Member Reviews
I couldn't finish this book. Maybe it was the formatting, or the difference in language that I couldn't grasp, but I feel that it was a good book, I just didn't connect with it.
I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I found the beginning of this book rather confusing and hard to get invested in. Once I got into the story, I couldn't put it down. The prose style was absolutely beautiful in this book and matched the story well.
Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.
DNF; I couldn't get into the author's prose style very early into the book. Also, I didn't feel like there was a lot of character-building in the early going, and I needed that to keep me going. The premise was intriguing and may appeal to other readers, but I simply didn't connect with this book.
An interesting book and an interesting perspective. Science fiction this is not. It is Social Engineering, and I have no doubt somewhere in the world things like this are going on.
To avoid Juvenile detention Daniel is sent to a “school”, but it is quite unlike any other school. For a start his room has an ensuite. He can also specify in his contract with the school what he wants, I presume there would have been limitations on this, but he chose extra food and a fridge.
The lessons are different to normal school lessons and it quickly becomes apparent that Daniel and the rest of the students are all very intelligent. This intelligence has led them down the wrong paths, in Daniel's case dealing pills to his fellow students in school. Pills that were initially prescribed to control his behaviour.
At times this book is very laboured. It is told from Daniel's POV and occasionally moves to a point 30 years hence.
I felt the ending a bit rushed and not quite right somehow.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.
I'm so sorry, but I really couldn't finish this. It usually doesn't happen to me, but it just didn't grab me right away, I tried very hard to like it and to care about the characters. It must be me, I advise everyone to give it a chance by all means.
Very intriguing story. A little hard to keep up with at first, then I couldn't stop reading it. The characters interesting and well developed.
Really wanted to enjoy this one! It's not something I would typically read. But I found the write up grabbed my attention. Unfortunately for me the story itself didnt grab me.
I was intrigued from the start because I thought it may have similarities to The Program, which I devoured the entire series in a week.
This was okay. A good idea that wasn't done as well as I hoped.
Daniel gets arrested for selling drugs and instead of being sent to jail he gets sent to a special juvenile facility.
The facility is a very odd place.Something not quite right with it.
There is a bit of disconnect when they jump into the future.Stick with it.
It’s a very good psychological mystery.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC
This book was much different than my usual reads, but it was refreshing! It is creative, thought-provoking, and developed! The characters are interesting, the story makes you stop to think, and I flew through it fairly quickly.
A book that caught my attention.Kids who have committed crimes but instead of jail time, are sent to a school an isolated area something strange.A book that caught my attention and kept me turning the pages.#netgalley#textpublishing.
Thanks netgalley for an ebook copy of this novel.
4 - 4.5 stars
I first heard about this novel when I saw it at the local library on display - as it was published in Australia in June 2019.
The storyline features a teen criminal finding out the truth behind a reason why he was sent not to a juvenile corrections centre, but to a facility with a small group of teens on a different path.
I enjoyed the twists and revelations as the main character uncovers the truths about the other teens and the doctors methods.
**Review**
The Subjects by Sarah Hopkins.
Daniel is a sixteen year old drug dealer who narrowly avoids jail time, and instead is taking to a facility housing other delinquent teens. But why are they there? Daniel is sure they are the subjects of some experiment. But who is doing this and what is it they are looking for?
This book really caught my attention and I was very happy when I was able to obtain it through netgalley. I loved the idea of this story and thought it could go in many different directions. Sadly, I was fairly disappointed, as I felt it was just a bit dull. I didn’t feel there was enough excitement for me. It was ok but I felt the story could have been more complex and interesting. I struggled a little with a format.
That said I do feel this book may appeal to younger readers. It is most certainly a young adult read, and I think I may have enjoyed it much more if I had read it in my teenage years.
Overall my expectations were not met, but that is not to say others will not really enjoy this read. The idea is great and I am sure it will be gripping to some. Thank you @netgalley for allowing me to read this.
I really enjoyed this book- I found the prose and characters easy to get into and found the plot very intriguing.
I was provided with a free copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Very sadly this was a DNF for me. I was very intrigued by the premise and synopsis. The writing swings between complex for the age it seems to be written for to overly straightforward. There is a lot of promise in this book that unfortunately underdelivers.
I was really interested in the premise of "The Subjects" however I found the prose to be difficult. I found the characters to be difficult to engage with and I found them underdeveloped. I found myself pretty bored throughout the story.
I thought this book would peek my interest, but it was lackluster in character development, and dragged in many places.
I do not remember if I requested this or if it was available for 'Read' on NetGalley, but I am so over the moon as I got the chance to read and review this arc!
Narrated by the 47 Y/O protagonist, Daniel, the plot explores the events that occurred when he was 16. He gets arrested for dealing drugs and is convicted as a Juvenile Delinquent only to be picked by a mysterious person in the court so he could go to a special facility instead of a prison. He doubts it to be a prison only to find out it is not a prison because he can leave whenever he wants to. He doubts it to be a school but he can skip the classes and the syllabus are rather unusual. He doubts it to be a psychiatric ward but there are no pills and any normal stereotype to identify it as a psychiatric ward. There are a bunch of other delinquents, just like him, with pasts under the wraps and pasts that are exposed.
But...everyone feels safe there or maybe, everyone is being kept safe from something...
Books this good must be made illegal! No, I am kidding, books like this should be written more often, I don't mean to say that you need to plagiarise this work, though.
This is not your everyday story but it is if you delve into the psychological, scientifical and technological aspects of this. Because when you do, you find a very brilliant metaphor which has been hidden so well that it will shock you that it has gone unnoticed. It is quite thought-provoking and introspective.
As a dark, riveting tale demanding rapt attention which portrays the delinquency through a positive and a compassionate perception, by delving deep into their minds and the influences, it is heart-rendingly vivid. Only a few can appreciate this masterpiece: this book does the justification for the genre,' 'Psychological Thriller', on literal terms. This is an almost technocratic dystopia with a touch of sci-fi. I loved all the characters and my maternal instincts kicked in on the very first page. A few events that followed twisted my soul. Thanks, Sarah!
This tale is fascinatingly constructed, including the characters and the world; it is such a necessary read but yet something that will go overlooked. I hope it does not.
Yes, it might be hard to keep up with a read like this which also happens to be fast-paced. There is a lingering caprice which makes you want to read through it quickly but when you do that, you get lost. This work is a beautiful metaphor for human psychology; you would think you know all about it only for it to surprise you and turn out to be more complex. One has to sit down and read this with patience: only that will help you to unlock the raw beauty, heart-wrenching facts and the ethical awareness this tale holds.
The last few chapters that explore how this facility shaped each child's future and all the questions: what, why, how's are answered. I found it to be a perfect ending. In fact, I enjoyed it more than I was allowed to. Sarah has an impeccable style in story-telling that justifies this tale. Coming up with the basic idea of the plot might be easy but the connectors to weave a plot like this requires so much of/from a person. Sarah deserves a standing ovation for this book! If I ever get to write a paper on some psychology-based work in my UG, this is the work I will choose to write on. Anything she will be writing next, I will make sure to read it.
Anyone who didn't like this or enjoy this book, I will not hate you. I will pity you, instead, because you just let a masterpiece pass away right under your eyes.
I adored and enjoyed this read immensely. I cannot believe I need to wait for the next 6 months to read this book again but I guess it is worth the wait.
I was interested in the premise of this book; the idea of a group of kids rescued from prison and put in a peculiar school. It unfortunately fell flat for me though, there wasn't enough going on and I didn't relate to any of the characters so began to lose interest.
I enjoyed this book. First one by this author, but for sure it will not be the last. Great book to return too at the end of the day.