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littlethief's review against another edition
2.0
Trust me when I say that it hurts me to give this book such a low rating. Marie Rutkoski has become one of my favorite authors, and there are very few stories and characters I love as much as I love those in her Winner's trilogy. I went into this with high expectations because I love Rutkoski's work so much, but I left feeling considerably disappointed. Of course, my experience with this particular novel doesn't hurt Rutkoski's image in my mind, in any way, because this did come out before the books I love so much. Authors are bound to improve and grow, so I still admire her as much as I did before going into this, if not even more. Because if she could jump from this to the Winner's trilogy, I'm sure she'll do even better after the trilogy is over.
Plot:
The plot was reasonable. We follow a young girl who doesn't know much about her background, except that her parents left her when she was a child. Queue mystery, parallel worlds, a brooding love interest and lots of action. What I love about this book is that it's a stand-alone in a world full of unnecessarily elongated storylines. Rutkoski manages to do well in telling the entire story in the allotted space. It was fast-paced, somewhat unpredictable, and the pacing was done extremely well. I liked Rutkoski's dual focus on the present and Darcy trying to find out more about her family- it felt natural, but not overbearing.
But what this book lacked was a solid setting. Parallel worlds are complicated- you can't expect the reader to know how these worlds work together. And while Rutkoski does offer the basic explanations about the world, much of it is left to the reader's understanding. It left me confused.
I didn't love the romance. It had great potential, yes, but in the grand scheme of things, I wasn't too invested in it. I think that had a lot more to do with characterization than anything else. But I will say one thing: Rutkoski sure knows how to complicate things for her characters. Nothing is just handed to them, which makes reading her stories such a twisty-turny experience.
Characters:
I was surprised when I realized how much I didn't care for the characters, because I love the Winner's trilogy for its great characterization. I didn't dislike Darcy or anything, but I wasn't rooting for her. I liked that she cared about multiple things, rather than just boys and angst (as is usual in YA paranormal novels), but she felt dull. She didn't have any personality. As for Conn, he was also so boring. I'm a sucker for the dark, brooding, mysterious boy in novels, and even though Conn checked off all those traits, there was nothing more to him. He was so... boring, for lack of a better word. Put two dull characters together, and their romance has no flair, despite being complicated as hell.
The secondary characters were totally flat. First off, they were virtually non-existent, and when they were there on the page, they were nothing more than plot points. I wasn't attached to them. I didn't feel like they were real people. They were just there... background noise to dull characters. Recipe for disaster, no?
Writing Style:
Rutkoski writes well, and that is no secret. She writes naturally, her words flow into each other like lyrics. She doesn't burden you with exquisitely flowery language- it's simple, it's easy but it's meaningful. While I definitely see the improvement and growth that took place between this book and her later works, this was still a solid attempt at the writing feat. But all in all, this book didn't do much for me, and trust me when I say that I am more disappointed in the outcome than anyone else is.
Plot:
The plot was reasonable. We follow a young girl who doesn't know much about her background, except that her parents left her when she was a child. Queue mystery, parallel worlds, a brooding love interest and lots of action. What I love about this book is that it's a stand-alone in a world full of unnecessarily elongated storylines. Rutkoski manages to do well in telling the entire story in the allotted space. It was fast-paced, somewhat unpredictable, and the pacing was done extremely well. I liked Rutkoski's dual focus on the present and Darcy trying to find out more about her family- it felt natural, but not overbearing.
But what this book lacked was a solid setting. Parallel worlds are complicated- you can't expect the reader to know how these worlds work together. And while Rutkoski does offer the basic explanations about the world, much of it is left to the reader's understanding. It left me confused.
I didn't love the romance. It had great potential, yes, but in the grand scheme of things, I wasn't too invested in it. I think that had a lot more to do with characterization than anything else. But I will say one thing: Rutkoski sure knows how to complicate things for her characters. Nothing is just handed to them, which makes reading her stories such a twisty-turny experience.
Characters:
I was surprised when I realized how much I didn't care for the characters, because I love the Winner's trilogy for its great characterization. I didn't dislike Darcy or anything, but I wasn't rooting for her. I liked that she cared about multiple things, rather than just boys and angst (as is usual in YA paranormal novels), but she felt dull. She didn't have any personality. As for Conn, he was also so boring. I'm a sucker for the dark, brooding, mysterious boy in novels, and even though Conn checked off all those traits, there was nothing more to him. He was so... boring, for lack of a better word. Put two dull characters together, and their romance has no flair, despite being complicated as hell.
The secondary characters were totally flat. First off, they were virtually non-existent, and when they were there on the page, they were nothing more than plot points. I wasn't attached to them. I didn't feel like they were real people. They were just there... background noise to dull characters. Recipe for disaster, no?
Writing Style:
Rutkoski writes well, and that is no secret. She writes naturally, her words flow into each other like lyrics. She doesn't burden you with exquisitely flowery language- it's simple, it's easy but it's meaningful. While I definitely see the improvement and growth that took place between this book and her later works, this was still a solid attempt at the writing feat. But all in all, this book didn't do much for me, and trust me when I say that I am more disappointed in the outcome than anyone else is.
artfromafriend's review against another edition
2.0
Given my praise for The Winner's Curse, I picked up The Shadow Society believing that anything written by Rutkoski would be nothing short of excellent. The Winner's Curse was incredibly imaginative, and had some of the best worldbuilding I have had the pleasure of experiencing. But, I suppose having high expectations was my fault. Alas, The Shadow Society has left me torn; I haven't felt this torn since Love Letters to the Dead. I wouldn't say that I disliked The Shadow Society - I actually enjoyed it very much, flaws and all.
I enjoy books that explore one's inherent nature, and asks questions about the self or asks what is the self. Perhaps owing to my lecturer in university, whose influences were Freud, Marx and Zizek, I love analyzing something that is so intimate and inherent in our lives, but still so fluid and elusive to the extent that thinkers and ordinary people like you and I are constantly negotiating 'who am I?' and often frame our interactions with others based on this very question. In this sense, The Shadow Society is up my alley; it asks the question, 'who are we when our own nature is a mystery?'
Rutkoski doesn't give a clear, direct answer to this question. Rather, through the protagonist Darcy Jones, this question is answered in a series of revelations and decisions. In fact, one small passage in the book raises what I mentioned earlier: that the self is fluid, always changing, and never the same as time passes. Though perhaps the answer to the question isn't subtle, it is answered through discussion with another character as they both come to terms with the circumstances of their being. And I like that - I like the idea that discussion can be a process or a means of an important, fulfilling end.
But, my goodness, I was so underwhelmed when I started this book. The writing was uneven, the narrative voice sounded more like an adult who didn't understand teenagers trying to impersonate a teenager, and, worst of all, there were so many overt hints of foreboding and the abnormality in Darcy's life that you could see the plot twist from a mile away. It was so blatant, devoid of any subtlety. I was astounded that this was the same author of The Winner's Curse. I'll admit: I almost wanted to stop reading. But I read on anyway - maybe The Shadow Society would change my mind.
Thankfully, change my mind it did. The second half of The Shadow Society was an improvement. The protagonist begins to find herself, her voice less annoying and more certain, the romance - though not perfect - begins to take off (and I found myself blushing sometimes!), and at times there was some interesting dialectic on society and resolving conflict or war. We also get to see more of Darcy's friends, who were the saving graces of this book. Not only were they the sort of friends that you wished you had, but they were diverse in ethnic representation and had these quirky, endearing personalities - I loved them so much.
Similarly to The Winner's Curse, Rutkoski illustrates the idea that there is no 'good' and 'bad' side, and what is good and bad is ultimately relative, subject to who perceives and judges. 'Bad' people who do bad things are capable of love and affection -- and it is an uncomfortable thing to think about, that the Other, who we are told are nothing like us, are society's antagonists and enemy, can be like us and the same of us. The narrative in The Shadow Society centres on someone who becomes the Other - someone who is suddenly the enemy of society. However, the way Darcy navigates this and eventually accepts this is a heart-warming and sweet way to conclude the book. It was not perfect, but it was good enough for me.
The Shadow Society is not a fantastic book, but it isn't a bad book either. However, I can easily see that The Shadow Society is not a book for everyone. If you have the patience to get through the sloppy first half, I think there is much to be enjoyed in its second half. It is one of those books where if you try and find something to like and enjoy about The Shadow Society, then you will.
Rating: 3/5
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Review can also be found on my book blog, Read, Think, Ponder!
I enjoy books that explore one's inherent nature, and asks questions about the self or asks what is the self. Perhaps owing to my lecturer in university, whose influences were Freud, Marx and Zizek, I love analyzing something that is so intimate and inherent in our lives, but still so fluid and elusive to the extent that thinkers and ordinary people like you and I are constantly negotiating 'who am I?' and often frame our interactions with others based on this very question. In this sense, The Shadow Society is up my alley; it asks the question, 'who are we when our own nature is a mystery?'
Rutkoski doesn't give a clear, direct answer to this question. Rather, through the protagonist Darcy Jones, this question is answered in a series of revelations and decisions. In fact, one small passage in the book raises what I mentioned earlier: that the self is fluid, always changing, and never the same as time passes. Though perhaps the answer to the question isn't subtle, it is answered through discussion with another character as they both come to terms with the circumstances of their being. And I like that - I like the idea that discussion can be a process or a means of an important, fulfilling end.
But, my goodness, I was so underwhelmed when I started this book. The writing was uneven, the narrative voice sounded more like an adult who didn't understand teenagers trying to impersonate a teenager, and, worst of all, there were so many overt hints of foreboding and the abnormality in Darcy's life that you could see the plot twist from a mile away. It was so blatant, devoid of any subtlety. I was astounded that this was the same author of The Winner's Curse. I'll admit: I almost wanted to stop reading. But I read on anyway - maybe The Shadow Society would change my mind.
Thankfully, change my mind it did. The second half of The Shadow Society was an improvement. The protagonist begins to find herself, her voice less annoying and more certain, the romance - though not perfect - begins to take off (and I found myself blushing sometimes!), and at times there was some interesting dialectic on society and resolving conflict or war. We also get to see more of Darcy's friends, who were the saving graces of this book. Not only were they the sort of friends that you wished you had, but they were diverse in ethnic representation and had these quirky, endearing personalities - I loved them so much.
Similarly to The Winner's Curse, Rutkoski illustrates the idea that there is no 'good' and 'bad' side, and what is good and bad is ultimately relative, subject to who perceives and judges. 'Bad' people who do bad things are capable of love and affection -- and it is an uncomfortable thing to think about, that the Other, who we are told are nothing like us, are society's antagonists and enemy, can be like us and the same of us. The narrative in The Shadow Society centres on someone who becomes the Other - someone who is suddenly the enemy of society. However, the way Darcy navigates this and eventually accepts this is a heart-warming and sweet way to conclude the book. It was not perfect, but it was good enough for me.
The Shadow Society is not a fantastic book, but it isn't a bad book either. However, I can easily see that The Shadow Society is not a book for everyone. If you have the patience to get through the sloppy first half, I think there is much to be enjoyed in its second half. It is one of those books where if you try and find something to like and enjoy about The Shadow Society, then you will.
Rating: 3/5
-
Review can also be found on my book blog, Read, Think, Ponder!
niniadepapa's review against another edition
4.0
it's difficult to find a paranormal/sci fi/fantasy book these days that catches me by surprise. the premise of shadow society is quite the novelty, interesting and fun, even though the first act is pretty cliché (new boy in high school fascinated with the main female character, instant attraction, etc. even though later on we find out /why/ this is). the constant knowledge that both of the characters feel betrayed by the other and can't fully trust each other brought so many memories of the winner's trilogy *sobs*
summing up: fun, quick read :)
summing up: fun, quick read :)
purlewe's review against another edition
5.0
Very interesting. First YA book I;ve read in awhile with a new premise. I really liked it. And I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I'll be recommending this book for awhile.