Review Detail

The author and publisher of Alive requested that the bloggers chosen to review the book not reveal too much information about the story line. I am in complete agreement with this request because I feel that you appreciate the book so much more if you don’t know too much about it. This review was very difficult for me to write as I could not highlight my favorite parts of the story nor talk about the characters or character development in-depth without spoiling some major plot twists. That being said, this review will be short and to the point as well as rather vague.

Let me begin by saying that I have mixed emotions about Alive. While I was intrigued by the plot and captivated by the premise of the book, I could have just as easily put it down and walked away from it as well. I’m not sure if it is because I don’t normally read Sci-Fi or because it is not my preferred genre, but this book just didn’t work for me. When I read a book and I’m really entertained by the story, I can’t stop thinking about it. I love when a book has the ability to completely draw you in but unfortunately this one didn’t, and that really disappointed me. Because I could not connect with the characters emotionally, I felt as if I never really got to know them. Alive was very similar to the Maze Runner in the sense that there were many different characters involved in the storyline. The author did a great job in the presentation of the characters because having so many never became confusing or overwhelming. That being said, I was still unable to relate to the protagonist and I guess that is what made it difficult to enjoy. I admire that the story was very entertaining however, I wish that at least one of the characters was likable. I feel that Scott Sigler’s ability to tell a story and weave together an interesting and intricate plot was this book’s strong point. The book is split up into three parts. After the first part I was ready to DNF because I was not connecting with the story. Thank goodness that I didn’t put it down because parts two and three totally made up for the slow pace of part one. I became very involved in the plot and it held my interest. The revelation at the end of the story was a completely unexpected twist that I really enjoyed . In conclusion I just felt that the story was lacking in likable characters. I would however definitely recommend it to a sci-fi lover because I’m sure that they would really enjoy reading Alive.