What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fall of Haven #1
Haven
Looking for the Uprising version? See here.
The Citizens of Haven have finally realized their dream; separation. They have ascended. A new layer has been placed upon the city, sealing anyone they deem unfit down below. In the dark slums beneath the city, something has been set in motion that will usher in a change. Something that will rattle the city of Haven to its core and forever alter the lives of everyone within.
The Citizens of Haven have finally realized their dream; separation. They have ascended. A new layer has been placed upon the city, sealing anyone they deem unfit down below. In the dark slums beneath the city, something has been set in motion that will usher in a change. Something that will rattle the city of Haven to its core and forever alter the lives of everyone within.
926 pages, Nook
First published December 15, 2009
76 people are currently reading
1093 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
October 29, 2010
A Kindle freebie, this ended up being a pretty good one! But there are a lot of editing errors, which are very distracting when you are immersed in a good book!
I love this type of genre, and I felt that Haven had an interesting perspective. There really wasn't one main character, and it was nice to get inside the minds of people on both sides of the battle.
Some parts were more gory than I expected. Very descriptive killing scenes, which actually sort of reminded me of a "shoot 'em up" action movie. Not necessarily a bad thing, just made me think, "Eww!" on a few occasions! :)
I totally agree with the other reviewers - lots of loose endings and unanswered questions (where did the tissue sample Marcus found come from in the first place? If there is life outside of Haven why don't the people from down below try to get out instead of just up?). I finished reading less than 5 minutes ago and came straight here to see if there was a sequel because I couldn't imagine that there wouldn't be. I'd love to read one if JK decided to continue to lead us on this journey with Haven!
I love this type of genre, and I felt that Haven had an interesting perspective. There really wasn't one main character, and it was nice to get inside the minds of people on both sides of the battle.
Some parts were more gory than I expected. Very descriptive killing scenes, which actually sort of reminded me of a "shoot 'em up" action movie. Not necessarily a bad thing, just made me think, "Eww!" on a few occasions! :)
I totally agree with the other reviewers - lots of loose endings and unanswered questions (where did the tissue sample Marcus found come from in the first place? If there is life outside of Haven why don't the people from down below try to get out instead of just up?). I finished reading less than 5 minutes ago and came straight here to see if there was a sequel because I couldn't imagine that there wouldn't be. I'd love to read one if JK decided to continue to lead us on this journey with Haven!
February 16, 2010
This book had such potential. I was so disappointed with the end. I would read a sequel, but it woud have to have a good storyline to hook me in. WAY to many loose ends.
February 11, 2018
This book was ok for me.
August 23, 2011
I. Read a lot of free books, and lately have been wondering if there is actually a cost associated with getting a book for free. Many other reviewers have complained about the lack of editing, but really, if a writer gives his work away, how is he supposed to pay a professional editor and proofreader? Those services are not cheap, and when I get an indie book for free I expect there to be some typos and such. In this case it really wasn't that bad - I've seen much worse!
One of the interesting aspects of Haven is that there ARE so many unanswered questions - another complaint I saw mentioned several times. You aren't supposed to know exactly what's going on. None of the characters really know what's going on, and everything is a bit murky for everyone, everywhere, above and below ground, human and....half human? Partially human? Barely human?
If you approach this story like you would a blockbuster action movie and expect only to be entertained, then you might like it. I really liked that it was a fully developed story. The characters are complete, and while it ends on a sort of cliffhanger note (there is a sequel, after all), it moves through a whole story. Many times free books read like first drafts and whole pieces of the story are weak.
One criticism is that the character of Kaylee is a little inconsistent. At times she is tough and has no trouble killing the bad guy and is prepared to kill anyone else who messes with her, but then at other times screams and is queasy about corpses. I'm sure there are other, similar problems but for me they didn't take away from enjoying the story.
One of the interesting aspects of Haven is that there ARE so many unanswered questions - another complaint I saw mentioned several times. You aren't supposed to know exactly what's going on. None of the characters really know what's going on, and everything is a bit murky for everyone, everywhere, above and below ground, human and....half human? Partially human? Barely human?
If you approach this story like you would a blockbuster action movie and expect only to be entertained, then you might like it. I really liked that it was a fully developed story. The characters are complete, and while it ends on a sort of cliffhanger note (there is a sequel, after all), it moves through a whole story. Many times free books read like first drafts and whole pieces of the story are weak.
One criticism is that the character of Kaylee is a little inconsistent. At times she is tough and has no trouble killing the bad guy and is prepared to kill anyone else who messes with her, but then at other times screams and is queasy about corpses. I'm sure there are other, similar problems but for me they didn't take away from enjoying the story.
June 11, 2011
This is a pretty imaginative book. There are still a few editing problems, but overall I did enjoy it. I didn't realize that this is the first book in a series and was caught a bit off guard when I understood that resolution doesn't come in this book. That said, it was interesting enough that I will probably seek out the second book. There were a few times while I was reading it that I felt like it was on the verge of unraveling. But it held together! I think that this author has a lot of promise.
July 23, 2011
The world in the future never seems to be a positive place. However although the future is grim in this book, the ideas are interesting, the characters are involving and it is an exciting read - I am looking forward to the second one.
January 10, 2018
'Haven' has actually become one of my favourite books, it has beautiful imagery, relate-able characters and a well-thought out universe to hold the plot. The chapters skip between perspectives of the different characters, but I never found myself wanting to skim or hurry through any parts to get to the plot points I enjoyed - each character had an interesting story to tell and inevitably all of them come together towards the end of the book.
The writing style is clear and engaging and I could easily see this book being made into a film. As the other reviewers state there are a number of typos and grammatical errors in the book which is a huge shame - I hope that someone goes back and proof-reads it at some point. However, even though I am a bit of a 'Spelling and Grammar Nazi' in real life, the errors didn't really bother me at all - I was too engrossed in the story.
My only qualm with this book is the ending, and of course I won't give anything away, but it's been weighing on my mind since I finished the book. According to the author there is a sequel planned, and 'Haven' itself finished far too abruptly to not warrant another book, but I can't shake the feeling that all it would have taken was a few more chapters and I would have happily accepted 'Haven' as a stand-alone piece, without need for another book.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend 'Haven'.
The writing style is clear and engaging and I could easily see this book being made into a film. As the other reviewers state there are a number of typos and grammatical errors in the book which is a huge shame - I hope that someone goes back and proof-reads it at some point. However, even though I am a bit of a 'Spelling and Grammar Nazi' in real life, the errors didn't really bother me at all - I was too engrossed in the story.
My only qualm with this book is the ending, and of course I won't give anything away, but it's been weighing on my mind since I finished the book. According to the author there is a sequel planned, and 'Haven' itself finished far too abruptly to not warrant another book, but I can't shake the feeling that all it would have taken was a few more chapters and I would have happily accepted 'Haven' as a stand-alone piece, without need for another book.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend 'Haven'.
September 17, 2017
This was a very good story that was very hard to put down. Using the Baen criteria for science fiction, I found the technology, characters, and situation believable. I got the Kindle version of this book for under a buck, and I received a heck of a lot more value than a dollar. The ending left a lot to be desired - it was as if the author suddenly decided he was done and quickly wound it up - it left me and others hanging wanting more: more of a conclusion of what happens to everyone, should we believe there will be a sequel, etc.?
I took away one star as this book is in serious need of a proofer / editor. Many times with the Kindle version there were missing words, incorrect spelling / syntax of words among a few problems. That's annoying in a novel (and anywhere else) and makes you stop and lose your concentration.
I took away one star as this book is in serious need of a proofer / editor. Many times with the Kindle version there were missing words, incorrect spelling / syntax of words among a few problems. That's annoying in a novel (and anywhere else) and makes you stop and lose your concentration.
November 22, 2019
Unmemorable
February 29, 2020
Really enjoyed it. The characters, backgrounds and plot made for an amazing story. Didn't want it to end
June 14, 2020
Interesting science fiction. The background situation is a little strained but the storyline and writing skills of the author make this a good read. This is part 1 of 2.
January 13, 2021
Excellent Reading
Great storyline with a variety of characters and action. Developed and believable people with unforeseen twists and turns throughout the book.
Great storyline with a variety of characters and action. Developed and believable people with unforeseen twists and turns throughout the book.
October 28, 2022
This book was too long, which is primarily why I rated it so low.
Story was okay, but I won't be looking to read more in the series.
Story was okay, but I won't be looking to read more in the series.
December 9, 2012
This is a rather unique book, it's not too involved with any romance nor is it keeping the reader away from the gritty action happening. You get to read the details of the people who are being killed and their thoughts.
There are so many things that make you think 'oh it's them' and then 'oh no, it's them', it's very much a second guessing book, if you had an idea in your mind you are most likely wrong.
The story and the plot are kept at a good pace, there wasn't any parts where it slowed down too much, if anything it gives the reader a bit of breathing time and more clues as to what is going on. It's also a unique plot, although I haven't read many dystopia books before that haven't been linked in with steampunk.
The characters.
There was so many of them! I loved Malcolm, he was such a unique character and the twist at the end of the book was a nice touch. Kaylee was another interesting character, she was well fleshed out as was Rick - although I kinda felt Rick was just to be a foil for Kaylee and Victor than to be a truly interesting character.
Elijah was another interesting and kind of mysterious character, as was Victor, although we did learn something at the end of the book about them, but it was made clearer in the middle of the book who they were but it was clarified even more so at the end of the book.
Arthur - this character was a strange one, I kinda got the feeling that he was a bit like Brain Blessed (I don't know how I got that idea, but I did.) He was a character that I also liked even though he was working with 'the bad guy's'. In the end there was a nice twist in the tale about him too.
The story showed that although people could be working for what they believe to be the greater good; they might very well just be working for the higher-up's revenge; and the Citizen's might not be as cold-blooded as the lower people believe. Essentially this is a story more about the layers of a war, of a feud that has gone on for so long without any conclusion, but when that conclusion comes to an end, no one is truly satisfied.
I have read that there is a conclusion story to this one, so I might end up reading that one at some point, but for me the story finished rather well. Even if I did find that all the characters that were introduced boggled my mind and I kept forgetting them.
There are so many things that make you think 'oh it's them' and then 'oh no, it's them', it's very much a second guessing book, if you had an idea in your mind you are most likely wrong.
The story and the plot are kept at a good pace, there wasn't any parts where it slowed down too much, if anything it gives the reader a bit of breathing time and more clues as to what is going on. It's also a unique plot, although I haven't read many dystopia books before that haven't been linked in with steampunk.
The characters.
There was so many of them! I loved Malcolm, he was such a unique character and the twist at the end of the book was a nice touch. Kaylee was another interesting character, she was well fleshed out as was Rick - although I kinda felt Rick was just to be a foil for Kaylee and Victor than to be a truly interesting character.
Elijah was another interesting and kind of mysterious character, as was Victor, although we did learn something at the end of the book about them, but it was made clearer in the middle of the book who they were but it was clarified even more so at the end of the book.
Arthur - this character was a strange one, I kinda got the feeling that he was a bit like Brain Blessed (I don't know how I got that idea, but I did.) He was a character that I also liked even though he was working with 'the bad guy's'. In the end there was a nice twist in the tale about him too.
The story showed that although people could be working for what they believe to be the greater good; they might very well just be working for the higher-up's revenge; and the Citizen's might not be as cold-blooded as the lower people believe. Essentially this is a story more about the layers of a war, of a feud that has gone on for so long without any conclusion, but when that conclusion comes to an end, no one is truly satisfied.
I have read that there is a conclusion story to this one, so I might end up reading that one at some point, but for me the story finished rather well. Even if I did find that all the characters that were introduced boggled my mind and I kept forgetting them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2012
3.5 stars really.
I'm an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader, thus this book appealed to me greatly, because of the genre, as well as the pricing of well... zero.
I went into this knowing this was the first novel from this author, and had set the bar very low.
The author leaped over my bar with ease, which is very positive of course. I shall outline what I felt was good about this story, and what I feel, requires some improvement.
The action scenes to me, were very well described. I do like in-depth descriptions, I like to be able to visualise everything using the author's imagination and words, not having to fill in the blanks using my own imagination.
The story in itself, the premise of the book, was also something that appealed to me and did not disappoint. I very much enjoy Dystopian books and thought this was nicely executed.
The pacing; The book progressed very well, it did not get boring or incredibly long-winded (even though I don't really object to verbose or long-winded books).
Now, the things I wasn't too excited about.
I would like to like the characters more. Kaylee did not appeal to me at all, while I feel she should have considering she was a main character. I would have liked to see some more depth. However! This was not a general flaw as I grew very fond of other characters in the story, but something about Kaylee just didn't sit well with me, there was no sympathy for her whatsoever.
Predictability. I did know quite early on how the story would end, there was no real sense of urgency. I also felt that the things that I think were supposed to be somewhat of a 'mystery' were never a mystery to me at all, I saw it coming from miles away.
Lastly, my pet peeve, and I do apologise beforehand as every review is of course subjective. But I always notice the repetition of words in (what I consider), too short a space. It irks me. But! I do read many well established authors who make the same 'error'. I know not everyone notices or even cares, but this is just a very personal annoyance. However, it did not impede too much on my reading experience.
Overall, an enjoyable read!
Oh, and a little note. The editing issues that some other reviews speak of, have been sorted out now and are no longer an issue.
I'm an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader, thus this book appealed to me greatly, because of the genre, as well as the pricing of well... zero.
I went into this knowing this was the first novel from this author, and had set the bar very low.
The author leaped over my bar with ease, which is very positive of course. I shall outline what I felt was good about this story, and what I feel, requires some improvement.
The action scenes to me, were very well described. I do like in-depth descriptions, I like to be able to visualise everything using the author's imagination and words, not having to fill in the blanks using my own imagination.
The story in itself, the premise of the book, was also something that appealed to me and did not disappoint. I very much enjoy Dystopian books and thought this was nicely executed.
The pacing; The book progressed very well, it did not get boring or incredibly long-winded (even though I don't really object to verbose or long-winded books).
Now, the things I wasn't too excited about.
I would like to like the characters more. Kaylee did not appeal to me at all, while I feel she should have considering she was a main character. I would have liked to see some more depth. However! This was not a general flaw as I grew very fond of other characters in the story, but something about Kaylee just didn't sit well with me, there was no sympathy for her whatsoever.
Predictability. I did know quite early on how the story would end, there was no real sense of urgency. I also felt that the things that I think were supposed to be somewhat of a 'mystery' were never a mystery to me at all, I saw it coming from miles away.
Lastly, my pet peeve, and I do apologise beforehand as every review is of course subjective. But I always notice the repetition of words in (what I consider), too short a space. It irks me. But! I do read many well established authors who make the same 'error'. I know not everyone notices or even cares, but this is just a very personal annoyance. However, it did not impede too much on my reading experience.
Overall, an enjoyable read!
Oh, and a little note. The editing issues that some other reviews speak of, have been sorted out now and are no longer an issue.
February 28, 2016
This is a novel set in the relatively near future. The basic ideas is that there is a regular city, Haven, which consists of rich people and the politically favored. It has been built over the original Haven, which now consists of those who are not rich nor politically favored
Basically, it's not all that different from what is going on now in reality, where the rich and the politically powerful continued to get richer and more powerful, while the hard-working regular people get worse off.
It doesn't stop there in Haven, though. The rich-Haven scientists have learned how to mindwipe people from 'below' and turn them into dull-minded but totally obedient slaves. They capture people from the poor part and do that to them all the time. At the same time, they are not above doing that to one of their own, even a scientist, if the scientist expresses views those in power don't like.
The down-below Haven is used as a refuse dump by those in the rich section. The people who live there get scraps from the refuse and struggle to stay alive from one day to the next any way they can. They never see the sky since the 'new' Haven has been built totally over the 'old' Haven.
Finally things get too much for those down below and they band together, arm themselves, and find a way to the 'new' Haven where they raise hell and confront the rulers.
The body count ends up pretty high.
What is quite frightening about the story is that, as I said, some of it reflects what is happening right now and the rest, like turning people into obedient slaves, is not impossible at all. Some might even call the novel Communistic, since the have-nots rise against their oppressors to seek freedom and equality.
The only thing I didn't really like about the novel was the actual ending, although metaphorically it has its strengths but otherwise it's a little weak. The book, though, is excellent otherwise and scary in its possibility.
Basically, it's not all that different from what is going on now in reality, where the rich and the politically powerful continued to get richer and more powerful, while the hard-working regular people get worse off.
It doesn't stop there in Haven, though. The rich-Haven scientists have learned how to mindwipe people from 'below' and turn them into dull-minded but totally obedient slaves. They capture people from the poor part and do that to them all the time. At the same time, they are not above doing that to one of their own, even a scientist, if the scientist expresses views those in power don't like.
The down-below Haven is used as a refuse dump by those in the rich section. The people who live there get scraps from the refuse and struggle to stay alive from one day to the next any way they can. They never see the sky since the 'new' Haven has been built totally over the 'old' Haven.
Finally things get too much for those down below and they band together, arm themselves, and find a way to the 'new' Haven where they raise hell and confront the rulers.
The body count ends up pretty high.
What is quite frightening about the story is that, as I said, some of it reflects what is happening right now and the rest, like turning people into obedient slaves, is not impossible at all. Some might even call the novel Communistic, since the have-nots rise against their oppressors to seek freedom and equality.
The only thing I didn't really like about the novel was the actual ending, although metaphorically it has its strengths but otherwise it's a little weak. The book, though, is excellent otherwise and scary in its possibility.
August 31, 2011
From the description of this book I was really excited to read it (especially because it is(/was) a free kindle download). I was expecting to really become lost in this story as I have with other post-apocalyptic (kind of...) stories, but unfortunately it just wasn't a must-read for me. Until I got my kindle and started reading free kindle downloads I wouldn't really have considered not reading a book all the way to the end, but book got very close to being deleted before the end. The thing was, every time I started feeling like I just didn't want to read any more something would happen that would draw me back in enough to keep me reading. In the end I actually did get some level of enjoyment out of reading this book because by the end I was unhappy that there wasn't more of it to read. A good part of this was probably because of the questions that were left unanswered.
The story is about a group of elitist people in a city who decide to start their own invitation only city....by building it directly on top of the city that's already there. The author doesn't do a great job of describing exactly how this works though (stilts? support columns? what???), and doesn't explain at all how what is going on with this city relates to what is happening in other places around the world. Is this the only city like this or are there more?
I could have gotten over all the left out logistical details about the city seeing as the book was free and I eventually found myself mildly entertained, but the character of Malcolm would have been better left out. Adding Malcolm into this story added a sci-fi element that just did not mesh at all with the rest of the story. He felt like some throw-away character that came out of no-where just so the author could claim he'd done some sci-fi work.
The story is about a group of elitist people in a city who decide to start their own invitation only city....by building it directly on top of the city that's already there. The author doesn't do a great job of describing exactly how this works though (stilts? support columns? what???), and doesn't explain at all how what is going on with this city relates to what is happening in other places around the world. Is this the only city like this or are there more?
I could have gotten over all the left out logistical details about the city seeing as the book was free and I eventually found myself mildly entertained, but the character of Malcolm would have been better left out. Adding Malcolm into this story added a sci-fi element that just did not mesh at all with the rest of the story. He felt like some throw-away character that came out of no-where just so the author could claim he'd done some sci-fi work.
March 19, 2011
I got this one from Amazon as a cheapy 49p one because it sounded intriguing and I'm glad I did. The story is set in 2032, so in the not too distant future, in a society of elitists who believe they are better and more valuable than the rest of the city. In order to demonstrate their self importance, they refuse to share their world with people less desirable than themselves and build a whole new city on top of the original one, leaving the unwanted members of their society to live in a world of darkness below. Some of these people do, of course, have their uses in terms of cleaning and maintenance staff, but they are rigorously "re-educated" so they end up becoming mindless slaves for the elitists!
This story follows the struggles and achievements of a group of people from down below in the city of Old Haven as they battle back up to the surface. Lots of fighting and killing goes on and the ending is not completely satisfied, although you can make presumptions about what happens. I know other people have wanted more finality but I think the slight cliffhanger was a perfect ending.
I had many questions throughout the book, most of which were answered eventually. And I wasn't particularly bothered about where the "alien" tissue sample came from to be honest.
I would definitely read the sequel if there ever was one, although I would hope that the typos, grammatical errors, omitted or double word issues would be resolved in the next one. Yes I'm a bit of a grammar freak, but it does annoy me when the word "a" is frequently missed out of sentences and the phrase "come with" is used without saying come with whom!
This story follows the struggles and achievements of a group of people from down below in the city of Old Haven as they battle back up to the surface. Lots of fighting and killing goes on and the ending is not completely satisfied, although you can make presumptions about what happens. I know other people have wanted more finality but I think the slight cliffhanger was a perfect ending.
I had many questions throughout the book, most of which were answered eventually. And I wasn't particularly bothered about where the "alien" tissue sample came from to be honest.
I would definitely read the sequel if there ever was one, although I would hope that the typos, grammatical errors, omitted or double word issues would be resolved in the next one. Yes I'm a bit of a grammar freak, but it does annoy me when the word "a" is frequently missed out of sentences and the phrase "come with" is used without saying come with whom!
February 18, 2012
This book went up and down in the rating I would give it, to be perfectly honest. Some days, it was taking forever to finish and I was adamant--a two star MAX. But then something decently interesting would happen and it would move up a star. Well, then I read the last hundred and fifty pages or so and it got promoted to a four star BECAUSE of the brilliantly intricate plot, the complicated characters, and the heart-pounding scenes. It's through characters like Citizen Michaels that I kept reading. He was so interesting, more so than Kaylee, but not more so than Malcolm. He was so human in so many ways that he really kept me from quitting, in all honesty.
What held it back from a five star review? Well, from like page 1-300, I kept thinking, "Wow! This is such a great book! I love this!" And from page 301-700, I kept wanting it to END already! But then from 700-926, I was satisfied. Deeply satisfied. Another thing was some of the language was distracting (even though I could tolerate a lot of it). The last thing was the violence--and this is a personal preference thing. I thought a lot of the violence was nauseating and head-spinning, kinda graphic.
I think I picked this out naively assuming it was a YA book. I picked it up for free and in the end (as in the end of a very long book), I was generally happy I did.
This book is perfect for mature YA and up, for people who are fans of post-apocalyptic stories filled with gritty, grueling action sequences; a convoluted, dizzying plot; and a set of characters that are slightly grizzled and oddly charismatic.
What held it back from a five star review? Well, from like page 1-300, I kept thinking, "Wow! This is such a great book! I love this!" And from page 301-700, I kept wanting it to END already! But then from 700-926, I was satisfied. Deeply satisfied. Another thing was some of the language was distracting (even though I could tolerate a lot of it). The last thing was the violence--and this is a personal preference thing. I thought a lot of the violence was nauseating and head-spinning, kinda graphic.
I think I picked this out naively assuming it was a YA book. I picked it up for free and in the end (as in the end of a very long book), I was generally happy I did.
This book is perfect for mature YA and up, for people who are fans of post-apocalyptic stories filled with gritty, grueling action sequences; a convoluted, dizzying plot; and a set of characters that are slightly grizzled and oddly charismatic.
February 11, 2013
The upper class Citizens have separated themselves from the dregs of society. All who they consider inferior now live under Haven. But an uprising is brewing beneath the surface. Elijah unites the factions below ground to end their miserable living conditions, to stop the abuse and injustice from the forces ruling Haven, and to exact revenge. But the Council in Haven recognizes the threat and plans their own offense to annihilate their enemies from below once and for all.
The story starts slowly but picks up its pace about 40% in. Then the violence and savagery gets generous, though I don't really care for all the bloody details. The conflict stems from a human's usual nemesis: egotism, greed for power and all things that makes one superior. The story is very tactical that I wish I was watching rather than reading the scenes that just keeps going on and on, sometimes told in different angles and points of view. What keeps me at it though is Malcolm (the only character I find unique here, the rest having too much attitude) and how he is linked to the entire story. It is also interesting to have that hint of superhuman and extraterrestrial woven into civil issues. A whole new possibility for another dystopian world outside Haven hangs in the end, hopefully with a leader who truly desires peace and unity for a thriving community. The plot and writing is not bad, but this isn't just my cup of tea.... 2.5 stars.
The story starts slowly but picks up its pace about 40% in. Then the violence and savagery gets generous, though I don't really care for all the bloody details. The conflict stems from a human's usual nemesis: egotism, greed for power and all things that makes one superior. The story is very tactical that I wish I was watching rather than reading the scenes that just keeps going on and on, sometimes told in different angles and points of view. What keeps me at it though is Malcolm (the only character I find unique here, the rest having too much attitude) and how he is linked to the entire story. It is also interesting to have that hint of superhuman and extraterrestrial woven into civil issues. A whole new possibility for another dystopian world outside Haven hangs in the end, hopefully with a leader who truly desires peace and unity for a thriving community. The plot and writing is not bad, but this isn't just my cup of tea.... 2.5 stars.
March 27, 2012
Should I judge free Nook Books using the same standards that I judge edited publishing house books? I think to use a different standard would be insulting to the authors. But using the same standard means that they may be rated lower than they would have been if they'd had the benefit of a good editor. I'm using the same scale for content and ignoring copy-editing entirely.
This book contains a lot of good material. It has interesting characters and well-thought-out action. So why didn't it get more stars? Maybe it was too busy? I generally enjoy stories that follow several groups of people. But normally those groups are connected much earlier in the book. This felt like four different books that were mashed together, rather than four interconnected stories, woven together. Do you understand the difference?
Okay, so why did I like it? I was very interested in the setting. The idea of building upward, leaving the castoffs of society below, and the problems set in motion by this decision are intriguing. Sadly, the setting wasn't explored very much, nor were the reasons that society chose this structure. I kept wondering why the cast-offs chose to try to fight their way upward instead of moving out of the cities entirely.
There was a lot of potential here. Most of it is currently unrealized, but if this author keeps writing, I believe he'll figure it out.
This book contains a lot of good material. It has interesting characters and well-thought-out action. So why didn't it get more stars? Maybe it was too busy? I generally enjoy stories that follow several groups of people. But normally those groups are connected much earlier in the book. This felt like four different books that were mashed together, rather than four interconnected stories, woven together. Do you understand the difference?
Okay, so why did I like it? I was very interested in the setting. The idea of building upward, leaving the castoffs of society below, and the problems set in motion by this decision are intriguing. Sadly, the setting wasn't explored very much, nor were the reasons that society chose this structure. I kept wondering why the cast-offs chose to try to fight their way upward instead of moving out of the cities entirely.
There was a lot of potential here. Most of it is currently unrealized, but if this author keeps writing, I believe he'll figure it out.
September 24, 2012
Firstly, let me start out by saying that most of the editing/formatting issues are not entirely the fault of the author. As far as I am concerned, the free kindle version of the book I received didn’t have very many misspelled words nor was it plagued with poor grammar, or badly formatted pages. All things considered, without an editing staff and publisher it was in pretty great shape.
As for content, it was a great idea for a book and I enjoyed the writing style and world building along with the whole of the story. I felt, at times, there was more description than was necessary for things or people that weren’t important to the overall story or that didn’t have roles later on or previously mentioned in the book; but, as this is a series, they may have roles later on that I am unaware of. I don’t like to do spoilers in a review, so I won’t talk about specifics, good or bad. In my opinion, I enjoyed the time spent in Justin’s world and will read other books written by him in the future. I believe this is Justin’s first attempt and was self published on top of that, so kudos for a great first attempt. I look forward to Exodus , the conclusion to this book, and will be looking for it soon after I press the save button on this review, I only hope it has been released already; I hate waiting for titles to be released, a sometimes necessary evil to reading newer works.
As for content, it was a great idea for a book and I enjoyed the writing style and world building along with the whole of the story. I felt, at times, there was more description than was necessary for things or people that weren’t important to the overall story or that didn’t have roles later on or previously mentioned in the book; but, as this is a series, they may have roles later on that I am unaware of. I don’t like to do spoilers in a review, so I won’t talk about specifics, good or bad. In my opinion, I enjoyed the time spent in Justin’s world and will read other books written by him in the future. I believe this is Justin’s first attempt and was self published on top of that, so kudos for a great first attempt. I look forward to Exodus , the conclusion to this book, and will be looking for it soon after I press the save button on this review, I only hope it has been released already; I hate waiting for titles to be released, a sometimes necessary evil to reading newer works.
December 1, 2011
This was a free Ebook. Only my second one. The first I read was Red Crows, which was, to say the least, terrible. So I can't say my expectations for Haven were very high, but I was quite surprised and happy! It has restored my faith in free books (sort of haha, Red Crows was just THAT bad!).
It is however in terrible need of editing! There were critical errors in spelling and grammar that actually did affect the meaning of the sentences where the errors. In some sentences words were mixed up (such as "of" and "if"; "the" and "he"). Furthermore, the overall plot could have used a bit of touch up and refinement, though was quite good anyway.
Some events in Haven were clearly supposed to have a deep impression on the reader, but were only partially successful. This again could be fixed with a bit of help from a good editor, adding in a bit more character development earlier on, to deepen the relationships between the characters themselves as well as with the reader.
Overall this was a good book, and pretty unique from anything else I’ve read. I can’t really say I was too happy with the ending, but it may be that the author had intended to write a sequel. I would very much like to see this book properly edited and published, and would read it again if this happened.
It is however in terrible need of editing! There were critical errors in spelling and grammar that actually did affect the meaning of the sentences where the errors. In some sentences words were mixed up (such as "of" and "if"; "the" and "he"). Furthermore, the overall plot could have used a bit of touch up and refinement, though was quite good anyway.
Some events in Haven were clearly supposed to have a deep impression on the reader, but were only partially successful. This again could be fixed with a bit of help from a good editor, adding in a bit more character development earlier on, to deepen the relationships between the characters themselves as well as with the reader.
Overall this was a good book, and pretty unique from anything else I’ve read. I can’t really say I was too happy with the ending, but it may be that the author had intended to write a sequel. I would very much like to see this book properly edited and published, and would read it again if this happened.
January 8, 2013
This was an interesting book. At times it was a bit slow, but I always found myself returning to find out what happened next. I did not find a lot of the editing issues that others mentioned, so it's likely that a new edition has been released with many of those errors corrected.
This was a kindle freebie, but I definitely think it's worth the 1.50 that it's currently for sale for on amazon. The author paints a very interesting world, both below and above. The world below is split up into different factions and in some ways strikes me as very 'mad max'. It's nothing particularly new or innovating, but the author makes the characters more than interesting enough to engross the reader.
Upstairs is Haven, the fancy place where all the citizens live. We don't get to see a lot of this, only glimpses through the few characters we follow around. Most of them are not particularly interesting, a stark contrast with the characters below. Most of them are a bit cliche, but that changes as the storyline moves along.
Overall it's worth a read, and I'm going to be picking up the next one.
This was a kindle freebie, but I definitely think it's worth the 1.50 that it's currently for sale for on amazon. The author paints a very interesting world, both below and above. The world below is split up into different factions and in some ways strikes me as very 'mad max'. It's nothing particularly new or innovating, but the author makes the characters more than interesting enough to engross the reader.
Upstairs is Haven, the fancy place where all the citizens live. We don't get to see a lot of this, only glimpses through the few characters we follow around. Most of them are not particularly interesting, a stark contrast with the characters below. Most of them are a bit cliche, but that changes as the storyline moves along.
Overall it's worth a read, and I'm going to be picking up the next one.
January 17, 2011
You know when you were young and you had a Jumbo Jawbreaker, and all you wanted was to get to the center, so you'd try and bite it. You knew it would hurt (a good pain) and you ended up biting your own tongue six million times, but still you persisted in hope you would crack the hard candy in half with the power of your incisors alone. Then you sucked it for an entire week giving yourself a migraine and jaw ache but when you got to the middle the sense of achievement was palpable, because it was WORTH it.
That is what this book is like. You have to be patient and open minded. There really are not that many mistakes (some people have been a tad melodramatic on this point reading the previous reviews). Much more Sci-Fi than fantasy, and I'm not a big Sci-Fi reader, but this was enjoyable.
I read this a while ago, but I think about it at the oddest of times. That means the story had an impact on me, because it will not leave me alone.
That is what this book is like. You have to be patient and open minded. There really are not that many mistakes (some people have been a tad melodramatic on this point reading the previous reviews). Much more Sci-Fi than fantasy, and I'm not a big Sci-Fi reader, but this was enjoyable.
I read this a while ago, but I think about it at the oddest of times. That means the story had an impact on me, because it will not leave me alone.
July 4, 2011
Well written, but I could not forgive all of the plot twists. Let's see: post-catastrophic world with your typical haves living in luxury and ignorance in the world above with great tech that cannot seem to really solve their problems, savvy sub-denizens that are being completely exploited by the above grounders, scrappy young gal tough beyond her years, mysterious stranger (uh 1/2 dead human 1/2 alien that cannot remember anything, has incredible strength and healing, but cannot seem to heal his jaw - so he always talks funny), vicious misogamist which scrappy young gal must confront, stupid above ground military that cannot plan a simple fight, mystic heroic leader of the underground that turns out to be son of the horrible leaders of the above ground.
I think you get the point . . . take all the plot twists from a dozen books and jam them into one story, and you get this stuff that I cannot recommend reading.
I think you get the point . . . take all the plot twists from a dozen books and jam them into one story, and you get this stuff that I cannot recommend reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2011
I got this for free via the Amazon Kindle app on my phone and I read the most recent version: a lot of the frustrating errors that other reviewers complain about have been cleaned up. A few remain but it is by no means unreadable.
I enjoyed this book but I have to admit that I found the ending incredibly disappointing. Although I thought the idea of a separation by 'superiority' in a near-future city - and subsequent threats of civil war and genocide - was not exactly a new plot for a fantasy novel, I thought Justin Kemppainen made it rather impressively his own. In places I found it a little clunky, but I actually found it rather fun and was extremely impressed with the quality of it considering it was free.
I'm hoping the sudden ending means a second book will appear shortly - and I think I would even pay for it, as long as it was cheap.
I enjoyed this book but I have to admit that I found the ending incredibly disappointing. Although I thought the idea of a separation by 'superiority' in a near-future city - and subsequent threats of civil war and genocide - was not exactly a new plot for a fantasy novel, I thought Justin Kemppainen made it rather impressively his own. In places I found it a little clunky, but I actually found it rather fun and was extremely impressed with the quality of it considering it was free.
I'm hoping the sudden ending means a second book will appear shortly - and I think I would even pay for it, as long as it was cheap.
February 24, 2013
A 3.5. It's a while since I've read an adult dystopian sci-fi, but this book was a good way to get back into it. The story has some interesting concepts (read the blurb to find out), and was well written with developed characters. I especially liked the characters of Kaylee and the mysterious stranger Malcolm. Hopefully there will be more about them in future books. I did find the combat scenes a bit long and hard going but that's just me!
Earlier reviews of this book mentioned poor editing but it must have been updated since then because I didn't see any editing issues at all. I like how the chapters are split up into different sections when the scenes change, which made putting it down and picking it up again easier, although I did find putting it down a problem at times! All in all a good read
Earlier reviews of this book mentioned poor editing but it must have been updated since then because I didn't see any editing issues at all. I like how the chapters are split up into different sections when the scenes change, which made putting it down and picking it up again easier, although I did find putting it down a problem at times! All in all a good read
June 21, 2012
I stumbled on this book, bargin book shopping and i have to say i'm happy i found it. I liked the cover and after reading some reviews i jumped in. The story is paced very well. The book has many characters POV of things going on at the same time. Thats something i enjoy in a book. I have to say this isnt my genre but tho i do go outside my comfort zone for a change. There is no romance or love story tho, there are some possible relationships. Lots of action and violance, this is a semi end of the world kinda story, so we see what true surival is in this world. The world building as great. The ending has a wonderful cliffhanger and i'm looking forward to reading any additional instalments.
October 10, 2011
There were so many twists and turns the ending left me speechless. Ithad some errors but overall the book was pretty good. I never would have guessed the ending. In the beginning it was hard to keep up with all the character changes and remembering who everyone was but it all tied together nicely once I got used to it. This book really made me look at society and my view of others. The people of Haven were ignorant and believed because of their wealth and intelligence they were better but in reality they just wanted superiority and in the end they got a taste of what they did to those of Old Haven.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews