Loved the original series, but I had trouble getting into this spinoff
MY THOUGHTS
I have learned over the years to be wary when it comes to spin-off books.
When this book first came out, I was hyped for it. I even preordered it. But I didn't get to reading it right away, because I never felt in the mood for it. And as time went on, I grew wary about reading this book.
Here's the thing about spinoffs. Sometimes they go right. Sometimes they bring back the world and the characters you love. Sometimes they give a new perspective in a unique and interesting way. Sometimes they feel necessary.
But, more often than not, I get the letdown spinoffs. This one was that. It's not that I hated this book, it's not that I even disliked it. To be honest, I think it did a better job in the spinoff department than Rebel . But I just felt meh about this whole book. I felt disinterested the whole time, even in really intense scenes. It took me much too long to read this book because I kept taking breaks. I felt like I was forcing myself to read it.
Here's what makes rating this book difficult for me, because I can't fully place why this book didn't work for me. I could say it was the pacing or characters, but I worry that part of it is because I just am not as interested in these kinds of books anymore. I used to love dystopian fiction, but when the world looks more and more dystopian every day, I don't really want to escape into dystopian books. But it's also been six years since I've read In The Afterlight . Six years ago I was graduating from High School. Six years ago, dystopian was my jam. Now, my tastes have obviously changed. This makes me worry whether I would enjoy The Darkest Minds series if I reread it today.
Even though I felt like I was slogging my way through this book, I did like some parts. Once I got, say, 300 pages in, I grew more interested. I do think it added a lot of new details. It answered questions that readers of the original trilogy might have had. I also liked that it didn't kill off any of the major gang, which I have seen spinoffs do in the past. This book kind of shows how disastrous the world is years after the original series, and how the cast still has a lot of work to do. I think it was interesting to have a book from Zu's perspective, even if I had trouble connecting with her in the book.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, though I don't think this book was necessary. But, if fans of the series love it and if it makes other readers happy, then it's fine. I just wish I loved it more than I did.
I have learned over the years to be wary when it comes to spin-off books.
When this book first came out, I was hyped for it. I even preordered it. But I didn't get to reading it right away, because I never felt in the mood for it. And as time went on, I grew wary about reading this book.
Here's the thing about spinoffs. Sometimes they go right. Sometimes they bring back the world and the characters you love. Sometimes they give a new perspective in a unique and interesting way. Sometimes they feel necessary.
But, more often than not, I get the letdown spinoffs. This one was that. It's not that I hated this book, it's not that I even disliked it. To be honest, I think it did a better job in the spinoff department than Rebel . But I just felt meh about this whole book. I felt disinterested the whole time, even in really intense scenes. It took me much too long to read this book because I kept taking breaks. I felt like I was forcing myself to read it.
Here's what makes rating this book difficult for me, because I can't fully place why this book didn't work for me. I could say it was the pacing or characters, but I worry that part of it is because I just am not as interested in these kinds of books anymore. I used to love dystopian fiction, but when the world looks more and more dystopian every day, I don't really want to escape into dystopian books. But it's also been six years since I've read In The Afterlight . Six years ago I was graduating from High School. Six years ago, dystopian was my jam. Now, my tastes have obviously changed. This makes me worry whether I would enjoy The Darkest Minds series if I reread it today.
Even though I felt like I was slogging my way through this book, I did like some parts. Once I got, say, 300 pages in, I grew more interested. I do think it added a lot of new details. It answered questions that readers of the original trilogy might have had. I also liked that it didn't kill off any of the major gang, which I have seen spinoffs do in the past. This book kind of shows how disastrous the world is years after the original series, and how the cast still has a lot of work to do. I think it was interesting to have a book from Zu's perspective, even if I had trouble connecting with her in the book.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, though I don't think this book was necessary. But, if fans of the series love it and if it makes other readers happy, then it's fine. I just wish I loved it more than I did.