Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, explosion
Note that my library gave this away for some reason and now I own it.

6/10, now that I look back this was one of the books my library decided to give away either because it was too old or no one read it at all, even though this was part of a duology and now they only have the second book but I have the first. That being said this was an interesting novel but I doubt that I would read this again but I'd like to see what happens in the next book. It starts off with the main character Nik about to be chosen for a career at an organisation called ISIS which stands for Internal Security and Intelligence Services and not the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria but anyways he wasn't chosen and then the school was bombed by who knows. After that he and some other people discuss why the school was bombed and who did it and it turns out that the other side called Cityside had declared war on them for whatever reason, the hostages have kidnapped Sol to probably use him against him and now they and Southside are fighting against each other; life is a lot harder for Nik now. A few hundred pages later he escapes the war by going across a bridge to Cityside and that ends the book on a high note. ( )

I don't know about this book...

The story follows Nik Stais a teenager who finds himself caught between two worlds - Cityside, a shiny, comfortable world of luxury and the Breken, the hostiles on the other side of the bridge, in the ruined part of the city, the invaders.

On one hand, I loved it. The plot was gripping and moved quickly enough through a dystopian world to keep me enthralled and completely absorbed in the struggles of Nik and Fyffe. It was a little predictable in its twists, and the writing was simplistic, lacking in complexity, but was full of good messages and warnings. And a good story. It's a book to read for its story.

On the other hand, as I flipped the last page, I was dissatisfied. I recognize the dissatisfaction as being something completely and utterly real, but I felt by the end of the book like the author hadn't finished her task. I read once that a good author will take his or her reader deep into the depths of despair and hopelessness, then lead the reader out again, offering a simple glimmer of hope that reminds the reader that our world is not lost, no matter what it may seem like.

The Bridge ends with no hope.

Or, maybe it did. But I couldn't see it. It was an enjoyable read, but I feel like I'm looking for the last chapter. ( )

This dystopian novel places two groups of people at war. On one side of the bridge, in Cityside, live the privileged. In Southside, located on the other side of the bridges, live all of the poor people called Hostiles. The Hostiles have been at war with Cityside for years, seeking equal rights and treatment.

Read the rest of my review at my blog: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/the-bridge-jane-higgins/
( )

I usually love dystopian books but this one left me wanting more. A divided city with turf wars and too much confusion about who is where and what they want and who has captured them made it a pretty dull read. ( )

A dark dystopia novel set in a fictional city and written by a local author. Unlike most New Zealand dystopias, this does not have the Polynesian feel and the decline seems mainly from humans rather than environmental instability. It is well written, but no light hearted matter. Within the first few chapters, a bomb explodes at the school, killing a number of student and teachers and throwing the City side into disarray. The hostiles from across the river have invaded, they've taken the bridges and are steadily claiming parts of the city for their own. So where is the army? In the ensuring chaos, a child is kidnapped and teenagers Nik and Fyffe resolve to cross the bridge and get him back. What they find is complicated politics, some dark secrets of their own and ultimately heartbreak. Well written, engrossing and well realised, The Bridge definitely deserves its Text Prize award! ( )