What do you think?
Rate this book
The Killables #1
The Killables
Evil has been eradicated. The City has been established. And citizens may only enter after having the 'evil' part of their brain removed. They are labelled on the System according to how 'good' they are. If they show signs of the evil emerging, they are labelled a K . . . But no one knows quite what that means. Only that they disappear, never to be seen again . . .
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2012
51 people are currently reading
3927 people want to read
About the author
Gemma Malley
12 books470 followersGemma Malley studied Philosophy at Reading University before working as a journalist. She edited several business magazines and contributed regularly to Company magazine and the Sunday Telegraph before moving into the Civil Service in a senior communications role at Ofsted. The Declaration, her first novel for a teenage audience, and its sequel, The Resistance, were published to critical acclaim. She lives in South London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
May 10, 2017
All of the dystopian boxes were checked: love triangle, controlled city with dangerous people outside, evil "leader", caste system, arranged marriages. And, there were many borrowed elements: the leader was called the "Brother", as in Big Brother like 1984; having too many emotions was considered dangerous, as in Delirium; and teenagers were "Matched" - that word Matched was even used - by their parents, to be married.
As a matter of fact, every part of the story felt familiar and overused.
As a matter of fact, every part of the story felt familiar and overused.
April 20, 2012
What a hot mess. Why does every YA dystopian read need a love triangle? Why was there zero character development? What is the point of Raffy beyond constantly being annoying? Why does the timeline for this book seriously not work in my head? Why is the main character named Evie when V for Vendetta got there first? (This seriously bothered me the entire book because when I hear the name Evie my brain automatically reads it in Hugo Weaving's voice, so.)
The only reason this wasn't a one star read is because (a) it went quickly and (b) Lucas was the only shred of decent character work and originality in this book. But with lines like: "next to her was Raffy, deeply asleep still, his rhythmic breathing providing a slow tempo beat" - I mean, seriously?
I should really subtract that bonus star for the first two pages being a Wikipedia quote about the amygdala. Ridiculous.
The only reason this wasn't a one star read is because (a) it went quickly and (b) Lucas was the only shred of decent character work and originality in this book. But with lines like: "next to her was Raffy, deeply asleep still, his rhythmic breathing providing a slow tempo beat" - I mean, seriously?
I should really subtract that bonus star for the first two pages being a Wikipedia quote about the amygdala. Ridiculous.
April 27, 2012
This. Book. Was. Amazing! The Killables, a definite must-read by Gemma Malley, came into my possession on one of my frequent trips to buy out my local Dymocks. I was searching the shelves for something good to read when BAM. There it was. I had read the Declaration, and loved it, and I was intrigued by the blurb so I decided to give it a try.
An excellent Dystopian novel. Evie's struggle for understanding - to come to terms with whether or not the laws and regulations of the society she has known her whole life, and the society itself, are truly as 'good' as they make out to be. She seems to be in a state of semi-conciousness. She KNOWS that something is off about what is happening, but she has been conditioned to ignore that feeling and to doubt herself. She gets angry at her parents? Must be evil inclinations and she should repent and try harder. Having bad dreams? It is her fault because she refuses to try and be good and she is evil. It is a tiring life Evie lives and you empathise with her. You want to shake her and show her the truth.
My crash-course on The Killables:
- Evie lives in 'the City' where the Goods live.
- Goods are people who are not evil, but have the capacity to be 'tempted' towards evil
- Outside the City live the Evils
- They are evil and long to lead the Goods to the 'dark side' (sorry...a little too Star War-sy, perhaps?!)
- The Good's society is strict, regulated and stifling. People are graded - A, B and C being acceptable. D means you are in Danger of becoming an Evil.
- Evie longs to come to terms with how she feels about her Society.
- She keeps having weird dreams about being carried to safety by a man and a woman
- She is to be engaged to a boy who has the emotions of a Siberian wasteland and whom she does not love
- She is in love with that boy's brother who is trying to find a means of escape
- The City has eyes everywhere. No one is safe. It is all-knowing.
- There is a final grade. K. It stands for Evils, so they are told. Evils are given a New Baptism, to help them become good again. But really, K stands for Killable. Which means, they are to be killed without a moment's hesitation.
It really makes us ask ourselves whether our identity is with our society and the environment we grow up in or whether we ourselves have to break away from the norm and discover our own identity. Oh, and I loved Raphael. And Lucas. Though personally I couldn't pick between the two if my life depended on it. It would be like choosing between books or chocolate...you just don't go there!:D
An excellent Dystopian novel. Evie's struggle for understanding - to come to terms with whether or not the laws and regulations of the society she has known her whole life, and the society itself, are truly as 'good' as they make out to be. She seems to be in a state of semi-conciousness. She KNOWS that something is off about what is happening, but she has been conditioned to ignore that feeling and to doubt herself. She gets angry at her parents? Must be evil inclinations and she should repent and try harder. Having bad dreams? It is her fault because she refuses to try and be good and she is evil. It is a tiring life Evie lives and you empathise with her. You want to shake her and show her the truth.
My crash-course on The Killables:
- Evie lives in 'the City' where the Goods live.
- Goods are people who are not evil, but have the capacity to be 'tempted' towards evil
- Outside the City live the Evils
- They are evil and long to lead the Goods to the 'dark side' (sorry...a little too Star War-sy, perhaps?!)
- The Good's society is strict, regulated and stifling. People are graded - A, B and C being acceptable. D means you are in Danger of becoming an Evil.
- Evie longs to come to terms with how she feels about her Society.
- She keeps having weird dreams about being carried to safety by a man and a woman
- She is to be engaged to a boy who has the emotions of a Siberian wasteland and whom she does not love
- She is in love with that boy's brother who is trying to find a means of escape
- The City has eyes everywhere. No one is safe. It is all-knowing.
- There is a final grade. K. It stands for Evils, so they are told. Evils are given a New Baptism, to help them become good again. But really, K stands for Killable. Which means, they are to be killed without a moment's hesitation.
It really makes us ask ourselves whether our identity is with our society and the environment we grow up in or whether we ourselves have to break away from the norm and discover our own identity. Oh, and I loved Raphael. And Lucas. Though personally I couldn't pick between the two if my life depended on it. It would be like choosing between books or chocolate...you just don't go there!:D
July 26, 2020
Third time reading (24.07.20) and I still love it!
April 25, 2012
I only give this book three stars because I'm intrigued by the plot itself. I was thoroughly confused about why the book ended where it did, but I can live with that.
What I cannot live with is how much I actively hated some of the characters, Raffy in particular. His character never progresses past a possessive, petulant child and I found myself actively rolling my eyes at his constant whining. I understand the plot tries to set it up as he was young and believed his whole life that his brother lied to him, but that fails to truly come across and instead we are left with an unchanging, and utterly unlikeable character.
I also found it hard to believe Evie's sudden change into a strong character as she spent the better part of the book being guilted into things by Raffy. In the end, it wasn't clear that she actually loved Raffy, or was just used to only having him. I really wanted to like Evie, so hopefully that suddenly strength will last throughout the series.
In any case, I'll tune in to the next book for the answers to unresolved questions and to see how Lucas and Linus progress. I doubt I'll come around to like Raffy very much though.
June 10, 2015
This would have been a really good read if the writing was much better and all forms of development were more you know, developed....
Idea: Excellent
World Development: Executed Poorly
Character Development: Lacking
Plot Development: Horrible
Idea: Excellent
World Development: Executed Poorly
Character Development: Lacking
Plot Development: Horrible
August 14, 2012
*Contains slight spoilers*
The book that started my love for Dystiopian fiction. My school libary had Gemma Malley come to our school a week before the release of The Killables to promote it, i was lucky to attend and the book just sounded fantastic.
It was a great read, the introduction to the City wasn't overdone but covered enough so the story wasn't confusing. Evie's character was likable as you understood her situation and felt for her because of the pressing laws of the City.
Raffy was a character that i disliked due to absolutly no development and only stood out in the story because of his annoyance, Lucas on the other hand was an interesting character as you learned about his 'emotionless' being.
The idea of the story was interesting, but i felt there could have been more description towards their actions especially as at one moment they were at camp and the next they had destroyed the City, i felt we really needed to hear a bit of risitance from the City as it seemed all too-easy.
I can't see how this could be a series, correct my if im wrong but i do believe that all was sorted out in the first book, yes you have the question 'What now?' but i don't see how it could be a potential story line with out dragging on.
The book that started my love for Dystiopian fiction. My school libary had Gemma Malley come to our school a week before the release of The Killables to promote it, i was lucky to attend and the book just sounded fantastic.
It was a great read, the introduction to the City wasn't overdone but covered enough so the story wasn't confusing. Evie's character was likable as you understood her situation and felt for her because of the pressing laws of the City.
Raffy was a character that i disliked due to absolutly no development and only stood out in the story because of his annoyance, Lucas on the other hand was an interesting character as you learned about his 'emotionless' being.
The idea of the story was interesting, but i felt there could have been more description towards their actions especially as at one moment they were at camp and the next they had destroyed the City, i felt we really needed to hear a bit of risitance from the City as it seemed all too-easy.
I can't see how this could be a series, correct my if im wrong but i do believe that all was sorted out in the first book, yes you have the question 'What now?' but i don't see how it could be a potential story line with out dragging on.
November 6, 2012
This book is now my all time favourite book, it incorparates every possible level into it, Romance, Action, Fantasy, everything, i love the way the book makes you feel deeply for each and every character and has you in the same position as Evie, and i love the way that everything you read and thought in the beginning turns out to be a lie, but you don't know it when your reading it becasue you believe what Evie believes, the book finishes at i massive cliffhanger and especially the taster from the second book, (about 20 lines long) makes you jump up and down with impatience waiting for the second book. i also love the way that i have never heard any idea like the one represented and written in this book at all, it is absolutely and completely new, in comparison with books like harry potter, which are amazing and well loved, although it is clear that a lot of the writers inspiration has come from lord of the rings, however, this book is unlike anything i have ever read in my life, and i think that Gemma Malley deserves an Oscar for it!
July 26, 2025
Тази ""книга"" е просто 1984 след тежка лоботомия.
July 17, 2023
Trigger warnings: death, medical experimentation, dystopian society, gun violence, violence, blood, mentions of animal death, death of a parent (in the past)
Oh boy. This was published in 2012 and even if I didn't know that, I would have instantly known that just from reading the book. It feels like a combination of every popular YA dystopian book series from the peak of dystopian fiction - Divergent, Matched, Delirium, The Selection, The Hunger Games. There's a love triangle. There's a protagonist who's meant to be the perfect girl but finds herself realising that the world she lives in is not all it's made out to be. There's a weird "everyone gets part of their brain removed" plot line. And the whole thing just felt...generic and emotionless. All in all? Not for me.
Oh boy. This was published in 2012 and even if I didn't know that, I would have instantly known that just from reading the book. It feels like a combination of every popular YA dystopian book series from the peak of dystopian fiction - Divergent, Matched, Delirium, The Selection, The Hunger Games. There's a love triangle. There's a protagonist who's meant to be the perfect girl but finds herself realising that the world she lives in is not all it's made out to be. There's a weird "everyone gets part of their brain removed" plot line. And the whole thing just felt...generic and emotionless. All in all? Not for me.
February 24, 2012
I seem to be irresistibly drawn to YA dystopian reads - and this was one of the best I've read in a long time, the beginning of a new series that looks like it will shape up to be every bit as good as The Declaration trilogy. Gemma Malley writes so well, and is expert at drawing a vivid world peopled with strong young characters. This one is set in The City - a walled society set up after the end of the Horrors, where the Evils lurk outside the gates and people's lives are ruled by the System presided over by the Brother. Citizens are classified A to D, but sometimes K - when they are made to disappear altogether. It's a fairly well-worn story - Evie secretly loves Raffy, which is totally against the rules, and when he is due to be classified a K they escape the City and join up with a rebel force, finding out the truth about the world they used to inhabit. There's a great deal more depth than that though - people turn out not to be what they appear on the surface, and the story twists and turns beautifully. An excellent read, thoroughly enjoyed by this adult - looking forward to the next one. If you enjoyed Gemma Malley's first series, or The Hunger Games, or Lauren Oliver's Delirium, you'll love it.
June 29, 2012
You'd think Big Brother society + creepy religious undertones would be right up my alley, but the book ended and I kind of wished the bad guys had won (and, hey, maybe they do - it's the first of a trilogy, after all). The main character is totally passive and spends the whole book doing nothing, until the end where she has to be badass now, look at her being badass, omg she's so badass you guys. The "romantic" lead, in addition to being saddled with the unfortunate name of "Raffy" (that I kept reading as "Rapey") spends the book confusing pouting with brooding and arguing with the main character over stupid stuff.
So the book ends and the society is free now? And the main character is going to spend books 2-3 finding her parents? I think that was the resolution but it's hard to tell because nothing happened until it did. Whatever. I wish the zombies had come into the city and eaten them all.
So the book ends and the society is free now? And the main character is going to spend books 2-3 finding her parents? I think that was the resolution but it's hard to tell because nothing happened until it did. Whatever. I wish the zombies had come into the city and eaten them all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2017
Well, I think my five stars say enough since I rarely give five stars. I walked across this one in a bookstore in Amsterdam and the blurb sucked me right in. I thought the cover looked pretty fun and I was super excited to read it!
Well, I'm not gonna say what it is about, read the blurb and be surpised. But I think if you liked Divergent, her Declaration series and/or Delirium you'll love this one as well. If you didn't like those titles, well I hope you will still give it a shot. It's well written, the main character is human and so likeable. I liked the other characters as well, one in particular. Let's hope the second book will satisfy my need for certain things to happen ;)
Well, I'm not gonna say what it is about, read the blurb and be surpised. But I think if you liked Divergent, her Declaration series and/or Delirium you'll love this one as well. If you didn't like those titles, well I hope you will still give it a shot. It's well written, the main character is human and so likeable. I liked the other characters as well, one in particular. Let's hope the second book will satisfy my need for certain things to happen ;)
February 21, 2023
До някъде ми напомни на Химн на Айн Ранд. В това да заличиш индивидуалността си за общото благо, да си принизиш до дребна бурмичка, за да може обществото, като добре смазана машина, да работи гладко и безупречно. Добре е изграден образът на Града, дори перфектно. И добрите моменти свършват до тук. От момента, в който Иви и Рафи (що за имена на двойка) напускат Града, книгата се пропуква. Водачът на Съпротивата е нелогичен, хем жесток, хем добър, хем чаровен, хем непоследователен, пък какво намигане пада, ум да ти зайде. Намигаше нелепо във всяка ситуация. Кроят се коварни планове, екшъна върви на пълни обороти наш Линус намига. Вероятно има реален прототип този герой, защото подобна нелепица никой автор не може да съчини сам и да му е достоверно в собствената глава. Но за YA антиутопия бива. Май стана модно авторите да се насочват към тази аудитория, защото няма богат читателски опит да е по-критична. Като цяло в книгата има потенциал, половината е много добра, втората половина не толкова, но и по-зле може.
August 28, 2025
Добра и интересна идея, но за съжаление не много добре развита, а главните герои… стар съм за толкова неадекватни тийнове🤣
January 1, 2020
I've seen this book sitting on the bookshelf in the study for many years now, having belonged to my sister previously. Thinking to myself "Hey, why not?" I picked it up for the first time and started reading. First impressions: Haven't I seen this before? And pretty much, the more I kept reading, the stronger that thought became. A young woman, who feels out of place in this "too perfectly logical" dystopian society -- see what I mean?
Also, I wasn't convinced by the sudden character developments at certain points, for example when Evie finds out that Lucas really was good the whole time, the rest of the book she's thinking about how amazing he was, despite not really knowing this new "not-Robot" Lucas. I mean, yay he's good but do people really give change their trust in someone so quickly as that in reality? And that point takes me to the cliche love triangle, the one that never really resolves despite the "I love you" and the "No, but it's always been you". Actually, I just won't get into that one.
There were good points to the book, don't get me wrong. The neurological idea on which the story is built is different to some things I've read, and the concept was somewhat interesting and developed well.
I didn't dislike The Killables, I just think it might be better suited towards teens who maybe haven't yet had as much exposure to the many other dystopian teen fics around. It's got a good storyline and all the right dystopian elements for a YA book, that perhaps just get repetitive after reading similar feeling books for five years straight.
Also, I wasn't convinced by the sudden character developments at certain points, for example when Evie finds out that Lucas really was good the whole time, the rest of the book she's thinking about how amazing he was, despite not really knowing this new "not-Robot" Lucas. I mean, yay he's good but do people really give change their trust in someone so quickly as that in reality? And that point takes me to the cliche love triangle, the one that never really resolves despite the "I love you" and the "No, but it's always been you". Actually, I just won't get into that one.
There were good points to the book, don't get me wrong. The neurological idea on which the story is built is different to some things I've read, and the concept was somewhat interesting and developed well.
I didn't dislike The Killables, I just think it might be better suited towards teens who maybe haven't yet had as much exposure to the many other dystopian teen fics around. It's got a good storyline and all the right dystopian elements for a YA book, that perhaps just get repetitive after reading similar feeling books for five years straight.
June 20, 2014
The Killables Review on K-Books
It's no surprise to anyone how much I adore dystopia novels. It's one of my favourite genres and I have read and loved every single dystopia book I have read. I have heard so much about Gemma Malley before and have heard her dystopia novels are amazing. This is the first book by Gemma Malley I have read and I was really impressed with her writing and ideas.
Evil has been eradicated. The part of the brain that has to do with emotion and aggression, the amygdala, has been removed and when living in The City everything is perfect. But Evie feels things. Does that mean she is evil? All she wants is to be good. Good enough for her family. Good enough for her city but the more she tries to be good the more she starts to dream and feel. She and Raffy know that they are 'evil' from the cities standards but when Raffy gets labelled a K she knows that she needs to get him out of the city before something horrible happens. Escaping with him she is forced into a world that she always thought was dangerous. But is the real danger outside of The City or in it?
I really enjoyed The Killables. As a Psychology graduate I loved the part that included the amygdala and the parts of the brain to do with emotion. It eased my inner psych geek. I loved that it had a scientific basis of it. I also loved Gemma's writing style. It was an amazing world and Gemma really sucks you in right from the start and then doesn't let you go until you are finished. This book reminded me of Delirium at the start with the whole 'emotion is evil' part but it soon became a lot more original and I found the book really difficult to put down.
I really loved Evie's character. The Killables is really the story of Evie's self discovery. Of discovering what is evil. Of her discovering teh difference between what she has always been taught and what she is now learning to be true. I loved her and identified with her and I am looking forward to book 2 to find out more about her.
Raffy was the guy that I was convinced would be the love interest... and he is. I liked Raffy he was sweet and all but the more I read the more he really annoyed me. This was such a change for me as if any character annoys me it is usually the main girl. In this one it was Raffy. He was stroppy and always quite mean and cold to Evie that I found myself liking his brother, the one left behind more and more. I am very much looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the next books in the series.
The Killables was a great start to a series. It was a fantastic fast-paced, action-packed dystopia novel and I am really looking forward to reading more. It has aspects of other dystopia novels in there (Delirium and Uninvited) but I really enjoyed every moment of it. A definite must-read.
"Imagination shows an ability to lie, to pretend the world is different than it is."
It's no surprise to anyone how much I adore dystopia novels. It's one of my favourite genres and I have read and loved every single dystopia book I have read. I have heard so much about Gemma Malley before and have heard her dystopia novels are amazing. This is the first book by Gemma Malley I have read and I was really impressed with her writing and ideas.
Evil has been eradicated. The part of the brain that has to do with emotion and aggression, the amygdala, has been removed and when living in The City everything is perfect. But Evie feels things. Does that mean she is evil? All she wants is to be good. Good enough for her family. Good enough for her city but the more she tries to be good the more she starts to dream and feel. She and Raffy know that they are 'evil' from the cities standards but when Raffy gets labelled a K she knows that she needs to get him out of the city before something horrible happens. Escaping with him she is forced into a world that she always thought was dangerous. But is the real danger outside of The City or in it?
I really enjoyed The Killables. As a Psychology graduate I loved the part that included the amygdala and the parts of the brain to do with emotion. It eased my inner psych geek. I loved that it had a scientific basis of it. I also loved Gemma's writing style. It was an amazing world and Gemma really sucks you in right from the start and then doesn't let you go until you are finished. This book reminded me of Delirium at the start with the whole 'emotion is evil' part but it soon became a lot more original and I found the book really difficult to put down.
I really loved Evie's character. The Killables is really the story of Evie's self discovery. Of discovering what is evil. Of her discovering teh difference between what she has always been taught and what she is now learning to be true. I loved her and identified with her and I am looking forward to book 2 to find out more about her.
Raffy was the guy that I was convinced would be the love interest... and he is. I liked Raffy he was sweet and all but the more I read the more he really annoyed me. This was such a change for me as if any character annoys me it is usually the main girl. In this one it was Raffy. He was stroppy and always quite mean and cold to Evie that I found myself liking his brother, the one left behind more and more. I am very much looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the next books in the series.
The Killables was a great start to a series. It was a fantastic fast-paced, action-packed dystopia novel and I am really looking forward to reading more. It has aspects of other dystopia novels in there (Delirium and Uninvited) but I really enjoyed every moment of it. A definite must-read.
"Imagination shows an ability to lie, to pretend the world is different than it is."
August 17, 2020
This felt like a very product-of-its-time YA dystopian (that time being 2012): girl realises society isn't as great as she's been told it is, love triangle, revolution with kind of wacky leader etc. And this was okay! Kind of nostalgic, v tropey but okay, but then....
I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles, especially when brothers are two parts of that triangle, but Raffy was objectively trash? She saves his life and he's eternally bitter about her trusting Lucas, he never lets her make her own decisions (basically every man in this book is just telling her how to be/what to do and she kind of just goes along with it, even at the end with shooting Brother). Lucas is classic cold/distant older brother who has a soft side and was just being harsh to protect her!! I feel Lucas was only part of this triangle to provide angst when he self-sacrificed, Raffy was always the fated choice (when Martha was like!! he wants to punish you but he still loves you!! ~ yikes ~)
The biggest problem I had with this was its treatment of the "damaged ones". These people were tortured/experimented on and basically sent to work in concentration camps, and then they're being considered by the rebels as not human anymore? Idk it just felt like they were really dehumanised/treated as other because of their torture even by the people who were meant to be saving them? Like how they didn't have the capacity to be parents anymore, to know right from wrong, to do anything other than drool or scream or follow a bright light (Evie thought they were being used as cannon fodder and was v indignant about that but then oh look!! they think it's a game!! they're having fun!! everything is okay!!) I thought MAYBE that it was gonna be like okay Linus is also not good, he's got his own totalitarian view of how things should be but that never really happened? He was just kind of said to be wacky, maybe a bit revenge-bent to a fault, but his treatment of the "damaged ones" was never really questioned by Evie once she saw them in the city. They were also always like beautiful "despite" what had happened to them, which is a really bad way to refer to/talk about people with disabilities. I'm not in that community so I don't by any means have a qualification to talk about this, but I just think that as victims of horrible torture the "damaged ones" were treated really badly by the book and are dehumanised/used as a means to an end by even the 'good guys'
Basically a pretty generic dystopian with some problematic aspects, and a 'badass' main character who can't do anything unless a man tells her to do it. I love a good like 'they've been brainwashed all their lives and how they are challenging everything they know' kind of inner monologue/arc but this really wasn't it. A shame because I really liked The Declaration series back in the day (though idk if looking back I'd also see that's not the vibe)
I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles, especially when brothers are two parts of that triangle, but Raffy was objectively trash? She saves his life and he's eternally bitter about her trusting Lucas, he never lets her make her own decisions (basically every man in this book is just telling her how to be/what to do and she kind of just goes along with it, even at the end with shooting Brother). Lucas is classic cold/distant older brother who has a soft side and was just being harsh to protect her!! I feel Lucas was only part of this triangle to provide angst when he self-sacrificed, Raffy was always the fated choice (when Martha was like!! he wants to punish you but he still loves you!! ~ yikes ~)
The biggest problem I had with this was its treatment of the "damaged ones". These people were tortured/experimented on and basically sent to work in concentration camps, and then they're being considered by the rebels as not human anymore? Idk it just felt like they were really dehumanised/treated as other because of their torture even by the people who were meant to be saving them? Like how they didn't have the capacity to be parents anymore, to know right from wrong, to do anything other than drool or scream or follow a bright light (Evie thought they were being used as cannon fodder and was v indignant about that but then oh look!! they think it's a game!! they're having fun!! everything is okay!!) I thought MAYBE that it was gonna be like okay Linus is also not good, he's got his own totalitarian view of how things should be but that never really happened? He was just kind of said to be wacky, maybe a bit revenge-bent to a fault, but his treatment of the "damaged ones" was never really questioned by Evie once she saw them in the city. They were also always like beautiful "despite" what had happened to them, which is a really bad way to refer to/talk about people with disabilities. I'm not in that community so I don't by any means have a qualification to talk about this, but I just think that as victims of horrible torture the "damaged ones" were treated really badly by the book and are dehumanised/used as a means to an end by even the 'good guys'
Basically a pretty generic dystopian with some problematic aspects, and a 'badass' main character who can't do anything unless a man tells her to do it. I love a good like 'they've been brainwashed all their lives and how they are challenging everything they know' kind of inner monologue/arc but this really wasn't it. A shame because I really liked The Declaration series back in the day (though idk if looking back I'd also see that's not the vibe)
February 24, 2013
I thought the idea of this book was amazing and so different however I don't think the way it came across fullfilled it full potential as how good it could have been. For example I found the book very slow and whenever something shocking was meant to be revealed it was said in such a boring and casual way that it made it less shocking and less exciting.
It would have been nice if we could have got to know how Raffy felt more as I felt I couldnt love the relationship between Raffy and Evie because I didnt know enough about Raffy. I prefer the relationship with Evie and Lucas because I felt I knew Lucas better.
Overall I did enjoy this book even though it took me quite a while to read. However I definatly prefer the Declaration trilogy by Gemma Malley and I reccommend that if you want to read any of Gemma Malley's books you should start there.
It would have been nice if we could have got to know how Raffy felt more as I felt I couldnt love the relationship between Raffy and Evie because I didnt know enough about Raffy. I prefer the relationship with Evie and Lucas because I felt I knew Lucas better.
Overall I did enjoy this book even though it took me quite a while to read. However I definatly prefer the Declaration trilogy by Gemma Malley and I reccommend that if you want to read any of Gemma Malley's books you should start there.
May 29, 2013
Intriguing plot, but so poorly written. There was no build up of the story, it seemed to be just thrown at you all at once. Lacked any suspense, and the plot could be guessed early on. I persevered, but will not be reading the sequel.
January 1, 2017
The theme of love within this book does my head in, and other than the main characters being ridiculously stupid at times, it is a great read.
April 8, 2012
http://wandering-world.skyrock.com/30...
4,5/5
Sentiment 26 est mon premier roman lu de Gemma Malley, auteure de la trilogie La Déclaration. Ce qui est formidable avec Mme Malley, c'est qu'on a l'impression de connaître son écriture depuis toujours. Sa façon d'écrire est vraiment magnifique, on plonge corps et âme dans l'univers qu'elle nous offre. Nous découvrons par ailleurs qu'elle maîtrise vraiment le monde qu'elle a créé, et nous sert une bien belle dystopie.
Nous faisons ici la rencontre d'Evie, seize ans. C'est une jeune femme très respectueuse des lois de la Cité, lieu où vivent toutes les personnes dont on a supprimé le Mal en elles, et qui tente à tout prix d'éviter d'être piégée par le Système, car elle possède un secret qui pourrait faire chavirer son existence. En effet, elle est tombée amoureuse de Raffy, dix-sept ans. Sauf qu'Evie est promise au frère de ce dernier, Lucas ( qui a tout de même vingt-huit ans selon mes calculs ), depuis des années. Elle doit l'épouser et vivre toute sa vie avec lui. Mais, évidemment, rien ne va se passer comme prévu.
Mais ce n'est pas tout. Dans l'univers contre-utopique d'Evie, les êtres vivants possèdent tous une étiquette : de A à D. A signifie Admirables, B Bienveillants, C Convenables, et D Déviants. Et puis il y a cette étrange lettre, E, dont personne ne connait la signification. Evie travaille dans le service d'étiquetage de la Cité, ce qui permet une immersion totale dans le récit. D'ailleurs, cette idée d'étiquette ne vous rappelle rien ? Personnellement, il y a une phrase dans le livre qui m'a fait réfléchir : "on colle des étiquettes à tout le monde". Oh god ! J'ai bien l'impression que Gemma Malley a osé pousser à l'extrême cette expression pour nous livrer un monde où nous ne jugerions plus que par des labels imposés. Assez troublant, n'est-ce pas ? Car ceci n'est-il pas ce que la plupart des gens font aujourd'hui ? Haha, ça pousse à la réflexion, moi je vous le dis !
Bref, je m'égare. Comme je viens de vous le démontrer, on croit sans aucun mal aux propos de l'auteure, ce qui rend son récit vraiment palpitant et prenant. De plus, les protagonistes que nous suivons sont très touchants, très bruts de caractère, très humains. Evie et Raffy sont juste adorables. Ils s'aiment, et ça se sent. Les flash-back qui nous racontent leur rencontre et leurs habitudes depuis des années sont attendrissants. On craque sans peine pour leur idylle en apparence impossible. Quand à Lucas, c'est un personne très énigmatique au début du roman. Il est froid, distant, et agit comme une machine à ce que lui ordonne la Cité et son dirigeant, le Guide Suprême.
Très vite, ces trois personnages vont former un trio indissociable, et ils vont devoir affronter main dans la main les horreurs que la Cité a prévu de leur infliger. Car oui, tout est sur le point de changer dans la vie de chaque habitant de la ville. Raffy va être expulsé de la Cité, et Evie va décider de le suivre. Sauf que rien ne les a préparé à ce qui les attend. Et nous non plus, d'ailleurs. Si, au premier abord, on peut s'attendre à ce que l'histoire ait du mal à prendre son envol, très vite l'action prend le dessus.
En effet, même si les rebondissements ne sont pas énormes, il y en a tellement qu'on en a le souffle coupé. Le surprises s'enchaînent et se suivent sans cesse mais ne se ressemblent pas ! Evie, Raffy et Lucas nous en font voir de toutes les couleurs. Dans ce monde où le chaos et le mensonge règnent, la passion, l'espoir et la peur s'allient pour les détruire. Ainsi, Gemma Malley nous offre une histoire saisissante et fascinante, au coeur d'un univers aussi extraordinaire que choquant.
A contrario, même si j'ai vraiment beaucoup aimé Sentiment 26, il m'a manqué un petit quelque chose. Je ne saurais pas vous dire quoi exactement, mais je n'ai pas eu la flamme qui fait que je serais tombé amoureux du livre. En même temps, les premiers tomes des sagas dystopiques finissent par tous plus ou moins se ressembler. Du coup même si l'auteure parvient à innover, je n'ai pas vraiment été happé au maximum. Mais je ne doute pas une seconde que la suite de ce roman me conquerra entièrement vu la fin de ce premier opus !
En effet, la conclusion de Sentiment 26 est juste haletante ! Durant les dernières pages, tout s'accélère : l'action, les trahisons, les rebondissements, notre souffle, notre coeur. On panique, on se ronge les ongles ( j'ai encore mal aux doigts en tapant sur mon clavier ), et on se torture la tête à force de chercher des échappatoires pour nos héros. Bref, on est totalement saisis par la tournure que prennent les choses. Jusqu'à la dernière ligne, je n'avais rien vu arriver. La fin du livre est vraiment parfaite : il reste quelques questions en suspens ( mais pas de grosses interrogations qui nous tuent ), il y a déjà pas mal de choses qui sont mises en place pour le tome 2, et, surtout, l'épilogue, est très touchant.
En résumé, Sentiment 26 est un très bon roman, qui plaira très certainement aux accros du genre dystopique. A plusieurs reprises, il m'a rappelé le fabuleux roman La Forêt Des Damnés ( avec le Mur de la Cité et les Maudits derrière ) et mon coup de coeur Delirium. Donc si vous avez aimé ces deux livres, vous pouvez acheter les yeux fermés le nouveau roman de Gemma Malley. L'histoire est réellement captivante, les protagonistes sont formidables, et, même s'il manque un tout petit truc, on ne peut pas s'empêcher de replonger encore et encore dans l'univers passionnant qu'est celui de Sentiment 26.
4,5/5
Sentiment 26 est mon premier roman lu de Gemma Malley, auteure de la trilogie La Déclaration. Ce qui est formidable avec Mme Malley, c'est qu'on a l'impression de connaître son écriture depuis toujours. Sa façon d'écrire est vraiment magnifique, on plonge corps et âme dans l'univers qu'elle nous offre. Nous découvrons par ailleurs qu'elle maîtrise vraiment le monde qu'elle a créé, et nous sert une bien belle dystopie.
Nous faisons ici la rencontre d'Evie, seize ans. C'est une jeune femme très respectueuse des lois de la Cité, lieu où vivent toutes les personnes dont on a supprimé le Mal en elles, et qui tente à tout prix d'éviter d'être piégée par le Système, car elle possède un secret qui pourrait faire chavirer son existence. En effet, elle est tombée amoureuse de Raffy, dix-sept ans. Sauf qu'Evie est promise au frère de ce dernier, Lucas ( qui a tout de même vingt-huit ans selon mes calculs ), depuis des années. Elle doit l'épouser et vivre toute sa vie avec lui. Mais, évidemment, rien ne va se passer comme prévu.
Mais ce n'est pas tout. Dans l'univers contre-utopique d'Evie, les êtres vivants possèdent tous une étiquette : de A à D. A signifie Admirables, B Bienveillants, C Convenables, et D Déviants. Et puis il y a cette étrange lettre, E, dont personne ne connait la signification. Evie travaille dans le service d'étiquetage de la Cité, ce qui permet une immersion totale dans le récit. D'ailleurs, cette idée d'étiquette ne vous rappelle rien ? Personnellement, il y a une phrase dans le livre qui m'a fait réfléchir : "on colle des étiquettes à tout le monde". Oh god ! J'ai bien l'impression que Gemma Malley a osé pousser à l'extrême cette expression pour nous livrer un monde où nous ne jugerions plus que par des labels imposés. Assez troublant, n'est-ce pas ? Car ceci n'est-il pas ce que la plupart des gens font aujourd'hui ? Haha, ça pousse à la réflexion, moi je vous le dis !
Bref, je m'égare. Comme je viens de vous le démontrer, on croit sans aucun mal aux propos de l'auteure, ce qui rend son récit vraiment palpitant et prenant. De plus, les protagonistes que nous suivons sont très touchants, très bruts de caractère, très humains. Evie et Raffy sont juste adorables. Ils s'aiment, et ça se sent. Les flash-back qui nous racontent leur rencontre et leurs habitudes depuis des années sont attendrissants. On craque sans peine pour leur idylle en apparence impossible. Quand à Lucas, c'est un personne très énigmatique au début du roman. Il est froid, distant, et agit comme une machine à ce que lui ordonne la Cité et son dirigeant, le Guide Suprême.
Très vite, ces trois personnages vont former un trio indissociable, et ils vont devoir affronter main dans la main les horreurs que la Cité a prévu de leur infliger. Car oui, tout est sur le point de changer dans la vie de chaque habitant de la ville. Raffy va être expulsé de la Cité, et Evie va décider de le suivre. Sauf que rien ne les a préparé à ce qui les attend. Et nous non plus, d'ailleurs. Si, au premier abord, on peut s'attendre à ce que l'histoire ait du mal à prendre son envol, très vite l'action prend le dessus.
En effet, même si les rebondissements ne sont pas énormes, il y en a tellement qu'on en a le souffle coupé. Le surprises s'enchaînent et se suivent sans cesse mais ne se ressemblent pas ! Evie, Raffy et Lucas nous en font voir de toutes les couleurs. Dans ce monde où le chaos et le mensonge règnent, la passion, l'espoir et la peur s'allient pour les détruire. Ainsi, Gemma Malley nous offre une histoire saisissante et fascinante, au coeur d'un univers aussi extraordinaire que choquant.
A contrario, même si j'ai vraiment beaucoup aimé Sentiment 26, il m'a manqué un petit quelque chose. Je ne saurais pas vous dire quoi exactement, mais je n'ai pas eu la flamme qui fait que je serais tombé amoureux du livre. En même temps, les premiers tomes des sagas dystopiques finissent par tous plus ou moins se ressembler. Du coup même si l'auteure parvient à innover, je n'ai pas vraiment été happé au maximum. Mais je ne doute pas une seconde que la suite de ce roman me conquerra entièrement vu la fin de ce premier opus !
En effet, la conclusion de Sentiment 26 est juste haletante ! Durant les dernières pages, tout s'accélère : l'action, les trahisons, les rebondissements, notre souffle, notre coeur. On panique, on se ronge les ongles ( j'ai encore mal aux doigts en tapant sur mon clavier ), et on se torture la tête à force de chercher des échappatoires pour nos héros. Bref, on est totalement saisis par la tournure que prennent les choses. Jusqu'à la dernière ligne, je n'avais rien vu arriver. La fin du livre est vraiment parfaite : il reste quelques questions en suspens ( mais pas de grosses interrogations qui nous tuent ), il y a déjà pas mal de choses qui sont mises en place pour le tome 2, et, surtout, l'épilogue, est très touchant.
En résumé, Sentiment 26 est un très bon roman, qui plaira très certainement aux accros du genre dystopique. A plusieurs reprises, il m'a rappelé le fabuleux roman La Forêt Des Damnés ( avec le Mur de la Cité et les Maudits derrière ) et mon coup de coeur Delirium. Donc si vous avez aimé ces deux livres, vous pouvez acheter les yeux fermés le nouveau roman de Gemma Malley. L'histoire est réellement captivante, les protagonistes sont formidables, et, même s'il manque un tout petit truc, on ne peut pas s'empêcher de replonger encore et encore dans l'univers passionnant qu'est celui de Sentiment 26.
January 16, 2025
So, I thought I would like the book more based on the short describtion on the back because it really reminded me of The Hunger Games/ Divergent but the writing threw me off. Especially towards the middle when I was really getting into the story. It felt like a teenage girl wrote it on wattpad and I don't know, I didn't like the writing style.
Also, I couldn't really connect with the characters because they felt so shallow. As for the story it was fast paced but it still felt weird
Also, I couldn't really connect with the characters because they felt so shallow. As for the story it was fast paced but it still felt weird
March 23, 2012
The basic premise reminded me a bit of Delirium... only completely opposite. In Delirium, people are cured of love by an operation to their brain. In The Killables, it's the same scenario, but with evil being the object of removal from a person. Every child at birth is forced to undergo the operation which removes the part of their brain that is said to be the source of evil - of corruption and ill desires. Citizens are ranked with a number - A, B, C, D or K. You want to be as close to A as possible, because they're the good ones, those who follow the rules and haven't allowed for darkness to overtake them. But labels can be changed. People can move up or down on the scale. Those moved down are outwardly shamed and ridiculed. But are they really as evil as the 'Brother' claims? Those labelled a K are too far gone, completely overtaken by evil and they're never seen again. Where do they go? Evie is about to found out... but is it her or someone close to her with the dangerous new label? I guess you'll have to read the book to find out!
There is a fair bit of 'info dumping' in the first quarter. I know some people have a problem with that, but I actually like it because with these type of societies, I'm always wanting to know more about the history and science of their world. I found it helpful to have all the information laid out for me early in the novel, so we know the kind of twisted environment Evie has grown up in and why it's affected her in the way it has. She's heavily under the Brother's influence and believes there is evil festering inside of her, so she works hard at trying to suffocate those dangerous thoughts. But she can't change who she is, much as she tries, and as the novel progresses we see her slowly break free from her beliefs. At times I wished she had more inner fire and strength, but she obviously can't change overnight. Her entire world and belief system has been turned inside out. She does grow a bit stronger by the end of the novel, where it's clear she's a changed girl. But there's still plenty of opportunity for growth in the sequel.
Raffy is the main love interest, but I'm afraid to say he got on my nerves most of the time. More often than not he's hostile and sarcastic. I can definitely understand where his anger stems from, he's been treated unfairly his entire life and there's been so much hate and rage building up inside him. Understandably, he's wary of certain claims and actions his seemingly emotionless brother has made, trust is not something that comes easy to him. But his attitude and constant cynicism made me want to kick him. A lot. And I can't say I really feel the chemistry between him and Evie, especially for having such a long history together. Moments he shares with her when he's more tolerable, they just didn't have the desired impact on me to make me believe in their love.
Lucas, on the other hand, is the brother who intrigued me the most. At first, you'd be forgiven for not giving him a second thought, but as you learn more about him, carefully hidden layers rise to the surface, and he pulls you in deeper and deeper. You want to know what moulded him into the person he is, what emotions truly lay behind those cold, blank eyes. Is he really as robotic as he appears? He's probably the one I'm most looking forward to seeing in the sequel, because there's complexities to his character I want to explore more. Not to mention I'm hoping he becomes even more central in Evie's life. Although his age was kind of jarring, I thought he was younger than what I discovered halfway through!
The plot did engage me, not once did I set it aside because I was bored or uninterested. But there was just something... missing. I think maybe I didn't form a complete connection with Evie (and certainly Raffy). I can't really pinpoint it. I enjoyed it, I just didn't love it. And that's probably why I rated it a 3.5 rather than a 4. I see 3.5 as more like than love. But I still absolutely recommend it! The Killables presents a fantastically crafted world, Gemma Malley transports you right into the heart of this twisted, futuristic society made real by the solid foundations she's built it on. Horrifying truths come to light as Evie explores beyond the Brother's reach, but can she and her new friends right the wrongs he has inflicted upon the City? Layers, mystery and a touch of romance, The Killables makes for an engaging addition to dystopian shelves!
There is a fair bit of 'info dumping' in the first quarter. I know some people have a problem with that, but I actually like it because with these type of societies, I'm always wanting to know more about the history and science of their world. I found it helpful to have all the information laid out for me early in the novel, so we know the kind of twisted environment Evie has grown up in and why it's affected her in the way it has. She's heavily under the Brother's influence and believes there is evil festering inside of her, so she works hard at trying to suffocate those dangerous thoughts. But she can't change who she is, much as she tries, and as the novel progresses we see her slowly break free from her beliefs. At times I wished she had more inner fire and strength, but she obviously can't change overnight. Her entire world and belief system has been turned inside out. She does grow a bit stronger by the end of the novel, where it's clear she's a changed girl. But there's still plenty of opportunity for growth in the sequel.
Raffy is the main love interest, but I'm afraid to say he got on my nerves most of the time. More often than not he's hostile and sarcastic. I can definitely understand where his anger stems from, he's been treated unfairly his entire life and there's been so much hate and rage building up inside him. Understandably, he's wary of certain claims and actions his seemingly emotionless brother has made, trust is not something that comes easy to him. But his attitude and constant cynicism made me want to kick him. A lot. And I can't say I really feel the chemistry between him and Evie, especially for having such a long history together. Moments he shares with her when he's more tolerable, they just didn't have the desired impact on me to make me believe in their love.
Lucas, on the other hand, is the brother who intrigued me the most. At first, you'd be forgiven for not giving him a second thought, but as you learn more about him, carefully hidden layers rise to the surface, and he pulls you in deeper and deeper. You want to know what moulded him into the person he is, what emotions truly lay behind those cold, blank eyes. Is he really as robotic as he appears? He's probably the one I'm most looking forward to seeing in the sequel, because there's complexities to his character I want to explore more. Not to mention I'm hoping he becomes even more central in Evie's life. Although his age was kind of jarring, I thought he was younger than what I discovered halfway through!
The plot did engage me, not once did I set it aside because I was bored or uninterested. But there was just something... missing. I think maybe I didn't form a complete connection with Evie (and certainly Raffy). I can't really pinpoint it. I enjoyed it, I just didn't love it. And that's probably why I rated it a 3.5 rather than a 4. I see 3.5 as more like than love. But I still absolutely recommend it! The Killables presents a fantastically crafted world, Gemma Malley transports you right into the heart of this twisted, futuristic society made real by the solid foundations she's built it on. Horrifying truths come to light as Evie explores beyond the Brother's reach, but can she and her new friends right the wrongs he has inflicted upon the City? Layers, mystery and a touch of romance, The Killables makes for an engaging addition to dystopian shelves!
July 28, 2013
***MINOR SPOLIERS***
Browsing through the bookshelves, I was looking for something new to read when I stumbled upon this little gem. The title was what originally caught my attention so I grabbed it off the shelf and flipped it over to find out a little bit more. I knew immediately after reading the premise of the story, that this was something I just had to read! So that day I bought myself a copy, and dug straight into it when I got home.
Now keep in mind I haven't read a lot of books told from third person, but in this case, I think it worked out quite well for the most part. Other parts not so much, so for that very reason I've rated it 4 out of 5 stars. Despite this, it was still a very enjoyable and thought-provoking read! It really makes you question/wonder where the origin of 'evil' truly resonates. If you love Dystopian Novels like I do, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!
Most of the story unfolds through Eevie's perspective, which helped me get a proper feel for the character. On the other hand though, I felt as though there wasn't enough development within certain characters to make me feel much of anything for them. I feel as though this goes for Raffy (even though he is also one of the main characters and love interests.) I liked him enough in the beginning because he wasn't afraid to question things that he was unsure of. He fought to discover the truth behind the world he was living in. But I would have liked to see him mature a little bit more as the plot progressed because at times he came off a little bit too possessive/clingy, not to mention temperamental. In some situations his actions/feelings are completely justifiable because of the harsh rules/laws he is constricted to, but I still would have liked to see him grow a little bit more. Same thing for Eevie too.
Personally, the character I was most intrigued by was Lucas. I found his 'emotionless' exterior to be very unnerving, and at one point I had even convinced myself that maybe he was a robot after all! Haha! Anyway, his character always kept me interested and I was constantly compelled to find out more about him and what his true intentions/motives were. Was he good? Or was he Evil?
Linus and Martha were also very interesting characters too. Just like Lucas, there was so much more to them than meets the eye. All I can say without giving too much away is that they had rich back stories, which made them all the more lively. I’m not too sure on were I stand with Linus at this point in time though…Is he good or is he evil? I can’t quite tell… He has been good so far… but I’m still a little shady of him.
Now onto the ‘Evils’ that live beyond the ‘safety’ of the city walls. The truth behind them was VERY chilling. The kind of chilling that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I think what made it worse, is that’s its not all that hard to imagine a society that operates like this one. It’s a society that covers up what it doesn’t what to be seen.
The horrors are easy to compare to our modern day society. Cults are the perfect example of that because that’s exactly what the City is like. A single leader manipulates the people of his/her community to believe that the way they are living, is the only way to live. That what they stand for, and everything they do is for the greater good of its people. But it’s all under false pretenses. The real reason cult leader’s control people is because they are power hungry, and this is exactly what ‘The Brother’ is. Everything they (cult leaders) do is for their own personal gain, and unfortunately in this situation, ‘the Evils’ are the ones who suffer the most. Gemma Malley does an outstanding job of presenting a world that is all too frighteningly close to the world we live in, so I congratulate her on that.
All in all, I’m VERY excited to read book 2 ‘The Disappearances.’ The sneak preview sounds very promising and if it’s anything like the first, I know I’m sure to enjoy it.
-----
Phew… Wow… That was a really long review! If you read the complete thing, thank you for sticking it out with me until the very end.
HAPPY READING!! :)
Browsing through the bookshelves, I was looking for something new to read when I stumbled upon this little gem. The title was what originally caught my attention so I grabbed it off the shelf and flipped it over to find out a little bit more. I knew immediately after reading the premise of the story, that this was something I just had to read! So that day I bought myself a copy, and dug straight into it when I got home.
Now keep in mind I haven't read a lot of books told from third person, but in this case, I think it worked out quite well for the most part. Other parts not so much, so for that very reason I've rated it 4 out of 5 stars. Despite this, it was still a very enjoyable and thought-provoking read! It really makes you question/wonder where the origin of 'evil' truly resonates. If you love Dystopian Novels like I do, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!
Most of the story unfolds through Eevie's perspective, which helped me get a proper feel for the character. On the other hand though, I felt as though there wasn't enough development within certain characters to make me feel much of anything for them. I feel as though this goes for Raffy (even though he is also one of the main characters and love interests.) I liked him enough in the beginning because he wasn't afraid to question things that he was unsure of. He fought to discover the truth behind the world he was living in. But I would have liked to see him mature a little bit more as the plot progressed because at times he came off a little bit too possessive/clingy, not to mention temperamental. In some situations his actions/feelings are completely justifiable because of the harsh rules/laws he is constricted to, but I still would have liked to see him grow a little bit more. Same thing for Eevie too.
Personally, the character I was most intrigued by was Lucas. I found his 'emotionless' exterior to be very unnerving, and at one point I had even convinced myself that maybe he was a robot after all! Haha! Anyway, his character always kept me interested and I was constantly compelled to find out more about him and what his true intentions/motives were. Was he good? Or was he Evil?
Linus and Martha were also very interesting characters too. Just like Lucas, there was so much more to them than meets the eye. All I can say without giving too much away is that they had rich back stories, which made them all the more lively. I’m not too sure on were I stand with Linus at this point in time though…Is he good or is he evil? I can’t quite tell… He has been good so far… but I’m still a little shady of him.
Now onto the ‘Evils’ that live beyond the ‘safety’ of the city walls. The truth behind them was VERY chilling. The kind of chilling that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I think what made it worse, is that’s its not all that hard to imagine a society that operates like this one. It’s a society that covers up what it doesn’t what to be seen.
The horrors are easy to compare to our modern day society. Cults are the perfect example of that because that’s exactly what the City is like. A single leader manipulates the people of his/her community to believe that the way they are living, is the only way to live. That what they stand for, and everything they do is for the greater good of its people. But it’s all under false pretenses. The real reason cult leader’s control people is because they are power hungry, and this is exactly what ‘The Brother’ is. Everything they (cult leaders) do is for their own personal gain, and unfortunately in this situation, ‘the Evils’ are the ones who suffer the most. Gemma Malley does an outstanding job of presenting a world that is all too frighteningly close to the world we live in, so I congratulate her on that.
All in all, I’m VERY excited to read book 2 ‘The Disappearances.’ The sneak preview sounds very promising and if it’s anything like the first, I know I’m sure to enjoy it.
-----
Phew… Wow… That was a really long review! If you read the complete thing, thank you for sticking it out with me until the very end.
HAPPY READING!! :)
July 25, 2013
I recently read the book 'The Killables' by Gemma Malley, because it caught my eye in the library and I thought it sounded interesting, and relates to the topic we're studying in English class. "The Killables" is a dystopian fiction, set in the future where a power-hungry man has established a 'city' in order to eradicate evil from the world - therefore leaving the people as mindless puppets to do his duties. He has told the people that everywhere else in the world has been destroyed, and is patrolled by "Evils", those who are so evil they wreak havoc, and eat people. The novel follows Evie, who, like in all Dystopian novels, has found herself unhappy in her society, and wants to escape and rebel. Her and her secret boyfriend, finally escape the city and its regimen, only to find out the truth about the world. It's a novel that had me up reading for hours, because there were so many plot twists and I really wanted to finish it and figure it all out.
This book fits into the Bingo Board category, "A book relating to themes we've studied throughout the year", as it is a Dystopian novel. I quite enjoyed this category, and the genre of Dystopia because it's like looking into a whole other world, one where things are different, and I guess I like to learn about that.
My favourite quote from this book is not spoken by a character, but expressed by the author. "Imagination shows an ability to lie, to pretend the world is different than it is." I liked this quote because it's true - and relatable. People often disappear into their own heads, lying to themselves, about the world. And since this book was a dystopian fiction, it fits in perfectly. The citizens are constantly lying to themselves to fit in, using their imaginations to pretend their world is perfect - which is one reason why I liked it. I also enjoyed this quote because I often feel the same way. I lie to myself to believe that I live in a place where I can grow up and follow my dreams, whereas that's not always true.
A character I found was by far my favourite character was "Lucas", Raffy's brother and Evie's match (Her parents and his parents put them together to marry), a perfect citizen and a very high ranking official. Lucas was my favourite character because, for all his life since his father died, he had acted like a robot. Expressionless and emotionless... But only because he had to protect his brother. Inside, Lucas was helping people by warning them before they were about to get killed (He was the Leader's right-hand-man) and was a very good person. He was my favourite character because he was selfless and dedicated, someone I would easily like. He's also very sacrificial - He was in love with Evie, however let her be, because his brother loved her too. In all, Lucas was my favourite because he was kind, considerate and a brave human, and I admired him for that.
Something I learned from this book was that there is no "good" and "evil". It's the choices people make, and their actions can be read as "good or evil." Throughout the book, the Great Leader occasionally tried to destroy evil for good, by taking out the part of the brain that contained "Evil." However, it was discovered that part was the ability to choose, so no-one is actually truly evil - Evil doesn't exist.
This book fits into the Bingo Board category, "A book relating to themes we've studied throughout the year", as it is a Dystopian novel. I quite enjoyed this category, and the genre of Dystopia because it's like looking into a whole other world, one where things are different, and I guess I like to learn about that.
My favourite quote from this book is not spoken by a character, but expressed by the author. "Imagination shows an ability to lie, to pretend the world is different than it is." I liked this quote because it's true - and relatable. People often disappear into their own heads, lying to themselves, about the world. And since this book was a dystopian fiction, it fits in perfectly. The citizens are constantly lying to themselves to fit in, using their imaginations to pretend their world is perfect - which is one reason why I liked it. I also enjoyed this quote because I often feel the same way. I lie to myself to believe that I live in a place where I can grow up and follow my dreams, whereas that's not always true.
A character I found was by far my favourite character was "Lucas", Raffy's brother and Evie's match (Her parents and his parents put them together to marry), a perfect citizen and a very high ranking official. Lucas was my favourite character because, for all his life since his father died, he had acted like a robot. Expressionless and emotionless... But only because he had to protect his brother. Inside, Lucas was helping people by warning them before they were about to get killed (He was the Leader's right-hand-man) and was a very good person. He was my favourite character because he was selfless and dedicated, someone I would easily like. He's also very sacrificial - He was in love with Evie, however let her be, because his brother loved her too. In all, Lucas was my favourite because he was kind, considerate and a brave human, and I admired him for that.
Something I learned from this book was that there is no "good" and "evil". It's the choices people make, and their actions can be read as "good or evil." Throughout the book, the Great Leader occasionally tried to destroy evil for good, by taking out the part of the brain that contained "Evil." However, it was discovered that part was the ability to choose, so no-one is actually truly evil - Evil doesn't exist.
April 15, 2012
Like my reviews? See more at http://passionfornovels.blogspot.co.uk/
I really enjoyed this book, it is an interesting take on a supposedly Utopian future world. Where the hero has to be convinced that the System is evil too. I can tell this triolgy of books is going to be really good and it has been set up for what I can imagine will be a very exciting second book. Malley has created a well developed world in this book and has left it open ready for the second one to take flight.
At the start it was a little slow, but I always find that with dystopians, how are you going to eriadicate the dystopian world if you don't know what it is? The concept of this world is brilliant, a world where everyone is labelled according to how 'good' they are A is the best which Lucas, and then our heroine who is currently a B. Then there's Raffy; Lucas' brother who is about to become a K. No one ever sees the K's again and its a nice touch by Malley that we know what K stands for right from the start compared to the characters, obviously its 'killable'
The main character, whom we follow is Evie who is scared she is evil because of the recurring dreams she keeps having of a man holding her in her arms. Evie is a very strong female character at times but is lead very easily by Raffy. As you know from my other reviews I love secondary characters and in this novel the one that stood out for me was Linus, I won't tell you too much about him though, don't want to give it away. He is a very strong character who is quite witty and clearly intelligent, we see his true nature really come through at the end because he is a very secretive narrator to the main characters and the reader. Quite often the reader might question his true nature.
I found myself really disliking Evie's mother, which I find a lot in dystopian fiction -mothers are not nice. Perhaps if this wasn't the case the children wouldn't need to rebel? Who knows? And although Lucas and Raffy's mother were not mentioned I found myself disliking her too. But, being brought up in the system maybe they aren't to blame. I did like the concept of the 'evils' which Malley has developed in the novel. They are there to evoke fear into the citizens of the city to make them shy away from rebelling. But when the truth of the 'evils' comes to light? Well you'll just have to read it for that twist.
At times I felt I couldn't put this down, there were times where the action was riveting and others I just wanted to read on to find out the truth about the system. It has a cheeky bit of science in there, where you find out a little about the brain and an interesting extract taken from Wikipedia at the very beginning.
I really enjoyed this novel, but I think the best is yet to come from this series, I will definitely be trying to get my hands on the next one. Unfortunately I will have to wait til March 2013 for that! Malley has done an excellent job and it is well worth a read. Because I can't wait til 2013 I'm trying out her other dystopian trilogy of which The Declaration is the first in the series.
I really enjoyed this book, it is an interesting take on a supposedly Utopian future world. Where the hero has to be convinced that the System is evil too. I can tell this triolgy of books is going to be really good and it has been set up for what I can imagine will be a very exciting second book. Malley has created a well developed world in this book and has left it open ready for the second one to take flight.
At the start it was a little slow, but I always find that with dystopians, how are you going to eriadicate the dystopian world if you don't know what it is? The concept of this world is brilliant, a world where everyone is labelled according to how 'good' they are A is the best which Lucas, and then our heroine who is currently a B. Then there's Raffy; Lucas' brother who is about to become a K. No one ever sees the K's again and its a nice touch by Malley that we know what K stands for right from the start compared to the characters, obviously its 'killable'
The main character, whom we follow is Evie who is scared she is evil because of the recurring dreams she keeps having of a man holding her in her arms. Evie is a very strong female character at times but is lead very easily by Raffy. As you know from my other reviews I love secondary characters and in this novel the one that stood out for me was Linus, I won't tell you too much about him though, don't want to give it away. He is a very strong character who is quite witty and clearly intelligent, we see his true nature really come through at the end because he is a very secretive narrator to the main characters and the reader. Quite often the reader might question his true nature.
I found myself really disliking Evie's mother, which I find a lot in dystopian fiction -mothers are not nice. Perhaps if this wasn't the case the children wouldn't need to rebel? Who knows? And although Lucas and Raffy's mother were not mentioned I found myself disliking her too. But, being brought up in the system maybe they aren't to blame. I did like the concept of the 'evils' which Malley has developed in the novel. They are there to evoke fear into the citizens of the city to make them shy away from rebelling. But when the truth of the 'evils' comes to light? Well you'll just have to read it for that twist.
At times I felt I couldn't put this down, there were times where the action was riveting and others I just wanted to read on to find out the truth about the system. It has a cheeky bit of science in there, where you find out a little about the brain and an interesting extract taken from Wikipedia at the very beginning.
I really enjoyed this novel, but I think the best is yet to come from this series, I will definitely be trying to get my hands on the next one. Unfortunately I will have to wait til March 2013 for that! Malley has done an excellent job and it is well worth a read. Because I can't wait til 2013 I'm trying out her other dystopian trilogy of which The Declaration is the first in the series.
October 31, 2015
The idea was decent, even if it lacked originality, but the execution and characters were piss-poor.
Some of the worst exposition I've ever seen -- the beginning was one long information dump. The action comes across as one long paragraph after the other of "... and then..." Which didn't only make for flat, lifeless scenes, but made it easy to miss the significance of an event (or miss the event all together) when it was buried in another long, dully uniform sentence.
Writers (and all storytellers) are constantly told to show, not tell. You're supposed to unpack a scene or action so the significance or message comes across clearly to the readers without treating them like they're babies. Unfortunately, The Killables was one long spoon-fed tell. For example, there was a long series of paragraphs that explained that the men and women were separated at a young again in school, and later in work, to reinforce goodness and purity of thought and action. A comment about missing Raffy when they were separated as young children and another about Evie going to work on the women's floor would've sufficed. The readers aren't completely incompetent. We can figure this stuff out.
To top it off, Evie and Raffy are weak characters who develop very and ineffectively. Evie is pulled and pushed along by other characters for nearly 75% of the book. The few decisions she makes on her own are rash and contribute nothing to the plot. This could work if she were a compelling and empathetic character, aware and bitter of her own lack of action and visibly struggling against it. Instead she's tugged around by either Raffy, Lucas or Linus, who usually trying to teach her how wrong she is in some way, and how she just needs to follow and listen to them.
Raffy has no development at all, and remains sullen and vastly immature. His treatment of Evie borders on manipulative and controlling. He sneaks into her room at night after she tries to break up with them (not just ignoring her specific instructions to leave her be, but also endangering Evies well-being in a dangerous and corrupt system) and pushes her away and ignores her when she admits to him she kissed his brother once -- a kiss, initiated technically, by Lucas, a man nearly twice her age, who had just emotionally manipulated her.
Which leads us to Lucas and this so-called farce of a love triangle. It's obvious the angle for it is there. Lucas clearly has feelings for Evie. But wait, how old is Lucas? If he was fifteen when his father died thirteen years ago, that would make him around 28. Evie is mentioned as similar in age to Raffy, who is 17, if I recall, make her somewhere between 16 - 18. Which means Lucas, a grown man of almost 30, has feelings for a teenage girl. How disturbing is that?
This could've been a very different, meaningful novel if the author had taken a different approach to the subject. Instead it's a weak and offensive one.
Some of the worst exposition I've ever seen -- the beginning was one long information dump. The action comes across as one long paragraph after the other of "... and then..." Which didn't only make for flat, lifeless scenes, but made it easy to miss the significance of an event (or miss the event all together) when it was buried in another long, dully uniform sentence.
Writers (and all storytellers) are constantly told to show, not tell. You're supposed to unpack a scene or action so the significance or message comes across clearly to the readers without treating them like they're babies. Unfortunately, The Killables was one long spoon-fed tell. For example, there was a long series of paragraphs that explained that the men and women were separated at a young again in school, and later in work, to reinforce goodness and purity of thought and action. A comment about missing Raffy when they were separated as young children and another about Evie going to work on the women's floor would've sufficed. The readers aren't completely incompetent. We can figure this stuff out.
To top it off, Evie and Raffy are weak characters who develop very and ineffectively. Evie is pulled and pushed along by other characters for nearly 75% of the book. The few decisions she makes on her own are rash and contribute nothing to the plot. This could work if she were a compelling and empathetic character, aware and bitter of her own lack of action and visibly struggling against it. Instead she's tugged around by either Raffy, Lucas or Linus, who usually trying to teach her how wrong she is in some way, and how she just needs to follow and listen to them.
Raffy has no development at all, and remains sullen and vastly immature. His treatment of Evie borders on manipulative and controlling. He sneaks into her room at night after she tries to break up with them (not just ignoring her specific instructions to leave her be, but also endangering Evies well-being in a dangerous and corrupt system) and pushes her away and ignores her when she admits to him she kissed his brother once -- a kiss, initiated technically, by Lucas, a man nearly twice her age, who had just emotionally manipulated her.
Which leads us to Lucas and this so-called farce of a love triangle. It's obvious the angle for it is there. Lucas clearly has feelings for Evie. But wait, how old is Lucas? If he was fifteen when his father died thirteen years ago, that would make him around 28. Evie is mentioned as similar in age to Raffy, who is 17, if I recall, make her somewhere between 16 - 18. Which means Lucas, a grown man of almost 30, has feelings for a teenage girl. How disturbing is that?
This could've been a very different, meaningful novel if the author had taken a different approach to the subject. Instead it's a weak and offensive one.
October 10, 2017
If I had read The Killables when it was first published rather than now, after a whole host of incredible, original and addictive stories just like it had already graced my shelves, I think I would have liked it a lot more.
So with that in mind, let's talk about what's great about this book. The Killables is set in a time where everything runs by the book. If you have evil within you, they will find it (hidden in the part of the brain known as the amygdala) and they will eradicate it (meaning you) by sending you outside of the walls with all of the other evil people who will probably kill you. You become this breed of unlucky once you've been categorised by the system; the categories run from A (total suck up) through to D (social outcast) and then a K is thrown in for those people who are just beyond fixing (brain washing). I like the idea. It's definitely not the most original or exciting, in fact it ticks all of the typical, expected dystopian boxes - I guess it doesn't break the mould of dystopian YA. But it's cool, and the writing style kept me hooked actually which is great.
However, I struggled with Evie. Not only does she get herself trapped in a horrible love triangle, but she's also insufferably boring. She has very little character, which makes her very difficult to become attached to and she makes the most ridiculous decisions - who kisses a boy (who two minutes ago you hated, by the way) and believes every word that he tells you (despite him being a callous jerk your whole life before this moment). I just can't relate to stories in which characters make unbelievable moves like this. You just wouldn't blindly believe a jerk, nor would you be kissing him (particularly when you like his brother and were kissing him the chapter before!). I won't say I'm a romance reader at heart, so maybe this is why, but the implausibility of it just really annoyed me.
Nevertheless, the story moves at a really good pace and you do feel compelled to continue because it's written nicely. But are these characters you'll care about? Definitely not from my point of view. I think this is just a case of "not for me", I'm sure many other readers will enjoy this (and definitely would have when it hadn't been topped by lots of fantastic YA dystopians like now), but I don't think I could venture back into this world.
So with that in mind, let's talk about what's great about this book. The Killables is set in a time where everything runs by the book. If you have evil within you, they will find it (hidden in the part of the brain known as the amygdala) and they will eradicate it (meaning you) by sending you outside of the walls with all of the other evil people who will probably kill you. You become this breed of unlucky once you've been categorised by the system; the categories run from A (total suck up) through to D (social outcast) and then a K is thrown in for those people who are just beyond fixing (brain washing). I like the idea. It's definitely not the most original or exciting, in fact it ticks all of the typical, expected dystopian boxes - I guess it doesn't break the mould of dystopian YA. But it's cool, and the writing style kept me hooked actually which is great.
However, I struggled with Evie. Not only does she get herself trapped in a horrible love triangle, but she's also insufferably boring. She has very little character, which makes her very difficult to become attached to and she makes the most ridiculous decisions - who kisses a boy (who two minutes ago you hated, by the way) and believes every word that he tells you (despite him being a callous jerk your whole life before this moment). I just can't relate to stories in which characters make unbelievable moves like this. You just wouldn't blindly believe a jerk, nor would you be kissing him (particularly when you like his brother and were kissing him the chapter before!). I won't say I'm a romance reader at heart, so maybe this is why, but the implausibility of it just really annoyed me.
Nevertheless, the story moves at a really good pace and you do feel compelled to continue because it's written nicely. But are these characters you'll care about? Definitely not from my point of view. I think this is just a case of "not for me", I'm sure many other readers will enjoy this (and definitely would have when it hadn't been topped by lots of fantastic YA dystopians like now), but I don't think I could venture back into this world.
July 24, 2012
This book was pretty good.It was not excellent,but I've still enjoyed it.I didn't really like the love relationship that Evie and Raphael had.I would have better chosen Lucas -by the way,this name is sooo common ! Why does every author use this name for the "perfect boy" ?.I would have chosen Lucas because Raphael seemed to be really annoying at some parts.I hated it when he didn't want to entertain Evie,as Lucas could do.I hated it when Raphael was getting angry too fast and it seemed just like he would have blamed Eve for everything.The only thing that I loved at Rahpael was his appearece .I just loved it ! But I loved Lucas' too .Perfect blonde hair and perfect behaviour .Anyway,at first I loved Raphael.Evie was...quite perplexed.And obsessed with being good.Yes,I think I have a problem with the characters.The story was pretty good,but it did not impress me .Well,it did impress me,but not very hard.I knew the end of the book without reading it .So sorry that Lucas had to stay in the City,though :).It wasn't really that bad though,because I am excited for the next book .I really think it will be better :).I give this book 4 stars.Respect for Gemma Malley ! :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews