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This is the Night
In a world at war, four youths try to determine what’s really worth fighting for.
For more than twenty years, the Homeland has been immersed in a brutal, unwinnable war. Young men are drafted and sent to fight in a faraway jungle. Those who come back are scarred in body and mind. Lance, two weeks shy of turning eighteen, has watched his older brothers leave and his mother fall apart when they fail to return. He’s never imagined a different future for himself—until he meets an idealistic young woman named Lorrie and impulsively flees town with her.
In Western City North, on the edge of the Homeland, Lance and Lorrie move into the same building as Benny and Joe, two friends up for induction. Along with Alan, a young runaway, they frantically evade Registry agents intent on tracking down draft dodgers. With induction day looming and paranoia rampant, the only way for any of them to stay free is to uncover the truth about their uncertain world—and the forces seeking to control it. Jonah C. Sirott’s breathtaking debut is about hope, survival, and the challenge of pushing past the limits our world draws around us.
349 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2015
107 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
Jonah C. Sirott
2 books5 followersJonah C. Sirott, a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s MFA program, grew up in Berkeley, California. He lives in San Francisco.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 15, 2015
This book had so much potential. I adore dystopian literature and this had promise to be another great one. While it started out great, I really felt like the author thought to himself, "Um. I have no idea how to tie this together so I'm just going to stop writing." Rather than a true literary cliffhanger, I really did not feel like anything was resolved - everything was left unfinished, and so many great plot lines that had been developed abruptly ended with absolutely zero answers or closure.
July 7, 2015
This is the Night is yet another story of teenagers surviving in a new world order and struggling to make a life for themselves with a dash of romance – however, in this case, it was not done in a juvenile way. The Homeland is sending young men off to war, and Lance, Alan, Benny and Joe frantically try to evade the Registry agents who are attempting to recruit them against their will. This novel is dark and gritty, and nothing turns out the way it is expected to. The love story is unfulfilling and not even tragic because it is just depressing – but it works well in the novel. These characters are real and authentic and they never did what I thought they would do, keeping me on my toes.
I found it hard to get involved in the story for the first few chapters as it jumped from character to character with no sense of how they were connected. It was too abrupt to even guess how the plot lines might merge together, which I guess may have been the purpose. I did care enough about Lance/Lorrie and Alan to keep reading, but the Benny/Joe story line just couldn’t hold my attention – they never took on distinct personalities for me. Alan, labelled “Homeland Indigenous” and sent to an essentially residential school before recruitment, has no real idea about his heritage until he learns about the underground resistance movement, H.I.M. His storyline is a clear condemnation of our governments’ treatment of indigenous people within educational and other social systems.
Other socio-political issues are examined in the relationship between Lance and Lorrie. Lance seems sweet and kind at first, but he channels his rage against the Orwellian system of government into his abuse of his girlfriend, Lorrie. In turn, Lorrie abandons her anti-war campaign to focus instead on the imaginary lice that have pervaded her relationship with Lance. Instead of dealing with her abusive boyfriend, she finds a psychological outlet and ends up almost destroying herself. It is not until she regains her political power that she can rise above the anger around her.
There were certainly some large themes dealt with in this novel: corrupt politics, pointless war, mental health, divisions of class and race. However, I think they could have been dealt with more fully if the characters had been developed further. I also wished for more actual world-building – the circumstances and setting of the novel were very unclear. It just seemed like our world with different names for certain things. For instance, young men are being conscripted to a supposedly “unwinnable war” yet we are told almost nothing about it. This was a major theme that suffered for lack of development.
The ending kind of lost me as well – I felt all of the plot lines building together towards something big, but then it kind of fell flat. I don’t need everything tied up in a neat package, but I could have used a little more clarity. Overall, I enjoyed the concept of this novel, but it could have been developed further.
I received this book from Netgalley and Little A Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
I found it hard to get involved in the story for the first few chapters as it jumped from character to character with no sense of how they were connected. It was too abrupt to even guess how the plot lines might merge together, which I guess may have been the purpose. I did care enough about Lance/Lorrie and Alan to keep reading, but the Benny/Joe story line just couldn’t hold my attention – they never took on distinct personalities for me. Alan, labelled “Homeland Indigenous” and sent to an essentially residential school before recruitment, has no real idea about his heritage until he learns about the underground resistance movement, H.I.M. His storyline is a clear condemnation of our governments’ treatment of indigenous people within educational and other social systems.
Other socio-political issues are examined in the relationship between Lance and Lorrie. Lance seems sweet and kind at first, but he channels his rage against the Orwellian system of government into his abuse of his girlfriend, Lorrie. In turn, Lorrie abandons her anti-war campaign to focus instead on the imaginary lice that have pervaded her relationship with Lance. Instead of dealing with her abusive boyfriend, she finds a psychological outlet and ends up almost destroying herself. It is not until she regains her political power that she can rise above the anger around her.
There were certainly some large themes dealt with in this novel: corrupt politics, pointless war, mental health, divisions of class and race. However, I think they could have been dealt with more fully if the characters had been developed further. I also wished for more actual world-building – the circumstances and setting of the novel were very unclear. It just seemed like our world with different names for certain things. For instance, young men are being conscripted to a supposedly “unwinnable war” yet we are told almost nothing about it. This was a major theme that suffered for lack of development.
The ending kind of lost me as well – I felt all of the plot lines building together towards something big, but then it kind of fell flat. I don’t need everything tied up in a neat package, but I could have used a little more clarity. Overall, I enjoyed the concept of this novel, but it could have been developed further.
I received this book from Netgalley and Little A Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2015
Look: you can enjoy a book without liking any of the characters. Sure, it can feel a little empty - pointless even, sometimes - but it can be done. I've done it before.
But you need to care about continuing, even if you don't directly care about the characters. There has to be that internal push to find out what happens next. And, although I did finish This is the Night (and have given it two stars in part just because I did manage to finish), I didn't manage to care about any of the characters.
Lorrie was lead by her morals but felt like a faded watercolour of a person. The was personality there once, maybe, but it was long bleached out. Lance had no morals at all and felt like a quick line drawing on a napkin: a rough caricature of a person, no colouring in.
Alan was interesting, if not exactly likeable. Joe was likeable, if not exactly interesting. I'm not sure Benny was either. I wonder if this would have been a stronger book with a tighter focus, not split over five characters.
And, like I think many other people will find, the ending seemed abrupt. I do understand the need to stop the book where it did - it made sense, in a way. But it also felt incredibly unsatisfying. What happened to Alan?!
I do think this writer has potential but unfortunately this book has fallen flat for me. But, you know, this is a first novel. And, after all, I'm yet to write a first novel.
But you need to care about continuing, even if you don't directly care about the characters. There has to be that internal push to find out what happens next. And, although I did finish This is the Night (and have given it two stars in part just because I did manage to finish), I didn't manage to care about any of the characters.
Lorrie was lead by her morals but felt like a faded watercolour of a person. The was personality there once, maybe, but it was long bleached out. Lance had no morals at all and felt like a quick line drawing on a napkin: a rough caricature of a person, no colouring in.
Alan was interesting, if not exactly likeable. Joe was likeable, if not exactly interesting. I'm not sure Benny was either. I wonder if this would have been a stronger book with a tighter focus, not split over five characters.
And, like I think many other people will find, the ending seemed abrupt. I do understand the need to stop the book where it did - it made sense, in a way. But it also felt incredibly unsatisfying. What happened to Alan?!
I do think this writer has potential but unfortunately this book has fallen flat for me. But, you know, this is a first novel. And, after all, I'm yet to write a first novel.
November 25, 2015
I usually enjoy dystopian fiction, but this book really left me disappointed. From the book's description/summary, we know that the "Homeland" has been in an ongoing 20 year war in a faraway jungle that you men are drafted to fight, and that a series of individuals who are up for the draft ("induction"), are trying to avoid this war. The book promises, that "the only way for any of them to stay free is to uncover the truth about their uncertain world - and the forces seeking to control it."
The book starts by laying the foundation for this dystopian world, with descriptions of certain cities in the Homeland, such as Western City North, and the differing types of groups of people (Homeland Indigenous, Majority Group, Minority Group A through F, etc.) that comes with so much potential because, as a reader, you expect that all those labels, little mysteries unto themselves, will be explained and unraveled as we unravel the mystery of the war and all the politics/government surrounding it. Great stuff, right?
But the book never does any of that. There is no explanation given for the war. No explanation for the group names that appear to be integral to the fabric of the dystopian society. We get some decent character examinations of 3 of the primary 5 characters, but without the broader context, their character development is still lacking. Its almost as if the author wanted a dystopian setting but wanted to write a book exploring characters, and forgot that the beauty of dystopian fiction is the understanding of the setting, of the world in which all the actions takes place. Without understanding that backdrop, its harder to understand why the characters do what they do - its reading about characters action without any understanding of the context in which they act.
As a result, even though it had good pacing, and was generally well-written, it just falls short. This is punctuated in how the book just ends with what I would think is supposed to be a climactic point, but there's no feeling in it for the reader because its impossible to know the significance without the context of the dystopian world. I think the author forgot to let the reader in on his vision for the world he attempted to create.
The book starts by laying the foundation for this dystopian world, with descriptions of certain cities in the Homeland, such as Western City North, and the differing types of groups of people (Homeland Indigenous, Majority Group, Minority Group A through F, etc.) that comes with so much potential because, as a reader, you expect that all those labels, little mysteries unto themselves, will be explained and unraveled as we unravel the mystery of the war and all the politics/government surrounding it. Great stuff, right?
But the book never does any of that. There is no explanation given for the war. No explanation for the group names that appear to be integral to the fabric of the dystopian society. We get some decent character examinations of 3 of the primary 5 characters, but without the broader context, their character development is still lacking. Its almost as if the author wanted a dystopian setting but wanted to write a book exploring characters, and forgot that the beauty of dystopian fiction is the understanding of the setting, of the world in which all the actions takes place. Without understanding that backdrop, its harder to understand why the characters do what they do - its reading about characters action without any understanding of the context in which they act.
As a result, even though it had good pacing, and was generally well-written, it just falls short. This is punctuated in how the book just ends with what I would think is supposed to be a climactic point, but there's no feeling in it for the reader because its impossible to know the significance without the context of the dystopian world. I think the author forgot to let the reader in on his vision for the world he attempted to create.
Read
October 13, 2015DNF. Maybe I'll pick this up again in the future, but I can't seem to get into this story. It drags. It's boring.
December 26, 2015
Just an awful, boring book. No likeable characters, elusive plot, no point and no explanations. I just wasted hours of my life.
October 12, 2017
This Is the Night by Jonah C. Sirott is a post-apocalyptic science fiction full of mystery, suspense and a dash of romance set in a world that is gripped by an unending war, and emotionally scarred and bruised young men trying to avoid a lethal draft. In a way that is beyond comprehension, author Jonah C. Sirott strikingly painted a picture of the world in which the story is set, capturing the mood, emotion, and fear of the people, and the war razing round about, and how little they believe in the cause they were forced to fight.
Lance was a young man who had resigned to his fate. The Homeland had always been at war. Though his family had suffered, he knew his story was just one dark cloud in a stormy sky that was full of them, one of thousands. War was what was happening, what had always been happening. In two weeks he would be eighteen, and the same thing that had happened to his brothers would happen to him. Until he met Lorrie, he had never thought of inventing a different ending.
This Is the Night by Jonah C. Sirott is courageous but bleak and realistic. In a way, the author has painted a scathing criticism of the time we live in though the novel is set in the future. There are issues which he dealt with which are true – like substance abuse, crooked politicians and the great social divide which we encountered everywhere. The story of Lance, Alan, Benny and Joe who are desperate to dodge the Registry agents was suspenseful and keeps one hooked to the book. The story is engrossing but the characters could be been better fleshed though it does not take away anything from the book. Still, a highly entertaining read from a new author.
Lance was a young man who had resigned to his fate. The Homeland had always been at war. Though his family had suffered, he knew his story was just one dark cloud in a stormy sky that was full of them, one of thousands. War was what was happening, what had always been happening. In two weeks he would be eighteen, and the same thing that had happened to his brothers would happen to him. Until he met Lorrie, he had never thought of inventing a different ending.
This Is the Night by Jonah C. Sirott is courageous but bleak and realistic. In a way, the author has painted a scathing criticism of the time we live in though the novel is set in the future. There are issues which he dealt with which are true – like substance abuse, crooked politicians and the great social divide which we encountered everywhere. The story of Lance, Alan, Benny and Joe who are desperate to dodge the Registry agents was suspenseful and keeps one hooked to the book. The story is engrossing but the characters could be been better fleshed though it does not take away anything from the book. Still, a highly entertaining read from a new author.
September 10, 2018
I'm really torn about my feelings for this book. On one hand, the story line is uncomfortable and incredibly choppy. It's possible to bounce around between narrators to tell a story and this one doesn't get it right. This takes away from the story itself, which had potential.
On the other hand, it has a scary premise that seems to be relevant to the current political climate. Relevant is the idea that, since the men are all at war, if we have women do the traditionally male jobs like farming and road maintenance, it will give the impression that things are worse than they really are. Timely is the fact that Ideology 5 is never really described except as terrible and the original cause for the war, yet people hate it with such a passion and rally against it as a nation.
The characters all display terribly strong emotions about the state of things from their various perspectives and the author portrays this emotion very well. At least, the frustration and anger come off the pages clearly. The book does well as satire yet poorly as stories go.
On the other hand, it has a scary premise that seems to be relevant to the current political climate. Relevant is the idea that, since the men are all at war, if we have women do the traditionally male jobs like farming and road maintenance, it will give the impression that things are worse than they really are. Timely is the fact that Ideology 5 is never really described except as terrible and the original cause for the war, yet people hate it with such a passion and rally against it as a nation.
The characters all display terribly strong emotions about the state of things from their various perspectives and the author portrays this emotion very well. At least, the frustration and anger come off the pages clearly. The book does well as satire yet poorly as stories go.
May 18, 2017
When I first finished this book, I was unimpressed but it has stayed with me as I have revisited the plot and characters. A dystopian novel set in a "Homeland" that has been at war for 23 years against "foreigns," the narrative follows five teenagers who oppose the war, each for their own reasons. Media have multiplied exponentially until truth is not only relative but seemingly irrelevant. Those who seek to avoid war's violence become increasingly violent in their personal and political resistance, sometimes intentionally and sometimes with little choice, or victims of that violence, and sometimes both. The novel seems to suggest that there is little chance of escape without the means to do so and that, for most, resistance is futile and foolish. There is a glimmer of possibility for change but it is unclear whether politics as usual will expand or co-opt this opportunity. I suspect this will make a good movie when the screenwriter has a chance to fix the novel's flaws and enhance its strengths. It is certainly cinematic in scope and theme.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2018
Very disjointed
Had the feeling of over editing or missing pages. Strange ending. Seems like it would advance from one point to another with so little detail that it was at times confusing.
Had the feeling of over editing or missing pages. Strange ending. Seems like it would advance from one point to another with so little detail that it was at times confusing.
October 24, 2017
Yuck
Not worth reading. A waste of kindle space. Don't waste your time. Glad it was free and I didn't waste money
Not worth reading. A waste of kindle space. Don't waste your time. Glad it was free and I didn't waste money
November 22, 2018
Just weird.
That pretty much sums it up. The plot meandered around, but never really reached a climax. There’s a lot of social commentary, but again, the point of the commentary is unclear.
That pretty much sums it up. The plot meandered around, but never really reached a climax. There’s a lot of social commentary, but again, the point of the commentary is unclear.
Read
December 16, 2020Discarded.
November 1, 2015
This book had so much potential, but it fell short.
Usually I love reading about dystopian societies but this one left me lacking. The only thing I can think is that maybe there were too many things going on?
It was hard to follow the different unrelated yet parallel storylines and at times, I wasn't even sure where they fit into the overarching story. I think the sheer number of characters and plot lines may have helped to lose my interest. Maybe instead of trying to cram all of this into one 300+ page volume this may have been better explored as a series of books?
I did like the way the country the characters inhabited was subdivided into different sections or zones. This actually is brilliant, because it allows the reader to place the setting practically anywhere in the world based on their current surroundings. Being in America, with all our current political nonsense it was easy for me to pick out areas of North America as these different areas.
I would like to have seen the political aspect explored more. What exactly is "Ideology Five"? This wasn't really explained and left me wondering how this differed from the current Ideologies of the prime minister and the current ruling class. Who were the "Foreigns" and why exactly is this war still being waged after 22 years? Why aren't the people sick and tired of sending their sons off to die or come back maimed? The “Classification” aspect of all Homeland individuals and the treatment of the Indigenous was also thought provoking. I could have done completely without the unrequited love bent between Benny and Joe. Truly, I didn't see where this had any relevance in an already convoluted story line. As the book came to a close, the only real resolution was that the geriatric prime minister dies. The characters are left hanging, with no real resolution. I didn't hate it… but I didn't love it and I probably wouldn't recommend it.
Usually I love reading about dystopian societies but this one left me lacking. The only thing I can think is that maybe there were too many things going on?
It was hard to follow the different unrelated yet parallel storylines and at times, I wasn't even sure where they fit into the overarching story. I think the sheer number of characters and plot lines may have helped to lose my interest. Maybe instead of trying to cram all of this into one 300+ page volume this may have been better explored as a series of books?
I did like the way the country the characters inhabited was subdivided into different sections or zones. This actually is brilliant, because it allows the reader to place the setting practically anywhere in the world based on their current surroundings. Being in America, with all our current political nonsense it was easy for me to pick out areas of North America as these different areas.
I would like to have seen the political aspect explored more. What exactly is "Ideology Five"? This wasn't really explained and left me wondering how this differed from the current Ideologies of the prime minister and the current ruling class. Who were the "Foreigns" and why exactly is this war still being waged after 22 years? Why aren't the people sick and tired of sending their sons off to die or come back maimed? The “Classification” aspect of all Homeland individuals and the treatment of the Indigenous was also thought provoking. I could have done completely without the unrequited love bent between Benny and Joe. Truly, I didn't see where this had any relevance in an already convoluted story line. As the book came to a close, the only real resolution was that the geriatric prime minister dies. The characters are left hanging, with no real resolution. I didn't hate it… but I didn't love it and I probably wouldn't recommend it.
July 5, 2017
Honestly, I finished this book and thought "I just wasted two days."
This Is The Night was preachy and wordy yet still manages to seem like an outline of a manuscript. While the writing's not bad and develops very realistic characters, it doesn't balance its multiple plot lines well. Aside from Lance and Lorrie's story, the chapters following the other characters were too short to actually fully pay attention to.
My biggest problem is that it literally cuts off in the middle of the resolution. Lance and Lorrie barely had a plot, and although their story was the most developed, it stretched on far too long, to a point that it was hard to care about them, especially Lance. The stories of Benny, Joe and Alan seemed much more interesting, and if anything, drove the tension and conflict, only to be cut off in the last few pages with absolutely no resolution. If there had been maybe another chapter or two detailing what happened to them, or any of the characters that seemed to randomly fall in and out of the story, I would have given this a much higher rating. Great idea, and a lot of potential, it just felt unfinished.
It's obviously a thinly veiled allusion to Vietnam and the poor treatment of the Native Americans, yet all the names of places and groups of people are changed ever so slightly with what seem like working titles as to avoid being directly linked with American history. After the first hundred pages it starts to feel very tedious and lazy.
This Is The Night was preachy and wordy yet still manages to seem like an outline of a manuscript. While the writing's not bad and develops very realistic characters, it doesn't balance its multiple plot lines well. Aside from Lance and Lorrie's story, the chapters following the other characters were too short to actually fully pay attention to.
My biggest problem is that it literally cuts off in the middle of the resolution. Lance and Lorrie barely had a plot, and although their story was the most developed, it stretched on far too long, to a point that it was hard to care about them, especially Lance. The stories of Benny, Joe and Alan seemed much more interesting, and if anything, drove the tension and conflict, only to be cut off in the last few pages with absolutely no resolution. If there had been maybe another chapter or two detailing what happened to them, or any of the characters that seemed to randomly fall in and out of the story, I would have given this a much higher rating. Great idea, and a lot of potential, it just felt unfinished.
It's obviously a thinly veiled allusion to Vietnam and the poor treatment of the Native Americans, yet all the names of places and groups of people are changed ever so slightly with what seem like working titles as to avoid being directly linked with American history. After the first hundred pages it starts to feel very tedious and lazy.
December 1, 2015
An Amazon freebie. I got it started and hate to quit, but am not sure why I waded through it.
The Homeland has been immersed in a faraway jungle war for over 22 years. With no end in sight, young men continue to be drafted. Tuesdays are induction days and those that have been called for duty must report by 6 pm. And, when one reaches the age of eighteen it is time to report. Of course, knowing the right doctor (and having some Currencies) will earn them a deferment. (Sounds familiar and is reminiscent of another war in our history).
This book follows teenagers in their quest for answers about war and the manner in which to avoid the Registry. Ultimately they end up in Western City North and the search for answers continues.
The lacking infrastructure of the cities is well described and the reader is able to envision the school that one of the teenagers attends. The lack of available rooms in the Penitentiary speaks to the demise of the society.
This story takes forever to develop and I nearly gave up several times while reading it. I persevered, however, and the end was finally in sight. Trying to determine the reason for war is not an easy task.
Just an OK read for me with such a slow developing story. And, little resolution at the conclusion about the 'why' or the reason for war.
The Homeland has been immersed in a faraway jungle war for over 22 years. With no end in sight, young men continue to be drafted. Tuesdays are induction days and those that have been called for duty must report by 6 pm. And, when one reaches the age of eighteen it is time to report. Of course, knowing the right doctor (and having some Currencies) will earn them a deferment. (Sounds familiar and is reminiscent of another war in our history).
This book follows teenagers in their quest for answers about war and the manner in which to avoid the Registry. Ultimately they end up in Western City North and the search for answers continues.
The lacking infrastructure of the cities is well described and the reader is able to envision the school that one of the teenagers attends. The lack of available rooms in the Penitentiary speaks to the demise of the society.
This story takes forever to develop and I nearly gave up several times while reading it. I persevered, however, and the end was finally in sight. Trying to determine the reason for war is not an easy task.
Just an OK read for me with such a slow developing story. And, little resolution at the conclusion about the 'why' or the reason for war.
June 16, 2015
I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to read This Is the Night by Jonah Sirott. The world Jonah created is fascinating and really well written - I could picture the decrepit cities, the desperate people forced to fight a war that they don't believe in, the 'Big Brother' society. It felt gritty and realistic, and somewhat like a social commentary on the World we live in today (Orwell style) with dirty politicians, the point line, the reliance on the system and the themes of substance abuse, mental health issues and social divide. My one criticism is that personally I found it hard to connect with the main characters - they weren't, to me, particularly likeable - in fact at points quite the opposite and I found that quite frustrating. To me it felt as if the book ends abruptly and I would have liked to have known what happened to each of the individuals that you encounter throughout the story. Overall a good, interesting read. 3 Stars.
July 30, 2015
Actually it's 3.5 stars - a small distinction, I know, but I had some stops and starts with this one and I don't think it was my fault. lol...
From page one we are thrown into a complex narrative, which shifts perspectives with every chapter. We meet Lance and Lorrie who become lovers in the first chapter and are introduced to a world that seems extraordinarily different from ours. War has raged for 22, almost 23, years, with mandatory draft in place for all young men. There is tremendous poverty and racism and a prime minister who is in his 90s but never gets old.
While I liked the novel a lot, it took me a longer time to get through than I'd expected because the formatting of the book on my kindle smooshed words together and was a bit choppy so I had to continually review what I'd read. It's a tough book to recommend to others: fans of dystopian s/f?
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.
From page one we are thrown into a complex narrative, which shifts perspectives with every chapter. We meet Lance and Lorrie who become lovers in the first chapter and are introduced to a world that seems extraordinarily different from ours. War has raged for 22, almost 23, years, with mandatory draft in place for all young men. There is tremendous poverty and racism and a prime minister who is in his 90s but never gets old.
While I liked the novel a lot, it took me a longer time to get through than I'd expected because the formatting of the book on my kindle smooshed words together and was a bit choppy so I had to continually review what I'd read. It's a tough book to recommend to others: fans of dystopian s/f?
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.
July 11, 2016
This book sells itself as "action, thriller, and romance," when really it is none of the above. It was anticlimactic and overall incredibly underwhelming. There seemed to be no real plot, other than "gosh war sucks," and the ending concluded nothing. I don't even know how they can call this a love story, when the only romantic relationship that's really touched on in this book is unhealthy and abusive (and barely mentioned after the first few chapters).
The characters are so boring!! And are described with such amazing phrases as "her small breasts softly swaying beneath her dress," and “…his face was far wiser and more erotic than was reasonable for a boy his age.” (Erotic? Seriously? How can a face be erotic?)
I felt no attachment to the characters or the story. I only finished this book because I'm a completionist, but it felt like a chore. Save yourself some time and maybe pick up a different book instead.
The characters are so boring!! And are described with such amazing phrases as "her small breasts softly swaying beneath her dress," and “…his face was far wiser and more erotic than was reasonable for a boy his age.” (Erotic? Seriously? How can a face be erotic?)
I felt no attachment to the characters or the story. I only finished this book because I'm a completionist, but it felt like a chore. Save yourself some time and maybe pick up a different book instead.
January 14, 2016
This a well written but confounding book. I am left with the impression that the characters do not know much about their lives or the world they live in. As in many dystopian books, there is much left vague and unknown to the reader so that the characters are harder to read and predict. However, the author gives us direct insight into the characters' thoughts and minds. Unfortunately, this does not fill in the blanks for what happened to these people, their country, their communities, or the fate of the world in general. With the writing style, the plot and the character development, I was left a little short; craving more detail about almost everything: blackouts, specifics about the abused substances, the country's specific history, etc.. I would be interested in reading other works by this author to see if these same characteristics hold true.
July 26, 2016
I liked this book, and overall gave it three stars. I was hoping for a little more plot, and more of an epic ending; but for the most part it was enjoyable.
There are several characters to follow throughout the story; mostly they have their own chapters, but they blend a little in the end. I found the story easy to follow, and there were no words that I had difficulty with. There were a few curse words in the story.
I was hoping for a little more revelation in the end, and I am left wanting to know more of what happened. This story is very focused on the characters, and not what is going on much further from them.
I was thinking towards the end of the book that it might be setting up for a sequel or a series, but it seems that is not the case. I did enjoy the book and the writing style, but ultimately gave it three stars for a lackluster ending.
There are several characters to follow throughout the story; mostly they have their own chapters, but they blend a little in the end. I found the story easy to follow, and there were no words that I had difficulty with. There were a few curse words in the story.
I was hoping for a little more revelation in the end, and I am left wanting to know more of what happened. This story is very focused on the characters, and not what is going on much further from them.
I was thinking towards the end of the book that it might be setting up for a sequel or a series, but it seems that is not the case. I did enjoy the book and the writing style, but ultimately gave it three stars for a lackluster ending.
November 3, 2015
This is the Night is a story of a group of young adults coming of age in a world that has been at war for 25 years. Each of the characters struggle to navigate this world and what is expected of them.
My first reaction after reading the story was one of MEH, but it was only after I was talking to my husband about the book that I realized there was a lot of interesting commentary and topics touched on by Sirott. But in the end I still found the book unfulfilling.
Because of the topics touched on this could be a good book for a book club. If this is the type of story you like, I would recommend giving it a try.
My first reaction after reading the story was one of MEH, but it was only after I was talking to my husband about the book that I realized there was a lot of interesting commentary and topics touched on by Sirott. But in the end I still found the book unfulfilling.
Because of the topics touched on this could be a good book for a book club. If this is the type of story you like, I would recommend giving it a try.
March 15, 2016
I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review...
This was a terrible book, from start to finish. The characters were unconvincing, unlikable, and poorly established. The details were weak and poorly described. The plot and storyline was unorganized, dull, and lead absolutely nowhere. The book ended with zero questions answers, zero explanations, it just fell into this deep dark pit of nothing. I felt like the author had a "good idea" for a book, but no idea where to take it or how to put it together or let alone how to end it. This was just a bad idea altogether; a poorly written book that disappointed me on every page.
This was a terrible book, from start to finish. The characters were unconvincing, unlikable, and poorly established. The details were weak and poorly described. The plot and storyline was unorganized, dull, and lead absolutely nowhere. The book ended with zero questions answers, zero explanations, it just fell into this deep dark pit of nothing. I felt like the author had a "good idea" for a book, but no idea where to take it or how to put it together or let alone how to end it. This was just a bad idea altogether; a poorly written book that disappointed me on every page.
November 27, 2015
This book reminded me of 1984 with several different Winston Smiths. The problem is that the society is based on abstracts--a war no one know the purpose of, evil foreigns with an ideology no one can define, and a corrupt government with no real defined corruption. Everyone wants a revolution with no idea how to make it happen. Add in discrimination based on gender, race, and age discrimination and the story plays out like the Tower of Babel. All the while, Sirott creates imagery hinting at the attainable freedom that hangs just out of reach. Very interesting read and would be a great one alongside similar dystopian novels.
October 13, 2015
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A dystopian tale of the future and how a group of teens relate to it. Forced to become soldiers at a certain age, and sent to fight in a seemingly endless war results in dissatisfaction among young people, to say the least. Perhaps this book, complete with dirty politicians and class divisions is a commentary on our world to come. I found the characters strangely flat and did not feel a connection with any of them, resulting in a 3-star rating.
A dystopian tale of the future and how a group of teens relate to it. Forced to become soldiers at a certain age, and sent to fight in a seemingly endless war results in dissatisfaction among young people, to say the least. Perhaps this book, complete with dirty politicians and class divisions is a commentary on our world to come. I found the characters strangely flat and did not feel a connection with any of them, resulting in a 3-star rating.
November 28, 2015
The book just didn't go anywhere for me. I think that they story was too broad to be developed in a single book. There were times I would find myself asking where was the story going, but still felt compelled to continue to turn the page. It was a good enough idea for a storyline but just did not spark enough intrigue for me to captivate my mind to constitute what I would consider an excellent book. The fact that I did continue reading does count for something I would have to say, and credit should be given for that.
November 28, 2015
I quite enjoyed reading the book, I thought about it a lot in between readings. I liked the characters and their interesting developments in such a strange war-focused country with perhaps no hope at all for the new generations.
The main disappointment was the open ending, because I did want to know what exactly the war was about after 300 pages. I expect most people are frustrated with that, though I'm conditioned to know that happens sometimes. There was also a little too much sex for my preference.
The main disappointment was the open ending, because I did want to know what exactly the war was about after 300 pages. I expect most people are frustrated with that, though I'm conditioned to know that happens sometimes. There was also a little too much sex for my preference.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2015
I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. They just didn't go anywhere, and were bland at best, completely unlikable at worst. The story just meandered along, not going anywhere, and then just stopped. Despite this, I will probably give the author another go in the future. He has the potential to be a great writer, but this book isn't a great start.
July 24, 2015
I'll give it four stars because it was an interesting read with some pretty heavy themes. Kept me engaged throughout and there were some unexpected things that happened along the way. All in all, a good read.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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