Review | The 100

The 100 by Kass Morgan
Received from NetGalley
September 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
323 pages
Amazon + Good Reads

"In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again."

-Good Reads

Unfortunately, The 100 was just okay for me. And I say unfortunately because I could have loved it, a lot. The 100 could have been great, fantastic, the book to pull me out of my slump and rekindle my love for Young Adult fiction. However, I felt as though Kass Morgan did not take full advantage of her story. Morgan had all the right elements - an intriguing plot, interesting and dynamic characters, a dystopian set up (that did not feel overdone), and an hint of mystery... but for some reason (and I can't exactly put my thumb on it), The 100 just fell flat for me. 

But it was still an interesting read.

Morgan employs the use of alternating point of view - the story was told through the eyes of Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass. Each of these characters (and the secondary characters who we see through their eyes) were all unique from one another and offered an interesting perspective that allowed me to feel as though I had a well rounded grasp on their world. I'm usually not a big fan of multiple PoVs but it worked for The 100.

Morgan also uses flashbacks. The flashbacks allow us, the readers, to learn more about what events brought the characters to their present situations as well as allow for a lot of character development. I wasn't a huge fan of the flashbacks just because of my own personal preference, but I did appreciate that they allowed me to learn more about the characters and world. 

Overall, The 100 is an interesting concept but I felt as though the execution could have been handled better. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of YA, dystopian, and sci-fi - specifically those who have enjoyed Beth Revis' Across the Universe. 

Also - please let me know if the TV show is worth watching! 

-Alyssa