Skip to main content

Book Review: Secondborn

SECONDBORN by Amy Bartol
2 Stars
Verdict: Hard to connect.


Although Rosella is royalty, she is also secondborn in a society that only has room for firstborns. At eighteen, Rosella's rights are stripped, her last name is changed to 'Sword', and she is sent to the front line to serve her country.

This one started strong and had a lot of creatives little ideas - the black and red disks for the medical bots, the fusion blades, the secondborns' surnames changed to 'Sword' - but it never really set itself apart from the dystopian mass in terms of plot, characters, and setting. At times it felt like the Capital in Hunger Games: blue lips, interviews with a girl sent off to die, special outfits designed for the occasion, face of the rebellion...Other times, it felt all over the place, and it never really came together to form a coherent story.

Things kept happening that didn't fully make sense. For example, Rosella's mother orders her to die, but once she escapes the building, life goes on as if the last scene didn't happen. It reminded me of GTA video game mechanics - stay low, and your star rating will drop, and the police will no longer care that you just ran someone over. Another nonsensical example is how all the soldiers are supposed to get a hair cut, but not Rosella, because someone decided they liked her hair. I can't even work out why that was in there - it just felt odd.

One more example. I never really understood why Agent Crow was allowed to murder and torture people. I know secondborns were supposed to have fewer rights, but I found it hard to believe he could get away with the things he did. While his steel teeth and lust for torture paint a fearful picture, I never understood his interest in Rosella, either.

Most of all, I struggled to connect with Rosella. At times, she was an emotionless robot, only doing what she's been programmed to do. I get that this is somewhat on purpose - that Rosella's secondborn upbringing has taken the fight out of her - but it would be easier to connect to the book if Rosella still had emotions in these scenes. Or the echo of these emotions. Perhaps her anger or regret was being pushed down, but it was still there, or she openly despises herself for pleasing them, or that she used to feel humiliated but now is numb. Instead, she seems happy to be a robot, and yet lashed out at other times. I couldn't work out her character. 

Other bits started to put me off towards the middle of the book. The whole 'let's make a weapon sexy' was plain cringy, and felt very low key for a plot point so far into the novel. A year then passed with nothing happening, meaning the tension leaked of the story entirely. After that, it just never peaked. I'd struggle to write a full synopsis for this books, as nothing stood out. Things happening here and there, and eventually it ended. 

I felt excited for this book at first, and a lot seemed to happen at the start, but I lost interest around halfway. It has some creative world-building concepts in it, but the story didn't stand out enough for me.

Source: Kindle lending library.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I took my book for a walk

I know what you're thinking...or actually, I don't.  It's easy to picture that anyone who reads your work will only see the negatives. They have every right to, after all, and I'm a big critic myself. I find things to improve in most books, even when I give them five star reviews. This is why solidifying one of my novels into print was a big step for me, and because of Sod's Law, it coincided with one of the hardest times of my life to date. When my book published, I struggled to market it. Besides being crippled with morning sickness, followed by a decent into depression and anxiety (coupled with friends not really liking my book - only softened slightly by the fact they don't like YA/reading), I didn't have the energy - emotionally or physically - to give my book the launch it deserved.  It deserved better.  Because no matter what, I put a lot of work into The Clearing. Over several years and iterations, too. I'm proud of the twists, and I enjoy hearin

Book Review: Threads That Bind

THREADS THAT BIND by Kika Hatzopolou Disclaimer time: As always, the following is just my opinion. Other opinions are available.  THREADS THAT BIND is an epic fantasy with an urban feel. It has a fascinating magic system inspired by Greek mythology, and a story that explores the bonds of sibling relationships. Overall, it's a fast-paced book about fate, choices, and forgiving yourself, so prepare for morally grey moments and difficult sibling relationships.  Io and her sisters are descendants of the Fates, which means they're able to see and manipulate the threads that connect people to the things they love. Io is the third sister, and therefore she is able to cut threads. The story kicks off when Io is hired by the 'mobqueen' to investigate murders linked to vengeful wraiths. To top it off, she has to work with the very person she's been avoiding for years, a boy she's fated to love - except he already has a girlfriend. If you think that the above sounds like t

Indie Book Review: The City of Snow and Stars

THE CITY OF SNOW AND STARS by S.D. Howard 4 Stars Verdict: A dark fantasy with a wholesome cast.  Trigger warning for rape/abuse.  'I'm not wanted for me, only what I can give, and there is nothing left.' I don't usually quote books, but this is a very quotable story! The dialogue was powerful in places, and the way the characters bonded together was the strength of this Christian fantasy adventure.   It's written in third person with a narrative that I personally found a little distant at times. That said, the characters are easy to root for. Runaways Trinia and Jayden team up with a wizard to take down Trinia's abusive father before he can take over the kingdom. They're joined by a talking wolf and a shapeshifter called Batanny, who in many ways seems like an older version of Trinia. Threads of pain run through this book and pull the characters together in a way that makes this dark read still feel wholesome at times.  It soon became an easy to enjoy fant