What do you think?
Rate this book
Toxic City #1
London Eye
The Hunger Games meets The X-Men in an exciting post-apocalyptic debut.
Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a military force known as Choppers.
The rest of Britain believe that the city is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland. But Jack and his friends, some of whom lost family on what has become known as Doomsday, know that the reality is very different.
At great risk, they have been gathering evidence about what is really happening in London, and it is incredible. Because the handful of Londons survivors are changing. Developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving.
Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a military force known as Choppers.
The rest of Britain believe that the city is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland. But Jack and his friends, some of whom lost family on what has become known as Doomsday, know that the reality is very different.
At great risk, they have been gathering evidence about what is really happening in London, and it is incredible. Because the handful of Londons survivors are changing. Developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving.
228 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
16 people are currently reading
1566 people want to read
About the author
Tim Lebbon
294 books1,534 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
April 13, 2015
Action-packed but hard to suspend disbelief. A group of kids, ages 17-9 years old, find someone who knows how to get into the now abandoned and locked-down city of London, the site of a major biologic terror attack. The kids are trying to find their lost relatives and don't believe they are really dead.
It seemed like there should have been some kind of prologue or another book even that ramped you into believing that these kids would just follow some stranger claiming knowledge of their missing parents without any real proof. And of course there are major cliff-hangers at the end to pull you into the next book. I will read it but I hope it makes more sense than this one.
It seemed like there should have been some kind of prologue or another book even that ramped you into believing that these kids would just follow some stranger claiming knowledge of their missing parents without any real proof. And of course there are major cliff-hangers at the end to pull you into the next book. I will read it but I hope it makes more sense than this one.
dnf
September 26, 2019Oh dear, this ain’t a good month for me with books! :(
This must be a new record as I’ve DNFed two books in a row now, one after the other for the same reason that they’re both dull as dishwater and have characters I don’t give a rats arse about. I will read more from this author though as his othe books look really good so maybe YA isn’t for him? I honestly did try my hardest to read and get on with this series starter but after persevering through 100 pages of pure boredom I just had to throw in the towel and accept that I don’t have time for books I’m not enjoying and there’s no shame in putting a book down that isn’t at all holding my interest cause after all it’s not like I’m being paid to endure this so why should I be so committed to the whole series? :p
But I will say a bit about the book in the sense that it just isn’t worth it as the world is so underdeveloped as are the characters and nothing whatsoever was plausible from their situation to them trusting a complete stranger to lead them into the unknown at the very beginning after just ONE BRIEF MEETING. So yeah, that’s how the book basically begins and I just cannot be bothered with this poorly developed plot any longer. Just urgh...
This must be a new record as I’ve DNFed two books in a row now, one after the other for the same reason that they’re both dull as dishwater and have characters I don’t give a rats arse about. I will read more from this author though as his othe books look really good so maybe YA isn’t for him? I honestly did try my hardest to read and get on with this series starter but after persevering through 100 pages of pure boredom I just had to throw in the towel and accept that I don’t have time for books I’m not enjoying and there’s no shame in putting a book down that isn’t at all holding my interest cause after all it’s not like I’m being paid to endure this so why should I be so committed to the whole series? :p
But I will say a bit about the book in the sense that it just isn’t worth it as the world is so underdeveloped as are the characters and nothing whatsoever was plausible from their situation to them trusting a complete stranger to lead them into the unknown at the very beginning after just ONE BRIEF MEETING. So yeah, that’s how the book basically begins and I just cannot be bothered with this poorly developed plot any longer. Just urgh...
December 6, 2018
The idea of the story is great, the execution isn't 😪 It took me forever to read this book, I loved the idea of it and was hoping to finish it in a day.... But I was bored 😔 I read Tim's book The Silence and loved it, so i was excited to find this and the sequel at my local Dollar Tree. So I can't really hate on it to much since I only spent 2 bucks for both 😅
There were some good points, but being bored is a huge no no for me... So... Meh.
There were some good points, but being bored is a huge no no for me... So... Meh.
October 28, 2012
Wow... London Eye. I was a little bit skeptical of this one, I mean Hunger Games meets The X-Men sounds pretty amazing right? After reading the book, I am not quite sure that is how I would describe it. However, I really did enjoy this book. Was it amazing? No. But I feel like it has a lot of potential to be enjoyed by a lot of readers. I am new to Tim Lebbon's work, but from what I can see he has quite the background in writing. With that said, I am not sure how London Eye would compare to any of his other books, but I felt as though he did an amazing job writing this one. It's massively engaging, and it really has a way of keeping you guessing.
One of the things I loved right off the bat was the little headlines at the start of each chapter. These comes from news channels, and quite a few other places as the book goes on talking about the events unfolding in London. Events? Let's just say that some insane stuff is taking place, and it is quite possible that it could be far more than that you might of thought was going on at first. I was actually pretty blown away by how Tim was able to keep me so interested and then drop these really huge twists every once in awhile. I think most readers will really enjoy that. Aside from that though, the story is pretty hard to explain without spoiling much. You just got to keep an open mind I guess and try not to come to any quick conclusions I can assure you there are some surprising moments.
The characters were a decent part of the book, but I feel like overall the story itself held my attention a little more than the characters did. You have a group of teens which includes the main character, Jack and Jack's sister. I am not going to go into to much detail about all the characters, while I felt that they played good roles throughout the story I just honestly wasn't able to really connect them very much beyond a linear line through the story. Just didn't feel like you didn't really get to know them very well outside of all their main goals.
Overall London City was a decent book. I felt like some things could of been a little stronger, but I enjoyed it and was glad I read it. I will be reading book two whenever it's released, and hopefully if a lot of these characters return we will be able to get to know them a little better. And the same with any new characters that might show up in book two.
It's a really interesting book, post-apocalyptic books I tend to find don't appeal to as large of an audience as most genres do but I felt like London Eye is a book that could be enjoyed by a lot of different readers. It's a fun book to read, fairly quick pace with quite a bit to keep you interested. As I mentioned I just felt like the character building could of been a little stronger, but other than that I was fairly impressed with the book.
One of the things I loved right off the bat was the little headlines at the start of each chapter. These comes from news channels, and quite a few other places as the book goes on talking about the events unfolding in London. Events? Let's just say that some insane stuff is taking place, and it is quite possible that it could be far more than that you might of thought was going on at first. I was actually pretty blown away by how Tim was able to keep me so interested and then drop these really huge twists every once in awhile. I think most readers will really enjoy that. Aside from that though, the story is pretty hard to explain without spoiling much. You just got to keep an open mind I guess and try not to come to any quick conclusions I can assure you there are some surprising moments.
The characters were a decent part of the book, but I feel like overall the story itself held my attention a little more than the characters did. You have a group of teens which includes the main character, Jack and Jack's sister. I am not going to go into to much detail about all the characters, while I felt that they played good roles throughout the story I just honestly wasn't able to really connect them very much beyond a linear line through the story. Just didn't feel like you didn't really get to know them very well outside of all their main goals.
Overall London City was a decent book. I felt like some things could of been a little stronger, but I enjoyed it and was glad I read it. I will be reading book two whenever it's released, and hopefully if a lot of these characters return we will be able to get to know them a little better. And the same with any new characters that might show up in book two.
It's a really interesting book, post-apocalyptic books I tend to find don't appeal to as large of an audience as most genres do but I felt like London Eye is a book that could be enjoyed by a lot of different readers. It's a fun book to read, fairly quick pace with quite a bit to keep you interested. As I mentioned I just felt like the character building could of been a little stronger, but other than that I was fairly impressed with the book.
November 3, 2013
Fantastic idea, poor execution.
I want to love this book. It should be amazing. The author, however, just hasn't pulled it off. The writing is amateur and sloppy, repetitive at times, and not as clear at illustrating the scene as it should be.
My least favourite bits are anything having to do with Lucy-Anne. Lucy-Anne is incredibly annoying, not just because everything is so overly dramatic with her, but because she's also written like a stock character of female hysteria.
Where are the editors?
I want to love this book. It should be amazing. The author, however, just hasn't pulled it off. The writing is amateur and sloppy, repetitive at times, and not as clear at illustrating the scene as it should be.
My least favourite bits are anything having to do with Lucy-Anne. Lucy-Anne is incredibly annoying, not just because everything is so overly dramatic with her, but because she's also written like a stock character of female hysteria.
Where are the editors?
March 23, 2014
3 Stars
London Eye, book one of the Toxic City young adult post apocalyptic series by Tim Lebbon was a decent read. Let me start by saying that Tim Lebbon is one of my very favorite authors out there today. His adult oriented,genre crossing, dark fantasy is simply amazing. I love so many of his books and his Noreela series and I often feel that he is writing for me specifically. If you are a fan of dark fantasy and like your stories to border on the horrific, then I implore you to read Tim Lebbon.
That being said the Toxic City series is none of that. It is a post apocalyptic teen angst type of series that everyone is writing these days. I flew through this read as it is very light on all levels. I neither liked it nor did I dislike it. I was really hoping that Lebbon’s incredible imagination and world building would give me something to latch on to, but it never really panned out. The story of terrorism and the downfall of London was intriguing.
This book is described as a cross between The Hunger Games and X Men, a continuation of the television series Heroes would be more apt. Teens with super powers created by bad men. Prophecies, fortune telling old crones, and kids with daddy issues fill these fast reading pages.
This book is not for everyone and I will continue the series for my love of the author.
London Eye, book one of the Toxic City young adult post apocalyptic series by Tim Lebbon was a decent read. Let me start by saying that Tim Lebbon is one of my very favorite authors out there today. His adult oriented,genre crossing, dark fantasy is simply amazing. I love so many of his books and his Noreela series and I often feel that he is writing for me specifically. If you are a fan of dark fantasy and like your stories to border on the horrific, then I implore you to read Tim Lebbon.
That being said the Toxic City series is none of that. It is a post apocalyptic teen angst type of series that everyone is writing these days. I flew through this read as it is very light on all levels. I neither liked it nor did I dislike it. I was really hoping that Lebbon’s incredible imagination and world building would give me something to latch on to, but it never really panned out. The story of terrorism and the downfall of London was intriguing.
This book is described as a cross between The Hunger Games and X Men, a continuation of the television series Heroes would be more apt. Teens with super powers created by bad men. Prophecies, fortune telling old crones, and kids with daddy issues fill these fast reading pages.
This book is not for everyone and I will continue the series for my love of the author.
March 5, 2013
The Hunger Games meets X-Men? Some crazy attack on London that has left the city absolutely devastated and isolated from the rest of the world? People with superhuman powers and abilities? This is EXACTLY the kind of premise I love to hear about. Plenty of action and excitement should be an unstoppable book.
But unfortunately, London Eye simply failed to deliver those anticipations of mine. I had a difficult time really connecting with the book, and if I can’t do that then I’m bound to dislike it.
Reasons to Read:
1. There is PLENTY of action:
This was awesome – I liked that danger really was lurking around every corner and that the further the story moved along, the more likely it was that more danger would take place as the group drew closer to London. It’s a messy and crazy world, and the action at least kept the story moving along for me.
2. Diversity with characters:
These definitely aren’t your cookie-cutter YA characters, and I applaud Tim Lebbon for being creative with his characters and making them real and flawed. They were edgier than I expected, and far more honest than most. Plus, I like seeing more male perspectives in YA. And I thought it was brilliant to include Emily as Jack’s younger sister, and giving them a very strong sibling relationship with each other.
Regardless, the story ultimate felt lacking to me. As diverse as the characters were, I couldn’t stand most of them. I had the hardest time relating to Jack and just didn’t find the redeeming characters I was looking for from him. And Lucy-Ann was another character I didn’t take to – I wonder if perhaps it’s because I didn’t buy into her relationship with Jack. We’re introduced to them at a time when they’re both having a hard time with their relationship but because they were so new to me, I couldn’t fully appreciate how difficult this struggle was for them. I couldn’t fathom why these kids were so trusting with strangers, considering they had been on their own for so long.
But mostly, I felt like I was thrown into a world with characters I didn’t know anything about. I wanted to like them, I wanted to know more about what was going on in this time and place, but I didn’t get that. It felt glossed over and rushed, and without strong world building and character development I just couldn’t connect with the story at all.
Review copy received from publisher for review; no other compensation was received.
But unfortunately, London Eye simply failed to deliver those anticipations of mine. I had a difficult time really connecting with the book, and if I can’t do that then I’m bound to dislike it.
Reasons to Read:
1. There is PLENTY of action:
This was awesome – I liked that danger really was lurking around every corner and that the further the story moved along, the more likely it was that more danger would take place as the group drew closer to London. It’s a messy and crazy world, and the action at least kept the story moving along for me.
2. Diversity with characters:
These definitely aren’t your cookie-cutter YA characters, and I applaud Tim Lebbon for being creative with his characters and making them real and flawed. They were edgier than I expected, and far more honest than most. Plus, I like seeing more male perspectives in YA. And I thought it was brilliant to include Emily as Jack’s younger sister, and giving them a very strong sibling relationship with each other.
Regardless, the story ultimate felt lacking to me. As diverse as the characters were, I couldn’t stand most of them. I had the hardest time relating to Jack and just didn’t find the redeeming characters I was looking for from him. And Lucy-Ann was another character I didn’t take to – I wonder if perhaps it’s because I didn’t buy into her relationship with Jack. We’re introduced to them at a time when they’re both having a hard time with their relationship but because they were so new to me, I couldn’t fully appreciate how difficult this struggle was for them. I couldn’t fathom why these kids were so trusting with strangers, considering they had been on their own for so long.
But mostly, I felt like I was thrown into a world with characters I didn’t know anything about. I wanted to like them, I wanted to know more about what was going on in this time and place, but I didn’t get that. It felt glossed over and rushed, and without strong world building and character development I just couldn’t connect with the story at all.
Review copy received from publisher for review; no other compensation was received.
January 31, 2013
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is being talked about as Hunger Games meets the X-Men - that's pretty high standards!
So apparently there was a huge disaster in London itself. So now London has been barricaded and no one is allowed in at all. It's said that to go in is to just invite death. In fact, there are guards everywhere to make sure of it. But some of the people on the outside aren't really sure about it. My biggest question was this - if London was barricaded and no one was allowed in and people are finding proof that maybe the government is experimenting on people that are still alive inside London...why aren't other countries butting in? They all butt in on everything else! But anyway...there's this woman, Rosemary, who says she's from inside London and she wants to take them in with her. Surprisingly, it takes very little to convince them and they go off with her.
The very first thing I like, and if you read my reviews, you'll know it---at the beginning of every chapter is a little news blurb, bits and pieces of whatever was on the news during the disaster.
There were several instances of a character seeing something, so it was described to the reader; then the character describes it in detail to another character. It annoyed me a bit, I didn't want to read it twice.
The characters weren't very fleshed out, they seemed just kind of there. So we have:
Jack - he talks about his girlfriend Lucy-Ann, but they act more like siblings than gf/bf. He and his sister, Emily, lost their parents.
Emily - seems to be taking the whole thing ok. She's mostly too busy with her video camera.
Lucy-Ann - she lost her whole family and seems a bit off
Jenna - didn't lose anyone in her family, she's mostly just along for her friends sakes.
Sparky - lost his brother, but his brother was kind of a loser, so he's the only one really concerned.
The dangers didn't seem as real as I was hoping for. It's was a little sci-fi, but I generally like that, I'm not sure what was off for me.
This book is being talked about as Hunger Games meets the X-Men - that's pretty high standards!
So apparently there was a huge disaster in London itself. So now London has been barricaded and no one is allowed in at all. It's said that to go in is to just invite death. In fact, there are guards everywhere to make sure of it. But some of the people on the outside aren't really sure about it. My biggest question was this - if London was barricaded and no one was allowed in and people are finding proof that maybe the government is experimenting on people that are still alive inside London...why aren't other countries butting in? They all butt in on everything else! But anyway...there's this woman, Rosemary, who says she's from inside London and she wants to take them in with her. Surprisingly, it takes very little to convince them and they go off with her.
The very first thing I like, and if you read my reviews, you'll know it---at the beginning of every chapter is a little news blurb, bits and pieces of whatever was on the news during the disaster.
There were several instances of a character seeing something, so it was described to the reader; then the character describes it in detail to another character. It annoyed me a bit, I didn't want to read it twice.
The characters weren't very fleshed out, they seemed just kind of there. So we have:
Jack - he talks about his girlfriend Lucy-Ann, but they act more like siblings than gf/bf. He and his sister, Emily, lost their parents.
Emily - seems to be taking the whole thing ok. She's mostly too busy with her video camera.
Lucy-Ann - she lost her whole family and seems a bit off
Jenna - didn't lose anyone in her family, she's mostly just along for her friends sakes.
Sparky - lost his brother, but his brother was kind of a loser, so he's the only one really concerned.
The dangers didn't seem as real as I was hoping for. It's was a little sci-fi, but I generally like that, I'm not sure what was off for me.
February 21, 2015
i just liked it at first but when i was going further in the book it really started to get alot of action
and you wil get you'r share of violence to and when i say violence i mean skin ripping, pulling out brains and crucifying so london is not the place to be if you like peace and love
london eye is a postapocalyptic story it all started with a terrorist attack on london so now it has been cut off from the world. so what people don't realise is that there still people alive in london but they have been evolving developing strange and fantastic powers so jack and his sister and friends are going to london to find there family but the problem is that london is not safe its full of wild animal's that have escape'd from the zoo dogs that gone wild, and the choppers before its getting dark the choppers will come out they catch people in london to do experiments on them.
so this was a short version of the story like i said it starts a bit slow but if you get trough it
it really is a good book !
and you wil get you'r share of violence to and when i say violence i mean skin ripping, pulling out brains and crucifying so london is not the place to be if you like peace and love
london eye is a postapocalyptic story it all started with a terrorist attack on london so now it has been cut off from the world. so what people don't realise is that there still people alive in london but they have been evolving developing strange and fantastic powers so jack and his sister and friends are going to london to find there family but the problem is that london is not safe its full of wild animal's that have escape'd from the zoo dogs that gone wild, and the choppers before its getting dark the choppers will come out they catch people in london to do experiments on them.
so this was a short version of the story like i said it starts a bit slow but if you get trough it
it really is a good book !
November 3, 2012
3.5 stars
Full review soon
Full review soon
September 2, 2017
First of a series, this teen SF novel is set in the very near future.
A couple of years previously, the city of London was suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world. The public reason was because of a coordinated series of terrorist attacks. Since then, no one enters or leaves London. A military force called Choppers patrols the streets looking for survivors for "experiments" (think Nazi Germany).
Jack and his sister, Emily (their parents were in London at the time), and a couple of friends undertake a harrowing, mostly underground, journey into London. They have help from Rosemary, who has come out of London, specifically to be their guide. She is a healer, with some "unique" abilities. Rosemary's reason is because is because Jack and Emily's mother is also a healer, with "unique" abilities of her own. Dad's abilities are a lot more destructive; he has become a leader of the "bad guys." Maybe Jack and Emily can change his mind.
During the journey into London, the group battles a pack of wild dogs in an underground tunnel; everyone survives. The rest of the world was told that London has become a toxic wasteland. It's deserted, with large parts of the city in ruins, but it's not toxic. The group walks over a hastily filled-in mass grave, with bones sticking out. Jack and Emily have a happy reunion with their mother; the reunion with their father is not so happy. Jack tries his best to convince Dad to join them and fight their way out of London. Does it work? Are Jack, Emily and their friends now trapped in London?
This is a very good and very dystopian tale. I guess that I liked the society-building a little bit more than the actual story. I am sure that teens will like the whole novel. Yes, it's worth reading.
A couple of years previously, the city of London was suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world. The public reason was because of a coordinated series of terrorist attacks. Since then, no one enters or leaves London. A military force called Choppers patrols the streets looking for survivors for "experiments" (think Nazi Germany).
Jack and his sister, Emily (their parents were in London at the time), and a couple of friends undertake a harrowing, mostly underground, journey into London. They have help from Rosemary, who has come out of London, specifically to be their guide. She is a healer, with some "unique" abilities. Rosemary's reason is because is because Jack and Emily's mother is also a healer, with "unique" abilities of her own. Dad's abilities are a lot more destructive; he has become a leader of the "bad guys." Maybe Jack and Emily can change his mind.
During the journey into London, the group battles a pack of wild dogs in an underground tunnel; everyone survives. The rest of the world was told that London has become a toxic wasteland. It's deserted, with large parts of the city in ruins, but it's not toxic. The group walks over a hastily filled-in mass grave, with bones sticking out. Jack and Emily have a happy reunion with their mother; the reunion with their father is not so happy. Jack tries his best to convince Dad to join them and fight their way out of London. Does it work? Are Jack, Emily and their friends now trapped in London?
This is a very good and very dystopian tale. I guess that I liked the society-building a little bit more than the actual story. I am sure that teens will like the whole novel. Yes, it's worth reading.
June 5, 2017
This book was one of the better Independent reading books that i read throughout the year. It really grabbed me and i understood it. London has been attacked by terrorists, known as the choppers. after exactly two years london is cut off from the world. Nothing goes in and out of there. I really did enjoy this book and would most definitely recommend it.
July 18, 2017
Wasn't sure on this one when I started it; but ended up really interested in the characters and how they survive this crazy thing that is happening, for some reason, only in the city of London. Now I am interested and have this crazy feeling that I need to know!
So all though it is a mixed up mess...it got me...need to read on!
So all though it is a mixed up mess...it got me...need to read on!
July 22, 2018
I really like the story line wouldn’t say it meets hunger games and x men style but it is a genre of its own. It took me a chapter or two to really start to understand what is going on exactly but once you get further in you start to understand
August 11, 2019
The concept of this book was rather interesting when I first read it, but the story itself seemed rather lacking and all over the place. There was really only three redeemable character amongst all that was put into this story and everyone seemed to have a I don't care attitude about everything.
June 10, 2017
Excellent
April 29, 2019
First of the series. Was ok. Not sure how it will progress given the ending...
Want to read
April 26, 2024O
January 3, 2014
How did we end up here?
Pyr sent me a catalogue and LONDON EYE sounded interesting so I requested it. I’m getting more and more into the whole superhero type of story thanks to The Avengers and this book seemed to have taken a different twist on that as well as your more traditional post-apocalyptic story so I wanted to see what was it about.
Okay, book. You've got 50 pages. Go!
London is an oasis of horror and, for the most part, the world has gone on around it and has effectively forgotten about London save for the supposed horror stories that come out of it. This story focuses mainly on Jack and Lucy-Anne as their POVs alternate throughout. Their motley crew also includes Sparky, your token crude class clown, Jenna, the chick pining for Jack with Sparky wistfully dreaming of her, and Emily, Jack’s nine-year-old sister who has a hard time deciding what age she wants to act depending on the scene. All of these kids are living with various stages of family: Lucy-Anne lost everyone, Jack and Emily only have each other, Sparky has both parents but lost his brother and Jenna scraped by without losing anyone.
An Irregular, their name for the mutated people of London, shows up at their house and they think it’s a good idea to take her at her word and follow her into the Toxic City. This was pretty much were the plot started losing me. Half of these kids are in survival mode and it’s been two years since London collapsed. They stopped believing the lies the government was telling them. You’d think they’d be a little more skeptical of some stranger feeding them information. Granted she did give them proof by showing them her ability but just because you can heal me doesn’t mean I’m going to follow you into a wasteland, you know?
On top of that the writing was meh at best. It was very basic, short by the way of description and was just fine stringing sentences along without any flare at all. It was all a bit dry, even the action scenes, so it was a struggle to keep reading. I very nearly DNFd the book until blood started flowing. I’m sick, I know.
What worked . . .
The author went places that needed to be gone to for the story and he wasn’t afraid to do it. Their little crew certainly didn’t escape pain and suffering and fractured psyches. They witnessed death and destruction first hand and way too close for comfort and it really rattled the cozy world they built for themselves on the outside. Not like they went in thinking it was all roses but it’s one thing to hear stories and quite another to witness them firsthand.
Also, when Rosemary, the Irregular that brought them into the city, really started stringing them along the kids stopped putting up with it. I liked Lebbon’s realism in that regard instead of having them blindly trust the adult despite all the crap she dragged them through. That woman blew their trust real quick and by the end of the book she hadn’t earned it back. I liked that.
What didn't work . . .
The writing just wasn’t jiving with me. It was really bare bones and told the story in the basest way possible. There was little to no flare, no feeling, and when one of the characters attempted to display emotion it was robotic and cold. It was hard to connect to any of them as a result and it kept me really distanced from the story. It was the reason why I almost stopped reading but when the bodies started flying I decided to stay with it, mainly because I was already about halfway through an otherwise short book at that point and I’ve had a string of DNFs lately that I wanted to end. I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of more of this story but like I said above it certainly had its redeeming qualities to it.
And in the end . . .
It was okay. Just okay. While I liked the brutality of the author and how he wasn’t afraid to go where the characters really needed to go in order to make the world and plot believable the lackluster writing kept me from connecting with it in any meaningful way. I need some flare to my prose and while it by no means has to be purple I wouldn’t mind a very fair shade of lilac. Something to make the characters appear more than robots jerking through the story.
Reaper and the dynamic between him and Jack was intriguing and I would like to know if Lucy-Anne (whose name bothers me greatly) eventually finds her brother but I’m really not compelled to read the next book in the series. I don’t care ENOUGH to keep reading. So I probably won’t.
Pyr sent me a catalogue and LONDON EYE sounded interesting so I requested it. I’m getting more and more into the whole superhero type of story thanks to The Avengers and this book seemed to have taken a different twist on that as well as your more traditional post-apocalyptic story so I wanted to see what was it about.
Okay, book. You've got 50 pages. Go!
London is an oasis of horror and, for the most part, the world has gone on around it and has effectively forgotten about London save for the supposed horror stories that come out of it. This story focuses mainly on Jack and Lucy-Anne as their POVs alternate throughout. Their motley crew also includes Sparky, your token crude class clown, Jenna, the chick pining for Jack with Sparky wistfully dreaming of her, and Emily, Jack’s nine-year-old sister who has a hard time deciding what age she wants to act depending on the scene. All of these kids are living with various stages of family: Lucy-Anne lost everyone, Jack and Emily only have each other, Sparky has both parents but lost his brother and Jenna scraped by without losing anyone.
An Irregular, their name for the mutated people of London, shows up at their house and they think it’s a good idea to take her at her word and follow her into the Toxic City. This was pretty much were the plot started losing me. Half of these kids are in survival mode and it’s been two years since London collapsed. They stopped believing the lies the government was telling them. You’d think they’d be a little more skeptical of some stranger feeding them information. Granted she did give them proof by showing them her ability but just because you can heal me doesn’t mean I’m going to follow you into a wasteland, you know?
On top of that the writing was meh at best. It was very basic, short by the way of description and was just fine stringing sentences along without any flare at all. It was all a bit dry, even the action scenes, so it was a struggle to keep reading. I very nearly DNFd the book until blood started flowing. I’m sick, I know.
What worked . . .
The author went places that needed to be gone to for the story and he wasn’t afraid to do it. Their little crew certainly didn’t escape pain and suffering and fractured psyches. They witnessed death and destruction first hand and way too close for comfort and it really rattled the cozy world they built for themselves on the outside. Not like they went in thinking it was all roses but it’s one thing to hear stories and quite another to witness them firsthand.
Also, when Rosemary, the Irregular that brought them into the city, really started stringing them along the kids stopped putting up with it. I liked Lebbon’s realism in that regard instead of having them blindly trust the adult despite all the crap she dragged them through. That woman blew their trust real quick and by the end of the book she hadn’t earned it back. I liked that.
What didn't work . . .
The writing just wasn’t jiving with me. It was really bare bones and told the story in the basest way possible. There was little to no flare, no feeling, and when one of the characters attempted to display emotion it was robotic and cold. It was hard to connect to any of them as a result and it kept me really distanced from the story. It was the reason why I almost stopped reading but when the bodies started flying I decided to stay with it, mainly because I was already about halfway through an otherwise short book at that point and I’ve had a string of DNFs lately that I wanted to end. I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of more of this story but like I said above it certainly had its redeeming qualities to it.
And in the end . . .
It was okay. Just okay. While I liked the brutality of the author and how he wasn’t afraid to go where the characters really needed to go in order to make the world and plot believable the lackluster writing kept me from connecting with it in any meaningful way. I need some flare to my prose and while it by no means has to be purple I wouldn’t mind a very fair shade of lilac. Something to make the characters appear more than robots jerking through the story.
Reaper and the dynamic between him and Jack was intriguing and I would like to know if Lucy-Anne (whose name bothers me greatly) eventually finds her brother but I’m really not compelled to read the next book in the series. I don’t care ENOUGH to keep reading. So I probably won’t.
December 17, 2014
London Eye begins two years after London has been attacked by terrorist and quarantined from the rest of the world. There's no travel or communication into or out of the city in order to contain whatever has been released into the air. However, not everything the world knows about what happened in London is true. Now it's up to a group of teens to expose the lies, and find their families who were there during the attacks. I must say that the plot was a bit confusing in the beginning. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on until about half-way through. Luckily, there's a lot of other things that were able to hold my attention and keep me reading. By the end, I was completely invested and wanted to know how four teenagers could possibly stop what's happening in this dark, desolate city.
As far as YA Dystopians go, London Eye is not my favorite but I do think it was unique. I loved the idea of some kind of toxin being released and causing humans to evolve. All of the survivors of the attack are now known as Irregulars, and they're being hunted to be studied. Most of them have taken to living underground in small communities, or on their own but constantly on the move. They all have some kind of special power such as healing, tracking, or manipulation which help them continue to survive. However, there are some known as Superiors, whose talents far exceed the norm. I was a little confused on the specifics, but it seems like they're running things, and not in a way that's helpful to the others. There is one Superior in particular who we learn is at the top and needs to be stopped. I can't say more, because it's a pretty big spoiler.
One thing that I really did not like about London Eye was Lucy-Anne. She's our main hero, Jack's, girlfriend and she seriously got on my nerves. I did like how they were already in an established relationship, which was actually falling apart in the face of the apocalypse rather than starting. But we never really see them together much in order to witness how their relationship is changing. This is mostly do to the fact that Lucy-Anne takes off from the group rather earlier in a fit of rage and grief. She puts everyone at risk because she just won't listen. They're all in this together, they've all lost someone (except Jenna), but she's just selfish. From that point on we get small glimpses into what she's doing, which is mostly running. Eventually she meets a strange boy who controls birds, but their connection to the main plot isn't known until the very end. I really could have done without these parts, since I felt no connection to Lucy-Anne and was just annoyed by her.
In the end, I did like London Eye. There's a lot of great world building that made it easy to imagine this run down London. I also liked the inclusion of news broadcasts at the opening of each chapter. They got increasingly ominous as the story moved forward which really matched the changing tone of the book. I do wish that the plot had been made clear earlier, so I could have settled in and enjoyed it more. Things really start to come together at the end. There's not a cliffhanger, but the ending is quite open since this is obviously a series.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
As far as YA Dystopians go, London Eye is not my favorite but I do think it was unique. I loved the idea of some kind of toxin being released and causing humans to evolve. All of the survivors of the attack are now known as Irregulars, and they're being hunted to be studied. Most of them have taken to living underground in small communities, or on their own but constantly on the move. They all have some kind of special power such as healing, tracking, or manipulation which help them continue to survive. However, there are some known as Superiors, whose talents far exceed the norm. I was a little confused on the specifics, but it seems like they're running things, and not in a way that's helpful to the others. There is one Superior in particular who we learn is at the top and needs to be stopped. I can't say more, because it's a pretty big spoiler.
One thing that I really did not like about London Eye was Lucy-Anne. She's our main hero, Jack's, girlfriend and she seriously got on my nerves. I did like how they were already in an established relationship, which was actually falling apart in the face of the apocalypse rather than starting. But we never really see them together much in order to witness how their relationship is changing. This is mostly do to the fact that Lucy-Anne takes off from the group rather earlier in a fit of rage and grief. She puts everyone at risk because she just won't listen. They're all in this together, they've all lost someone (except Jenna), but she's just selfish. From that point on we get small glimpses into what she's doing, which is mostly running. Eventually she meets a strange boy who controls birds, but their connection to the main plot isn't known until the very end. I really could have done without these parts, since I felt no connection to Lucy-Anne and was just annoyed by her.
In the end, I did like London Eye. There's a lot of great world building that made it easy to imagine this run down London. I also liked the inclusion of news broadcasts at the opening of each chapter. They got increasingly ominous as the story moved forward which really matched the changing tone of the book. I do wish that the plot had been made clear earlier, so I could have settled in and enjoyed it more. Things really start to come together at the end. There's not a cliffhanger, but the ending is quite open since this is obviously a series.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
June 21, 2014
Nalini Haynes reviewed this book; for more reviews by Nalini, see Nalini Haynes on Dark Matter Zine.
Jack and Lucy-Anne, aged around seventeen, have been boyfriend and girlfriend for the two years since they lost their extended families in the terrorist attack that destroyed London. Emily, age nine, is Jack’s sole surviving family, for whom he has been caring with the help of his closest friends, including Sparky, an angry teenage boy who lost his older brother, and Jenna, another teen who didn’t lose family – at least not directly.
The teenagers believe there was a government cover-up instead of a terrorist attack although why it can’t be both is left unclear. A series of drop sites enable strangers to contact them, leaving evidence. How teenagers set up drop sites and circulated knowledge of them effectively without being caught remains a mystery, as does why these minors have no extended family, no welfare system to care for them and yet they’re clothed, shod and fed in a world that has not gone to hell in spite of London’s quarantine.
Jack and Lucy-Anne realise their relationship is winding down, with their friendship more important to them than their physical relationship. Jenna obviously has a crush on Jack yet she complicates matters.
One day an old woman, Rosemary, appears at Jenna’s house, claiming to have come from London. Rosemary heals Jack after Sparky stabs him because FRIENDS STAB FRIENDS TO PROVE A POINT. The friends follow Rosemary into London through secret paths reminiscent of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In London, Lucy-Anne loses her mind, the rest are captured and Jack is given a mission.
London Eye is genetically engineered virus meets mutant superpowers without the comedy often associated with comic book-style novels. London Eye is a much more suitable introduction to the genre than was Empty World, my personal induction to this genre at age ten.
Sexytimes are not graphic, they’re more implied. Showing a YA audience that even teenagers can weary of an unsuitable match sustained by physical attraction is possibly contentious and yet it’s appropriate, an issue the readers themselves are likely to face.
Lebbon’s story focuses on loyalty and chosen family as well as biological family with associated issues. Exploring real-world issues in this fantasy story may well help teens dealing with issues. London Eye is a quick read at 228 pages with a fast-paced story. It’s the beginning of a trilogy so many threads are flying in the breeze at the close of this, the first novel. Although the story has plotholes I believe the YA audience will enjoy this dramatic virus-meets-mutants story. I expect explosions, more superpowers and possibly elements of horror in the coming novels.
Jack and Lucy-Anne, aged around seventeen, have been boyfriend and girlfriend for the two years since they lost their extended families in the terrorist attack that destroyed London. Emily, age nine, is Jack’s sole surviving family, for whom he has been caring with the help of his closest friends, including Sparky, an angry teenage boy who lost his older brother, and Jenna, another teen who didn’t lose family – at least not directly.
The teenagers believe there was a government cover-up instead of a terrorist attack although why it can’t be both is left unclear. A series of drop sites enable strangers to contact them, leaving evidence. How teenagers set up drop sites and circulated knowledge of them effectively without being caught remains a mystery, as does why these minors have no extended family, no welfare system to care for them and yet they’re clothed, shod and fed in a world that has not gone to hell in spite of London’s quarantine.
Jack and Lucy-Anne realise their relationship is winding down, with their friendship more important to them than their physical relationship. Jenna obviously has a crush on Jack yet she complicates matters.
One day an old woman, Rosemary, appears at Jenna’s house, claiming to have come from London. Rosemary heals Jack after Sparky stabs him because FRIENDS STAB FRIENDS TO PROVE A POINT. The friends follow Rosemary into London through secret paths reminiscent of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In London, Lucy-Anne loses her mind, the rest are captured and Jack is given a mission.
London Eye is genetically engineered virus meets mutant superpowers without the comedy often associated with comic book-style novels. London Eye is a much more suitable introduction to the genre than was Empty World, my personal induction to this genre at age ten.
Sexytimes are not graphic, they’re more implied. Showing a YA audience that even teenagers can weary of an unsuitable match sustained by physical attraction is possibly contentious and yet it’s appropriate, an issue the readers themselves are likely to face.
Lebbon’s story focuses on loyalty and chosen family as well as biological family with associated issues. Exploring real-world issues in this fantasy story may well help teens dealing with issues. London Eye is a quick read at 228 pages with a fast-paced story. It’s the beginning of a trilogy so many threads are flying in the breeze at the close of this, the first novel. Although the story has plotholes I believe the YA audience will enjoy this dramatic virus-meets-mutants story. I expect explosions, more superpowers and possibly elements of horror in the coming novels.
October 6, 2012
Review Courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
Unlike most post apocalyptic stories where the entire world is affected, in LONDON EYE, the first book in Tim Lebbon’s Toxic City series,only London was attacked. The story moves fast and many of the action scenes are wonderfully intense and scary especially the few that happen in dark enclosed places. What I really enjoyed was the profoundly creepy news blurbs at the beginning of the chapters consisting of the radio broadcasts immediately following the terrorist attack. These blurbs only start appearing before the chapters when Jack and his friends approach London. This helps increase the desolation and eeriness of the present day London Jack encounters when he enters the city.
While the depiction of a devastated London was very well described, I was left with a few questions about just how the survivors started evolving ‘strange, fantastic powers. I also had to suspend disbelief over the rapid development of these powers a mere two years after the attack, and why no one in the book questioned the sudden appearance of these burgeoning abilities.
Questions about how this evolution happened aside, I did love the ‘X-Men’ like powers they develop such as rapid healing and foresight. I also enjoyed seeing the ways people evolved and the exploration of life in London post-attack, but was left wanting more in character development. Some of the relationships between this group of supposedly close friends seem to be pretty superficial. At times they really care for each other but at other times they almost forget they exist.
LONDON EYE reveals a unique dystopian world filling a decrepit London with rapid human evolution. I enjoyed the premise though I was left with more questions than I wanted and found the character development to be uneven. I look forward to seeing my questions cleared up in the next book in the Toxic City series which should be published in 2013.
sexual content: n/a
September 21, 2013
"The Hunger Games meets The X-Men in an exciting post-apocalyptic debut."
You know, I almost put this book aside after the first few chapters. The beginning is kind of slow and begins two years after the tragic events in London. There are news blurbs from the time of the disaster at the beginning of each chapter which give a bit of background about what occurred. Otherwise I felt kind of lost, looking at my surroundings wondering 'Where am I, and how did I get here?'. I'm glad I stuck around though because the story does get more interesting once the group starts their journey to London.
There are five main characters:
• Jack - lost his parents; traveling with his younger sister, Emily
• Emily - seems to be okay as long as she's with Jack; always using her video camera
• Sparky - lost his brother, but his parents don't seem to care
• Jenna - lost no one and is supporting her friends; something happened to her father after he was caught and then released from London
• Lucy-Anne - lost her family and doesn't seem right in the head; Jack's girlfriend(?)
They are all going to London to find out the truth, what the government has been covering up. There really wasn't much background on each character and I didn't really connect to them. How did they meet? Why are they friends?
My favorite parts of the story involved the 'Irregulars' and the 'Superiors', people that have developed new abilities such as healing or mind-control. I wish there had been more about them and their powers. Like many first books in a series (trilogy?), London Eye seems like one long set-up story that ends right as the story is really getting started.
I'll be reading the sequel, Reaper's Legacy, and hoping some of my questions will be answered. *fingers crossed* I'm curious enough to want to see what happens next.
3 stars
You know, I almost put this book aside after the first few chapters. The beginning is kind of slow and begins two years after the tragic events in London. There are news blurbs from the time of the disaster at the beginning of each chapter which give a bit of background about what occurred. Otherwise I felt kind of lost, looking at my surroundings wondering 'Where am I, and how did I get here?'. I'm glad I stuck around though because the story does get more interesting once the group starts their journey to London.
There are five main characters:
• Jack - lost his parents; traveling with his younger sister, Emily
• Emily - seems to be okay as long as she's with Jack; always using her video camera
• Sparky - lost his brother, but his parents don't seem to care
• Jenna - lost no one and is supporting her friends; something happened to her father after he was caught and then released from London
• Lucy-Anne - lost her family and doesn't seem right in the head; Jack's girlfriend(?)
They are all going to London to find out the truth, what the government has been covering up. There really wasn't much background on each character and I didn't really connect to them. How did they meet? Why are they friends?
My favorite parts of the story involved the 'Irregulars' and the 'Superiors', people that have developed new abilities such as healing or mind-control. I wish there had been more about them and their powers. Like many first books in a series (trilogy?), London Eye seems like one long set-up story that ends right as the story is really getting started.
I'll be reading the sequel, Reaper's Legacy, and hoping some of my questions will be answered. *fingers crossed* I'm curious enough to want to see what happens next.
3 stars
January 16, 2015
In The London Eye by Tim Lebbon, the storyline is simple. Basically, Teenagers and one elderly woman explore the ruins of London while looking for their lost relatives. Through the plot events, we see the author's message that people can genetically change for the good. We understand this theme through events such as, the civilians affected with the toxicity being mutated and now have special powers. An important quote from the book that reinforces the theme is “ Rosemary laid her hands on the girl’s wounds, and he remembered the way it had felt when she had been healing the knife wound in his leg. There had had been an intrusion there, an invasion of his flesh, but then he had passed out. Now, it was his turn to watch. Rosemary healed Lucy-Anne’s wounds from the inside out.“ on page 56. This is important because, it shows us how Rosemary’s mutation can work for the good and it is not evil. This book is very interesting. It is interesting because it is not like any book I have read before. This book is a lot like the show “Heroes” because of the peoples mutant like attributes. Although this was a slow read, it was worth the time because, the book was very entertaining and gave me a cool idea of what the world would be like if the world had mutated people.
I would give this book a 5 star rating. I would give this book a 5 star rating because it was a very fun read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games series or the Heros series because this book is very similar to both. If you have not had the chance to read experience any of those series, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an action, science fiction book.
I would give this book a 5 star rating. I would give this book a 5 star rating because it was a very fun read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games series or the Heros series because this book is very similar to both. If you have not had the chance to read experience any of those series, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an action, science fiction book.
December 15, 2016
Watching the ruins of families becoming splintered, Jake and his closest friends since the end of everything, Sparky, , Jenna, and Lucy-Anne, along with his nine year old sister Emily, will find and break and finds the ruins that flow so warily through each of their veins in turn. It's been two years since Angelina Walker, the woman who crashed the plane allowing for the plague to become unleashed, killing many and unleashing unimaginable powers to raise through others veins. Healing, Mind Control, Truth Theorem, everything imaginable while it grows stronger and stronger every day. The five encounter Rosemary, a healer, a woman aged way beyond her olden age, who leads them, into the heart of Toxic City, where Jake and Emily discovers their mother, a healer, hidden beneath the city, and the cruelest man of all, the Reaper, his very own father, who refuses to give up his rein. The Reaper, can kill from his voice alone, as he rejects the thoughts that he ever had a son, refusing to join in with the War to save what's remaining of London. When news from Miller, a soldier, a cruel captivator who destined to kill all those who reined in powers, captures his sister Emily and their mother, taking them to camp Hope, a cruel facility known for experiments and dissections, leading into their executions. When walking away is all that's left, Lucy-Anne, still plagued by nightmares, flees the building in the hail of gunfire and explosions, running into Roon, a boy who controls the birds in the sky. Safe in his hands and on the hunt for her brother Andrew, lost somewhere in the desolate city, it's no wonders everyone has their own to gather.
December 27, 2012
This will be the last book I review where the dates don't match (for how long it took me to read it) as I have now updated my Goodreads list.
It took me awhile to read this because my 16 yo son decided he wanted to read it first which means the intended market for the book, young adult, is right on the mark. Once he was done reading it, he asked me when the second book was coming out. When he asks that, it's a sure bet he enjoyed it.
But, on to the review. Two years previously, a disaster, which has since become known as Doomsday, was believed to have made London uninhabitable and a toxic wasteland. Jack, his sister, and their friends know differently and have been gathering evidence to prove it. When they discover that Jack's mother is alive, the five of them travel into London at great risk. They find things they had not expected to find--things that were exciting, but were dangerous too.
I thought the book did a good job of maintaining the focus on the teens and what they did to solve the problems they encountered. Even when they needed the help of an adult, it was brought to our attention that said adult was not entirely trustworthy. The changes that the inhabitants of London had gone through were brought into the story naturally and not in a contrived fashion. I also liked the relationship between Jack and his sister. I'm looking forward to upcoming books in this series and believe it would be interesting to adults as well as young adults.
It took me awhile to read this because my 16 yo son decided he wanted to read it first which means the intended market for the book, young adult, is right on the mark. Once he was done reading it, he asked me when the second book was coming out. When he asks that, it's a sure bet he enjoyed it.
But, on to the review. Two years previously, a disaster, which has since become known as Doomsday, was believed to have made London uninhabitable and a toxic wasteland. Jack, his sister, and their friends know differently and have been gathering evidence to prove it. When they discover that Jack's mother is alive, the five of them travel into London at great risk. They find things they had not expected to find--things that were exciting, but were dangerous too.
I thought the book did a good job of maintaining the focus on the teens and what they did to solve the problems they encountered. Even when they needed the help of an adult, it was brought to our attention that said adult was not entirely trustworthy. The changes that the inhabitants of London had gone through were brought into the story naturally and not in a contrived fashion. I also liked the relationship between Jack and his sister. I'm looking forward to upcoming books in this series and believe it would be interesting to adults as well as young adults.
March 4, 2013
Wanting something different, I picked up this story wanting an adventure. Instead, I got a story that really didn't capture me the way I expected it to.
The plot of the book really confuse me in the beginning. Things weren't really explained to the reader and I was lost for a few chapters. I found myself re-reading passages just to make sure that I didn't miss anything. I decided to keep going, hoping it get better. It did, but it still left me with lots of questions. I did continue reading but found myself getting well a little tired of feeling lost.
Half-way through the book it gets better. Finally things are coming together and I'm finally getting the picture. I like the idea of people's chemistry/DNA changing due to some catastrophic event. It's like some stayed the same and other just were changed completely. The twist with the main characters Jack and what happen to his parents is the highlight of the book. It had me wanting to know why such a drastic change???
Of course by now you know that my gripe is that the book is really slow and hard to understand in the beginning. After a while, the reader is able to get it and the ending is quite good for such a slow beginning.
London Eye is a good book with potential. I can see that the ending is really good, that it is something I want to read more of just cause I need to know what happens next. Hopefully the next book will fulfill my adventure.
March 10, 2014
London Eye is book 1 in the Toxic City series by Tim Lebbon which is noted as "The Hunger Games meets the X-Men" as a Goodreads description of the book. To be honest, it's not far off in the end. The X-Men don't come in until book 1 is almost over and this first installment might not be as catchy if you don't have book 2 waiting for you. Luckily I purchased the set so I could move right on and the missable ending from London Eye didn't matter. Book 2, Reaper's Legacy, is moving along nicely though and does give the full effect of "The Hunger Games meets The X-Men."
The story is about a biochemical attack on London (having taken place 2 years prior to the beginning of the story. London is closed off and no one is allowed in or out. However a little old lady finds a way and leads a small group of teenagers into the city to find their family members if they are still alive. A brother and sister from this group miraculously are left a photograph of their mother in the city remains so that they know she is still alive at least and guarantees their inclusion into the group sneaking into London's limits. Everything is not as it seems and the group of teenagers seems particularly naive although certain events are added to the tale to make them not appear so. Overall this is a good read although book 2, Reaper's Legacy, is better already than the first.
The story is about a biochemical attack on London (having taken place 2 years prior to the beginning of the story. London is closed off and no one is allowed in or out. However a little old lady finds a way and leads a small group of teenagers into the city to find their family members if they are still alive. A brother and sister from this group miraculously are left a photograph of their mother in the city remains so that they know she is still alive at least and guarantees their inclusion into the group sneaking into London's limits. Everything is not as it seems and the group of teenagers seems particularly naive although certain events are added to the tale to make them not appear so. Overall this is a good read although book 2, Reaper's Legacy, is better already than the first.
November 8, 2014
Book: London Eye
Genre: YA
Type: Audiobook.
Book rating: ☆☆☆
Narration rating: ☆☆☆
Review
This book is dressed up as The Hunger Games meets X-Men and I was like ooohhhh I'm having me some off that.........
Yeah well it was.......sort of.......near the end......A bit.
A couple of years after a terrorist attack in London, nobody goes in or out.........except those who already live there, some of them have developed powers.
Jack and his little sister haven't seen their parents since the attack, they think they are dead, however a photo that they see proves that their mother is still alive and living in central London.
With the help of some of their friends they embark on a dangerous journey into the centre of a broken city with many perils, including wild dogs, snakes and aligators, maybe lions and other animals escaped from the zoo ........oh and the choppers! !!!
An ok read but not sure whether I'm excited to finish the series or not 3☆
Genre: YA
Type: Audiobook.
Book rating: ☆☆☆
Narration rating: ☆☆☆
Review
This book is dressed up as The Hunger Games meets X-Men and I was like ooohhhh I'm having me some off that.........
Yeah well it was.......sort of.......near the end......A bit.
A couple of years after a terrorist attack in London, nobody goes in or out.........except those who already live there, some of them have developed powers.
Jack and his little sister haven't seen their parents since the attack, they think they are dead, however a photo that they see proves that their mother is still alive and living in central London.
With the help of some of their friends they embark on a dangerous journey into the centre of a broken city with many perils, including wild dogs, snakes and aligators, maybe lions and other animals escaped from the zoo ........oh and the choppers! !!!
An ok read but not sure whether I'm excited to finish the series or not 3☆
July 23, 2015
According to the description of this book, I was expecting ~ "The Hunger Games meets the X-Men in an exciting postapocalyptic debut."
Let's do this section by section. I don't know how in the HELL it was supposed to be Hunger Games. There was no battle, no competition. Because it was a ruined world? If so, that's what DYSTOPIA means, not comparing it to HG of which is is NOTHING like.
Meets X-Men. Um, sure. Of course this being like X-men is like Kool-aid is water. It's got water in it, but it's not water. This was not X-men. There's some powers, and we don't even see many, less than 10. There's no school, or training. There's some good against bad, but that's about it.
Exciting. Snort. I was excited over the end, because it was OVER. Dull and boring. And if I heard another word about how she was his "girlfriend" over and over and over and over again I was going to puke. We got it, the first 5 times. Geeesh. I won't give it a 1, because I reserve 1 stars for books I hate. 1.5 stars is pretty generous. Will not be continuing this series.
Let's do this section by section. I don't know how in the HELL it was supposed to be Hunger Games. There was no battle, no competition. Because it was a ruined world? If so, that's what DYSTOPIA means, not comparing it to HG of which is is NOTHING like.
Meets X-Men. Um, sure. Of course this being like X-men is like Kool-aid is water. It's got water in it, but it's not water. This was not X-men. There's some powers, and we don't even see many, less than 10. There's no school, or training. There's some good against bad, but that's about it.
Exciting. Snort. I was excited over the end, because it was OVER. Dull and boring. And if I heard another word about how she was his "girlfriend" over and over and over and over again I was going to puke. We got it, the first 5 times. Geeesh. I won't give it a 1, because I reserve 1 stars for books I hate. 1.5 stars is pretty generous. Will not be continuing this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews