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Stone Seeds
Nothing is quite as it appears in New Bavarnica. Everything is run by The General, alongside his collaborator, the village shopkeeper. The General rules by menace and unimaginable cruelties – everyone in Bavarnica knows their place and is kept in it.
Everyone that is except Antek, the Egg Boy, a government-made machine with a chink in his system.
Everyone except Zorry the slave, who spends her nights hunting lethal plants in the killing forest.
Everyone except Jengi, the shopkeeper’s ‘tame’ assistant, and last surviving member of the notorious Digger tribe. Together, can they find the courage to fight back?
- GenresYoung Adult
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2015
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50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 11, 2016
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Stone Seeds is based in a grim setting called Bavarnica which is ruled by someone called the General. The ruling people are called the OneFolk, and everyone who isn't part of the OneFolk basically live horrible lives. There are the farmers on the edge of the desert, who live in a perpetual state of hunger and thirst, given seeds by the form of 'government' that don't actually seem to grow anything. Then there's the "Egg Boys" - a form of test tubes humanoids. The novel focuses on Antek, an Egg Boy who seems to be a bit different to the others, Zorry, a young woman who has the job of finding a plant that could hold the key to everything and Zingi, the last living member of the Digger tribe and one of the leaders of the Rebellion.
Okay, so going into this book I was just confused for a huge majority of the start of it. Everything seemed a bit jumbled and disjointed, I was getting information about Bavarnica and its history but in a way that it was hard for me to really understand. I didn't stat settling down into the story (and I use that loosely) until a good 35% in and I wonder how many people would even give the book that much of a chance before DNFing it. I think the start of this book needs to be rewritten, or tidied up or something as there's something about it that just doesn't work.
I thought we were getting places around 50% in but then again it let me down. There was very little plot in this book, nothing actually happened. We knew about the state people were living in and we knew about the group of people in the rebellion - women called mother cupboards. But that was it! There was nothing else done in entire book. I actually wish I had DNF'd this book because it was a complete waste of time. I got nothing out of it.
Stone Seeds is based in a grim setting called Bavarnica which is ruled by someone called the General. The ruling people are called the OneFolk, and everyone who isn't part of the OneFolk basically live horrible lives. There are the farmers on the edge of the desert, who live in a perpetual state of hunger and thirst, given seeds by the form of 'government' that don't actually seem to grow anything. Then there's the "Egg Boys" - a form of test tubes humanoids. The novel focuses on Antek, an Egg Boy who seems to be a bit different to the others, Zorry, a young woman who has the job of finding a plant that could hold the key to everything and Zingi, the last living member of the Digger tribe and one of the leaders of the Rebellion.
Okay, so going into this book I was just confused for a huge majority of the start of it. Everything seemed a bit jumbled and disjointed, I was getting information about Bavarnica and its history but in a way that it was hard for me to really understand. I didn't stat settling down into the story (and I use that loosely) until a good 35% in and I wonder how many people would even give the book that much of a chance before DNFing it. I think the start of this book needs to be rewritten, or tidied up or something as there's something about it that just doesn't work.
I thought we were getting places around 50% in but then again it let me down. There was very little plot in this book, nothing actually happened. We knew about the state people were living in and we knew about the group of people in the rebellion - women called mother cupboards. But that was it! There was nothing else done in entire book. I actually wish I had DNF'd this book because it was a complete waste of time. I got nothing out of it.
August 7, 2018
Stone seeds by Jo Ely.
Nothing is quite as it appears in New Bavarnica. Everything is run by The General, alongside his collaborator, the village shopkeeper. The General rules by menace, unimaginable cruelties, and everyone in Bavarnica knows their place and keeps to it. Everyone except Antek, the Egg Boy, a government-made machine with a chink in his system. Everyone except Zorry the slave, who spends all her nights hunting lethal plants in the killing forest. Or Jengi, the shopkeeper's 'tame' assistant, and last surviving member of the notorious Digger tribe. Together can they find the courage to fight back?
This was a good read with likeable characters. I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. Very slow all the way through. 3*.
Nothing is quite as it appears in New Bavarnica. Everything is run by The General, alongside his collaborator, the village shopkeeper. The General rules by menace, unimaginable cruelties, and everyone in Bavarnica knows their place and keeps to it. Everyone except Antek, the Egg Boy, a government-made machine with a chink in his system. Everyone except Zorry the slave, who spends all her nights hunting lethal plants in the killing forest. Or Jengi, the shopkeeper's 'tame' assistant, and last surviving member of the notorious Digger tribe. Together can they find the courage to fight back?
This was a good read with likeable characters. I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. Very slow all the way through. 3*.
March 18, 2016
A brilliantly original book that really appeals to me - as well as my teenage son - and we don't agree on much nowadays! I can see this being the new Hunger Games and hope the film comes out soon. Loved it!
March 18, 2016
I don't normally do this but I had to say something now. I've only just started this book but I love it. I'm hooked.
October 12, 2017
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley last year in exchange for an honest review.
Re-reading it made me realize why it was difficult to find the right words to say in this review. Honestly, the plot did not unfold completely. The world building was complicated and jumbled. Better planning and structure would have made this book much better.
Re-reading it made me realize why it was difficult to find the right words to say in this review. Honestly, the plot did not unfold completely. The world building was complicated and jumbled. Better planning and structure would have made this book much better.
December 19, 2017
My first time reading this genre. I was intrigued from start to end. I would recommend this book highly.
March 1, 2017
I got a copy from Netgalley and even with every attempt to give this a go, I just couldn't. Too disjointed, characters are unsympathetic, and not enough world building. The unique writing style was certainly it's best feature, but ultimately it couldn't be saved.
March 30, 2016
I received an electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review, and I reviewed it for the Daily Bruin, Los Angeles' third most circulated newspaper. My full review can be found here, and the following is a shortened/altered version.
The world-building in "Stone Seeds" is innovative in that the author incorporates things that I haven't seen in fantasy/sci-fi dystopian novels before. For example, genetically engineered humanoids are a pretty common, but the author incorporates a lot more details about the Egg Boys in her novel. In that regard, I thought the world-building was great.
However, the novel lacks coherence overall. Reading the novel feels like reading prose in a stream-of-consciousness narrative style. While the writing is beautiful, the resulting disjointedness in the narration makes it difficult to figure out what is happening. While I thought the method of narration and point of view used were original and interesting, for the sake of clarity, the novel needed to draw a clearer line between what the characters were thinking and what was physically happening.
Even more importantly, “Stone Seeds” never seems to fully establish an end goal for its characters. Even if the author’s aim in writing this novel was simply to share ideas about society, I felt the novel needed a more solid plot to carry its ideas.
The novel is truly a work of art. It is very innovative - in its writing style especially. I can see why many people would like it, but it simply was not for me.
The world-building in "Stone Seeds" is innovative in that the author incorporates things that I haven't seen in fantasy/sci-fi dystopian novels before. For example, genetically engineered humanoids are a pretty common, but the author incorporates a lot more details about the Egg Boys in her novel. In that regard, I thought the world-building was great.
However, the novel lacks coherence overall. Reading the novel feels like reading prose in a stream-of-consciousness narrative style. While the writing is beautiful, the resulting disjointedness in the narration makes it difficult to figure out what is happening. While I thought the method of narration and point of view used were original and interesting, for the sake of clarity, the novel needed to draw a clearer line between what the characters were thinking and what was physically happening.
Even more importantly, “Stone Seeds” never seems to fully establish an end goal for its characters. Even if the author’s aim in writing this novel was simply to share ideas about society, I felt the novel needed a more solid plot to carry its ideas.
The novel is truly a work of art. It is very innovative - in its writing style especially. I can see why many people would like it, but it simply was not for me.
May 28, 2016
Review posted on Between Reality
This is a novel with an entirely new theme. It feels dystopian, but I’m not sure if it is. Regardless, Stone Seeds, just like the title, is incredibly original. The character names, the plot, the titles, all of it was interestingly new to me. So why three stars?
I want to discuss Antek. I liked him and his mechanical but human-like thoughts and actions. The way that he thoughtfully gazes upon his surroundings and is always asking a question in his mind, even if he shouldn’t be. The story starts with him, but doesn’t quite end with him. All that happened in between was focused on different characters, including Zorry, who, in my opinion, was extremely boring. The entire time that I was reading about Zorry or Zettie or Jengi, I found myself wishing I was learning more about Antek.
I think Zorry may be the heroine, actually, I am certain of it, but I am not convinced she is a great one. I don’t understand what qualities may shine in her if she is the leader, but hopefully it will develop in the sequel. Make no mistake, she experienced tragic events, but none of them brought out and heroine qualities in her. Even the ending, which I won’t give away, Zorry tried to come off as fierce, but it felt like the equivalent of a young child telling her parents she is going to run away...
Read the rest of this review and more here: Stone Seeds Review
This is a novel with an entirely new theme. It feels dystopian, but I’m not sure if it is. Regardless, Stone Seeds, just like the title, is incredibly original. The character names, the plot, the titles, all of it was interestingly new to me. So why three stars?
I want to discuss Antek. I liked him and his mechanical but human-like thoughts and actions. The way that he thoughtfully gazes upon his surroundings and is always asking a question in his mind, even if he shouldn’t be. The story starts with him, but doesn’t quite end with him. All that happened in between was focused on different characters, including Zorry, who, in my opinion, was extremely boring. The entire time that I was reading about Zorry or Zettie or Jengi, I found myself wishing I was learning more about Antek.
I think Zorry may be the heroine, actually, I am certain of it, but I am not convinced she is a great one. I don’t understand what qualities may shine in her if she is the leader, but hopefully it will develop in the sequel. Make no mistake, she experienced tragic events, but none of them brought out and heroine qualities in her. Even the ending, which I won’t give away, Zorry tried to come off as fierce, but it felt like the equivalent of a young child telling her parents she is going to run away...
Read the rest of this review and more here: Stone Seeds Review
February 5, 2017
Stone Seeds is the first book my youngest teen has read and stuck with since some inexplicable moment a couple of years ago when all reading ground to a halt. Any book which can encourage renewed interest in reading, has to be a winner for me and it compelled me to read it for myself.
In a cruel and bullying dystopia, The General rules and everybody knows it. But as in every good tale of humanity gone wrong, three characters, Antek, Zorry and Jengi aren't prepared to accept it. There are novels such as these where I find that the characters achieve this so easily, I can't really be bothered to continue. Not so with Stone Seeds. At times my heart was in my mouth, at others I could barely bring myself to read. Gruesome as it is in parts, it's also poetically written.
In a cruel and bullying dystopia, The General rules and everybody knows it. But as in every good tale of humanity gone wrong, three characters, Antek, Zorry and Jengi aren't prepared to accept it. There are novels such as these where I find that the characters achieve this so easily, I can't really be bothered to continue. Not so with Stone Seeds. At times my heart was in my mouth, at others I could barely bring myself to read. Gruesome as it is in parts, it's also poetically written.
March 18, 2016
I have just finished Stone Seeds, written by a new author, Jo Ely. I wanted to read this novel, having read one of her short stories which had been shortlisted for the Fish prize, and was beautifully written.
Her first novel has blown me away. The writing is highly original, poetic, crafted, and frequently extraordinary. I am not surprised to see quite extreme reactions in the reviews of Stone Seeds. It is not like anything else I've read. It is certainly not mainstream teen dystopia. There is little conventional here, which some will find disconcerting. From the outset the reader is bombarded with intense language, characters, and events. If you are expecting to stay in your comfort zone of clear plot, familiar character types, and orthodox narrative, you are about to be shocked. I found it gripping - a linguistic rush.
I can't wait for the sequel.
Her first novel has blown me away. The writing is highly original, poetic, crafted, and frequently extraordinary. I am not surprised to see quite extreme reactions in the reviews of Stone Seeds. It is not like anything else I've read. It is certainly not mainstream teen dystopia. There is little conventional here, which some will find disconcerting. From the outset the reader is bombarded with intense language, characters, and events. If you are expecting to stay in your comfort zone of clear plot, familiar character types, and orthodox narrative, you are about to be shocked. I found it gripping - a linguistic rush.
I can't wait for the sequel.
April 4, 2016
Jo Ely has managed to write a book that creates in the reader's mind strangely exotic characters and a bizarrely futuristic setting that are as real and vivid as in any film. The cinematic effect is remarkable. I was sometimes reminded of Pan's Labyrinth, the dark fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. At the same time she instils in us huge empathy for every creature in the multi-tiered society she's built. She brilliantly injects just enough of our world in both setting and characters for them not to be exclusively alien. The result is that we feel deeply for their dramatic predicaments. The result is a wild emotional ride through a maze of plot twists and jaw-dropping landscapes. A truly enjoyable read.
March 18, 2016
Enticed into the world where it is forbidden for the tribes to mix, I found Jo Ely’s first novel ‘unputdownable’. Jo writes beautifully about the harsh New Bavarnica and the characters’ fight for humanity, against all the odds, under the General’s brutal rule. From the first page I was enthralled, the author brought the characters to life and I found that I really cared about what happened to them; as I read about Antek, Zorry and Jengi I was drawn into their battles for survival. The story was pacey and unpredictable and I will be passing it on to my 14 year old son to read next. A brilliant first novel.
June 6, 2016
This debut novel by Jo Ely is a fascinating read. Ely creates an imaginative, distinct world in which death is an overarching theme. It is a story of fear and prejudice, and how fear can suppress whole communities. But it is also a story of resistance, resilience and hope.
The language has a particularly stilted rhythm to it which fits perfectly with the atmosphere. There are many striking descriptions; one standout for me was of the shopkeeper, Gaddys: "...doll-like, wide staring eyes. The colour of roadkill and other dead things..."
This is a powerful novel and one I'd recommend.
The language has a particularly stilted rhythm to it which fits perfectly with the atmosphere. There are many striking descriptions; one standout for me was of the shopkeeper, Gaddys: "...doll-like, wide staring eyes. The colour of roadkill and other dead things..."
This is a powerful novel and one I'd recommend.
June 17, 2016
I am reviewing this e-book for Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Stone Seed's started off strong, I like the main character I could connect with him, and I was intrigued with the plot. But after awhile that sort of "charm" where you don't know what's happening wears off. I became confused often and could not wait to finish this book, not in the good way either. I could not tell if it was dystopian or straight up fantasy. This book did not know what it was and that was pretty frustrating. But I enjoyed it for what it was. 3/5 stars.
Stone Seed's started off strong, I like the main character I could connect with him, and I was intrigued with the plot. But after awhile that sort of "charm" where you don't know what's happening wears off. I became confused often and could not wait to finish this book, not in the good way either. I could not tell if it was dystopian or straight up fantasy. This book did not know what it was and that was pretty frustrating. But I enjoyed it for what it was. 3/5 stars.
March 22, 2016
The world that Jo Ely has created here is fascinating and very alien while at the same time shining a light on the many things wrong with our societies today. Spare and taut writing that still delivers a real emotional impact. I found myself completely transported to the General's world and rooting for all of the characters that were holding on to empathy and love in the face of great hardships and a culture that focused on breeding contempt for people not of your tribe. A great debut novel!
March 18, 2016
So original and very clever this is simply a superb novel. It's not a story you whizz through without thought. It demands your attention in a good way. My 15 year old daughter just started and is finding it very compelling and so different to anything else she has ever read. It's provoked lots of interesting discussion in our house. If you want to read something totally unique you have to try this book.
March 13, 2016
Unfortunately I did not finish this title. I struggled with it for a while but failed to connect with the characters and was not drawn into the narrative. It felt like the story fell down with respect to world building. I could not seem to be enveloped by this world, a shame since I sense that the author has a great many interesting things to say
April 8, 2016
Full review at: http://thequeenofblades.blogspot.co.uk/
2.5 stars
This was a incredibly tough read, especially considering it's meant to be YA. It was very confusing, disjointed, and so difficult to follow. There were some interesting bits, but not enough for me to be entertained or enthralled.
2.5 stars
This was a incredibly tough read, especially considering it's meant to be YA. It was very confusing, disjointed, and so difficult to follow. There were some interesting bits, but not enough for me to be entertained or enthralled.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews