Arclight Buddy Read!

[Jen]

Karen and I are starting a buddy read of on Wednesday, October 30 -

Everyone is welcome to join in! Just use spoiler tags and definitely put your thoughts in as you progress. This looks like a good one and the 2nd book is already out, in case you're one of those people who just has to have the next one (like me and Karen!)

[Karen’s Library]

I just finished the book I was reading so I may peek at this one tonight. ;-) Just call me David. Bwahahaaa!

[Karen’s Library]

Have you started yet, Jen? I'm about 15% in. (view spoiler)[I haven't figured out what the Fade are yet. Lots of questions!!(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Jen]

It's ok, I started early too - but it's slow going because I don't have time to listen.

I've figured out what the Fade are - but jeesh, Marina is an idiot! So immature, making all sorts of assumptions that are contradictory. I'm about 55% in - (view spoiler)[what is WITH this girl? Is she afraid of Rue or anxious to find her people? And I think the relationship with Tobin happened pretty quickly. (hide spoiler)]

I say all this having had a bad day yesterday. Maybe my mood is colouring my opinion. And I think if I were listening to this in one continuous sitting, Marina's behaviour would make more sense.

(view spoiler)[Wait! I'm listening right now actually, and finally something the Fade said made sense! (hide spoiler)]

[Jen]

Switched over to an ebook. Chapter 23 - this is starting to make a whole lot more sense and it is getting a lot scarier.

[Karen’s Library]

Good to hear.

I was in a peanut butter mood last night. Just couldn't get into anything. I couldn't focus on words whatsoever. So I went to sleep. Hahahh.. ;-P

[Donna]

Jen wrote: "It's ok, I started early too - but it's slow going because I don't have time to listen.

I've figured out what the Fade are - but jeesh, Marina is an idiot! So immature, making all sorts of assu..."

You said you figured out what the Fades were, which reminded me of a TV series called the Fades. I am wondering if there is any relationship to the book. Probably, right? Haven't read the book.

[Jen]

Finished. This was sort of hard for me to get through, but it didn't have anything to do with the book. I just got distracted a lot by regular life.

I did like it a lot. I want to go back and read a part that I think I missed (fell asleep listening). I listened to it and read it as an ebook both. Tara Sands narrated the audio, and while I usually like her, she was just ok on this one. I didn't like the voices she gave some of the characters, because as I got to know them better I thought they'd sound differently, especially Honoria.

Marina: (view spoiler)[I loved the idea that she is so divided there at the end. It was a bit hard to grasp, though - I don't know if that's the author's fault or not. I didn't really get the sense of her being pulled in two directions equally. I liked her, though. I can't figure out if it's that she wasn't well-enough defined or just not very deep, but something does bug me about her. (hide spoiler)]

Tobin: (view spoiler)[I thought he was the most consistent character in the book. I liked his relationship with Marina, although it did seem to progress quickly. I think that was explained, though. The story seems to start at a point when he has begun to like her, when in the past he was processing his feelings about his dad saving her. (hide spoiler)]

Rue: (view spoiler)[Great character but who the heck was he? Totally underdeveloped. I would have liked to know a lot more about him. (hide spoiler)]

Honoria: (view spoiler)[Could have been a better villain. That whole scene there near the end when she shoots Bolt - and then what, she just disappears into the basement? What? I liked that she was really old and had been experimenting on herself for a long time, but that was all just so vague. Other authors have done characters like her better. (hide spoiler)]

Anna Marie: (view spoiler)[I liked her a lot - not the typical best friend, thank God. She became someone totally different there out in the Dark (hide spoiler)]

Overall: Great premise, but the whole thing seems a bit off. I'm not sure why. It seems like a lot of emphasis was placed in the wrong parts. It did get a little philosophical there at the end, which I thought was unnecessary. I was expecting a big bang of an ending, setup for the next book, etc. As it is, I'm looking forward to the next one but not overly so. I think if I go back and re-read some of Arclight, my opinion will change. I do think it's one of the better dystopians out there, although it doesn't measure up to anything by Dan Wells or Rick Yancey, etc. I'd put this on a par with Under the Never Sky (Veronica Roth).

[Karen’s Library]

About 50% in right now and finally it's all making more sense. (view spoiler)[Nannites caused this world!??! Wow. Interesting concept. So who is this teen Fade? And Tobin and Marina are definately getting very close very quickly. I want to learn more about this world. I hate being kept in the dark. ;-P (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Karen’s Library]

Finished. I wasn't sure I was going to like it at the beginning. I have problems with books that are too cryptic and give me a headache trying to figure out what's going on. Thank goodness it all started coming together eventually and that I stuck with it.

(view spoiler)[I agree with everything you said, Jen. I liked the concept of the nanites creating an entirely new form of human. I had a feeling early on that the arclight were the bad guys in this scenario. (hide spoiler)]

I think that I kind of want to know where it goes from here and would read the next book eventually.