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| UK Paperback Edition |
- Paperback: 544 pages
- Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books; 1 edition (2 Jun 2011)
- ISBN-10: 1407124250
- ISBN-13: 978-1407124254
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.
This is Moira Young's debut novel and is the first in a new YA series.
Cover: I'm not going to lie, I really really really dislike the UK paperback edition. Ok the blood and the crow are actually relevant so I can't knock it for that but it just looks so tacky. Based on the cover I would not have picked this book up. I much prefer the US hardcover edition.
Plot:
In a harsh and violent future world survival is hard, it's everyone for themselves. But the day Saba's twin brother Lugh is taken she vows to get him back. However obstacles get in her way but she fights them all to get to Lugh. And romance- she doesn't have time for romance and tries to ignore her emerging feelings for Jack.
Characters:
Saba- A really strong and determined character. She blames Emmi for killing their Mother when she was born. Definitely a flawed character- rude and ungrateful at times.
Lugh- The elder twin, he was born first. Saba really admires him and thinks he's wonderful and can do no wrong. The 'other half of her soul'.
Emmi- Saba and Lugh's 9 year old sister. She starts of as shy and weak but by the end of the book has really transformed in a stronger character.
Jack- Saba's love interest. He doesn't take any rudeness from Saba and fights back verbally. He's a great match for her because he's as strong as she is.
Writing Style: A unique and stand out way of writing in YA. The use of dialect and socialect really gives you more of a feel for the characters and helps you imagine them more. For example "I ain't afeared of nuthin". There are also
Rating: 2.5/5 stars. I know for others in the book community this has been a stand out/favourite book of the year but for me it didn't grab me enough, I never felt I couldn't put it down.
I enjoyed the unique writing style which showed a creativity and originality, and the plot was definitely original- I didn't feel that I was re-reading something I had read before.
I think the major problems I had with this book were what stopped me from really enjoying it, and these were that I couldn't take to the main character Saba and when you don't like the main character it's very hard to like the book. Don't get me wrong I'm all for flawed characters but in Saba's case I found it excessive and I just couldn't like her. The second thing just bugged me, and that is that the whole premise of the book is Saba finding Lugh, but I got tired of her saying how great Lugh is when in fact as the reader I never got to judge Lugh for myself but just kept hearing Saba's biased opinion.
A definite plus for this book is that it is full of adventure, literally one thing after another. So if you're a fan of dystopian-adventure type books with a little romance that is not the total focus of the story then this is a book for you.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.
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| US Hardcover Edition |
This is Moira Young's debut novel and is the first in a new YA series.
Cover: I'm not going to lie, I really really really dislike the UK paperback edition. Ok the blood and the crow are actually relevant so I can't knock it for that but it just looks so tacky. Based on the cover I would not have picked this book up. I much prefer the US hardcover edition.
Plot:
In a harsh and violent future world survival is hard, it's everyone for themselves. But the day Saba's twin brother Lugh is taken she vows to get him back. However obstacles get in her way but she fights them all to get to Lugh. And romance- she doesn't have time for romance and tries to ignore her emerging feelings for Jack.
Characters:
Saba- A really strong and determined character. She blames Emmi for killing their Mother when she was born. Definitely a flawed character- rude and ungrateful at times.
Lugh- The elder twin, he was born first. Saba really admires him and thinks he's wonderful and can do no wrong. The 'other half of her soul'.
Emmi- Saba and Lugh's 9 year old sister. She starts of as shy and weak but by the end of the book has really transformed in a stronger character.
Jack- Saba's love interest. He doesn't take any rudeness from Saba and fights back verbally. He's a great match for her because he's as strong as she is.
Writing Style: A unique and stand out way of writing in YA. The use of dialect and socialect really gives you more of a feel for the characters and helps you imagine them more. For example "I ain't afeared of nuthin". There are also
Rating: 2.5/5 stars. I know for others in the book community this has been a stand out/favourite book of the year but for me it didn't grab me enough, I never felt I couldn't put it down.
I enjoyed the unique writing style which showed a creativity and originality, and the plot was definitely original- I didn't feel that I was re-reading something I had read before.
I think the major problems I had with this book were what stopped me from really enjoying it, and these were that I couldn't take to the main character Saba and when you don't like the main character it's very hard to like the book. Don't get me wrong I'm all for flawed characters but in Saba's case I found it excessive and I just couldn't like her. The second thing just bugged me, and that is that the whole premise of the book is Saba finding Lugh, but I got tired of her saying how great Lugh is when in fact as the reader I never got to judge Lugh for myself but just kept hearing Saba's biased opinion.
A definite plus for this book is that it is full of adventure, literally one thing after another. So if you're a fan of dystopian-adventure type books with a little romance that is not the total focus of the story then this is a book for you.
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