Story has potential, but too much teen anguish.

I've tried very hard to get on with this book. I made it 4 hours in before I could no longer bring myself to listen to any more.
The dystopia future and "the ship" herald promise, but the focus on "Lala", her naivety which borders on the stupid on occasion, and the final nail in the coffin, her "first kiss" is intensly irritating.
I found the pace of the story too slow and resorted to listening at 1.25x speed to try to get further in. Maybe it will appeal to teens who could potentially empathise with Lala, but for me it's one of those very rare things, a book I give up on....

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Dystopia at sea

This is a difficult book to rate, as though it is technically a dystopian novel it never actually quite strikes me as such. Nor exactly is it a disaster novel, perhaps a careful mix of the two.

The story focuses entirely on the first person narrative of the teenage Lalla, set at some indistinct point in the not-to-distant future where owing to some unknown catastrophe the world has collapsed. As London quickly is deteriorating as the falling government attempts to keep control, Lalla is shepherded onto "the ship" which is a seaborne haven for a fortunate few to escape.

This is ultimately a coming of age story, though Lalla never really strikes as being much more than a naive and foolish teenager, obsessed about returning to land whilst never understanding what she has been shielded from her whole life. Many parts of the book are quite predictable, the ending itself I thought was disappointing. Though make no mistake, this has been an enjoyable book and has been quite diverting. The narration by Melody Grove was a pleasure to listen to.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Who cares Lala?! Just put a sock in it!

OMG! I just wanted to kill this spoilt brat myself. A sixteen year old baby who thinks the whole world revolves around her. All she does is make stupid choices and no one gives her the smack she so richly deserved.
Gave up in this book! Couldn’t bare the negativity.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Is the second part coming?

I wouldn't mind reading a second part of this book. What happens to this teenager in the future? Is there any hope for her and humankind? A nice story, gripping.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Teen fiction I won't be recommending to my teen

Would you try another book written by Antonia Honeywell or narrated by Melody Grove?

Won't be trying anything else by the author. The "heroine" was incomprehensibly simple, dense and irritating. The "twists" certainly weren't surprises. An interesting dystopian world, but the book was pointless. There's a lot of brilliant young adult fiction out there; this isn't even good. My teens would be scathing, so won't be suggesting they read this one.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Great start, but the SHIP should have docked

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It is always time well spent, it makes my daily tedious car journey to and from work bearable at worse, joyous at best. This audible adventure fell somewhere in the middle. Loved the first third, then it became a mid-ocean journey in the mind of the main character that for me was tedious. You don't have to be a literary expert to work out the secrets kept from LaLa (the main character) and the outcome was equally predictable. The Narrator however was brilliant.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Yes. Not entirely sure how so has not to give the game away, but the ending would see LaLa taking (or being enabled to) a different path

Which character – as performed by Melody Grove – was your favourite?

No one really stood out. LaLa was the main character but has a 16 year old with all the complexities of a teenager, set inside a closeted ship, with a suffocating childhood beforehand her storey was more to do with her emotional baggage with the ship being nothing more than a red herring.

Could you see The Ship being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

No. The danger is that it could be set as a mid-ocean soap. The dystopian background would be lost. If I had to compare it to anything similar for TV, I'd say the Stepford Wives.

Any additional comments?

You may love it, if you download I hope you do. I won't revisit. Sorry.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

Book for teens

This is a disappointing book which should be aimed at the teen market. the author fails to highlight any new ideas about a post apocalypse world and the main character is so opinionated and whining you feel you want to shake her.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

difficult protagonist

Great concept but the moany main character makes it really difficult to enjoy! it felt like the story on board the ship should have been 3 chapters of a larger idea. Although well written, it was very drawn out at points. Well performed but not the exciting plot I had hoped for.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Drags and Moans

Would you try another book written by Antonia Honeywell or narrated by Melody Grove?

I'd not rush to read another by Antonia Honeywell

What could Antonia Honeywell have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Faster pace and have less whiney character

What about Melody Grove’s performance did you like?

Engaging performance

If this book were a film would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

Should (and could have been) a great book. The concept of the story was interesting but the lead charter was a wasted opportunity. Shame.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

YA Fiction

Not all books with children or young adult protagonists are children's or YA fiction, but this book, with its annoyingly naive (and not all that bright) teenage protagonist, definitely sits in the YA category, not 'General & Contemporary Fiction'.

The world created requires just a bit too much suspension of disbelief, feels contrived rather than well thought out. The plot seems too obvious and the characters unidimensional. To be clear, there are plenty of children's/YA books out there that I still find enjoyable as an adult, so my complaint with the book is not that it is YA, but that I feel it is the kind of YA that will appeal to the tween/teen audience alone. If I hadn't taken advantage of audible's return policy so much lately, I'd be inclined to get my credit back.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful