It’s us versus them. Despite the war being replaced with peace for decades, aliens and humans still do not agree with each other. Exos, biologically advanced humans patrol the streets, keeping the humans in check--should they be suspected to assist Max--a terrorism group of rebels, they get shot, no questions asked. Donovan, a viable member of the Exo, has his legacy and family name to protect. However, things that once seemed obvious to him suddenly seem less obvious during his imprisonment. With the Prime Liasion’s son captured, the Sapiens believe they can put an end to the alien invasion and take what belonged to them--Earth. With Earth being yet again on the brink of war, Exo depicts perception and morale while also reflecting our society.
Link to Goodreads || mild-spoilerly review below
2018 White Pine #7/10; Aliens? Advanced technology? War?? YES PLEASE. I didn’t really know what to expect from this book, but it was amazing!
For some reason, this book gave me The Host vibes in the sense that there was a good side and a bad side, but it turned out that things weren’t black and white. Sure, this story is completely original, though it was intriguing to see how the story would play out, and how our perceptions are based on our upbring. Furthermore, I do believe that Exo had some unique characteristics that I haven’t seen in too many YA novels; the test of morals, and the whole concept of an Exo, for instance.
Let’s start with answering the following question: What is an Exo? It took me a while to sort of figure out, as there wasn’t too much info dumping (which I both love and despise because I was hella confused at the start). Exo is essentially short for exoskeleton; certain people in the society make their children go through a harding process in which an armour is placed upon them--it’s like a second skin that also happens to enhance one’s abilities. Pretty cool. Except that many kids die during the process, yet parents still take the risk--being an Exo means you’re more respectable in society, which is crucial to protect the family honour. Hence, this book tests our morals: are you willing to give up anything to become “superhuman”? (SIDE NOTE: those who don’t go through the process are called Sapiens (as in Homo Sapiens), and they are the rebels)
On top of Exos, there are also other alien creatures, and that’s sort of where Lee lost me. I had a difficult time picturing what the Zhree looked like, and what their place in society was. It wasn’t clear to me until the last few bits of the book due to some of the events (which I won’t mention due to major spoilers). I think that if Lee made the distinction earlier on, it would have saved some confusion. Nevertheless, it was evident that they are pricks...or maybe that’s the notion I got as Donovan’s perception changed…
Regarding the characters, I thought they were pretty disguisable, which is crucial when there are two main “groups” in YA. Each character had their own motive, their own backstory, even if they were stock characters. I appreciated this as it can get really confusing when the characters are too much alike--the dynamic is actually really interesting. In some ways the Exos and the Sapiens had the same goals, just different versions of the same story; this all goes back to our perceptions and prenotions. We don’t know what’s real and what’s not. This played out really well as it pushed the story forwards and developed Donovan's character. In terms of relationships, I was slightly disappointed with the “forbidden-love”; two very different people on opposite sides of an intergalactic war happen to fall in love. Their relationship wasn’t too intimate, though I feel like a strong friendship would have played out better (and could have led to more plot twists).
The plot was slightly predictable--some of the twists were pretty easy to guess before they happened. Despite this, I still really enjoyed the story. I found myself still analyzing different outcomes for the story. Again, it reminded me of The Host with how the story unfolded; Exo took a similar path but had very different elements at the same time. I’m excited to see what will happen in book 2, which comes out in June 2018 (only 3 months away!)
On top of perception, Lee plays with other aspects in our society. Not only does she take war and war history into account, but also oppression and prejudices made about “the other side”. It’s kind of scary to see a story set well off into the future yet reflect our current society with such precision. I suppose that’s Dystopia for you. I really hope that Lee continues to write in this genre and exploits more of our societies current issues.
Overall, I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for some sci-fi, alien/war book--this book is packed with action and deems to be appealing as one puts themselves in Donovan’s shoes.
If you’ve read this book, I’d love to know your thoughts! Did you enjoy it, or not? Let’s chat =D
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you are having an exceptional day, wherever you are in the world!
My first cosplay! The presenters at Notre Dame Secondary school made Swan Rider Wings. This shows them to be thoughtful, enthusiastic young volunteers, the like of whom the UN might dispatch to murder people. SWEET!!!!!
Also, your author in wings: Murderous or angelic? Depends on the light.
The always popular Silver Birch nominees were announced on Friday. Read more about the nominated titles in the Fiction, Non Fiction and Express categories on the OLA’s Forest of Reading website.
