YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

On the eve of Earth’s destruction, a young scientist discovers something too precious to lose, in a story of cataclysm and hope by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy.

It’s only two weeks before an asteroid turns home to dust. Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond.

Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection.

As certain doom hurtles nearer, the unexpected and beautiful potential for the future begins to flower.

Veronica Roth’s Ark is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.

I had already read this one before a BR was set up, so going to go ahead and do this one.

(view spoiler)[I liked the idea of the world ending comet. I think this short gave great detail in just why the world would end (the dust causing nothing to grown and everything to die). What I didn't care for, or really didn't care about, was the flower stuff. NOW, that being said, I did think it was cool she found a new species of flower. I suppose we are to think the species of human would survive and make it, just as this little flower did. (hide spoiler)]

starting this one, will likely be my last one for tonight and will work on the other 3 tomorrow.

32%
(view spoiler)[ I really liked this quote.. And standing in the dressing room, looking at her reflection, she had thought that a body rippled like desert sand, swelling up into hills, dipping into valleys, the sand blowing around curves and over sharp edges. (hide spoiler)]

65%
(view spoiler)[ this story is a lot slower. I like the idea, but just not really connecting to it :( (hide spoiler)]

Done.
(view spoiler)[ I appreciate Roth's attempt at presenting hope in the form of a flower's survival at the end of the world, but it just did not connect for me.. This story was slow paced and just not my cup of tea at all. (hide spoiler)]

Heather wrote: "32%
[spoilers removed]"

That is a really beautiful quote!

(view spoiler)[ I'm really not sure what to think about this one so far. It's not as engaging for me as the others I've read. (hide spoiler)]

53% (view spoiler)[ Okay so they are preparing for this world ending comet and saving as much as they can. There is a lot of flower talk in this that I wasn't expecting. I don't hate it, but for a short story I feel like it's taking away from the sci-fi aspect a bit? A lot of it might be because the other two I've read were pretty sci-fi and this one isn't on the same level. (hide spoiler)]

Heather wrote: "65%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Same. I hoped that as it continued I would connect, but I haven't. I don't think the narration is helping either. The narrator's voice is really soothing and calm. They are preparing to leave, but I don't feel this urgency to get things done that they haven't? I mean maybe they are all chill about it, but like I would be panicking about making sure everything was done. (hide spoiler)]

1/4 (view spoiler)[ First impression I found the writing really hard to get into! All the sciencey talk and the plant names got me quite confused and I took a little time to get into this even for a short story. (hide spoiler)]

2/4 (view spoiler)[ I was unsure if a little romance or just a friendship was blooming. I understand his reasons for staying on Earth, but not so much hers. She still has a lot of life to experience, even if it is on a ship. (hide spoiler)]

3/4 (view spoiler)[ Bit of an ambiguous ending-does she end up happy? I am glad she changed her mind though, she could still be happy and fall in love and be successful. It was very poignant how she found the flower too. (hide spoiler)]

4/4 (view spoiler)[ Final thoughts-4 star read. It started off okay but got better, and I liked the final message and the striking impression of what earth means to us. (hide spoiler)]