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The 100 Kass Morgan Books

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The 100 Kass Morgan Books

Having interviewed Kass Morgan last year and given the success of the CW series based on the books, I was plenty eager to give The 100 a try. While I haven't read a staggering amount of YA dystopian, the books in the genre that I have tried (e.g. classics like The Giver and the Uglies series), I absolutely loved; given my background, my initial impressions of the premise were highly anticipatory.

UPDATE: Since reviewing The 100, I've finished the first two seasons of the TV show, which I will say is almost completely different from the book series. I'm a glutton for dramatic teen TV shows, and since The 100 is produced by the same people as The Vampire Diaries, I was destined to fall in love with it! If you've seen the show and are inclined to try the book because you liked it so much... I'm sorry, but they will disappoint you sorely. Just stick with the TV show (A+ COMPLETELY RECOMMEND). The books, while similar enough in premise to serve as the foundation for the show, are much more slowly paced (the entire first book, The 100, is basically the time frame of the first episode of Season 1), and definitely less gracefully executed than episodes are. Just a little disclaimer.

REVIEW: The book is told from four different teenagers' perspectives—Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass. All narratives aside from Glass's are told in a concurrent timeline, through the eyes of the delinquents who have been forced to settle on Earth for the first time in centuries. While Glass's story, which takes place back on the mothership, was initially the least interesting, it eventually pans out to serve as an anchor—a tie to the surviving, but still unstable lifestyle back in space.

Kass Morgan creates a vivid high-tech world in The 100, where citizens are divided by social standing and resources are limited—of course, except to the upperclass. Back on Earth, the prospects are obviously grim, but it's still a thrill of a journey to follow Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and the other 97, as they each rediscover a planet that they've only read about in books, yet have such a deep internal connection with. I appreciate the idea of providing different points of view, but think it was slightly too ambitious for the author to try to squeeze a Lord of the Flies-esque conflict AND a love triangle AND an undercurrent of radiation's aftereffects (say what?) into everything. It's all interesting until it just becomes too much; I'd have much preferred one central conflict with stronger relationship-building and more background insight.

While there is no one thing fatally wrong with any of the characters, all four of them are too generic, too idealized. Everyone loves having attractive/smart/clever characters to read about, but they all start to blend together when the author tries to make them all perfect, especially since everyone thinks in close third person. The unrealistic and unextraordinary characterization prevented me from developing any sort of attachment to any of them. The only one that seemed remotely human and believable was Bellamy, our resident rebel. But then again I've always been a sucker for bad boys with a past...

That said, the story itself is filled with drama and tension between the main characters (and secondary characters!) which makes The 100 exciting to read. The sheer nature of the resettlement of our planet is enthralling; Morgan does well with engaging readers to the surprises and twists scattered throughout the novel. There's definitely lots of action-filled scenes and, love it or hate, an INTENSE cliffhanger ending, that just leaves you thirsty for more.

Structurally, I found The 100 quite hard to work with. The constantly changing perspectives get a bit disorienting because it's not just a "he said, she said," but rather a "he said, she said, another he said, another she said." Kind of exhausting. On top of that, each of the narratives are very heavy on backstory which, in good fiction, is absolutely necessary. But when it takes up 50% of the book in the form of italicized flashbacks, it gets out of control.

Pros: Fascinating storyline and world-building // Engaging; keeps you hanging on constantly // Dramatic Earth-bound adventures and minor plot twists // Bellamy is a strongly written character // Ending makes me want to read the second book! That's what ultimately matters, right?

Cons: Abundance of flashbacks is annoying; causes disorder in the flow of the storytelling // Constant narrative shifts also gets chaotic // Stylistically unimpressive // All the characters are grossly idealized (i.e. sweet, pretty/handsome, kind, brave, etc.) and thus pretty forgettable (with the exception of Bellamy) // Cliffhanger ending may cause distress

Verdict: Despite my numerous quips with the lacking characters and structure of The 100, I found myself enjoying it while reading and left wanting more once finished. It's definitely a plot-driven sci-fi novel with lots of action and lots of suspense; if that's your thing, you should totally give it a chance. Kass Morgan's debut is one of those books that isn't mind-blowing, but is still hard to put down, so I definitely understand its appeal to mainstream young adult audiences. While unimpressive in a literary lens or by composition, The 100 is still a promising first installment in an exciting dystopian series.

Rating: 7 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; borrow, don't buy!

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, FSB Media!).


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The 100 Kass Morgan Books Reviews

In The 100, humanity has evacuated earth and moved to space after a devastating nuclear war. The remnants of humanity live on a modular space station, divided between perceived class and privilege. Strict laws are put in place to save the last of mankind and there is little tolerance for those who put the space station at risk. The story of The 100 focuses on four main characters who have all challenged the rules of the station for different reasons, some selfish and some innocent. Clarke was arrested and placed in jail for secrets she tries to hide from everyone around her. Wells sacrifices everything, family and friends, for the love of a girl who refuses to forgive him. Bellamy grew up in a family that defied the restrictive class rules of the station, and is still haunted by the decisions of others – though he would do anything to protect his family. Glass finds herself caught between love and law and takes too long to make a decision about what she values most.
Clark, Wells, and Bellamy are sent along with 97 other minors to earth in order to test the habitability of the planet. Only convicts facing death are sent on what everyone assumes is a suicidal mission. Glass was meant to join the trip to Earth, but escapes at the last minute only to face different dangers on the space station.
One hundred children land on Earth to face challenges there were never prepared for. And of course, nothing is like it seems.

What sounds like a great story premise is ruined by poor dialogue, stunted character growth, and a plot that works harder for the cliff hanger ending than it does to setup the reader in the previous 320 pages. Each character tells their own story in present day narrative and flash backs. It is interesting to see how the characters interact from different viewpoints, but the jumps make the story feel disjointed. Each character’s story has a plot twist that keeps the reader hooked, but feels emotionally devoid when the predictable happens. There are twists in the last third of the book that earned the story two stars, but it doesn’t make up for the failure of the rest of the tale.
One other glaring issue was the immaturity of all the characters. It makes sense that a group of teenagers would act like teenagers, but unless space somehow retards the growth of adult minds, there is no reason for the parents and leadership of the space community to act like juveniles. There is very little common senses and logic applied by the surrounding characters, and the rules that are carried out sound more like the decrees of a defunct third world nation than a working government of a society that made its way into space.

I’m sorry Kass, but I will not be reading any more books in this series. I still plan on watching the TV show eventually. I’ve heard the show writers have handled the glaring flaws.
WARNING First off, in three books a month goes by. These books have a snail pace. Also the TV series is nothing like the book other than the basic premise (ppl from space return to earth after apocalypse) and six character names. Relationships are changed, and that powerful female lead in the TV series is a pathetic lovesick puppy reliant on men and mostly used as plot device to fill in background information.

At first I was excited to get a new story from the characters I love and to get more background on the ship life. But as it went along it became very clear this writer preferred cliche characters to the inspired writing that the TV show uses.
Okay, I know it's Y.A. And I know many reviewers said its not like the T.V. show. But I thought it would be more in depth more character driven not less. I read the hunger games Y.A. can be better than this. This is terrible. Unreadable. I got two thirds through and stopped. It's all teen girls and boys "falling in love" and acting in the most unbelievable ways in a threatening situation. Its like Twilight fan fiction had a baby with Lord of the flies but it came out backwards. Every chapter... every conversation stops and then has a gossip fest of this guy loves you but she hates him and loves this other guy who doesn't see her that way and on and on and on. Oh and apparently after a lifetime in a space station it takes like a couple of hours to learn how to hunt with a bow! It would take hours just to understand how to shoot a bow without hurting your arm. Ten page chapters, thin characters, and sappy writing. Please watch the show, and ignore this mess.
Having interviewed Kass Morgan last year and given the success of the CW series based on the books, I was plenty eager to give The 100 a try. While I haven't read a staggering amount of YA dystopian, the books in the genre that I have tried (e.g. classics like The Giver and the Uglies series), I absolutely loved; given my background, my initial impressions of the premise were highly anticipatory.

UPDATE Since reviewing The 100, I've finished the first two seasons of the TV show, which I will say is almost completely different from the book series. I'm a glutton for dramatic teen TV shows, and since The 100 is produced by the same people as The Vampire Diaries, I was destined to fall in love with it! If you've seen the show and are inclined to try the book because you liked it so much... I'm sorry, but they will disappoint you sorely. Just stick with the TV show (A+ COMPLETELY RECOMMEND). The books, while similar enough in premise to serve as the foundation for the show, are much more slowly paced (the entire first book, The 100, is basically the time frame of the first episode of Season 1), and definitely less gracefully executed than episodes are. Just a little disclaimer.

REVIEW The book is told from four different teenagers' perspectives—Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass. All narratives aside from Glass's are told in a concurrent timeline, through the eyes of the delinquents who have been forced to settle on Earth for the first time in centuries. While Glass's story, which takes place back on the mothership, was initially the least interesting, it eventually pans out to serve as an anchor—a tie to the surviving, but still unstable lifestyle back in space.

Kass Morgan creates a vivid high-tech world in The 100, where citizens are divided by social standing and resources are limited—of course, except to the upperclass. Back on Earth, the prospects are obviously grim, but it's still a thrill of a journey to follow Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and the other 97, as they each rediscover a planet that they've only read about in books, yet have such a deep internal connection with. I appreciate the idea of providing different points of view, but think it was slightly too ambitious for the author to try to squeeze a Lord of the Flies-esque conflict AND a love triangle AND an undercurrent of radiation's aftereffects (say what?) into everything. It's all interesting until it just becomes too much; I'd have much preferred one central conflict with stronger relationship-building and more background insight.

While there is no one thing fatally wrong with any of the characters, all four of them are too generic, too idealized. Everyone loves having attractive/smart/clever characters to read about, but they all start to blend together when the author tries to make them all perfect, especially since everyone thinks in close third person. The unrealistic and unextraordinary characterization prevented me from developing any sort of attachment to any of them. The only one that seemed remotely human and believable was Bellamy, our resident rebel. But then again I've always been a sucker for bad boys with a past...

That said, the story itself is filled with drama and tension between the main characters (and secondary characters!) which makes The 100 exciting to read. The sheer nature of the resettlement of our planet is enthralling; Morgan does well with engaging readers to the surprises and twists scattered throughout the novel. There's definitely lots of action-filled scenes and, love it or hate, an INTENSE cliffhanger ending, that just leaves you thirsty for more.

Structurally, I found The 100 quite hard to work with. The constantly changing perspectives get a bit disorienting because it's not just a "he said, she said," but rather a "he said, she said, another he said, another she said." Kind of exhausting. On top of that, each of the narratives are very heavy on backstory which, in good fiction, is absolutely necessary. But when it takes up 50% of the book in the form of italicized flashbacks, it gets out of control.

Pros Fascinating storyline and world-building // Engaging; keeps you hanging on constantly // Dramatic Earth-bound adventures and minor plot twists // Bellamy is a strongly written character // Ending makes me want to read the second book! That's what ultimately matters, right?

Cons Abundance of flashbacks is annoying; causes disorder in the flow of the storytelling // Constant narrative shifts also gets chaotic // Stylistically unimpressive // All the characters are grossly idealized (i.e. sweet, pretty/handsome, kind, brave, etc.) and thus pretty forgettable (with the exception of Bellamy) // Cliffhanger ending may cause distress

Verdict Despite my numerous quips with the lacking characters and structure of The 100, I found myself enjoying it while reading and left wanting more once finished. It's definitely a plot-driven sci-fi novel with lots of action and lots of suspense; if that's your thing, you should totally give it a chance. Kass Morgan's debut is one of those books that isn't mind-blowing, but is still hard to put down, so I definitely understand its appeal to mainstream young adult audiences. While unimpressive in a literary lens or by composition, The 100 is still a promising first installment in an exciting dystopian series.

Rating 7 out of 10 hearts (4 stars) Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; borrow, don't buy!

Source Complimentary copy provided by publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, FSB Media!).