Shut Up & Read discussion

We will be starting this Friday! The pace will be five chapters a day. Anyone is welcome to join :)

Did you have a chance to read today? The story is starting out interesting enough. I'm not entirely sure I like the writing, but hopefully it will grow on me. I usually like first person POV, but this seems too much like reading a diary.

Jay gives me a little swing around, tells me how terrific I look.

They've come back from a mission, Jay tells me.

Jay tells me a joke...

Jay teases me...

I would like it if he had his own voice. It will be hard to get to know his character if this keeps up. Other than that, good.

The premise is nothing terribly original, but the whole doing "the work of Creation in partnership with God' thing is an interesting twist.

What do you think about Jay so far? Wouldn't you think his being gay would make him Deviant? I wonder if that is going to come into play later.

I was pretty surprised that being gay didn't make him a target. Simply because there is such a religious overtone to the work, and there's traditionally a disagreement between those two groups...
Also, since breeding is one of the options.

My biggest problem with the writing is the almost /fade to black tendency.
She skips over details that I want to have - explanations of how things happen, of how other people react. Anna's death, for instance? That shouldn't have been glossed over. I felt like the author didn't know how to write it.
What would have been said? How would it have been made part of 'the lesson'? How did other people react to it?
I am only a few chapters in, because my kindle died while I was reading and I didn't want to wait for it to charge, so I went to sleep. I will catch up today, in between grading.

I've only read through chapter 5. I will read through 10 today.

That's a good point about Anna's death, and I agree more details would be nice. After I flipped to the next page after that scene I actually went back to make sure I hadn't missed something.

I didn't post yesterday because there wasn't much going on that I had anything to say about. I like the book. The writing has either gotten better or it has grown on me as the book goes on. I am noticing more dialogue and less internal journal-like entries.

One thing I do like (from yesterday's reading?) is that Jess isn't perfect at everything. I think if she would have been good with shooting/combat as well as everything else I would have been just rolling my eyes at the whole thing.

I'm trying to figure out what being "deviant" means. Obviously not with the norm, but the people on the outside are seemingly normal...

One more thing...I think Sheree's voodoo family would have made her deviant as well, since religion is such a big factor.

I was just about to come and post at you.
Haha.

Well, from today's reading, have fun with that "Jess isn't perfect" theory going kaput. :( The 'pheromones' thing was a bit much, I thought.

I like Sheree, and I agree. Actually, I think that most of the group are deviants.
More on this after you read today's section. But I agree with you, and I think Sheree does too. It seems like physical signals are really the big giveaway, which is weird. Every time I think I pin down "deviant" it slips away. Unfortunately, I don't feel like this is because Jess doesn't know (although it might be). It doesn't seem like a mystery that Jess is working on. It just seems like something the author doesn't want the reader to look at too closely.

I am not liking the book. A lot of stuff happens, yay! There seems to be no /point/ to it. I hate the jumpiness of the story - so many details left out. I also hate that the parts of the story we do get are just told to us. There's hardly any sentence variety and the descriptions are pretty poor. The transitions between scenes and dialogue are the same. If I have to read over a paragraph to try to understand who is talking and when they arrived, I figure the author is not doing a very good job setting the scene.

Today's section ends at 78% and I am wondering how the book can possibly go anywhere. The whole thing seems to stand on the shoulders of books that came before it - she doesn't /have/ to explain the society in detail, because we understand. She doesn't /have/ to explain the romance in detail, because we understand. She doesn't /have/ to explain ... you get the point. I feel like I am reading a hodgepodge of other books. I can't really tell what about this is interesting or unique. I'm sure there's something, but I should know what it is by 4/5 of the way through the book.

ahem. Well, let me know what you think once you've finished today's section. I want to talk "deviance".

Also, Jess - super uninteresting. Am I right? Maybe I am just bitter from grading.

ATTENTION ....ATTENTION .... Wonder Woman has lost her cape. She has exchanged her red knee high boots for slipper socks. She has put down her whip for a large black shoulder weapon. Could it be a flame thrower? Wait...what is that red ball on the end? Oh...It is just a tension ball to relieve the stress of fighting all those villains. What has happened to Wonder Woman? She is looking more like a cyborg. Her shoulder looks like Darth Maul's head minus the red and black tribal paint. Lol


I am doing better. I miss y'all. I am truly blessed to have like y'all. Thanks again for the goodies, thoughts, and prayers.

Glad you're doing okay Leigh :)

Okay so I did like the book but I don't like the direction it took after today. I actually read through chapter 17. It's not the religious theme I don't like, but something about the way it is playing out. Jess's weird "power" or whatever is a bit odd, and the lady wanting her adrenaline? Puts a new twist on adrenaline junkie. And I agree that the pheromones explanation was a bit…crazy.

I agree with you about there being no point to a lot of the things that happen. There are things that you think might be important later, but then they don't come back up, or at least I can't see how the author is going to tie them back into the story now that it is almost done. And the story being 'just told to us' is what I was trying to say earlier when I said it read like a diary or something. You just said it better ;)

And your comment about a hodgepodge of other books is funny because I was thinking that exact thing. There are way many similarities to Divergent. I think Jess is ok…not great but ok. Except now that she's getting all whiny and feeling sorry for herself.

So what are you thinking about the deviants?

Ugh. I finished. I was not terribly impressed with how things played out...mostly that (view spoiler)[ there was no resolution to ANYTHING! I get cliffhanger endings, but there was nothing here, not even a cliffhanger. (hide spoiler)].

I think the story line itself could have been good, even though it wasn't hugely original, but the execution was lacking.

I am not going to read any more of this series, so here's what I think is going to happen (view spoiler)[Her 'espenak' or whatever that is is going to be the key that they need, her father is totally immersed in and running the whole operation, and she is 'the navigator' not Matt. Dos that sum it up nicely? (hide spoiler)]. P.S. These won't spoil the ending of this book for you.

And one more thing...I feel like I'm taking over this thread...

The title? Where does that come in. I think a book title should have something to do with the book, and if it does I don't get it.

Oh yeah, and the Devotees? They were such a bid deal in the beginning and they were kind of just tossed aside, like she decided they weren't going to be important anymore? I would assume they will play a bigger role in the next book, but you would think they would have been a part of the main plot in this one.

My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sorry I never came back. Things got cray busy. I'll be "free" again by Friday.
I did finish this though, and I didn't like it. I like your review a lot, and while I have some different complaints, I think it is beautifully said. I really like the way your write reviews. I need to take lessons from you.

I will post my review here when I get to it (hopefully by early next week).
I will also post my finishing thoughts.
One thing: re: title.
In chapter 2 (i think), she is talking about her list of options and she says that when th Devo assess you they ask questions, do tests and "take a blood sample for the epigenetic scan." epigenetic = resulting from external rather than genetic influences.
I highlighted this section early on because I didn't really understand why this would be worrisome to her at the time.
I suspect that the title, the Devos, and all the plot wrap-up were supposed to be relevant in a way that the author never quite managed.

That's my two cents for now.

Leigh, we miss you!

Lol, thanks. I was wondering what happened to you :)
I kept thinking of more things to add to the review after it was written but decided it would be way too long so I just left it as it was.

Looking forward to the rest of your thoughts!

Buddy Read Options: (I compared books, and we both had these as to-reads :D)

Heart-Shaped Box
Who Is He to You
Darkness of LightCharming
The Sea of Tranquility
The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden
After
Sins & Needles
That Boy
NOS4A2
This Girl
Losing It
Throne of Glass
Shadow and Bone
Shiver
Room
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


I would like to pick
Shiver or Losing It next, to start tomorrow? Is that doable?

How about Shiver? That is werewolfy and young adulty. I'm reading another contemporary NA right now and can probably take only so much drama. Starting tomorrow is good. I will start a thread.

Thanks for the list! We will have to remember which thread it's in so we can come back to it.