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The Waning Age
In a parallel present San Francisco, Natalia Peña works as a hotel maid, practices martial arts, and cares for her eleven-year-old brother, Calvino. In this version of our world, all children start to "wane" when they reach Cal's age; by their teen years, they've lost their ability to feel emotion. But Cal isn't waning. When a mysterious corporation kidnaps him for testing, Natalia's reaction surprises her: she's crushed, and she'll do anything to save her brother from their experiments. But the road to his rescue leads her into the path of a dashing but troubled billionaire's son, a cadre of killers, and, eventually, the shocking truth about waning.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2019
31 people are currently reading
1528 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
November 21, 2018
It's present-day San Francisco, and ’The Waning Age’ is 10 years old. This means that at that age, it's expected that you will lose your ability to feel emotions. You will not only lose the ability to feel sadness, but also joy and everything in between.
Natalia Peña is the main character in this engaging novel, written as dated entries in a journal, and she has already waned. But her younger brother Calvino, who she calls Cal, has not, and he doesn't seem to show any signs that he will. Since their mother died tragically they have been living with foster parents, and while they show close bonds, it's only Cal who shows what would be recognizable as normal human responses to events around him, so much so that a company called RealCorp takes Cal to do tests on him to find out why he isn't waning.
They are also a major manufacturer of ’synaffs’ which are synthetic drops that basically only the wealthy can now afford in order to feel whatever emotion you choose. Ones that are bought on the street could be made of any unknown dangerous harmful chemicals causing the wrong emotional reactions. Most people instead choose to go through their lives feeling nothing, having forgotten what it felt like to have an emotion.
At the center of this illuminating book, beyond the fight that Natalia goes through to get her brother back from RealCorp, is a look at what humans are without their ability to feel. The absolute best sci-fi writing can feel so frighteningly real and believable, and this conversation about what humans are without - most importantly - being empathetic towards each other, touches on a nerve.
As someone who has always been emotional, having dealt with depression and anxiety and being the sort of person who has even lamented about how much easier life would be if I wasn't so empathetic (in contrast to others around me), this was eye-opening.
What has supposedly separated us from other beings is our ability to have emotions, to be ’sentient’, so what are we when we can't feel?
This is at the core of the characters in the book called Fish: they make me think of those who can commit baseless crimes without remorse or motive, they're basically psychopaths.
Questions came up in my head about how is this different from the thinking of someone who shows no emotion toward the victim and can commit serial murders.
What's the difference between thinking and feeling? How do we express emotion without feeling it? How do we have relationships without showing emotions? Is our own society going in the direction of where people aren't able to show or feel emotions? How have technology and social media contributed to this?
All of these questions come up and it really had me thinking!
I personally feel like one of the most essential problems today is that most people lack the ability to be empathetic towards each other. ’The Waning Age’ really made me sad (*emotion!) at the prospect of emotions disappearing altogether, good and bad, and how that would obliterate compassion completely.
Author S.E. Grove has managed to write a YA sci-fi novel that not only recognizes the bond between brother and sister, but she has also done some brilliant world-building, with just the right amount of action, and has brought some big ideas to the table. I will be thinking about this one for a long time, and I have already told a few other sci-fi authors about it.
'The Waning Age' is more profound than initial impressions would let on. And I have to say, this would make an excellent movie!
RELEASE DATE: February 5th, 2019 (add it to your TBR now!!)
Natalia Peña is the main character in this engaging novel, written as dated entries in a journal, and she has already waned. But her younger brother Calvino, who she calls Cal, has not, and he doesn't seem to show any signs that he will. Since their mother died tragically they have been living with foster parents, and while they show close bonds, it's only Cal who shows what would be recognizable as normal human responses to events around him, so much so that a company called RealCorp takes Cal to do tests on him to find out why he isn't waning.
They are also a major manufacturer of ’synaffs’ which are synthetic drops that basically only the wealthy can now afford in order to feel whatever emotion you choose. Ones that are bought on the street could be made of any unknown dangerous harmful chemicals causing the wrong emotional reactions. Most people instead choose to go through their lives feeling nothing, having forgotten what it felt like to have an emotion.
At the center of this illuminating book, beyond the fight that Natalia goes through to get her brother back from RealCorp, is a look at what humans are without their ability to feel. The absolute best sci-fi writing can feel so frighteningly real and believable, and this conversation about what humans are without - most importantly - being empathetic towards each other, touches on a nerve.
As someone who has always been emotional, having dealt with depression and anxiety and being the sort of person who has even lamented about how much easier life would be if I wasn't so empathetic (in contrast to others around me), this was eye-opening.
What has supposedly separated us from other beings is our ability to have emotions, to be ’sentient’, so what are we when we can't feel?
This is at the core of the characters in the book called Fish: they make me think of those who can commit baseless crimes without remorse or motive, they're basically psychopaths.
Questions came up in my head about how is this different from the thinking of someone who shows no emotion toward the victim and can commit serial murders.
What's the difference between thinking and feeling? How do we express emotion without feeling it? How do we have relationships without showing emotions? Is our own society going in the direction of where people aren't able to show or feel emotions? How have technology and social media contributed to this?
All of these questions come up and it really had me thinking!
I personally feel like one of the most essential problems today is that most people lack the ability to be empathetic towards each other. ’The Waning Age’ really made me sad (*emotion!) at the prospect of emotions disappearing altogether, good and bad, and how that would obliterate compassion completely.
Author S.E. Grove has managed to write a YA sci-fi novel that not only recognizes the bond between brother and sister, but she has also done some brilliant world-building, with just the right amount of action, and has brought some big ideas to the table. I will be thinking about this one for a long time, and I have already told a few other sci-fi authors about it.
'The Waning Age' is more profound than initial impressions would let on. And I have to say, this would make an excellent movie!
RELEASE DATE: February 5th, 2019 (add it to your TBR now!!)
February 14, 2019
What, and I mean this next part, the f*ck.
This book made little to no sense.
This book made little to no sense.
Read
September 20, 2019What are we without our emotions?
In a parallel San Francisco, Natalia works as a hotel maid, practices martial arts, and cares for her eleven year old brother, Cal. In their world children begin to "wane" when they reach their teen years. When Cal doesn't, it sets him apart, causing a mysterious corporation to kidnap him. To her surprise, Nat's crushed. The path she stumbles down to save him is more dangerous than she ever imagined.
Trigger warnings for violence and recreational drug use.
A story of a girl on a mission to save her brother. A story of love amidst an emotionless world.
Determined and full of what she eventually recognized as love, Nat found herself in unfamiliar territory when she decided to save Cal. In the beginning, Nat was an intriguing character, but her story eventually fell flat, as she seemed to be flawless. Being in Cal's head was far more interesting. His observations about the dreary world were colorful and insightful. The tests he was forced to take in captivity revealed what an intelligent, strong yet vulnerable young man he was.
While Nat was almost always void of emotion, her relationship with Cal was touching, genuine, and wholesome.
The foggy, crowded, parallel San Francisco, was incredibly atmospheric. From creepy corporations and glamorous, glitzy, mansions, to the extremely impoverished side of town, from people taking drugs to stimulate feelings, to those who had major problems with everyone else, the world building started out beautifully. Sadly, little exploration of the world and the lack of a back story explaining how the world got to its current state left the book feeling half-baked.
Though she masterfully balanced action packed scenes with the contemplative ones, S.E. Grove's novel was underwhelming and confusing. After Nat glided out of a few dodgy situations, the stakes just weren't very compelling anymore. However, this novel made me contemplative and grateful for everyone dear to me.
Action packed while a bit confusing, The Waning Age makes you value your emotions.
In a parallel San Francisco, Natalia works as a hotel maid, practices martial arts, and cares for her eleven year old brother, Cal. In their world children begin to "wane" when they reach their teen years. When Cal doesn't, it sets him apart, causing a mysterious corporation to kidnap him. To her surprise, Nat's crushed. The path she stumbles down to save him is more dangerous than she ever imagined.
Trigger warnings for violence and recreational drug use.
A story of a girl on a mission to save her brother. A story of love amidst an emotionless world.
Determined and full of what she eventually recognized as love, Nat found herself in unfamiliar territory when she decided to save Cal. In the beginning, Nat was an intriguing character, but her story eventually fell flat, as she seemed to be flawless. Being in Cal's head was far more interesting. His observations about the dreary world were colorful and insightful. The tests he was forced to take in captivity revealed what an intelligent, strong yet vulnerable young man he was.
While Nat was almost always void of emotion, her relationship with Cal was touching, genuine, and wholesome.
The foggy, crowded, parallel San Francisco, was incredibly atmospheric. From creepy corporations and glamorous, glitzy, mansions, to the extremely impoverished side of town, from people taking drugs to stimulate feelings, to those who had major problems with everyone else, the world building started out beautifully. Sadly, little exploration of the world and the lack of a back story explaining how the world got to its current state left the book feeling half-baked.
Though she masterfully balanced action packed scenes with the contemplative ones, S.E. Grove's novel was underwhelming and confusing. After Nat glided out of a few dodgy situations, the stakes just weren't very compelling anymore. However, this novel made me contemplative and grateful for everyone dear to me.
Action packed while a bit confusing, The Waning Age makes you value your emotions.
February 6, 2019
a story about people without emotions is a bit difficult to relate to. oddly I thought there would be some interesting philosophy or scientific discussion to the lack of emotions, but both the definitions of how people can still laugh and form personal connections without emotions as well as the lengthy science dissertations left me with more questions than answers.
January 25, 2020
What did I just read? The premise is interesting, but it turns out that reading about characters that supposedly don’t have emotions is painful. And, there was lots of telling and not enough showing. I almost DNF this but I’m not a quitter.
1.5.
1.5.
October 12, 2021
I don’t understand why readers had a hard time tracking with this book. The premise sounds like a gimmick, but it’s not. This is an important read and S.E. Grove has pulled off the impossible. A worthy read I couldn’t put down.
June 17, 2019
The premise was good...?
I feel like it's hard to pull of a world where people do not have emotions, and though I feel like the author didn't do a good job I still give her credit for trying.
That wasn't the issue.
My problems with this book:
#1: The main character was perfect. I HATE characters that don't have any flaws because it's annoying to have the character ALWAYS do the right thing. I feel like Nat lacked depth.
#2: It was disturbing. And disgusting. And not in a good way. There were several graphic descriptions and allegations that I felt were unnecessary.
#3: Some things just were never explained and didn't make sense. Like, what is a fish? Or, where did she get an electrical lipstick? I feel the author didn't do enough world building for this to make sense. And some of the dialogue was so banal and pointless. The only reason I continued with this book was the hope that it would eventually get better...
I wouldn't recommend this book.
I feel like it's hard to pull of a world where people do not have emotions, and though I feel like the author didn't do a good job I still give her credit for trying.
That wasn't the issue.
My problems with this book:
#1: The main character was perfect. I HATE characters that don't have any flaws because it's annoying to have the character ALWAYS do the right thing. I feel like Nat lacked depth.
#2: It was disturbing. And disgusting. And not in a good way. There were several graphic descriptions and allegations that I felt were unnecessary.
#3: Some things just were never explained and didn't make sense. Like, what is a fish? Or, where did she get an electrical lipstick? I feel the author didn't do enough world building for this to make sense. And some of the dialogue was so banal and pointless. The only reason I continued with this book was the hope that it would eventually get better...
I wouldn't recommend this book.
January 14, 2022
DNF at page 43. I must’ve picked this book up literally half a dozen times trying to get into it, because it was the only book I had with me at the time. I think the premise is really interesting: future society where people “age out” of having emotions, so basically everyone over 10 years old doesn’t have emotions unless you’re super rich and can pay to have them by taking certain pills. Interesting. And our main character is supposed to be one of these unfeeling adults, but literally every single thing she or any of the other unfeeling adults do is based on emotion. Why do they buy a cake? Because the little brother would enjoy it, so that emotion is empathetic or loving. Why do you stand by the people you know? Because you trust or love them. It goes on and on. These characters all acted with emotion and while that would be fine in a normal setting it completely devalued the supposed society the author was trying to create. It didn’t feel special or at all believable.
February 18, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I loved this author’s Mapmakers Trilogy (it is seriously one of me all-time favorites), and I was excited to see something new from her. This one was just okay though. It’s a future where people start “waning”, i.e., losing emotions, at the age of ten. But Natalia’s brother isn’t waning. She isn’t worried, as the age can vary by about a year, until he is taken to a pharmaceutical corporation for testing and never returns. She gets caught up in trying to infiltrate the company and take it down to save her brother. I think the author kind of tried to do too much with this premise, which sounded very cool. A few secondary characters didn’t need to be there and muddled the story, in my opinion. I would recommend this for grades 8+.
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October 22, 2023I don't really know what to do with this. It was a great premise and setting, but it's also a nearly impossible situation the author put herself into, trying to write something about people who don't have emotions but aren't sociopaths (except for all the sociopaths who are side characters). I felt like the worldbuilding didn't quite gel, the people didn't talk like people, and there was a weird Cops Are So Great And Noble thread running throughout that just didn't sit well with me. Meh meh meh.
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February 24, 2019Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Yawn
Drinking Buddy: Warm Water
Testosterone Estrogen Level: Typical YA Dystopia
Talky Talk: Emotionless
Bonus Factors: The Joy of Sects, We
Bromance Status: A Book That I Have Read
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Yawn
Drinking Buddy: Warm Water
Talky Talk: Emotionless
Bonus Factors: The Joy of Sects, We
Bromance Status: A Book That I Have Read
Read the full book report here.
March 9, 2019
A very interesting and difficult to write concept. I particularly liked Cal's explanations
April 18, 2019
Fun neo noir/hard boiled detective novel with philosophical undertones.
Read
October 26, 2024Grove has some confusion with the BART map and the Richmond bridge but does an otherwise impressive job navigating four Bay Area counties; I particularly liked the Dwinelle Hall allusion
February 21, 2019
2.5 it contradicted itself constantly
April 13, 2019
So, I want to start off by saying that S. E. Grove has come out with one of the most interesting middle grade trilogies I have ever read, which is saying a lot, so when I got the opportunity to read this ARC I was ecstatic. The concept of this novel is just as interesting as her previous series, plus there’s (kinda sorta) S C I E N C E. I can’t really explain why I really liked this concept of waning, but I think it’s because it deals with people becoming desensitized with not only violence but really everything around them. It had me like flipping through the pages as fast as I could.
I also really enjoyed the main character, Natalia (or Nat). I felt that, for someone who had already undergone the waning process she saw the world through an interesting lens. At one point she saves this elderly woman from a gang of “Fish” (individuals who used waning as an excuse to raise hell and cause trouble to the extreme). What got me was she did it without much emotion, but why would she do it if she didn’t feel something? I don’t know, up until the end that was how I felt about her. Her brother, Cal, is a a literal cinnamon roll and deserves all the love. He’s also a smart cookie and gives us as readers a different look at waning and what it could possibly mean.
Admittedly I felt as though there were some chapters that could’ve been cut in half, especially when one moment there was a bunch of action and then suddenly BAM! We hit this chapter where Nat’s motivation suddenly takes a turn? This may have just been me, but the writing seemed to like stop and go for me depending on the chapter.
Full disclosure (one of my favorite terms), I only received this ARC last week and haven’t completely finished it (I’m about 80% through) because of work/home stuff, but I’m genuinely enjoying the story. Yes there’s a bunch of stopping and going, but it’s not really taking me out of the story entirely. Granted, I suppose there’s still time for me to completely hate it, but for RIGHT NOW I’m really liking it! I’d say if you enjoyed the Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray (A Thousand Pieces of You, Ten Thousand Skies Above You, and A Million Worlds With You), Vicious by V.E. Schwab (I’d say this one because with no emotion I feel a lot of the characters are very morally gray), and sci-fi in general, I’d say check this one out! AND IF YOU HAVEN’T I’D definitely recommend S.E. Grove’s other series, The Mapmaker’s Trilogy, it’s interesting and epic.
P.S. Do you guys want me to update you with my like official/final rating when I’ve finished this? (Usually I don’t post reviews before I’m done, buuuut I was scheduled to post today soooo yeah. Also I don’t have a 3.5 star graphic, but as of RIGHT THIS SECOND that’s my rating lol)
I also really enjoyed the main character, Natalia (or Nat). I felt that, for someone who had already undergone the waning process she saw the world through an interesting lens. At one point she saves this elderly woman from a gang of “Fish” (individuals who used waning as an excuse to raise hell and cause trouble to the extreme). What got me was she did it without much emotion, but why would she do it if she didn’t feel something? I don’t know, up until the end that was how I felt about her. Her brother, Cal, is a a literal cinnamon roll and deserves all the love. He’s also a smart cookie and gives us as readers a different look at waning and what it could possibly mean.
Admittedly I felt as though there were some chapters that could’ve been cut in half, especially when one moment there was a bunch of action and then suddenly BAM! We hit this chapter where Nat’s motivation suddenly takes a turn? This may have just been me, but the writing seemed to like stop and go for me depending on the chapter.
Full disclosure (one of my favorite terms), I only received this ARC last week and haven’t completely finished it (I’m about 80% through) because of work/home stuff, but I’m genuinely enjoying the story. Yes there’s a bunch of stopping and going, but it’s not really taking me out of the story entirely. Granted, I suppose there’s still time for me to completely hate it, but for RIGHT NOW I’m really liking it! I’d say if you enjoyed the Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray (A Thousand Pieces of You, Ten Thousand Skies Above You, and A Million Worlds With You), Vicious by V.E. Schwab (I’d say this one because with no emotion I feel a lot of the characters are very morally gray), and sci-fi in general, I’d say check this one out! AND IF YOU HAVEN’T I’D definitely recommend S.E. Grove’s other series, The Mapmaker’s Trilogy, it’s interesting and epic.
P.S. Do you guys want me to update you with my like official/final rating when I’ve finished this? (Usually I don’t post reviews before I’m done, buuuut I was scheduled to post today soooo yeah. Also I don’t have a 3.5 star graphic, but as of RIGHT THIS SECOND that’s my rating lol)
March 11, 2019
I think this book just lost me. It also didn’t seem like the story built up to a climatic ending. It seemed muted or tonal maybe. The storyline seemed like it was going to hold my interest but halfway through I found myself looking at the page numbers and wondering how much longer can the story go on.
August 12, 2020
*DNF at 120*
I didn't connect with this book. I think that the premise was unique and something I've actually thought about, however, I didn't connect with the characters or the writing style.
We were told in the synopsis that Nat is very skilled in martial arts, but we didn't see her use these talents until page 70ish. If you took the scene out of the book however, it wouldn't do anything to the plot. It was filler to show her talents, and it wasn't moving the story.
Nat was very complex, and I get that people are complex. People however aren't always contradicing themselves when they're thinking. Sometimes, maybe, but all the time is a bit of a stretch.
Nat's thinking annoyed me, and the flashbacks felt overdescriptive and over played. It was also very hard to tell what was a flashback in Nat's mind, or what was happening in front of her that was making her remember something from her past. The descriptions of the emotions, also very annoying. I can tell what people are feeling by the way you describe their faces, you don't have to tell me how you learned to read said faces and how useful it is everytime someone feels something.
I felt that it was too easy to get to know where Cal was, but I didn't read the entire book because I got so annoyed that it was making the reading experiance unenjoyable.
Overall, I felt like the book could've been executed better, but it was a solid premise.
I didn't connect with this book. I think that the premise was unique and something I've actually thought about, however, I didn't connect with the characters or the writing style.
We were told in the synopsis that Nat is very skilled in martial arts, but we didn't see her use these talents until page 70ish. If you took the scene out of the book however, it wouldn't do anything to the plot. It was filler to show her talents, and it wasn't moving the story.
Nat was very complex, and I get that people are complex. People however aren't always contradicing themselves when they're thinking. Sometimes, maybe, but all the time is a bit of a stretch.
Nat's thinking annoyed me, and the flashbacks felt overdescriptive and over played. It was also very hard to tell what was a flashback in Nat's mind, or what was happening in front of her that was making her remember something from her past. The descriptions of the emotions, also very annoying. I can tell what people are feeling by the way you describe their faces, you don't have to tell me how you learned to read said faces and how useful it is everytime someone feels something.
I felt that it was too easy to get to know where Cal was, but I didn't read the entire book because I got so annoyed that it was making the reading experiance unenjoyable.
Overall, I felt like the book could've been executed better, but it was a solid premise.
November 7, 2019
The Waning Age by S.E. Grove, 333 pages. Viking (Penguin), 2019. $19
Language: R (12 swears, 1 “f”); Mature Content: PG (sexual harassment); Violence: PG-13 (described suicide, bloody fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Natalia lives with her little brother, Cal, in a world where most everyone loses their emotions as they mature. Except that Cal is still the same exuberant young man he has always been. One day Cal is called in for extra testing at school and then he is whisked away – adopted even – by a corporation which wants to understand what makes him tick. With the help of a few concerned friends and a new (love?) interest Natalia is still not sure that she will succeed.
Grove mimics the feel of the world in her writing – conveying the dull feel of an emotionless world at the beginning and then ramping up the emotion as Cal becomes imperiled and Natalia rises to the occasion. Most readers will have a hard time with the duller start., though, and I am not sure that they will persist with reading.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
Language: R (12 swears, 1 “f”); Mature Content: PG (sexual harassment); Violence: PG-13 (described suicide, bloody fighting)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Natalia lives with her little brother, Cal, in a world where most everyone loses their emotions as they mature. Except that Cal is still the same exuberant young man he has always been. One day Cal is called in for extra testing at school and then he is whisked away – adopted even – by a corporation which wants to understand what makes him tick. With the help of a few concerned friends and a new (love?) interest Natalia is still not sure that she will succeed.
Grove mimics the feel of the world in her writing – conveying the dull feel of an emotionless world at the beginning and then ramping up the emotion as Cal becomes imperiled and Natalia rises to the occasion. Most readers will have a hard time with the duller start., though, and I am not sure that they will persist with reading.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
October 23, 2018
A Black Mirror-esque standalone with terrific worldbuilding, The Waning Age will appeal to anyone with a taste for the unusual. Nat, a maid in a futuristic city, cares for her younger brother diligently and devotedly, despite the fact that her "waning" means she is devoid of emotion. When her brother is abducted, Nat is confused by the determination that arises in her but there's only one solution: to get him back.
March 4, 2019
In the present day of S.E. Grove’s THE WANING AGE, people no longer feel anything. Due to unknown reasons and phenomenon, people lose all of their emotions starting around their teens in a process called “waning.” Society is now made up of adults without any emotion or feelings whatsoever, and kids who are just waiting for their own waning to occur. The only means in which one can experience emotion are synaffs, synthetic drugs that replicate the feelings of emotions, ranging from blissful highs to intense fear.
In San Francisco, Natalia Peña works at a hotel as a housekeeper, while at home she takes care of her little brother, Calviño, a bright kid who’s unusually strong with his emotions despite being of the right age for waning. When Calviño undergoes a series of unusual tests at school that result in him essentially being kidnapped by RealCorp, a monopolistic corporation that manufactures synaffs, Natalia is desperate to get him back. However, to go up against one of the world’s largest companies is no easy feat. Relying on the help of a few friends and foes, and along with her own set of martial arts skills and keen eye, Natalia sets off to take back her brother from RealCorp, and uncover the mysteries behind her own family past and the origins of waning.
Historical fiction author S.E. Grove is no stranger to alternate reality universes, as seen in her previous work in The Mapmakers Trilogy with its emphasis on a different late 19th century world populated by familiar yet different societies and cultures. In THE WANING AGE, looking more towards the future than the past, S.E. Grove asks what the implications are of living in a world where all of our feelings, good or bad, are gone, and what we are willing to do or sacrifice for the people we deem important.
With this book, there were a lot of things Grove did exceptionally well. The world-building is fantastic. The way she describes the state of society and regular encounters through the lenses of an ordinary citizen in this extraordinary world pulled me into the reading and engaged me with a sense of excitement and curiosity. With her careful attention to detail and tidbits of daily life, this strange society comes alive. I could easily visualize what is what, going on where, why the people dress or act the way they are, the environment of a place and more. I also found most of the characters are well-written and sound realistic for the setting of the book. Calviño, with his own experiences throughout the novel and dominant beliefs juxtaposed with that of the main story and the other characters, is intriguing and isn’t like other “damsel in distress” tropes that are common in these types of books.
Equally intriguing is how the absence of emotion and its effects on people are portrayed. Without emotion, people rely on different beliefs and values to guide them and their actions. I found what people choose and why to be a really captivating part of this book. Some rely on books and history to guide them (and their fashion choices), while others use their moral compass. Lastly, the themes of the novel regarding love, family and hope and how Grove explores these ideas in-depth are noteworthy. I found myself thinking about them when I flipped that last page over.
However, THE WANING AGE does have its fair share of issues. The writing at times seems a bit off and awkward, like it doesn’t really fit in with the tone of a situation. The metaphors and descriptions Grove uses to characterize something like Natalia’s internal monologue occasionally took me out of the novel and took away from my enjoyment of reading. Also, Natalia herself feels a bit like a “Mary Sue” character. The fact that she’s a brilliant fighter who’s also really smart and cunning seems to take away from the intensity of certain situations. Again, she’s not entirely perfect, but the fact that she seems to be good at nearly everything she does takes way from immersion a bit.
Overall, THE WANING AGE is a strong novel, perfect for readers looking for a strong action and suspense book without romance. And, with a length of 333 pages, it’s a medium length novel that will keep you reading on. If you delve into this book, I can promise you won’t be disappointed.
In San Francisco, Natalia Peña works at a hotel as a housekeeper, while at home she takes care of her little brother, Calviño, a bright kid who’s unusually strong with his emotions despite being of the right age for waning. When Calviño undergoes a series of unusual tests at school that result in him essentially being kidnapped by RealCorp, a monopolistic corporation that manufactures synaffs, Natalia is desperate to get him back. However, to go up against one of the world’s largest companies is no easy feat. Relying on the help of a few friends and foes, and along with her own set of martial arts skills and keen eye, Natalia sets off to take back her brother from RealCorp, and uncover the mysteries behind her own family past and the origins of waning.
Historical fiction author S.E. Grove is no stranger to alternate reality universes, as seen in her previous work in The Mapmakers Trilogy with its emphasis on a different late 19th century world populated by familiar yet different societies and cultures. In THE WANING AGE, looking more towards the future than the past, S.E. Grove asks what the implications are of living in a world where all of our feelings, good or bad, are gone, and what we are willing to do or sacrifice for the people we deem important.
With this book, there were a lot of things Grove did exceptionally well. The world-building is fantastic. The way she describes the state of society and regular encounters through the lenses of an ordinary citizen in this extraordinary world pulled me into the reading and engaged me with a sense of excitement and curiosity. With her careful attention to detail and tidbits of daily life, this strange society comes alive. I could easily visualize what is what, going on where, why the people dress or act the way they are, the environment of a place and more. I also found most of the characters are well-written and sound realistic for the setting of the book. Calviño, with his own experiences throughout the novel and dominant beliefs juxtaposed with that of the main story and the other characters, is intriguing and isn’t like other “damsel in distress” tropes that are common in these types of books.
Equally intriguing is how the absence of emotion and its effects on people are portrayed. Without emotion, people rely on different beliefs and values to guide them and their actions. I found what people choose and why to be a really captivating part of this book. Some rely on books and history to guide them (and their fashion choices), while others use their moral compass. Lastly, the themes of the novel regarding love, family and hope and how Grove explores these ideas in-depth are noteworthy. I found myself thinking about them when I flipped that last page over.
However, THE WANING AGE does have its fair share of issues. The writing at times seems a bit off and awkward, like it doesn’t really fit in with the tone of a situation. The metaphors and descriptions Grove uses to characterize something like Natalia’s internal monologue occasionally took me out of the novel and took away from my enjoyment of reading. Also, Natalia herself feels a bit like a “Mary Sue” character. The fact that she’s a brilliant fighter who’s also really smart and cunning seems to take away from the intensity of certain situations. Again, she’s not entirely perfect, but the fact that she seems to be good at nearly everything she does takes way from immersion a bit.
Overall, THE WANING AGE is a strong novel, perfect for readers looking for a strong action and suspense book without romance. And, with a length of 333 pages, it’s a medium length novel that will keep you reading on. If you delve into this book, I can promise you won’t be disappointed.
dnf
July 23, 2019You can read my review, and others like it on my blog at: musingsbetweenthepages.home.blog/2019...
I tried. I really did try with this book. Many reviewers who marked this book down (as it stands currently at a 3.37 average rating on Goodreads) did so because the world-building was utterly confusing for them. I can see that, but I wasn't fully bothered by it since it is an alternate reality. Some parts had me second-guessing, like how each person had an era that they stuck with (some loved the 70s, 80s, grunge 90s and dressed as such), or that we do not really know what time or year it is, and the lack of explanations of what was legit going on. That did throw me for a few loops, but I continued, thinking it would get explained more in-depth later on. That did not happen, or at least I don't think it did. I sadly ended up DNF-ing this when things reached a snail's pace. The concept of everyone waning, losing the ability to have emotions by the time they hit puberty was interesting and did have me curious. Natalia's fight to get her brother back from one of the biggest corporations who make artificial emotions also kept me hooked. That is until it truly got slow. I understand that Natalia doesn't have emotions anymore, and the author was trying to convey that in her writing, but it got to a point were I legit felt nothing for the story and what was going on. I didn't care, and when the pacing slowed down so severely, I got bored and put this aside to do chores around the house! I was so BORED that I decided to clean up my place! A book isn't supposed to make you want to do that (unless it's Marie Kondo)! There was the hint of a romance in the beginning, but that was immediately forgotten, the audience was forgotten, and my god I could not stand the pacing! The book legit had pacing issues that needed to be worked through. Though it was slow to begin with (I felt absolutely no emergency or rush about anything), the pacing grew even more convoluted the farther the plot progressed. It honestly felt like padding all through the middle as I could not understand what we were doing running through the convents trying to find Calvino's biological father who had walked out so many damn years ago. Like, this corporation kidnapped him! This is YA sci-fi, go in James Bond style and escape to Canada or something! Anything but what was presented to us! It got to the point that reading this became a chore, and once that happened, I decided it was time to just give it up. I gave this book more than a fair chance to intrigue and hold my attention and it failed. And for that, I cannot give it a proper rating (some I can if I have serious problems) or give it my attention to completely finish.
Edit// 7/23/19 ////
I tried so much to enjoy this book. I can see how others who disliked it did not understand the world-building, however, I enjoyed it immensely. My problem was the pacing and how by the halfway point, the story had slowed down so much that I was left not caring about what Natalia was trying to accomplish to get her brother back. The emotions, or lack thereof, also helped push me into DNF-ing this. I hate quitting books, but this was one I struggled to continue on with. I know the pacing can slow down, but I didn’t expect it to crawl at a snail's pace and leave me completely bored. Maybe one of the author's other books will work better for me. For now, I’ll be returning this one to my library and moving onto something better.
I tried. I really did try with this book. Many reviewers who marked this book down (as it stands currently at a 3.37 average rating on Goodreads) did so because the world-building was utterly confusing for them. I can see that, but I wasn't fully bothered by it since it is an alternate reality. Some parts had me second-guessing, like how each person had an era that they stuck with (some loved the 70s, 80s, grunge 90s and dressed as such), or that we do not really know what time or year it is, and the lack of explanations of what was legit going on. That did throw me for a few loops, but I continued, thinking it would get explained more in-depth later on. That did not happen, or at least I don't think it did. I sadly ended up DNF-ing this when things reached a snail's pace. The concept of everyone waning, losing the ability to have emotions by the time they hit puberty was interesting and did have me curious. Natalia's fight to get her brother back from one of the biggest corporations who make artificial emotions also kept me hooked. That is until it truly got slow. I understand that Natalia doesn't have emotions anymore, and the author was trying to convey that in her writing, but it got to a point were I legit felt nothing for the story and what was going on. I didn't care, and when the pacing slowed down so severely, I got bored and put this aside to do chores around the house! I was so BORED that I decided to clean up my place! A book isn't supposed to make you want to do that (unless it's Marie Kondo)! There was the hint of a romance in the beginning, but that was immediately forgotten, the audience was forgotten, and my god I could not stand the pacing! The book legit had pacing issues that needed to be worked through. Though it was slow to begin with (I felt absolutely no emergency or rush about anything), the pacing grew even more convoluted the farther the plot progressed. It honestly felt like padding all through the middle as I could not understand what we were doing running through the convents trying to find Calvino's biological father who had walked out so many damn years ago. Like, this corporation kidnapped him! This is YA sci-fi, go in James Bond style and escape to Canada or something! Anything but what was presented to us! It got to the point that reading this became a chore, and once that happened, I decided it was time to just give it up. I gave this book more than a fair chance to intrigue and hold my attention and it failed. And for that, I cannot give it a proper rating (some I can if I have serious problems) or give it my attention to completely finish.
Edit// 7/23/19 ////
I tried so much to enjoy this book. I can see how others who disliked it did not understand the world-building, however, I enjoyed it immensely. My problem was the pacing and how by the halfway point, the story had slowed down so much that I was left not caring about what Natalia was trying to accomplish to get her brother back. The emotions, or lack thereof, also helped push me into DNF-ing this. I hate quitting books, but this was one I struggled to continue on with. I know the pacing can slow down, but I didn’t expect it to crawl at a snail's pace and leave me completely bored. Maybe one of the author's other books will work better for me. For now, I’ll be returning this one to my library and moving onto something better.
October 23, 2018
This book reminded me of the books I was drawn into as a kid, but more mature. I remember being enveloped in the concept of the book, and enthralled with the characters. This is a feeling I haven't felt often lately, but this book definitely fulfilled those needs. Grove is masterful in finding and drawing out emotions, drawing readers into the world of her characters.
Natalia Pena and her brother Calvino live in modern day San Francisco. However, the world is not the same as we experience it; in this parallel universe, adults no longer have emotions. This process is called waning and begins when kids turn 10, leaving them emotionless by the time they hit high school. The world has not always been this way, but humans began to evolve this way for unknown reasons.
My main drawback to this story is that there wasn't more backstory as to why humans evolved away from emotions, but at the same time the reader can come up with lots of logical reasons why this is the case. This book truly inspired thought about where emotions stem from, and why they are important for humans evolutionarily. I can't imagine living in a world without emotions, where the only option is to take "drops" that are developed to give adults brief glimpses into emotional experiences.
Natalia and Calvino are wonderful characters. Nat is filled with heart, despite her seeming lack of emotions. Her relationship with her brother is very touching and meaningful. She clearly is passionate about many of the people she interacts with, and the way she's able to calm others down was admirable. All of her interpersonal interactions felt genuine.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Natalia Pena and her brother Calvino live in modern day San Francisco. However, the world is not the same as we experience it; in this parallel universe, adults no longer have emotions. This process is called waning and begins when kids turn 10, leaving them emotionless by the time they hit high school. The world has not always been this way, but humans began to evolve this way for unknown reasons.
My main drawback to this story is that there wasn't more backstory as to why humans evolved away from emotions, but at the same time the reader can come up with lots of logical reasons why this is the case. This book truly inspired thought about where emotions stem from, and why they are important for humans evolutionarily. I can't imagine living in a world without emotions, where the only option is to take "drops" that are developed to give adults brief glimpses into emotional experiences.
Natalia and Calvino are wonderful characters. Nat is filled with heart, despite her seeming lack of emotions. Her relationship with her brother is very touching and meaningful. She clearly is passionate about many of the people she interacts with, and the way she's able to calm others down was admirable. All of her interpersonal interactions felt genuine.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 26, 2018
Grove, S.E. The Waning Age. Viking BYR, 2019.
In present-day San Francisco but in a parallel universe, people start to "wane," that is, stop experiencing emotions, around the age of ten. Natalia works at a hotel as a maid and takes care of her little brother Calvino at night. Calvino is ten, but he shows no sign of waning. And when a legal loophole allows him to be taken by a corporation that produces artificial emotions for adults, Natalia will do everything she can to get her brother back.
I loved the premise of this story, and I love books by S.E. Grove, so I was surprisingly disappointed in this particular novel. There isn't much world-building to explain when "waning" happened and why the powers that be decided to replace regular high school with police officers giving kids martial arts training and lists of rules to follow (because people without emotions need more rules, apparently). The San Francisco setting is well done, complete with the fog, the crowded public transit, the oddly-behaving people on the street. There's plenty of action, and between action scenes there's time for world-building and character development; however, we don't get to learn much about this world, which is disappointing because I was genuinely curious. All in all, I think this book will be popular with teens in spite of its flaws.
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: some violence, recreational drug use
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purpose of review.
In present-day San Francisco but in a parallel universe, people start to "wane," that is, stop experiencing emotions, around the age of ten. Natalia works at a hotel as a maid and takes care of her little brother Calvino at night. Calvino is ten, but he shows no sign of waning. And when a legal loophole allows him to be taken by a corporation that produces artificial emotions for adults, Natalia will do everything she can to get her brother back.
I loved the premise of this story, and I love books by S.E. Grove, so I was surprisingly disappointed in this particular novel. There isn't much world-building to explain when "waning" happened and why the powers that be decided to replace regular high school with police officers giving kids martial arts training and lists of rules to follow (because people without emotions need more rules, apparently). The San Francisco setting is well done, complete with the fog, the crowded public transit, the oddly-behaving people on the street. There's plenty of action, and between action scenes there's time for world-building and character development; however, we don't get to learn much about this world, which is disappointing because I was genuinely curious. All in all, I think this book will be popular with teens in spite of its flaws.
Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: some violence, recreational drug use
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purpose of review.
July 12, 2019
Natalia Peña, also known as Nat, has been emotionless for years. That’s as it should be; most kids in her generation “wane” around the age of 10 or 11. Her kid brother, Calvino, is different. No one knows why, but he hasn’t waned yet. He still has all of his emotions and they aren’t going away. Nat isn’t supposed to love him - she has waned. But when he is kidnapped by RealCorp, which sells “drops” that can make people feel emotions again, she will do anything to get him back, and not just because it is the logical thing to do. It turns out that Natalia loves Calvino. In pursuit of her brother, Nat faces Fish, the equivalent of sadists, except that they are unable to take pleasure out of the terror and pain they inflict. To find Calvino, she has to get help from an unlikely source - someone so desperate for real emotion that he’d kill for it. Nat gradually realizes that in a world deprived of emotion, her emotions and the ones of the people around her are something precious she must rediscover and understand. S. E. Grove’s novel explores the differences between instinct, reason, and emotion, and the surprisingly difficult challenge of determining which is which. Striking, well-written, and engaging, The Waning Age is a great pick for middle grade and young adult readers who savor daring characters in a thought-provoking alternate reality. I wouldn’t call this book a mind-bender, but there are creative ideas in the story that adults may also find engaging.
April 18, 2019
Hmmm. There were really cool and scary and believable ideas in this book. It was a good premise and sometimes it was carried out. In my opinion, this novel had a great dystopian world with a great dystopian problem.
However, that is the point. This is a NOVEL. A story, with characters. This is where I ran into difficulties.
I actually found the plot to be excellent. I devoured the book in a little more than an afternoon.
The characters, on the other hand, were not as fully-fleshed as they could have been. I suppose that writing emotionless characters would be difficult, especially in first person (I'm not sure about the wisdom of that decision), but there often seemed to be a disconnect between what was happening and what Natalia was feeling, which again, would be natural, but it made a less impactful book.
I have loved S. E. Grove's previous books. Her first trilogy is among my favourite books of all time. The qualities that I loved so much in Mapmakers-the depth of characters, the beauty and wonder of the world, the fullness of the story-they were not here in The Waning Age. What was here was some of the cynicism, the hard reality, that was wonderfully absent in the Mapmakers trilogy.
The Waning Age is an original, inventive book, but for me, at least, it was not a beautiful book, nor a great one.
However, that is the point. This is a NOVEL. A story, with characters. This is where I ran into difficulties.
I actually found the plot to be excellent. I devoured the book in a little more than an afternoon.
The characters, on the other hand, were not as fully-fleshed as they could have been. I suppose that writing emotionless characters would be difficult, especially in first person (I'm not sure about the wisdom of that decision), but there often seemed to be a disconnect between what was happening and what Natalia was feeling, which again, would be natural, but it made a less impactful book.
I have loved S. E. Grove's previous books. Her first trilogy is among my favourite books of all time. The qualities that I loved so much in Mapmakers-the depth of characters, the beauty and wonder of the world, the fullness of the story-they were not here in The Waning Age. What was here was some of the cynicism, the hard reality, that was wonderfully absent in the Mapmakers trilogy.
The Waning Age is an original, inventive book, but for me, at least, it was not a beautiful book, nor a great one.
March 22, 2019
This review is based on an Advance Readers' Edition
This dystopic novel explores a couple of lifeways navigating a society in which feelings wane around age 10. For those who can afford it, legal hallucinogenics are available to give specific feels, but there are the haves and have-nots, illegal trade of tainted meds, and rampant abuse (both in the drugs themselves and in the power to dose). There is a weak but annoyingly didactic inference that the waning was ultimately caused by screentime.
A positive aspect of this book is that S.E. Grove writes some truly illustrative phrasing and surprising points throughout. I won't spoil them here, but they were absolute candy for the reader's delight.
[SPOILER AHEAD]
My biggest gripe comes with the promise on the back cover that there is a mystery around Natalia's love for her brother, but that isn't really touched on at all until the final pages in which the characters reveal that Natalia cried tears a few pages previous. For having mention on the back cover it ought to have been alluded to earlier.
This dystopic novel explores a couple of lifeways navigating a society in which feelings wane around age 10. For those who can afford it, legal hallucinogenics are available to give specific feels, but there are the haves and have-nots, illegal trade of tainted meds, and rampant abuse (both in the drugs themselves and in the power to dose). There is a weak but annoyingly didactic inference that the waning was ultimately caused by screentime.
A positive aspect of this book is that S.E. Grove writes some truly illustrative phrasing and surprising points throughout. I won't spoil them here, but they were absolute candy for the reader's delight.
[SPOILER AHEAD]
My biggest gripe comes with the promise on the back cover that there is a mystery around Natalia's love for her brother, but that isn't really touched on at all until the final pages in which the characters reveal that Natalia cried tears a few pages previous. For having mention on the back cover it ought to have been alluded to earlier.
April 24, 2019
Read our full review on Hypable!
The Waning Age by S. E. Grove is a dystopian world you need to visit.
In The Waning Age, emotions are a thing of the past; both the world’s and your own. Children are born with the ability to experience the full range of emotions, but around age 10, they start to “wane.” They lose their ability to feel natural emotions, and are forced to either pay for synthetic effects or lead an empty existence driven solely by logic and rules.
The story takes place in a “parallel present” San Francisco, where Natalia Peña, who completed the waning process years prior, is caring for her brother Calvino who, despite the odds, is still extremely emotional. In fact, he isn’t showing any signs of waning at all. That’s great, until RealCorp, the corporation behind synthetic effects and pretty much everything else in the society, takes notice.
RealCorp kidnaps Cal for testing, which surprisingly sends Natalia reeling, considering she’s not supposed to be able to feel anything! Her journey to free Cal is filled with vicious enemies, unexpected allies, and shocking revelations.
The Waning Age by S. E. Grove is a dystopian world you need to visit.
In The Waning Age, emotions are a thing of the past; both the world’s and your own. Children are born with the ability to experience the full range of emotions, but around age 10, they start to “wane.” They lose their ability to feel natural emotions, and are forced to either pay for synthetic effects or lead an empty existence driven solely by logic and rules.
The story takes place in a “parallel present” San Francisco, where Natalia Peña, who completed the waning process years prior, is caring for her brother Calvino who, despite the odds, is still extremely emotional. In fact, he isn’t showing any signs of waning at all. That’s great, until RealCorp, the corporation behind synthetic effects and pretty much everything else in the society, takes notice.
RealCorp kidnaps Cal for testing, which surprisingly sends Natalia reeling, considering she’s not supposed to be able to feel anything! Her journey to free Cal is filled with vicious enemies, unexpected allies, and shocking revelations.
April 15, 2020
3 stars
Natalia Pena lives with her brother, Calvino, in a dystopian world where children lose their ability to feel emotion around age ten. This process is known as waning. Nat’s seventeen, so she’s already experienced her waning. She’s dreading the day Cal goes through his process while trying to raise and provide for him as best she can after their mom’s suicide. One day, Nat and her foster moms receive a call from Cal’s school that RealCorp, a company that develops artificial chemical emotions known as synaffs, has taken Cal for tests to determine why he hadn’t begun the waning process yet. However, RealCorp’s plans for Cal are far more sinister. When Nat realizes this, she embarks on a quest to save him before it’s too late.
The idea of only being able to feel emotions through artificial means is interesting; combine it with a sister’s desire to keep her brother safe no matter what and you get one gripping page-turner. I recommend this to fans of sci-fi, dystopian fiction, and female protagonists with attitude.
- Miss Anna
Natalia Pena lives with her brother, Calvino, in a dystopian world where children lose their ability to feel emotion around age ten. This process is known as waning. Nat’s seventeen, so she’s already experienced her waning. She’s dreading the day Cal goes through his process while trying to raise and provide for him as best she can after their mom’s suicide. One day, Nat and her foster moms receive a call from Cal’s school that RealCorp, a company that develops artificial chemical emotions known as synaffs, has taken Cal for tests to determine why he hadn’t begun the waning process yet. However, RealCorp’s plans for Cal are far more sinister. When Nat realizes this, she embarks on a quest to save him before it’s too late.
The idea of only being able to feel emotions through artificial means is interesting; combine it with a sister’s desire to keep her brother safe no matter what and you get one gripping page-turner. I recommend this to fans of sci-fi, dystopian fiction, and female protagonists with attitude.
- Miss Anna
June 20, 2021
An intriguing entry in YA dystopian fiction. Imagine a world where everyone eventually loses the ability to feel emotions and the age of onset is steadily dropping. This is the reality of Natalia and her brother who came home less than a year ago to find their mother had blown her brains out in their apartment. Natalia couldn't feel the needed emotions that day, while Cal felt too much and it got worse when she couldn't help him process the trauma.
Now, Cal has been noticed by a huge corporation that thinks nothing of stealing children whose emotional ability extends past what is known as the age of waning. When he's effectively kidnapped by the company, Natalia must stretch her nearly dead emotional tendrils so she can rescue him. That involves avoiding groups of zombie-like young adults called 'fish' who kill and maim in an attempt to feel something, finding Cal's father, and enlisting the help of a few dependable friends. This leads to mayhem, multiple surprises and a very satisfying conclusion.
Now, Cal has been noticed by a huge corporation that thinks nothing of stealing children whose emotional ability extends past what is known as the age of waning. When he's effectively kidnapped by the company, Natalia must stretch her nearly dead emotional tendrils so she can rescue him. That involves avoiding groups of zombie-like young adults called 'fish' who kill and maim in an attempt to feel something, finding Cal's father, and enlisting the help of a few dependable friends. This leads to mayhem, multiple surprises and a very satisfying conclusion.
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