The Pox Party (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Aug 14, 2012 Rincey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

What a conflicting book. See me try to talk about it in my review: http://youtu.be/vjWiywwGEdY ...more

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May 28, 2009 Donna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teen, historicalfiction, adventure

Set in & around Boston before the Revolutionary War. Octavian grows up with his mother and a society of philosophers and scientists. He's raised as a prince with access to splendid clothing, food, and education. Eventually he learns that it is all a lie - he and his mother are slaves, kept in this house as part of an experiment to determine whether Africans are inferior to Europeans. Octavian eventually escapes to join the patriot Revolution, but his story does not end there. This seems to be on ...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Shannon rated it liked it

Shelves: for-hs, historical-fiction

I'm not sure where I heard about this book or what made me request it from the library, but once I have a book in my hands, I don't read the back or the flap because it tends to give away too much of the story. So I was surprised to find this book (classified by my library as young adult) to be more than a little sad, disturbing and unsettling.

Octavian lives in Boston in the years before and during the Revolutionary War. His circumstances are complex - the child of royalty, the subject of an exp ...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: historicalfiction

This is ostensibly a YA book. That's rather a failure of marketing. In this case, do not judge a book by its cover.

I really don't want to say much about this book. I am rather glad that I went into it knowing next to nothing, because that made the shock of the story that much more powerful. Some reviewers don't care for the stilted semi-archaic diction and style, but I found the protagonist's voice to be compelling.

This book made me gasp more than anything I've read lately. Maybe that's a sign o ...more

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Jan 24, 2014 Adriel rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya, ya-diverse, award-winner

I started out enjoying the rich language and description in this book. The premise was unique, as we the characters, but this book has some flaws. It spends to long setting the stage and then after an exciting bit, goes to a series of letters written in a provincial style that is infuriating to try to follow, and also, I didn't care enough to. I unashamedly skipped most of that part and skimmed to the end. I set out ready to really love this book, and I did enjoy the first 150 pages, but then it ...more

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