Cell 7
Kerry Drewery
Martha has killed a famous celebrity – or at least she said she did. Now waiting her fate in an increasingly smaller set of cells, her last days on earth are not only numbered, but also watched 24/7 by the public. That public will decide whether she is guilty or innocent by voting. The only problem is that the system is rigged for those who have money to have the potential to make more votes.
Martha has lost a lot of important people, and I can see why she does the things she does. But she came across as a selfish, shallow character that I simply couldn’t like very much. And considering that I was supposed to get attached so I would be worried when she was close to dying, well, I wasn’t.
It’s unclear how the different people come on board with the ideas that Martha and her offsider are working on to change the world. Not enough clarity around a lot of issues actually, which was really frustrating.
I’m sorry. Even if this is a new thriller series, I couldn’t give points for the ending. It felt like no progress had been made at all, particularly with the authorities showing some really clear blind eyes (if there is such a thing). I read the novel, and the pacing was fine, but the plot was transparent and I couldn’t care about the characters. 3 stars from me.
Allen & Unwin | 28th September 2016 | AU $19.99 | Paperback
Ok, so another reviewer has pointed out that the novel is filled with predictable character types. I think that’s certainly true – plucky heroine protecting her too kind brother and tolerating the hatred of a foster brother who blames her for his parents’ fates. However, I didn’t find it offputting. It gave me more space to think about the implications of the novel, rather than having to do too much thinking about the characters.
There is no feeling of Merlin as a character as she begins simply as a construction of impersonal memories. The novel is plot based, and moves at a relatively fast pace once Merlin encounters other inhabitants of the desolate world. As long as you read this lightly without too many preconceived notions of how an apocalyptic novel should go, you will enjoy it.
What might be a fruitless task is explored sensitively and in a reckless pace that makes you want to keep reading. It’s like the aftermath of a train wreck where you think the worst has happened, but then more things keep popping up.
Why do people lie? Seriously guys. Ugh. It seems like everyone is crossing everyone, except Percipience who I loved (having loved the set-up of it in the first place).
I want to feel sorry for Epoch, and yet at the same time I don’t. If Clyde can understand this different way of living, others can too. Or is it that in Percipience people who were like that have been wiped out? Nature vs nurture things here.
Elspeth goes from a lonely loner to someone who dares to have friends. Funny how losing everything seems to do that to a person. She progresses rapidly from someone only concerned about saving herself to someone who can and will help others. It’s that transformation that brought me back to this novel over and over again.
Ah! The twists! Ah! The turns! Ah! The betrayal! Ah! The suspense! Loved it. I really can’t tell you more about the plot without ruining some things that go one, but please go and get a copy to find out for yourself.
