by Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell
Genre: YA science fiction retelling
My Rating: ★★★
Description:
Laterre was a blessing. A refuge for humanity fleeing from a dying world, one of nine planets in the System Divine.
Now it is less a refuge than a cage.
Chatine just wants to get off Laterre. She's stolen and saved for years to earn enough to escape -- so when she is given an opportunity to spy on Marcellus Bonnefaçon in exchange for her dream, she accepts, unknowing of the consequences of her choice.
Marcellus has known for years that he will one day replace his grandfather as General for the First Estate. But when he receives a mysterious message from a known traitor, he begins to question his loyalties.
Alouette lives with a sisterhood devoted to keeping history alive. And she's also the only one who can read Marcellus's message.
Underneath it all, Laterre trembles with the beginnings of rebellion. And soon, all three of them are tangled in a silent struggle for freedom.
Overall Thoughts
Overall Thoughts
This book had me at sci-fi Les Miserables. (Okay, and the gorgeous cover might have had something to do with it, too.) I mean, what's not to like? Plus, it's a huge book, and I love huge books, so this was a win-win-win for me going in. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. There were a few issues I had with it that stopped me from giving it a higher rating, but I did enjoy it despite those issues.
The Characters
The Characters
The characters were good. I liked Chatine from her first POV; she's cunning, risktaking, and sarcastic at times. Her longing to get off of the planet was portrayed realistically, and I liked her complicated relationships with her family members.
I liked Marcellus at first, but he ended up being my least favorite point of view character. He seemed to trust people a little too quickly? But I still liked his POV. His struggle with where his loyalties lie was interesting, though I wish the authors had chosen to show more of the other side of the conflict, as well.
I was surprised at how much I liked Alouette, the character who fills the role of Cosette in this story. I didn't like Cosette very much, either in the 2012 movie or Victor Hugo's original novel. But I did really like Alouette. She's smart, brave, and determined, and I really liked that about her.
I didn't like the villains so much. For the majority of the book, I thought that the Inspecteur (who fills the role of Javier) was super cool. He was a cyborg, and I thought that was an interesting twist. But then the climax rolled around... and he started in with the villanous monologues and maniacal laughter. So that was... anti-climactic.
Plot/Pacing
The plot was decent. Of course, I didn't realize going into this book that it only retells half of the original Les Mis -- the second book (set to release some time next year) retells the next half. But because I didn't realize this originally, I kept waiting for the revolution to start and it just... didn't. But it wasn't something that really disappointed me, because the plot itself was okay, definitely not the finest plot out there, but solid and enjoyable. There were a few small things that annoyed me -- like when Chatine is enlisted to spy on Marcellus, and her employer tells her that he believe Marcellus trusts her... based on some footage where he (Marcellus) literally found her looting bodies. So that was weird? But okay. There was also a short scene where a kid tells Chatine that he works for the revolutionaries, even though he doesn't know who she is. Which also struck me as odd. Chatine assumes he's joking, but even so, I was pulled out of the story for a moment because of that.
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding was fun. I liked the descriptions of the planet -- how it's always grey, rainy, cold. It felt really different from a typical sci-fi planet, and I thought that was neat. There were a few terms for the technology that irritated me a little bit, but it wasn't really anything huge.
I seem to have had a lot of problems with this book, but even so, I enjoyed reading it! It definitely wasn't as brilliant and awesome as I wanted it to be, but it was still an enjoyable read, and I'll probably be picking up the sequel once it comes out, too.
Content
Recommended for ages 14 and up.
I liked Marcellus at first, but he ended up being my least favorite point of view character. He seemed to trust people a little too quickly? But I still liked his POV. His struggle with where his loyalties lie was interesting, though I wish the authors had chosen to show more of the other side of the conflict, as well.
I was surprised at how much I liked Alouette, the character who fills the role of Cosette in this story. I didn't like Cosette very much, either in the 2012 movie or Victor Hugo's original novel. But I did really like Alouette. She's smart, brave, and determined, and I really liked that about her.
I didn't like the villains so much. For the majority of the book, I thought that the Inspecteur (who fills the role of Javier) was super cool. He was a cyborg, and I thought that was an interesting twist. But then the climax rolled around... and he started in with the villanous monologues and maniacal laughter. So that was... anti-climactic.
Plot/Pacing
The plot was decent. Of course, I didn't realize going into this book that it only retells half of the original Les Mis -- the second book (set to release some time next year) retells the next half. But because I didn't realize this originally, I kept waiting for the revolution to start and it just... didn't. But it wasn't something that really disappointed me, because the plot itself was okay, definitely not the finest plot out there, but solid and enjoyable. There were a few small things that annoyed me -- like when Chatine is enlisted to spy on Marcellus, and her employer tells her that he believe Marcellus trusts her... based on some footage where he (Marcellus) literally found her looting bodies. So that was weird? But okay. There was also a short scene where a kid tells Chatine that he works for the revolutionaries, even though he doesn't know who she is. Which also struck me as odd. Chatine assumes he's joking, but even so, I was pulled out of the story for a moment because of that.
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding was fun. I liked the descriptions of the planet -- how it's always grey, rainy, cold. It felt really different from a typical sci-fi planet, and I thought that was neat. There were a few terms for the technology that irritated me a little bit, but it wasn't really anything huge.
I seem to have had a lot of problems with this book, but even so, I enjoyed reading it! It definitely wasn't as brilliant and awesome as I wanted it to be, but it was still an enjoyable read, and I'll probably be picking up the sequel once it comes out, too.
Content
Recommended for ages 14 and up.
Violence is typical of an average YA novel. The battles and wounds were minimally described (the fights themselves only lasted a short time; I feel like they were a bit rushed through at points, even.) A few mentions of blood.
Someone threatens to cut off another character's toes. A child is poisoned.
A few instances of mild swearing.
Sexual content doesn't go beyond kissing. Chatine disguises herself as a boy for most of the novel.
There are places called "blood bordels" where young girls can sell off the nutrients in their blood. Chatine's father threatens to send her to one if she can't earn her keep.
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