The Thousandth Floor

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Author(s)

Katharine McGee

Publisher

Harper Collins

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

August 31, 2016

ISBN

0062418599

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New York City as you’ve never seen it before. A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible—if you want it enough. Welcome to Manhattan, 2118. A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. But people never change: everyone here wants something…and everyone has something to lose. Leda Cole’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched. Eris Dodd-Radson’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart. Rylin Myers’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will her new life cost Rylin her old one? Watt Bakradi is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy by an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies. And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have. Debut author Katharine McGee has created a breathtakingly original series filled with high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, where the impossible feels just within reach. But in this world, the higher you go, the farther there is to fall….

Editor reviews

4 reviews

Overall rating

4.5

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4.5(2)

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4.5(2)

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4.5(2)

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An Addictive, Exciting Journey

December 10, 2017

Overall rating

4.0

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Everything about this book is so glamorous, dramatic, and intriguing. Right down to that stunning cover.

Katharine McGee has created a book so exciting, it was nearly impossible to put it down. This fast-paced world filed with secrets and betrayals kept me turning the pages and wanting more.

I personally am a huge fan of multiple POVS, however in many cases this can make the story confusing or it holds the reader back from fully connecting to each character. McGee did not disappoint in this story. Each character was completely different from the next, each with their own complex personalities, issues and dreams. So even though the characters lived far into the future, there were parts of each of them that I could find extremely relatable.

Many people have been comparing this book to the Gossip Girl books and television series. I can definitely confirm that this is very true. With the similar NYC backdrop, the never ending drama, and the large cast of characters that are all intertwined- it is impossible not to see how similar they were. Nonetheless, I could not compare it to Gossip Girl if it had not been as addictive and interesting as the series/show. Just like Gossip Girl, this series was able to create an intriguing storyline due to our investment in the complicated lives of the characters.

What I think sets this book, and now series, apart from others is the diversity. As a POC, I greatly, greatly appreciate diversity- in all ways. This book takes place in Manhattan in 2118, decades into the future. It would only seem right to include a diverse cast with people of color, all types of sexual orientations, and those of different types of wealth.

I highly recommend this series! I can sense that this first book is only the beginning of an exciting journey.

Rose Tomasto, Staff Reviewer Top 100 Reviewer 59 reviews

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Taking Thrillers to New Heights

June 04, 2016

Overall rating

5.0

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It is officially summertime and I always love a little mystery and drama when I am on the beach. Well, not personal drama, but the ones I can read in a good book! Reminiscent of Gossip Girls and Pretty Little Liars, the mystery, intrigue, and betrayal and backstabbing are all mixed into one.

Debut author Katharine McGee does a fantastic job weaving in science fiction elements into her story. The world building is incredible. Although it is set at least 100 years into the future, the technology seems plausible and the separation of people based on economic status is scary but also incredibly realistic.

Once the weather gets warm and work starts to wind down, I love a good fun “book candy” read. While there is a lot of interesting themes and ideas running under the main events of the book, the basic storyline itself is a fast paced read that is both exhilarating and just plan entertaining.

The Thousandth Floor is over 400 pages long and I found myself unable to put the book down. Thank goodness I had a long weekend. A little romance, jealousy, and tech genius, this story line delivers a great punch. This book hooks the reader quickly and keeps a tight grip. It all begins with a fall from the Thousandth Floor; but who is it? What happened? Was it an accident or was it murder? Someone knows the truth and someone knows everyone’s secrets.

The story is told through multiple narrators and the reader gets bits and pieces of the story to unravel the mystery. Some books with this many narrators can get confusing or disjointed- but McGee has an expert hand. It reads more like an eloquent film sequence than separate chapters.

Trust me, this August (2016) grab a beach blanket, or a comfy blanket inside with the air conditioner and be prepared not to leave your seat- maybe you should make sure you have snacks within arms reach.

Recommended to fans of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, but also to anyone who loves a good mystery and a little bit of future technology.

Good Points

Fast Paced- doesn't feel like over 400 pages
Great Character Building

Joanne Mumley, Twitter Manager Top 50 Reviewer 217 reviews

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2 reviews

Overall rating

4.5

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4.5(2)

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Review: The Thousandth Floor

September 04, 2016

Overall rating

4.0

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The book was told through five different POVs and each storyteller was unique with their own strong voice. I thought the world-building was interesting with a whole society built within the one building and the higher up someone lived, the more elite and wealthy they were. The building was very high-tech but there were still difference in between the people who lived on the lower floor and they tech they had and the ones on the higher floors, especially the thousandth floor, and the extreme tech they used every day.

There were times I liked all the characters and others when I was against them. There wasn’t one where I felt completely on their side for the whole book. I really liked it. No one was one dimensional. The character who ended up being my favourite was Rylin. I felt I could relate to her the most, as the character who lived on the lowest floor out of the main characters. There was something that drew me to each of the characters: Rylin and her determination to take care of her sister; Wat and his awkwardness; Eris and her struggles to keep it together after a huge reveal; Leda and her wanting to return to normal after a stint in rehab; and Avery and her loneliness even surrounded by people.

The vibe I got while reading was similar to books like Gossip Girl and Unrivaled. Addicting, something I didn’t want to put down, the sense that any of the characters could be a victim or a perpetrator. Even when I liked the characters, I felt like I couldn’t trust them. When things started unraveling and each person started to get more desperate, there was a feeling that something bad could happen with each turn of the page. It definitely was not a slow book to read.

Overall, a great start to a series and one I look forward to continuing.

Trista Roddick Top 50 Reviewer 182 reviews

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The Thousandth Floor is a novel wherein Pretty Little Liars meets Gossip Girls…in a deeper sense.

September 01, 2016

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5.0

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The Thousandth Floor is a novel wherein Pretty Little Liars meets Gossip Girls…in a deeper sense.

When I started reading The Thousandth Floor, I admit I thought it was just another YA science fiction and dystopian novel. But of course, I was wrong.

From the middle part up to the last part of this novel, I couldn’t stop reading it. It just kept getting better and better; more lies were made; more revelations were exposed; unexpected things happened.

At first, the characters seemed like really different from one another, considering the fact that they are from different floors and social status. But then when I read further into the novel, I realized that they are so much alike: liars, pretentious and coward people. They are so annoying and yet it’s also hard not to love some of the characters (by that, I mean Watt and Cord and Eris) because of their inner beauty and wit and aura. McGee introduced, presented, and developed the characters really well. There will be a point wherein you will realize that, “That’s why that character was so strange… or acted like that.”

What I like about this novel is that it always has surprises. I was surprised by the characters (in so many ways, I can’t even….!!!!). I was surprised by the setting. Honestly, the way the Tower was described made me wish that it was a real place that I could go to in New York. Plus, it’s New York! Who doesn’t love New York?! I was also surprised with everything that happened. Everything happened so fast. I was so enthralled to it that I didn’t even flinch to say, “Wait. What?” I just kept on reading from one page to the next, from one chapter to the next. I love how fast-paced it is, but still it is so riveting!

But most of all, I was surprised on how everything in this novel seems to reflect today’s reality. As what I have said in Goodreads, the social relevance of this book is like no other. It is not your typical dystopian story wherein people are divided into different categories and that’s what sets people apart. The Thousandth Floor is so much more than that. It is not only about people being set apart. It is not only about high people versus low people. It is also about how both the high and the low people also have lots in common. This is where you will realize that not all those in the higher status are always happy and living a perfect life; and not all those in the lower status are always miserable and problematic.

Katharine McGee perfectly illustrated the importance of equality, family, friends, dignity and character.

The Thousandth Floor is a poignant and socially relative story that deals with the world’s reality today.

**I received an e-ARC via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinion about the book.**