I've read some shit in my life but this takes the crown.... my question is.... WTF were the publishers thinking? There must have been someone somewhere in some office reading this and saying "yes, let's print this"....where they on drugs? Ms Foyt- for the love of GOD don't write anymore.... ( )

What a load of racist shit. Avoid this book at all costs. I'm glad I got a pirated copy to check out.



Reading this because I have heard so many horrible things about it. I have to see if it is just asshats attacking a book they are jealous they didn't write or it is as awful as something like 50 Shades of Grey. ( )

What a load of racist shit. Avoid this book at all costs. I'm glad I got a pirated copy to check out.



Reading this because I have heard so many horrible things about it. I have to see if it is just asshats attacking a book they are jealous they didn't write or it is as awful as something like 50 Shades of Grey. ( )

Read the full review at Witchmag's Boekenplank

*I received a free copy through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

What an amazing story! Victoria Foyt has a very engaging writing style. I was easily sucked into the story and only with the greatest effort did I manage to let it go afterwards. Foyt describes a fascinating and at the same time frightening world after an apocalypse. A world were your skin color determines your caste, your chance of finding a mate and the jobs you’re allowed to do. It felt like we’re back to the times of slave traders and such, but with a twist. This time people with a darker skin are superior to the “pearls”. It was very intriguing to read about this kind of future. I was surprised with myself that I found this book this interesting, since I’m usually not so fond of everything dystopia. But not this one!

The Jaguar Man was also quite appealing. It was not a real shapeshifter or werewolf, but something in between. And with a scientific background! Not something I encounter often and very refreshing! It gave a whole new perspective on my favorite genre. I quite liked this vision of a beastly man with well proportioned… everything ^^ And of course beastly behavior. Jummy! I really liked the growling and sometimes cave men behavior ;)

That said it’s quite obvious I like, even loved, Ronson Bramford. He’s a beastly handsome, bad guy, hunk with a lot of emotional baggage, always there to rescue Eden from her next escapade gone wrong *rolls eyes at Eden*. Aka the dream of every woman, or at least mine ;) And the commitment he has! For her and everyone else he considers part of his family. That made him rise to the top of my list with most dreamy men ^^

And then there was Eden. As you noticed with my eye roll I wasn’t that happy with her. For the first part of the story at least. During that time she was a naïve, egoistic, fickle, distrustful person, who refused to really “open” her eyes and see the world in a new light. The results are quite annoying and too predictable for words. I had to put the book away, repeatedly, cause I just couldn’t stand her behavior anymore. The compelling writing style and the HUNK, however, managed to bring me back every time. And I’m glad for it. Cause she had her HALLELUJAH moment. Thank god. And afterwards she became a more likable person. Someone who doesn’t only think of herself, is able to see what the consequences are and has opened her mind to new things. I finally grew to like her!

Conclusion

4 HEARTS. It’s a very compelling book, with an engaging world and interesting story. It features one of the most dream worthy hunks I’ve ever come across in a book. Only drawback was Eden’s behavior. Fortunately she sees the light halfway and from then on I grew to love her and is this book a joy to read. ( )

Hailing from the nonexistent category of African-American readers, I'm here today to say this book exceeded expectations.

It is even more awful than anyone told me or I could've imagined. I question why Goodreads won't let me just give this zero stars as an exception. In point form:

- Your world-building is bad and you should feel bad.
Now, I know everyone is jumping on the YA Lit dystopia bandwagon to become the next Hunger Games, but in the very least, you need internally consistent logic. Melanin is not a radiation filter.

- Eden makes Edmund Pevensie look sweet and even-tempered and Bella Swan merely misguided.

- You cannot have a race name double as a racial slur, and judging by everyone's reaction to Eden's outburst, Coal is not complimentary.

- On that note, really? Pearl is the closest you can get to derogatory but coal (a dirty pollutant) in an environmental dystopia is supposed to be good?

- With an issue like race in a position of privilege you have to be very delicate with how you choose to explore that theme. Foyt uses a sledgehammer.

- How many times can you describe your black male characters as overtly sexual and violent without feeling like you're NOT AT ALL subverting stereotypes?

- Also Eden can keep calling her black female boss doing her job, a bitch. Even when the men are cruel they're ~sexy~ but Ashina? That haughty bitch. That's really turning stereotypes on their heads you guys.

- If there is an imperative to mate and they need more children why would they limit everyone to a child each? That's not even replacing the parents.

- The father speaks like a bad Sherlock fanfiction. Stop calling your own daughter, Daught.

- The sentence structure is god awful.

- Bramford has a name even if he is part leopard. Eden knows him. Why would she start calling him El Tigre? Not to mention, in case I forgot, he is called beastly every third sentence.

- I'm going to let someone else handle the portrayal of the Native people in this book. “Residue from oil mining,” her father said, indicating the murky water. “My hypothesis is the tribe sold their oil rights long ago, probably for worthless cash. I suspect no one ever explained the consequences.”...nope.

- If anyone has special snowflake disease it's Eden. She's not an animal, she exclaims! She won't eat the Native people's food. It's like vomit, and she spits it out. She wishes she had meal pills! Wahhhh where is her Life-Band? Whine. Whine. Whine.

- "Eden yearned to caress his savage face but feared he might hit her." pg 97. This is not romantic. What is with modern YA Lit and romanticizing creepy situations?

- I have nothing to say about that mess of an ending or the preachiness of colourblindness. From a person of colour, who racism affects in the real world, this is a piss poor examination what racism is like. Also colourblindness is exclusively a white privilege because you can't be ignorant of something that systematically affects you. What on earth is wrong with acknowledging race and discrimination and its effects on others' experiences and actively being sensitive to such?

Edit:
- How could I forget the blackface? Which is both because Coals don't like looking at pearls and it's illegal or some such nonsense. She describes putting on red lipstick in a way to make her lips look bigger. Get it? Big lips. Because black people have them -_-"
( )