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Ultraviolet
How was anyone to know that one day the sun would just burn up their lives? Tunnels link home compounds to town and no one goes out any more. But Violet Niles is going outside. She thinks the only danger out there is the sun - but Vi has no idea how dangerous reality can be.
244 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 31, 2014
A clumsy read, and very unclear too. The setting was great but I couldn't connect with the characters or really distinguish between them at all. I feel like the ending was really good but I didn't get it because by the time I got there i was tired of reading the book and just wanted to give up and switch to a different book.
October 19, 2011
The vanishing ozone layer is too dangerous for 9 months of the year so people live indoors. Computer games are the main entertainment for the teenage population.
*Yawn*. This was a terrible book. The idea was good, having people stuck indoors and in tunnels, hoping for a better way of life, but the story was so poorly executed. The kids we meet are the most boring, uninspiring people you can imagine. Their conversation is pointless, the plot is non existent, no character development and nothing happens! I was left scratching my head as to how this rubbish ever found a publisher!
*Yawn*. This was a terrible book. The idea was good, having people stuck indoors and in tunnels, hoping for a better way of life, but the story was so poorly executed. The kids we meet are the most boring, uninspiring people you can imagine. Their conversation is pointless, the plot is non existent, no character development and nothing happens! I was left scratching my head as to how this rubbish ever found a publisher!
October 23, 2015
An interesting idea - with the depletion of the ozone layer, the sun's radiation has become dangerous and people live in underground tunnels, spending most of their time in computer simulation games. Unfortunately the story is confused (intentionally, I think) and most of the characters seem interchangeable.
September 18, 2022
That's two books I've read by this author now, and I've given both of them three stars. I was more impressed by this one than the other (Maphead), but there are some flaws here that can't be ignored (and, judging by the other reviews here, others feel the same).
The idea for the story is good. The author writes inventively and her descriptions of things are nice. The ending is okay.
The style of writing is such that it makes the book difficult to read. I know what the author is trying to do because I've probably done the same course as she has, but it doesn't quite come off. My writing sufferers from the same problem: it's challenging to keep track of who is saying what, which leads to me having to skip back to check. I (and this author) probably just need to make more use of 'he said', 'she said', which is onerous but makes the text more readable.
On top of that, the story is just a bit too woolly and confusing. I mean, I read it through in a couple of days, but I had to force myself.
And another thing: the author really needs to work on her blurb writing skills. The one for this book does not really match what the story is about. It's really a missed opportunity to promote the book. I buy on the basis of what I read on the back (which kinda makes me wonder, now, why I bought this book).
Anyway, read it if you're obsessed with how the world will be if the sun heats up and blots out a lot of life. Avoid it if you're pedantic (like me).
The idea for the story is good. The author writes inventively and her descriptions of things are nice. The ending is okay.
The style of writing is such that it makes the book difficult to read. I know what the author is trying to do because I've probably done the same course as she has, but it doesn't quite come off. My writing sufferers from the same problem: it's challenging to keep track of who is saying what, which leads to me having to skip back to check. I (and this author) probably just need to make more use of 'he said', 'she said', which is onerous but makes the text more readable.
On top of that, the story is just a bit too woolly and confusing. I mean, I read it through in a couple of days, but I had to force myself.
And another thing: the author really needs to work on her blurb writing skills. The one for this book does not really match what the story is about. It's really a missed opportunity to promote the book. I buy on the basis of what I read on the back (which kinda makes me wonder, now, why I bought this book).
Anyway, read it if you're obsessed with how the world will be if the sun heats up and blots out a lot of life. Avoid it if you're pedantic (like me).
February 28, 2025
This was an interesting premise - a future in which the ozone layer is so damaged that for 9 months of the year is is unsafe to go outside. In this world, crops are so sun damaged that the supply chain to supermarkets is impacted and people’s diet restricted and people spend their days inhabiting a cyberspace reality through their computer games.
I found this hard to follow though and at one point the line between the cyber world and reality blurs to such an extent the reader is unclear about what is the game and what is truth. If ever it is adapted for film I imagine it would be an interesting watch… at least that way I might be able to figure out exactly what went on!
I found this hard to follow though and at one point the line between the cyber world and reality blurs to such an extent the reader is unclear about what is the game and what is truth. If ever it is adapted for film I imagine it would be an interesting watch… at least that way I might be able to figure out exactly what went on!
July 18, 2025
A bunch of teenagers live underground bc of climate change and just play video games all day but then they sneak outside, thats all I got. DNF at 1/4 in bc I didn’t even know what I was reading it was pure shyte. No wonder teenagers don’t like reading when this is the standard of YA books lol.
January 1, 2023
Loved the premise but found it was executed somewhat poorly. Really wanted to enjoy this book but found it difficult to read ended up forcing myself to finish it just to see how it ended.
September 29, 2013
OK, so reading the blurb made this book sound quite exciting 'How was anyone to know that one day the sun would just burn up their lives?' ect ect.. Basically, there's too much radiation to go outside but violet Niles is a slightly adventurous teen who breaks all the rules and goes outside!
The setting of this book is very imaginative. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a bit of imagination but it was so confusing and unrealistic (as were most of the aspects of this book) that I ended up reading a lot of pages twice.
I don't think I got this book at all, it took me forever to read and I still don't think I know the whole storyline.
It was very confusing how the storyline would go slowly for long periods of time and then everything would go so fast.
I never really connected to the characters because the background of them wasn't very detailed. I don't mean to be offensive but I'm not in any rush to read any more of her books. The only good point was the futuristic world she was living in. It's a unique and interesting thought that the world one day in hundreds of years might be similar.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book
The setting of this book is very imaginative. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a bit of imagination but it was so confusing and unrealistic (as were most of the aspects of this book) that I ended up reading a lot of pages twice.
I don't think I got this book at all, it took me forever to read and I still don't think I know the whole storyline.
It was very confusing how the storyline would go slowly for long periods of time and then everything would go so fast.
I never really connected to the characters because the background of them wasn't very detailed. I don't mean to be offensive but I'm not in any rush to read any more of her books. The only good point was the futuristic world she was living in. It's a unique and interesting thought that the world one day in hundreds of years might be similar.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book
July 18, 2016
This was a quick read but it wasn't a good one.
This is a book set in the future where we can't go outside for most of the year, due to harmful UV Rays as we no longer have an ozone layer. So kids spend most of their time indoors playing computer games.
The main character is Violet who can see into the future although this is only touched upon and never really explained. She has decided she should be able to go outside, despite all the harmful stuff. So she does, she betrays her dad who works at the company which provides protective screens.
And then I'm not really even sure if any of it happened because they might have been playing a game. WHAT THE HELL!? And her dad now makes parasols so everyone can go outside again. Well that ties that up nicely.
It was just weird. It was all so disconnecting. She didn't have a real relationship with her friends or her parents. You think the adviser she meets will be a main part of the story but she's not. It was boring, I read it all but I didn't enjoy it.
This is a book set in the future where we can't go outside for most of the year, due to harmful UV Rays as we no longer have an ozone layer. So kids spend most of their time indoors playing computer games.
The main character is Violet who can see into the future although this is only touched upon and never really explained. She has decided she should be able to go outside, despite all the harmful stuff. So she does, she betrays her dad who works at the company which provides protective screens.
And then I'm not really even sure if any of it happened because they might have been playing a game. WHAT THE HELL!? And her dad now makes parasols so everyone can go outside again. Well that ties that up nicely.
It was just weird. It was all so disconnecting. She didn't have a real relationship with her friends or her parents. You think the adviser she meets will be a main part of the story but she's not. It was boring, I read it all but I didn't enjoy it.
May 1, 2009
Set in the future, where the depleted layer of ozone has caused a much higher level of radiation to hit the earth, forcing people back inside their homes. A material called Blu, manufactured by one company and so viciously expensive, is the only thing which will protect people for longer periods of time under this radiation outside.
The teenagers of this world are antisocial and introverted, spending their time playing out alternate existences in a variety of "virtual game" worlds, including the most popular and violent - QuestWorld.
The book basically weaves these two issues together through the story of a girl named Violet, who is a daughter of a Blu exec and an avid Quester, and who eventually joins the resistance against her father's company.
It was... interesting. A lot of the book was fairly boring - I just couldn't really become engaged with this character, who seemed so emotionally distant. But the ending is fairly brilliant, which made up for it a little bit.
The teenagers of this world are antisocial and introverted, spending their time playing out alternate existences in a variety of "virtual game" worlds, including the most popular and violent - QuestWorld.
The book basically weaves these two issues together through the story of a girl named Violet, who is a daughter of a Blu exec and an avid Quester, and who eventually joins the resistance against her father's company.
It was... interesting. A lot of the book was fairly boring - I just couldn't really become engaged with this character, who seemed so emotionally distant. But the ending is fairly brilliant, which made up for it a little bit.
June 20, 2009
This book had a rough start I think and I wasn't sure after the first few chapters or so whether or not I would or could finish it. It then got significantly better and I actually began to enjoy the book. As I was heading towards the end I told myself to slow down and not to expect too much that I doubted I would even finish anway, but yet again I rushed through and ... nothing. I didn't get it and was really confused about the ins and outs of what actually happened in this story and it was described as if the author wasn't intirely sure either. Don't get me wrong- I liked it- hence the 2 stars but I wouldn't read it again and ask me in two years time what I thought about it, I doubt I even remeber what happened. The characters were all over the place so I don't really 'know' any of them or there significance in the story either. I don't regret finishing it but there was a lot of finishing and detail needed I think to make this book a worthy read.
January 18, 2012
I found this book a bit confusing at some parts and didn't know what was going on or who some of the people were. I think it was too quickly ended towards the ending of the book and the ending I didn't really like. However it was a good read throughout and I got into it quite fast, good for a young adult class book.
June 3, 2007
Young adult book about a world in the near future where it is only safe to venture outside for a short time each year due to the depletion of the ozone layer.
August 2, 2014
BluScreen is needed to block the harmful rays of the sun. Kids don’t go out much anymore, they stay home playing cybergames.
October 29, 2013
Just not my cup of tea. Gave up a quarter of the way in.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews