Alive (The Generations Trilogy, #1) in YA and Beyond

Apr 11, 2015 Karen鈥檚 Library rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: signed, netgalley, arc

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book. I actually liked this so much that I bought the hardcopy!

Wow! Really great storyline with amazing twists and turns. My first thoughts after the first few chapters was that this felt a bit like Lord of the Flies/The Maze Runner. As I delved deeper, I realized that this story was completely unique and I couldn't seem to get enough. I'd try to put it down and would find myself picking it right back ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Jenny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: advent-books

I had no idea what to expect going into this one, and I think that's honestly the best way to go into this book! So I'm not going to tell you a lot about it. Just that this plot NEVER stops moving! There is always something going on, which made for a gripping read! I think the twists and turns this book took were the best things about this read! ...more

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Feb 06, 2016 Tommy Hancock rated it really liked it

Very good book, easy to get into from the start, and to stay into all the way to the end.

Alive is familiar enough to recommend to fans of the recent slew of YA dystopian best sellers, but fresh enough to stand on its own two feet as something more than just another addition to the already extensive list of similar books.

It's been said that the book is similar to Maze Runner, and it is, but only in the most basic ways. Alive is in no way shape or form a clone of any other book. ...more

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May 20, 2015 Nancy rated it liked it

After I started reading the book I regretted it. Not because it didn't grab me because it did. It was foreign yet descriptive but I thought I was reading a reincarnation of another book, an oldie but goody, Lord of the Flies. You know, chaos, attempts at order and all that stuff. Turns out, I was wrong, although there is a some of that. Then I saw the ending coming too soon and thought I was going to finish the book without a proper ending. You know those books you read and provide absolutely no ...more

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Jul 18, 2015 M (RAIN CITY READS) rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, sci-fi-fantasy, books-read-2015, new-releases-2015, own, summer-2015, 2015

This book hooks you right from the first page, when our protagonist wakes up in an enclosed space with no idea where she is, who she is, or how to free herself. Then things actually get worse.

Once she manages to free herself from her coffin, our nameless protagonist finds that she and the occupants of the other coffins in her room are trapped in some kind of maze or large building with no clue as to how to get out, no idea if they鈥檙e under or above ground, and no food or water. They start walkin This book hooks you right from the first page, when our protagonist wakes up in an enclosed space with no idea where she is, who she is, or how to free herself. Then things actually get worse.

Once she manages to free herself from her coffin, our nameless protagonist finds that she and the occupants of the other coffins in her room are trapped in some kind of maze or large building with no clue as to how to get out, no idea if they鈥檙e under or above ground, and no food or water. They start walking down the corridor鈥�. and then things get interesting.

It鈥檚 hard to go much further in the story without giving away important plot points, which I not only have no desire to do, but which the book鈥檚 author, in a note at the end of the book, explicitly asked that reviewers not do.

Without giving away any of the plot, here鈥檚 what worked. Suspense. Lots and lots of suspense. And I liked that the intricacies of group dynamics (particularly group dynamics that are augmented by extreme and arduous circumstances) were explored. The exploration of what happens within a person鈥檚 psyche when they鈥檙e on the edge of survival is also a fascinating mental road to go down. I kept wondering: what would I do in this situation? Would I panic? Lead? Hide? Would I survive?

This was a book that definitely grabbed my attention and kept me on my toes. But it wasn鈥檛 perfect. Punctuated with regular action sequences, the plot still managed to drag a bit at times. I also found being in the protagonist鈥檚 head frustrating. Not because of her cluelessness 鈥� that鈥檚 kind of the point 鈥� but because of how she approaches leadership and decision making. She pauses frequently to tell herself how to behave and remind herself that she needs to be wary of trusting certain people. Once, twice, okay鈥� but over and over? Enough already.

There were also a lot of similarities to The Maze Runner (though thankfully without the made-up language), a book that led to a lot of eye rolling. This might have affected my feelings about the book just a little.

Though I haven鈥檛 been reading as much YA lately as I used to, I鈥檓 glad I gave this one a shot. It was different from my usual reading selections, and it鈥檚 always nice to have a change. I鈥檓 not sure if I鈥檒l continue with this series, but I do think that if you鈥檙e a fan of sci-fi 鈥� particularly if you also like intrigue 鈥� you鈥檒l find this a diverting read.

Review first published on .

Thanks to Random House Canada for the review copy! ...more

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Nov 09, 2015 Laura's Book Addiction rated it really liked it

If I could use one word to describe Alive it would be STRANGE. From start to finish you are pulled in to a strange story and characters that you will either love or hate. For the most part I really enjoyed the book and I love Em and can't wait to see what happens in the next book!!! ...more

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