Evaluation: Yay, a second book in a trilogy that is actually better than the first book! Love when that happens! For those of you who like something more from your dystopia trilogies than just love and violence, this one definitely fits the bill. It offers plenty to think about in terms of relationships between males and females, bringing up issues that sadly are not just relevant to fictional dystopias. I do think, however, that this is not easily a standalone book; you probably have to start with XVI. I like XVI, but it is not as sophisticated as Truth.
Note: As an extra bonus, the author has a blog for Nina, in which she writes (as Nina) about her life after the end of this book. Fun or what? You can see it here (but only after you have read the book as it is quite spoilery).
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Nina woont met haar moeder en zusje Dee en stiefvader Ed en wordt bijna 16 en zij is erg bang voor haar zestiende verjaardag en wat daarna allemaal kan gebeuren. Dan wordt haar moeder vermoordt en gaat ze met haar zus bij haar grootouders worden. Voor haar moeder sterft heeft die haar nog een groot geheim verteld. Samen met een aantal oude en nieuwe vrienden probeert Nina het geheim te ontrafelen en voor haar zusje te zorgen, die uit de handen van Ed moet worden gehouden. Aardig boek, met iets te veel herhalingen.