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Hex #1-3
Void
The CPS, a secret government agency, is on a mission to seek and destroy the Hex - human mutants with supercomputer minds. They are young. They look like normal teens. They must never be allowed to grow up.
But the CPS hasn't discovered Raven. Soon they will feel her power and know her rage.
Raven and her brother, Wraith, must use Raven’s Hex powers and Wraith’s street skills to save first their long-lost sister, and then the entire Hex community. But before they start, Raven must overcome her mantra: work alone and think only of herself. Even then the challenges don't stop as they must crack the top-secret and high-tech security of the CPS, ally with a political-terrorist group, and then ultimately take down the evil European Federation.
And even the best laid plans can go awry.
But the CPS hasn't discovered Raven. Soon they will feel her power and know her rage.
Raven and her brother, Wraith, must use Raven’s Hex powers and Wraith’s street skills to save first their long-lost sister, and then the entire Hex community. But before they start, Raven must overcome her mantra: work alone and think only of herself. Even then the challenges don't stop as they must crack the top-secret and high-tech security of the CPS, ally with a political-terrorist group, and then ultimately take down the evil European Federation.
And even the best laid plans can go awry.
669 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2011
29 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Rhiannon Lassiter
32 books76 followersRhiannon Lassiter began writing when she was still at school. The first agent to see her work encouraged her to finish Hex, which was accepted when she was nineteen by the first publisher to read it (Macmillan).
Rhiannon graduated from Oxford University and has written eight best selling novels, several short stories and one non-fiction title for children and teenagers. She has edited an anthology of poetry and prose. Alongside her writing she works with her mother, the well known author Mary Hoffman, editing the children's review magazine, Armadillo.
Rhiannon graduated from Oxford University and has written eight best selling novels, several short stories and one non-fiction title for children and teenagers. She has edited an anthology of poetry and prose. Alongside her writing she works with her mother, the well known author Mary Hoffman, editing the children's review magazine, Armadillo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 8, 2016
This book was amazing. Hands down.
This is story about a young teenage girl called Raven. She is hex. Which means she has mutant abilities to contact with computer terminals. Hex is hated by the governments, that is why Raven and Wraith, her brother, has been hiding constantly. They are on a mission to find their sister, Rachel, who was captured by the CPS. Soon, they discovered that Hexes are not only exterminated but also experimented! After rescuing Rachel, Raven and Wraith feels guilty for not rescuing the other Hexes at the 'prison'. Hence, they start to rescue other Hexes and unite all of them to proof to the government that they are not a threat and to teach these young hexes how to control their abilities. The gang consists of Raven, Wraith, Kez (street kid that Wraith rescued), Ali Tarrell (Rich buggar who's also a hex), Luciel (Ali's friend from the extermination centre/camp) and soon the group began to expand as they discover more Hexes.
The story is really interesting. If you like science-fiction, then read this. I must say that this book is actually quite similar to 'X-men: First Class' in terms of mutant abilities, unite all the mutants and rescue the world together. But, Lassiter introduces you to the futuristic world and explain the cruelty that is parallel to World War 2 (where they start putting jews in extermination camps, and here, Hexes are send to extermination camps too).
All the books are really addictive and i must say, i love the ending. Rhiannon Lassiter is that kind of writer who answers all your questions and everything is explained by the end of the book. I like how she wrote it in different perspectives. If i want to change one thing about this book, the author should have added a bit of 'romance'. I think Ali and Luciel are perfect!! Not to mention Raven and Kez . The ending, once again, brilliant.
Please do read this book.
They should make a movie for this!!!!
Recommended for: Boys and girls, 12-20, Science fiction lover, dysoptian-ish-ish.
um
I SHIP ALI TARRELL AND LUCIEL!!! <3
This is story about a young teenage girl called Raven. She is hex. Which means she has mutant abilities to contact with computer terminals. Hex is hated by the governments, that is why Raven and Wraith, her brother, has been hiding constantly. They are on a mission to find their sister, Rachel, who was captured by the CPS. Soon, they discovered that Hexes are not only exterminated but also experimented! After rescuing Rachel, Raven and Wraith feels guilty for not rescuing the other Hexes at the 'prison'. Hence, they start to rescue other Hexes and unite all of them to proof to the government that they are not a threat and to teach these young hexes how to control their abilities. The gang consists of Raven, Wraith, Kez (street kid that Wraith rescued), Ali Tarrell (Rich buggar who's also a hex), Luciel (Ali's friend from the extermination centre/camp) and soon the group began to expand as they discover more Hexes.
The story is really interesting. If you like science-fiction, then read this. I must say that this book is actually quite similar to 'X-men: First Class' in terms of mutant abilities, unite all the mutants and rescue the world together. But, Lassiter introduces you to the futuristic world and explain the cruelty that is parallel to World War 2 (where they start putting jews in extermination camps, and here, Hexes are send to extermination camps too).
All the books are really addictive and i must say, i love the ending. Rhiannon Lassiter is that kind of writer who answers all your questions and everything is explained by the end of the book. I like how she wrote it in different perspectives. If i want to change one thing about this book, the author should have added a bit of 'romance'. I think Ali and Luciel are perfect!! Not to mention Raven and Kez . The ending, once again, brilliant.
Please do read this book.
They should make a movie for this!!!!
Recommended for: Boys and girls, 12-20, Science fiction lover, dysoptian-ish-ish.
um
I SHIP ALI TARRELL AND LUCIEL!!! <3
May 11, 2012
When I bought this I didn't realize it was three novels in one volume. That's a fact I became extremely happy about because I could not stop reading!
What fascinates me is that the first book is written in 1999 when the Internet was still a fairly new thing that was just becoming common use. And yet the entire premise has to do with being hardwired into the Internet. That's not so amazing as there was a lot of that kind of thinking back then (Serial Experiments LaIn comes to mind) but that the book doesn't sound old or outdated and in fact if you didn't know better you'd think it was written today. The future of the "net" and the direction that people went with it in these books is logical and has followed a path that could well happen. That's something to think about.
Overall, the series is amazing and this one goes on the "Keeper" shelf. Very highly recommended to anyone who loves dystopian fiction.
What fascinates me is that the first book is written in 1999 when the Internet was still a fairly new thing that was just becoming common use. And yet the entire premise has to do with being hardwired into the Internet. That's not so amazing as there was a lot of that kind of thinking back then (Serial Experiments LaIn comes to mind) but that the book doesn't sound old or outdated and in fact if you didn't know better you'd think it was written today. The future of the "net" and the direction that people went with it in these books is logical and has followed a path that could well happen. That's something to think about.
Overall, the series is amazing and this one goes on the "Keeper" shelf. Very highly recommended to anyone who loves dystopian fiction.
December 12, 2012
I'm a sucker for good world-building. In this genre, you need it. The world is so vividly described that it's the first book-world I've wanted to live in since Harry Potter. (I don't care how dangerous it is to be a technomancer. SO. MUCH. FUN.)
The book sucked me in. I loved it. With a passion.
Note the past tense.
Also note that once you figure out this next detail, the book becomes impossible to enjoy (at least, for me it did).
About halfway through the third book, I realized something: the main character is a massive Mary Sue.
Don't believe me? Allow me to list our friend Raven's attributes:
1) Raven. If that's not the most common Mary Sue name ever, I don't know what is.
2) This is a name she chose for herself.
3) How old is she? 14? 16? I don't remember. People much older than her give her their respect willingly and without question.
4) She is the best at tech-manipulation. The best. Better than people who have had this ability longer than her.
5) When she snarks (and she does it a lot), her insults are always given to deserving underlings and no-one ever argues with her.
6) She. Is. Never. Wrong. Ever.
There's a longer list, I'm sure, but this is just the stuff that's obvious and memorable.
The book was so enjoyable and fun and awesome before I discovered this fact that I'm only subtracting two stars from the rating. If Raven had only been more flawed, or had actually suffered the consequences of a bad decision or a misplaced snark-bullet (or two or ten), then I might have been able to put this among my favorite book series' ever.
Alas. Is it always the Mary Sues that ruin a series?
The book sucked me in. I loved it. With a passion.
Note the past tense.
Also note that once you figure out this next detail, the book becomes impossible to enjoy (at least, for me it did).
About halfway through the third book, I realized something: the main character is a massive Mary Sue.
Don't believe me? Allow me to list our friend Raven's attributes:
1) Raven. If that's not the most common Mary Sue name ever, I don't know what is.
2) This is a name she chose for herself.
3) How old is she? 14? 16? I don't remember. People much older than her give her their respect willingly and without question.
4) She is the best at tech-manipulation. The best. Better than people who have had this ability longer than her.
5) When she snarks (and she does it a lot), her insults are always given to deserving underlings and no-one ever argues with her.
6) She. Is. Never. Wrong. Ever.
There's a longer list, I'm sure, but this is just the stuff that's obvious and memorable.
The book was so enjoyable and fun and awesome before I discovered this fact that I'm only subtracting two stars from the rating. If Raven had only been more flawed, or had actually suffered the consequences of a bad decision or a misplaced snark-bullet (or two or ten), then I might have been able to put this among my favorite book series' ever.
Alas. Is it always the Mary Sues that ruin a series?
September 11, 2022
I really liked the story and the character development. The plot was a bit hard to follow for me. I almost cried at the end. I found it sad that Raven had to sacrifice herself. I have to say that my favorite characters were Gift and Talent, though Ali was also a good character. A quick summary of this book is:
In the world, there are these artificial genes you can get. The people who get these genes and can use them are called Hexes, (Also little detail, but hex means curse, so they are calling these people curses) most Hexes are killed at birth, due to people believing Hexes have too much power over the internet, or the net, as they call it, but some survive. One of the main characters, Raven is a Hex. Her brother, Wraith, helps her. While going to visit someone called the Countess, they find a boy named Kev, he's selling info for money (it may not be in the book, but I believe he's homeless). They go talk and do some stuff. Then we meet Ali, a rich, spoiled girl, who happens to be a Hex. She meets Raven on the net, and they find out they are staying in the same apartment complex. Raven, Wraith, and Kev all go talk to her and try to convince her to join them. She declines, not wanting to get into this mess. Raven and Kev then plot to make it seem like she was going to get taken away, they give her a tracker in her ear. The CPS come, and they take Ali, Wraith gets mad because he wanted them to respect their decision. They then follow the tracker to a lab where the kids were being experimented on. They blow up the lab and save some kids. They also end up finding their missing younger sister, Rachel, also known as Revenge. That was the end of part one.
In the second part, it is now a year after the lab. we get introduced to some new characters, who I can't remember the names of. They are a group of people who fight for change and are generally disliked by the people. Meanwhile, Raven and her group have been called terrorists, while the government covered up most of the incident. They plan to go against the government, and with the help of the other people, and two megastars. they storm the president's office and protest. They end up destroying the place before heading back to their base.
In part 3, we cut to 2 years later. Raven's group and the other group are now known as 'The Ghosts'. They help Hexes with their abilities. We also get introduced to some new characters. My favorites being Gift and Talent. Gift and Talent are the descendants of a Hex researcher, who was undercover learning about Hex abilities. He was killed off, but before they could wipe the disc the research was on, his son took it. I believe his son is a Hex, but it's never mentioned. We don't really know a lot about the son, other than he's Gift and Talent's dad. Gift and Talent know they are hexes, they have just never used their abilities. Their mom died in the first chapter we see them in, leaving them to run from the CPS (the government specials trying to take them). They contact a person named Drow, who somewhat knows the Ghosts. Talent and Gift meet in him in the net, unable to get out. Drow helps them and they get out. Drow, Raven, Wraith, Kev, and Ali, all plan to meet Gift and Talent at the airport. However, a new threat arrived, that being the remains of Kayden, the scientist who kidnapped Raven and Kev in the last part. He's spreading darkness throughout the net, searching for revenge. While Gift and Talent are flying, the net goes down due to Raven not putting the net out in time. The plane makes a crash landing, and somehow, Drow finds the two. They are all happy and stuff. Meanwhile, Raven is in the net, trying to take down the remains of Kayden. Wraith is outside, distracting the government and becoming the new president. Meanwhile, Drow, Gift, and Talent, are all inside the room with Raven, Kev, and what seems to be Ali. Gift and Talent take out the disc from earlier, and give it to Drow to put in the computer. Meanwhile, Raven sees a glowing file and reads it. It was the research from the Hex scientist. Outside the computer, the net turns on, and Raven disappears, forever. The end.
Overall a good story, but it just kinda didn't stick with me. It was hard to follow, but I knew the major plot points.
In the world, there are these artificial genes you can get. The people who get these genes and can use them are called Hexes, (Also little detail, but hex means curse, so they are calling these people curses) most Hexes are killed at birth, due to people believing Hexes have too much power over the internet, or the net, as they call it, but some survive. One of the main characters, Raven is a Hex. Her brother, Wraith, helps her. While going to visit someone called the Countess, they find a boy named Kev, he's selling info for money (it may not be in the book, but I believe he's homeless). They go talk and do some stuff. Then we meet Ali, a rich, spoiled girl, who happens to be a Hex. She meets Raven on the net, and they find out they are staying in the same apartment complex. Raven, Wraith, and Kev all go talk to her and try to convince her to join them. She declines, not wanting to get into this mess. Raven and Kev then plot to make it seem like she was going to get taken away, they give her a tracker in her ear. The CPS come, and they take Ali, Wraith gets mad because he wanted them to respect their decision. They then follow the tracker to a lab where the kids were being experimented on. They blow up the lab and save some kids. They also end up finding their missing younger sister, Rachel, also known as Revenge. That was the end of part one.
In the second part, it is now a year after the lab. we get introduced to some new characters, who I can't remember the names of. They are a group of people who fight for change and are generally disliked by the people. Meanwhile, Raven and her group have been called terrorists, while the government covered up most of the incident. They plan to go against the government, and with the help of the other people, and two megastars. they storm the president's office and protest. They end up destroying the place before heading back to their base.
In part 3, we cut to 2 years later. Raven's group and the other group are now known as 'The Ghosts'. They help Hexes with their abilities. We also get introduced to some new characters. My favorites being Gift and Talent. Gift and Talent are the descendants of a Hex researcher, who was undercover learning about Hex abilities. He was killed off, but before they could wipe the disc the research was on, his son took it. I believe his son is a Hex, but it's never mentioned. We don't really know a lot about the son, other than he's Gift and Talent's dad. Gift and Talent know they are hexes, they have just never used their abilities. Their mom died in the first chapter we see them in, leaving them to run from the CPS (the government specials trying to take them). They contact a person named Drow, who somewhat knows the Ghosts. Talent and Gift meet in him in the net, unable to get out. Drow helps them and they get out. Drow, Raven, Wraith, Kev, and Ali, all plan to meet Gift and Talent at the airport. However, a new threat arrived, that being the remains of Kayden, the scientist who kidnapped Raven and Kev in the last part. He's spreading darkness throughout the net, searching for revenge. While Gift and Talent are flying, the net goes down due to Raven not putting the net out in time. The plane makes a crash landing, and somehow, Drow finds the two. They are all happy and stuff. Meanwhile, Raven is in the net, trying to take down the remains of Kayden. Wraith is outside, distracting the government and becoming the new president. Meanwhile, Drow, Gift, and Talent, are all inside the room with Raven, Kev, and what seems to be Ali. Gift and Talent take out the disc from earlier, and give it to Drow to put in the computer. Meanwhile, Raven sees a glowing file and reads it. It was the research from the Hex scientist. Outside the computer, the net turns on, and Raven disappears, forever. The end.
Overall a good story, but it just kinda didn't stick with me. It was hard to follow, but I knew the major plot points.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2016
Void was a great book. You can invasion the detail made in every sentence and makes feel every emotion as you read through the book. Because Void is three books that were put together there is so much more going on that keeps your attention drawn to it where you don’t want to put it down. This book gives you an experience of the future that I could never have imagined without the detail it gives, but it doesn’t bore you with the detail either.
This story takes you on a journey with Wraith, Raven, Kez, and Ali to start and more people joining along the way to explain a conflict in this future that could be possible of the people verses the government. That is a conflict that comes into play in history over and over again. It’s not the only huge conflict though and that I would say is the people verses people, but when don’t people take sides when there are sides to be taken place?
I feel that this book represents humanity in the past and the fact that we keep bring back these same problems over and over and until something is done where there are no sides to be taken it is always going to happen. I felt like a roller coaster of emotion going through this book and not just because of these characters and what they are put through, that I related to, but to the fact that this book shows so much more than meets the eye.
Once you take that plunge into the messages that are there to find you get attached like I did and you reflect and feel those connections to yourself. You think about how you’ve been in the characters situations emotionally and how you may have been completely against them. You feel the connections, like I did to the way Wraith is about his sisters and the distance Raven has to the world. Even if you think it’s just a book, then fine, it’s just a book, to you. To me and many more people it is a gateway into a whole other world. A world where the people you hope will survive are being hunted.
This story takes you on a journey with Wraith, Raven, Kez, and Ali to start and more people joining along the way to explain a conflict in this future that could be possible of the people verses the government. That is a conflict that comes into play in history over and over again. It’s not the only huge conflict though and that I would say is the people verses people, but when don’t people take sides when there are sides to be taken place?
I feel that this book represents humanity in the past and the fact that we keep bring back these same problems over and over and until something is done where there are no sides to be taken it is always going to happen. I felt like a roller coaster of emotion going through this book and not just because of these characters and what they are put through, that I related to, but to the fact that this book shows so much more than meets the eye.
Once you take that plunge into the messages that are there to find you get attached like I did and you reflect and feel those connections to yourself. You think about how you’ve been in the characters situations emotionally and how you may have been completely against them. You feel the connections, like I did to the way Wraith is about his sisters and the distance Raven has to the world. Even if you think it’s just a book, then fine, it’s just a book, to you. To me and many more people it is a gateway into a whole other world. A world where the people you hope will survive are being hunted.
May 11, 2012
This series is actually over 10 years old. I was surprised and intrigued by the blurb on the back and picked it up in a bookstore.
(A bookstore that is woefully underserving the teenagers of my area. I have been unable to locate Melina Marchetta books, other than Froi of the Exiles. None! What are teen sections coming to now?)
Anyway, Void is actually three novels in one book. The entire series follows Wraith, a poor ganger, and his sister Raven, a hex. Hexes have a mutation that allows them to more seamlessly interface with technology. Hexes are hunted by the government and exterminated.
Throughout the series, you can see a growth in the scale of the plot. However, there are a lot of characters, and its difficult to get to know them personally. For example, in Ghosts, one of the younger hexes comments that Ali is a better leader than Raven. We're not really given an indication of this except by being told. That was my main problem with the series: too much was told instead of shown.
The ideas in this trilogy are cool, and the case for genetic engineering is somewhat explored throughout the series. I wish the books were longer: all three together were over 600 pages. Each novel could've easily been 300-400 pages to make the story complete. More emotions and backstory could have been included. I didn't pick up on the passage of time. It seemed like no time had passed between books, but so much was magically accomplished during that time. I think some of it could have been filled in if the books had been longer. Raven was a bit too inhuman to relate to as a character. Personally, my favorite was Kez, because he made the most sense.
Overall, this series has a cool plot with a message, and tons of action. Recommended.
(A bookstore that is woefully underserving the teenagers of my area. I have been unable to locate Melina Marchetta books, other than Froi of the Exiles. None! What are teen sections coming to now?)
Anyway, Void is actually three novels in one book. The entire series follows Wraith, a poor ganger, and his sister Raven, a hex. Hexes have a mutation that allows them to more seamlessly interface with technology. Hexes are hunted by the government and exterminated.
Throughout the series, you can see a growth in the scale of the plot. However, there are a lot of characters, and its difficult to get to know them personally. For example, in Ghosts, one of the younger hexes comments that Ali is a better leader than Raven. We're not really given an indication of this except by being told. That was my main problem with the series: too much was told instead of shown.
The ideas in this trilogy are cool, and the case for genetic engineering is somewhat explored throughout the series. I wish the books were longer: all three together were over 600 pages. Each novel could've easily been 300-400 pages to make the story complete. More emotions and backstory could have been included. I didn't pick up on the passage of time. It seemed like no time had passed between books, but so much was magically accomplished during that time. I think some of it could have been filled in if the books had been longer. Raven was a bit too inhuman to relate to as a character. Personally, my favorite was Kez, because he made the most sense.
Overall, this series has a cool plot with a message, and tons of action. Recommended.
August 12, 2015
One of my all-time favourite series, has been for years, and for good reason. The world-building is stunning. Lassiter wallops you with fifty thousand new words in the first few paragraphs and expects you to follow without explanation, and sure enough, it's all laid out clearly enough that understanding what's happening is surprisingly easy - with plenty of technobable to make it sound futuristic, as you do. The plot is well-crafted and well-executed, with enough twists to be entertaining but not so many it becomes a wild goose chase through a city that, probably, doesn't actually house any geese.
I also applaud each and every single one of the characters. Lassiter has done something difficult, and done it well: Raven, her main character thinks just closely enough to the way her readers do to emphasize with, but with just enough power and sharp clarity that she remains a mystery all the same, despite getting a look into Raven's thoughts. This has let her bring out the fine detail in the supporting characters, a veritable zoo of archetypes, who would normally be overshadowed by the prodigy of Raven: Ali, the privileged innocent who gets a rude awakening; Wraith, driven by love of his family; Luciel, the victim who has a chance to fight back; and so many others.
If you want a good, satisfying, and not very long read - this is the series for you.
I also applaud each and every single one of the characters. Lassiter has done something difficult, and done it well: Raven, her main character thinks just closely enough to the way her readers do to emphasize with, but with just enough power and sharp clarity that she remains a mystery all the same, despite getting a look into Raven's thoughts. This has let her bring out the fine detail in the supporting characters, a veritable zoo of archetypes, who would normally be overshadowed by the prodigy of Raven: Ali, the privileged innocent who gets a rude awakening; Wraith, driven by love of his family; Luciel, the victim who has a chance to fight back; and so many others.
If you want a good, satisfying, and not very long read - this is the series for you.
June 20, 2012
I am totally outside the demographic for this one. I am not a young adult. But I was intrigued by this one or in this case it is three of them. Haha. Two of my favorite series of all time were written for children. The first is the Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander that I first read as a kid and reread every so often. And the second is the Philip Pullman series, His Dark Materials, that I should reread again. When I was a young adult there were never as many books as there are now. So now that I am an adult I occasionally pick up one that looks interesting. I hope this one is.
A quick read. Only took a couple of days to go through the three books that make up this omnibus. While I enjoyed the series, in the end I felt as if too much was going on to fit into just three novels. There were too many characters that distracted from the story of the main ones. Especially in the last book where the story does not really focus on the best character, Raven. And Kez barely did anything in the last book as well. Too many storylines.
On the plus side Void was fun, fast and had some cool ideas. On the negative side the story is kind of straightforward and introduces a few too many characters that caused me to forget about the main characters I really liked and found intriguing.
A quick read. Only took a couple of days to go through the three books that make up this omnibus. While I enjoyed the series, in the end I felt as if too much was going on to fit into just three novels. There were too many characters that distracted from the story of the main ones. Especially in the last book where the story does not really focus on the best character, Raven. And Kez barely did anything in the last book as well. Too many storylines.
On the plus side Void was fun, fast and had some cool ideas. On the negative side the story is kind of straightforward and introduces a few too many characters that caused me to forget about the main characters I really liked and found intriguing.
January 2, 2012
> read this book NOW. <
Void is a reprint of the '98-'00 trilogy called "Hex." The originals had atrocious covers. In fact this cover is what originally caught my eye about this book. Void is also a case in point about how much YA books have changed over just the last 10 years. Void had virtually no romance and the characters weren't stereotypical or cliched. (they also used some pretty cute '90's slang lol)
This book's imagery made the Net really come to life for me. It was like watching a better version of Tron Legacy with the added bonus of actually having a plot! I do wish some of the other Hexes had even pretended that their skill level approached Raven's. She's not god, after all, but thats kind of how everyone treated her. I loved Raven after I "got to know" her and her relationships with Ali and Kez grew some. Wraith was lovable in his own way. Gift and Tally completely fascinated me. It seems that their part in the end of the book was a little bit of a letdown, though. The climax of the story was truly heartbreaking. It was thrilling to watch when Raven defeated Darkness for the second time and ended the book with
> let there be light <
Void is a reprint of the '98-'00 trilogy called "Hex." The originals had atrocious covers. In fact this cover is what originally caught my eye about this book. Void is also a case in point about how much YA books have changed over just the last 10 years. Void had virtually no romance and the characters weren't stereotypical or cliched. (they also used some pretty cute '90's slang lol)
This book's imagery made the Net really come to life for me. It was like watching a better version of Tron Legacy with the added bonus of actually having a plot! I do wish some of the other Hexes had even pretended that their skill level approached Raven's. She's not god, after all, but thats kind of how everyone treated her. I loved Raven after I "got to know" her and her relationships with Ali and Kez grew some. Wraith was lovable in his own way. Gift and Tally completely fascinated me. It seems that their part in the end of the book was a little bit of a letdown, though. The climax of the story was truly heartbreaking. It was thrilling to watch when Raven defeated Darkness for the second time and ended the book with
> let there be light <
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2012
I have to say, overall, this is probably one of the best books I have ever read. The writing style is superb, it is THE most well-written I have ever read. The plot it great, and the characters are extremely well developed and relatable. However, the ending is a bit of a disappointment, but that is ONLY because if personal biases, the ending was nothing BUT necessary. The book, actually, would not have made any sense whatsoever if it had ended a different way. My favorite characters in order: Avalon, Cloud, Raven, Ali, Kez. When comparing Rhiannon's age to the age of other authors, this is the best book I have ever written. Void (Hex, more specifically) was written by a 17 year old. There are books I have read that are HORRIBLE in comparison to this book and they were written by adults.
September 9, 2012
The futuristic elements are much more imaginative than more recently written books- ironic that an author in the 90s has a better imagination to move beyond current authors who can only imagine more-advanced ipods. Cities built straight up, new kind of government, it all worked for me much more. Plot was fast paced, Raven might be super powerful but her crazy mood swings and minimal interest in other people, sympathy or morals kept her interesting and stopped her from being a Mary Sue. Overall a fun read. Even if I wanted to shake the characters and beg them to stop using each others' real names while on a secret mission when they might be overheard.
May 15, 2018
Raven is really cool. I like how experienced she is as a Hex and how powerful she is. Wraith is cool as well, and I like how he was so devoted to finding Rachel. I like how after Ali goes into the CPS, Raven and the others go and rescue her. I like how the begin to recruit other Hexes, and how they add several people to their team. I thought that it was cool how Raven used her anger against the doctors and escaped. I love how Raven finally beats the network, and destroys it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2012
Very disappointed. This book sounded like everything I could want in a dystopian YA novel! Unfortunately it was redundant, had poor word choice, followed the "Tell not Show" model of writing (:C), had flat characters, switched around the point of view too frequently, and wasn't first person POV. So many disappointing things!
January 2, 2013
This book was really good. I liked how Lassiter created a dystopian-like world, that was based off of our world as it is right now. The only thing I thought Lassiter could cut back on is the comments on Raven. It seemed like every other sentence said by one of the "rebellion" members is how Raven is such an amazing hex, and she can do everything and anything.
June 4, 2024
A good teen novel series. I enjoyed the last book (Ghost) the most. I never really cared for any of the characters and yet they are memorable and distinct. I liked the descriptions of entering the net. It wasn't deep and boring, it was quick to read all three books in the one volume but overall it was not one I'd recommend to anyone who doesn't like teen/ ya books.
April 11, 2017
I bought this book on a whim, and definitely did not expect the absolute thrill it was to read. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, and I'm not sure if I would read it again. But it was certainly enjoyable, and worth much more than the five dollars I paid for it (I'm cheap like that.)
I'm kind of wondering now why I've never read a whole series in one book like this before. I mean, it made it look like I just took forever to read the same book, but in reality, Void contains all three books of the series. This allows you to read them back-to-back, and it's the book equivalent to my Back to the Future movie marathon of a few nights ago. Meaning, I got way more attached to the characters and storyline than I probably would have otherwise.
This also meant I got that incredibly annoying lost feeling after finishing it. You know what I mean: when you close the cover of a book and just stare at it for a few minutes, wondering what you're going to do with the rest of your life, like there's a hole inside you that only that book can fill. That sounds so dramatic, but any Doctor Who fan can say they felt the same when Rose Tyler left. And you probably felt that way after finishing the Harry Potter series. I just wasn't expecting to become this emotionally attached to this book, so it was quite a surprise when it turned out I was!
Void is incredibly action-packed and contains so many vivid descriptions I was living in that world for a while. For the most part, everything is believable, and the addition of so many new characters throughout the book means you get to know them fairly well, and see the world from many different points of view. The book is written in a strange, slightly confusing style, where the point of view changes often. It's not third person omniscient, but it's very close. Do you know how in Across the Universe , These Broken Stars , Allegiant , and the Heroes of Olympus series each chapter is from a different character's point of view? That's how this one was, only instead of having different chapters for each character, chapters are divided into sections that belong to different characters. They don't follow any pattern, and they really allow you to see the world that Lassiter creates in many ways. There's not quite as much character development as I'd have liked due to all this switching, but it did show the other side, and what's going on there, providing the reader with background knowledge the characters don't have. I found that this added to the story tremendously and really helped make it unique.
This book was absolutely excitingZ It's so fast-paced and action-packed I stayed up until near midnight (which, for me, is pretty late) on multiple occasions because I just couldn't stop reading! So much happens in this book that it's rarely ever boring, and the parts that seem less important are spread out among the parts that are the most fun to read, so you push through the boring bits. I loved all the characters, and I'm really going to miss them now that I've finished reading this book. And now, having convinced you that I'm a completely insane bookworm, I'll leave you to discover the beauty that is this book.
I'm kind of wondering now why I've never read a whole series in one book like this before. I mean, it made it look like I just took forever to read the same book, but in reality, Void contains all three books of the series. This allows you to read them back-to-back, and it's the book equivalent to my Back to the Future movie marathon of a few nights ago. Meaning, I got way more attached to the characters and storyline than I probably would have otherwise.
This also meant I got that incredibly annoying lost feeling after finishing it. You know what I mean: when you close the cover of a book and just stare at it for a few minutes, wondering what you're going to do with the rest of your life, like there's a hole inside you that only that book can fill. That sounds so dramatic, but any Doctor Who fan can say they felt the same when Rose Tyler left. And you probably felt that way after finishing the Harry Potter series. I just wasn't expecting to become this emotionally attached to this book, so it was quite a surprise when it turned out I was!
Void is incredibly action-packed and contains so many vivid descriptions I was living in that world for a while. For the most part, everything is believable, and the addition of so many new characters throughout the book means you get to know them fairly well, and see the world from many different points of view. The book is written in a strange, slightly confusing style, where the point of view changes often. It's not third person omniscient, but it's very close. Do you know how in Across the Universe , These Broken Stars , Allegiant , and the Heroes of Olympus series each chapter is from a different character's point of view? That's how this one was, only instead of having different chapters for each character, chapters are divided into sections that belong to different characters. They don't follow any pattern, and they really allow you to see the world that Lassiter creates in many ways. There's not quite as much character development as I'd have liked due to all this switching, but it did show the other side, and what's going on there, providing the reader with background knowledge the characters don't have. I found that this added to the story tremendously and really helped make it unique.
This book was absolutely excitingZ It's so fast-paced and action-packed I stayed up until near midnight (which, for me, is pretty late) on multiple occasions because I just couldn't stop reading! So much happens in this book that it's rarely ever boring, and the parts that seem less important are spread out among the parts that are the most fun to read, so you push through the boring bits. I loved all the characters, and I'm really going to miss them now that I've finished reading this book. And now, having convinced you that I'm a completely insane bookworm, I'll leave you to discover the beauty that is this book.
January 30, 2014
I really don't know what to say, but to start it off...
World:
This futuristic world was actually well built. Describing enough so that our imagination can take place. Not so little that you don't know what the heck the cities and buildings look like, but not in super detail that it becomes overkill and picturing overload (maybe that's a good thing, but it can get distracting).
Characters:
I actually the enjoyed the characters...a lot! Especially Raven, she is my favorite character by far. Do you know how hard it is to find a bad-ass (to a reasonable point), cold, strong, unreadable female lead character?! That doesn't come off as ridiculously childish and unreal?? Anyways, you could tell that the characters grew as the books progresses deeper into the story. The characters weren't the typical cliched ones, and each were unique in there own way. (Don't forget Wraith and his hair here!)
Personally, I usually prefer a teeny bit (and I mean just a teeny little eeny bitty hint) of romance to spice things up (especially with Raven opening up a little...but is it bad I kind of shipped her with Wraith or Cloud? Until I realized that with Wraith it would be a brother/sister complex...so a bit awkward there.) or more bonds showing between the characters. You CAN see it, but not all were mentioned or super obvious.
Writing:
What can I say? I was absolutely hooked to this book until the dawn of time (or pages in this case<?>)! The writing was beautiful, including the way the author described things. And the lyrical-ness of some of the wordings....
Overall:
This is one of the first futuristic book that I didn't gave up on, skimmed through or was repelled by in the end. And that, deserves a big plus in my opinion. In some points, I thought the story moved a bit too fast. Not dwelling enough on the events that happened. Overall, I really loved this book and was glad my friend gave me this. (Even though I took me this long to read it due to doubts.) Will be recommending this to more people and looking forward to other books by this author.
[It also helped when at least half the characters act and looks like the typical characters I would create or imagine. Not to mention them in anime version! Gah, those bishies.]
Over and out! Thanks for reading my opinions!
World:
This futuristic world was actually well built. Describing enough so that our imagination can take place. Not so little that you don't know what the heck the cities and buildings look like, but not in super detail that it becomes overkill and picturing overload (maybe that's a good thing, but it can get distracting).
Characters:
I actually the enjoyed the characters...a lot! Especially Raven, she is my favorite character by far. Do you know how hard it is to find a bad-ass (to a reasonable point), cold, strong, unreadable female lead character?! That doesn't come off as ridiculously childish and unreal?? Anyways, you could tell that the characters grew as the books progresses deeper into the story. The characters weren't the typical cliched ones, and each were unique in there own way. (Don't forget Wraith and his hair here!)
Personally, I usually prefer a teeny bit (and I mean just a teeny little eeny bitty hint) of romance to spice things up (especially with Raven opening up a little...but is it bad I kind of shipped her with Wraith or Cloud? Until I realized that with Wraith it would be a brother/sister complex...so a bit awkward there.) or more bonds showing between the characters. You CAN see it, but not all were mentioned or super obvious.
Writing:
What can I say? I was absolutely hooked to this book until the dawn of time (or pages in this case<?>)! The writing was beautiful, including the way the author described things. And the lyrical-ness of some of the wordings....
Overall:
This is one of the first futuristic book that I didn't gave up on, skimmed through or was repelled by in the end. And that, deserves a big plus in my opinion. In some points, I thought the story moved a bit too fast. Not dwelling enough on the events that happened. Overall, I really loved this book and was glad my friend gave me this. (Even though I took me this long to read it due to doubts.) Will be recommending this to more people and looking forward to other books by this author.
[It also helped when at least half the characters act and looks like the typical characters I would create or imagine. Not to mention them in anime version! Gah, those bishies.]
Over and out! Thanks for reading my opinions!
September 1, 2020
I have some very mixed feelings about this book. I sped-read all of it in about two days and it’s been a while, but these are my thoughts.
The world-building is fantastic. The world is...dystopian without falling into the normal YA dystopian stereotypes. It felt very original and real.
There is a diverse cast of characters that aren’t all 100% lovable, but they grow on you. The relationships are believable, there aren’t any forced love triangles.
The plot is pretty intricate and well thought-out, it’s easy enough to follow and keeps you engaged. The writing is good, the tone is good, everything makes sense.
What’s the problem then, you ask?
The problem is despite how much I liked this book, I really wished the author had gone more in-depth, especially with her characters. The whole time I was sitting reading this, I was waiting on the edge of my seat to see what development the main character, Raven, was going to get. For the entire series she is cold, she barely shows emotion (unless it’s annoyance,) and she doesn’t do anything unless it benefits her and her interests despite the morality of it. Now this all makes sense considering her backstory and where she is as a person at the beginning of the story, but the thing is...she never gets any kind of character development at all. She’s never called out for being like this, her relationships with the other characters don’t grow much, and she basically stays the exact same right up to the end. I was very disappointed by this. I love morally grey characters as much as the next person, but the idea that she was emotionless and would be that way forever didn’t sit well with me(ESPECIALLY with the ending which I would spoil but, it was very unsatisfying at least for me.)
The other issue is that instead of focusing on fleshing out her current cast of characters, Lassiter just kept. adding. More. There are so many ‘main’ characters by the end I could barely keep up with all their names. They all end up fighting for page time and they’re all decent characters, but none of them got the development they deserved because there just wasn’t enough room.
Tl;dr, I enjoyed this book, but don’t go in expecting emotional payoff or much character development.
The world-building is fantastic. The world is...dystopian without falling into the normal YA dystopian stereotypes. It felt very original and real.
There is a diverse cast of characters that aren’t all 100% lovable, but they grow on you. The relationships are believable, there aren’t any forced love triangles.
The plot is pretty intricate and well thought-out, it’s easy enough to follow and keeps you engaged. The writing is good, the tone is good, everything makes sense.
What’s the problem then, you ask?
The problem is despite how much I liked this book, I really wished the author had gone more in-depth, especially with her characters. The whole time I was sitting reading this, I was waiting on the edge of my seat to see what development the main character, Raven, was going to get. For the entire series she is cold, she barely shows emotion (unless it’s annoyance,) and she doesn’t do anything unless it benefits her and her interests despite the morality of it. Now this all makes sense considering her backstory and where she is as a person at the beginning of the story, but the thing is...she never gets any kind of character development at all. She’s never called out for being like this, her relationships with the other characters don’t grow much, and she basically stays the exact same right up to the end. I was very disappointed by this. I love morally grey characters as much as the next person, but the idea that she was emotionless and would be that way forever didn’t sit well with me(ESPECIALLY with the ending which I would spoil but, it was very unsatisfying at least for me.)
The other issue is that instead of focusing on fleshing out her current cast of characters, Lassiter just kept. adding. More. There are so many ‘main’ characters by the end I could barely keep up with all their names. They all end up fighting for page time and they’re all decent characters, but none of them got the development they deserved because there just wasn’t enough room.
Tl;dr, I enjoyed this book, but don’t go in expecting emotional payoff or much character development.
April 19, 2016
Void is sort of like Divergent meets Maximum Ride meets...something with computer hackers. This book (actually a trilogy repackaged as one book) is a whopping 600-something pages. I thought it was interesting, but there were some things about it I didn't care for.
WHAT I LIKED:
1) Premise. I thought Void had a cool and original plot-line. A lot of dystopian novels seem to follow a cookie-cutter type of story, but Void was a fresh take on the typical evil-government-controls-everything-in-the-future idea. Dystopian fiction with evil scientists and teen computer geniuses.
2) Content. As for content, Void was fairly clean, aside from some brief profanity. There isn't any romance, so no sexual content. I appreciated being able to read a secular novel and not feel guilty about the content.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
1) Ihe lack of character development. To me, character development is key for a book to have depth, realism, and emotion. The characters in Void had very little development. None of them had much of a personality or backstory or character arc. The relationships between characters (friends, siblings, etc) were never really developed, either. In my opinion, this made Void flat and pretty emotionless. Not to mention the sheer number of characters was overwhelming.
2) The writing. The writing was flat, too.
3) The ending. In my opinion, the ending was rushed, especially for a book of this size.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Void was by no means terrible, but...it could have been better. I liked the unique premise, but the characters needed more depth.
WHAT I LIKED:
1) Premise. I thought Void had a cool and original plot-line. A lot of dystopian novels seem to follow a cookie-cutter type of story, but Void was a fresh take on the typical evil-government-controls-everything-in-the-future idea. Dystopian fiction with evil scientists and teen computer geniuses.
2) Content. As for content, Void was fairly clean, aside from some brief profanity. There isn't any romance, so no sexual content. I appreciated being able to read a secular novel and not feel guilty about the content.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
1) Ihe lack of character development. To me, character development is key for a book to have depth, realism, and emotion. The characters in Void had very little development. None of them had much of a personality or backstory or character arc. The relationships between characters (friends, siblings, etc) were never really developed, either. In my opinion, this made Void flat and pretty emotionless. Not to mention the sheer number of characters was overwhelming.
2) The writing. The writing was flat, too.
3) The ending. In my opinion, the ending was rushed, especially for a book of this size.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Void was by no means terrible, but...it could have been better. I liked the unique premise, but the characters needed more depth.
Read
January 24, 2020The book VOID is about trying to stop a mostly corrupt government agency called CPS, they locate and capture Hexes which are super mutant human beings who have an advanced skill with technological literacy, mainly computers. Raven is a hex with technological abilities and Wraith is a ganger, Wraith sets a mission to locate his sister Rachel just to make sure she is okay and Wraith finds out that she was a suspected hex and taken away by the CPS. Wraith sets a mission to retrieve Rachel and gets Raven to Unwillingly join, seeming very inadequate about the mission she sets up bait to get into the facility where the CPS do inhumane scientific tests and severely injure the test subjects, the purpose of these tests is to stop the hex genetic from passing, though these seem reasonable it is illegal to test on humans due to natural law and are illegally testing on humans even though they are 'mutants'.
This book is very intriguing and drew me in since it felt comfortable to read and was really thought-provoking during my reading experience, though very little of the characters were very much relatable it was still very interesting with some overly self-confident characters and some other humble ones, especially since Wraith is very different from his sister Raven which is why the story is very intriguing to me.
This book is very intriguing and drew me in since it felt comfortable to read and was really thought-provoking during my reading experience, though very little of the characters were very much relatable it was still very interesting with some overly self-confident characters and some other humble ones, especially since Wraith is very different from his sister Raven which is why the story is very intriguing to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2022
I just couldn’t get invested in the book :/ I read the first book (Hex) and even the allure of potential worldbuilding couldn’t keep me invested. I didn’t finish the rest of it. I wanted to finish it to give a full review, but the book has been sitting untouched on my desk and I don’t want to pick it up again.
None of the characters were interesting/sympathetic to me and I didn’t want to root for any of them. Even Wraith or Kez!! Two boys who on paper I would adore and root for. The worldbuilding felt very flimsy and wasn’t detailed enough for me to get invested.
The book feels like it’s trying to appeal to Teens and Young Adult Readers with its slang and edgy characters, but it didn’t capture me. Which is a shame, the setup is great.
None of the characters were interesting/sympathetic to me and I didn’t want to root for any of them. Even Wraith or Kez!! Two boys who on paper I would adore and root for. The worldbuilding felt very flimsy and wasn’t detailed enough for me to get invested.
The book feels like it’s trying to appeal to Teens and Young Adult Readers with its slang and edgy characters, but it didn’t capture me. Which is a shame, the setup is great.
June 23, 2017
all time favorite story so far. very well written. very action pact. characters well rounded in a way that gives more to the story doesn't take anything away. very emotional roller coaster ride in the best of ways. ending is very dramatic and in a way leaves enough for the imagination to expand upon.
March 20, 2020
This is cyberpunk magic. Most cyberpunk novels have characters that are wired into the internet. In this one there's no explanation of how that connection occurs. The characters are dynamic and interesting and the plot is exciting. I would have liked to have been asked to think more deeply about the injustice built into the world.
July 25, 2017
Definitely liked the fact that this was a three book bind up as I was able to continue with the series immediately. The middle story brought my rating down to three but the final story took it back up to four stars. Would highly recommend this to anyone that likes dystopian/sci-fi novels. So good!
January 16, 2023
4 stars.
Ohhh I never anticipated that this series would be so dam good!
Hexes are similar to cyborgs. They can travel into the net via their minds and explore what seems to be a whole other world. Seen as criminals and a threat to society, they are hunted down, captured and presumed to be executed. Except the vast majority of them are actually being locked away in a government type of hospital and being preformed on with disastrous experiments.
One Hex in particular, Raven, fights against the government/the CPS and attempts a rescue mission of these captured Hex's along with her brother Wraith. The reason she does this, because their younger sister, Rachel, is thought to be held there.
But this is where I will stop and not tell more of the story as I fear giving away too much. But just know, there is a lot of action going on right up to the end.
The whole time I spent reading this I was captured. Towards the end I did start to worry I would be disappointed with how it would all wrap up. But fear not, it actually all came together wonderfully and I was quite pleased with it.
Very SciFi. Very much Teens vs Adults. Very much Teens with weapons and a whole lot of fun to read along with.
I'm so glad I FINALLY grabbed this off my bookshelf. It has been sitting there for years! But I do literally have over 2000 actual books I own, and yet to read. But onto the next one now.
Ohhh I never anticipated that this series would be so dam good!
Hexes are similar to cyborgs. They can travel into the net via their minds and explore what seems to be a whole other world. Seen as criminals and a threat to society, they are hunted down, captured and presumed to be executed. Except the vast majority of them are actually being locked away in a government type of hospital and being preformed on with disastrous experiments.
One Hex in particular, Raven, fights against the government/the CPS and attempts a rescue mission of these captured Hex's along with her brother Wraith. The reason she does this, because their younger sister, Rachel, is thought to be held there.
But this is where I will stop and not tell more of the story as I fear giving away too much. But just know, there is a lot of action going on right up to the end.
The whole time I spent reading this I was captured. Towards the end I did start to worry I would be disappointed with how it would all wrap up. But fear not, it actually all came together wonderfully and I was quite pleased with it.
Very SciFi. Very much Teens vs Adults. Very much Teens with weapons and a whole lot of fun to read along with.
I'm so glad I FINALLY grabbed this off my bookshelf. It has been sitting there for years! But I do literally have over 2000 actual books I own, and yet to read. But onto the next one now.
May 24, 2023
DNF at 36%. Void is a bind up of the Hex series ( Hex, Shadows, and Ghosts), I had to DNF the book after finishing the first of the the books included in the bind up. This book has a promising concept but the writing just fell short for me. It was told from several point of views throughout the story.. but it was never clear when the transition of point of view was going to take a place. This caused me to be lost part of the time and many of pieces of the story line to be lost in the cracks. I really struggled to get through just the first book and did find that the plot really picked up till the last 25 pages. Disappointed this one did not work out for me.
August 16, 2023
This story reminded me of the Netflix show "Arcane", and would look beautiful in that animation style.
The setting of the world is so cool, set in the far future with awesome technology and people living miles about the ground in skyscrapers. Theres rebels, gangers, mutant humans called Hexes who connect with the net with their consciousness, and evil scientist.
This series has great characters and a fast plot, I recommend picking it up, especially in the collected form "Void" that contains the three books, "Hexes", "Shadows", and "Ghosts".
The setting of the world is so cool, set in the far future with awesome technology and people living miles about the ground in skyscrapers. Theres rebels, gangers, mutant humans called Hexes who connect with the net with their consciousness, and evil scientist.
This series has great characters and a fast plot, I recommend picking it up, especially in the collected form "Void" that contains the three books, "Hexes", "Shadows", and "Ghosts".
October 4, 2012
I picked this up at a bookstore and read the description on the back. Sparse, but interesting. And also a hefty book, too. I wondered why I hadn't heard of it and discovered that this is one of those reprints from the 90s back when YA could barely be considered a separate genre and books were a lot shorter and simpler a la pre-Harry Potter. I find there's a trend to reprint omnibuses like Void because another book has been successful in that genre. I'm looking at the resurgence in oldies like the Vampire Diaries and other works by L. J. Smith because of the success of the Twilight franchise. Demand far outstripped supply so the publishers had to look deep into their archives. Paranormal YA isn't nearly as hot anymore (I mean, how can you keep reading about the same werewolves and vampires?) but thanks to the Hunger Games suddenly there's a swell of demand for dystopian YA. And so, this.
Well the history lesson's over. I find I have to explain myself on this one because I actually liked this book "despite" the bumbling about that I find is pretty common with books from that age. (Ha, I'm like an archaeologist now.) The material republished for young adults that in the 90s would probably have been packaged as books for older children reads just like that - an overgrown children's novel. The writing ranges from simple and sweet to just not good and the plots have a tendency to over-simplify. Just not good. If the story hadn't been so interesting, easy to read, and the characters weren't as compelling, I probably wouldn't have read through all 500-something pages. Heck, I couldn't finish that second Divergent book because the writing was alright, but the characters kind of SUCKED. Ahem. Excuse me. Anyway, if you want something light - "light" - you can do pretty well with Void.
If you want to know why I thought the writing was bad, I'd have to give you a background on the rules of modern creative writing such as "show don't tell" or best-practices grammar like "never end you sentence with a preposition". There was a lot that bugged me but certainly nothing that made me flip a table. And while the story flows pretty well (aside from lots and lots of character jumping and short scenes which I guess would pace it like a movie) I found the villains - the European Federation on a broad scope - were just too evil for no reason. I was giving the author the benefit of the doubt for 500 pages and when I was never given any better explanation for the genocide of Hexes other than "they're mutants, they cheat the system, they can expose our corruption in politics" I was like, what? Here, Miss Lassiter, there could have been a perfectly reasonable explanation like "oh, Hexes can hack the net and cheat the system and that would throw the world into anarchy." Something like that. You know the best villains are the ones that think they are right. This book was ~almost~ there. But no. Each and every adult male figure in charge was filled with hate and pocked with corruption and greed, and their hobby was to find kids and torture them. I mean, really? I could understand Dr. Kalden's motives. He was more believable than that Federation president who threw tantrums all the time and gave outrageous orders. No wonder the system crashed. The villains might as well have sat around a long conference table the whole time and steepled their fingers together while plotting out their next evil plan. Sigh. Lassiter really had a chance there. Maybe it was because the last "book" was not as strong as the first two. The climax operation in that book just wasn't believable at all.
Anyway. I had to rant to release some of that pent up annoyance I slowly collected while reading the book. Now that it's over, I have to say that I really admired that there is no stupid teenage romance love triangle in this book. A strong female character can be strong on her own without having to be validated by the love of a hot stranger. Raven was AMAZING. Sure, some elements of attraction between characters were hinted at, but you had to be paying attention. You could miss it. But the characters as I said were pretty amazing and you got to follow them through the years as they grew into their own. So if anything, read it for the characters and/or if you want a break from YA romance. I needed it.
Well the history lesson's over. I find I have to explain myself on this one because I actually liked this book "despite" the bumbling about that I find is pretty common with books from that age. (Ha, I'm like an archaeologist now.) The material republished for young adults that in the 90s would probably have been packaged as books for older children reads just like that - an overgrown children's novel. The writing ranges from simple and sweet to just not good and the plots have a tendency to over-simplify. Just not good. If the story hadn't been so interesting, easy to read, and the characters weren't as compelling, I probably wouldn't have read through all 500-something pages. Heck, I couldn't finish that second Divergent book because the writing was alright, but the characters kind of SUCKED. Ahem. Excuse me. Anyway, if you want something light - "light" - you can do pretty well with Void.
If you want to know why I thought the writing was bad, I'd have to give you a background on the rules of modern creative writing such as "show don't tell" or best-practices grammar like "never end you sentence with a preposition". There was a lot that bugged me but certainly nothing that made me flip a table. And while the story flows pretty well (aside from lots and lots of character jumping and short scenes which I guess would pace it like a movie) I found the villains - the European Federation on a broad scope - were just too evil for no reason. I was giving the author the benefit of the doubt for 500 pages and when I was never given any better explanation for the genocide of Hexes other than "they're mutants, they cheat the system, they can expose our corruption in politics" I was like, what? Here, Miss Lassiter, there could have been a perfectly reasonable explanation like "oh, Hexes can hack the net and cheat the system and that would throw the world into anarchy." Something like that. You know the best villains are the ones that think they are right. This book was ~almost~ there. But no. Each and every adult male figure in charge was filled with hate and pocked with corruption and greed, and their hobby was to find kids and torture them. I mean, really? I could understand Dr. Kalden's motives. He was more believable than that Federation president who threw tantrums all the time and gave outrageous orders. No wonder the system crashed. The villains might as well have sat around a long conference table the whole time and steepled their fingers together while plotting out their next evil plan. Sigh. Lassiter really had a chance there. Maybe it was because the last "book" was not as strong as the first two. The climax operation in that book just wasn't believable at all.
Anyway. I had to rant to release some of that pent up annoyance I slowly collected while reading the book. Now that it's over, I have to say that I really admired that there is no stupid teenage romance love triangle in this book. A strong female character can be strong on her own without having to be validated by the love of a hot stranger. Raven was AMAZING. Sure, some elements of attraction between characters were hinted at, but you had to be paying attention. You could miss it. But the characters as I said were pretty amazing and you got to follow them through the years as they grew into their own. So if anything, read it for the characters and/or if you want a break from YA romance. I needed it.
March 1, 2012
I picked this book up on a whim, and while it wasn't the most amazing thing that I've ever read, it was still pretty good. (Note - I didn't realize until I made it home that this book is actually three individual novels spanning four years or so wrapped up in one cover. I actually like that they were together like this!)
Because I have been on a YA dystopian kick for a while now I think I was just expecting Void to just fall right in to that same arena. Thankfully, I was totally mistaken! While still being considered (at least to me, because I don't really understand the genre as much as others) as a YA dystopian series, I was rather surprised that there was no romance tying the whole thing together. I spent the entire book attempting to pair everyone up in my head as love interests just to have not a single kiss exchanged! I loved it!
My only really gripes with the series:
-Towards the end of the second and in to the third book things got a little bit more political, and I don't care for Generals and Presidents ruining my reading experience.
-Raven, while a wonderful lead in this series, is just a little too untouchable. I realize that was the point, but it made her seem like a robot and not really a person. I wanted to know more about how she felt under that cold shell!
Overall though, I really did enjoy the series. I like that it didn't fall in to the typical teenage romance b.s. and that everyone had a purpose and a growing experience!
Because I have been on a YA dystopian kick for a while now I think I was just expecting Void to just fall right in to that same arena. Thankfully, I was totally mistaken! While still being considered (at least to me, because I don't really understand the genre as much as others) as a YA dystopian series, I was rather surprised that there was no romance tying the whole thing together. I spent the entire book attempting to pair everyone up in my head as love interests just to have not a single kiss exchanged! I loved it!
My only really gripes with the series:
-Towards the end of the second and in to the third book things got a little bit more political, and I don't care for Generals and Presidents ruining my reading experience.
-Raven, while a wonderful lead in this series, is just a little too untouchable. I realize that was the point, but it made her seem like a robot and not really a person. I wanted to know more about how she felt under that cold shell!
Overall though, I really did enjoy the series. I like that it didn't fall in to the typical teenage romance b.s. and that everyone had a purpose and a growing experience!
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