Little, Brown Day 21

The second book in The 100 continues on much like the first, splitting events between the teens on Earth and the rest of the survivors on the ailing space station, whilst also jumping between the present and flashbacks. To be fair, so much of this book felt like the first one that it doesn't really feel like a sequel at all. If you were to tell me that Kass Morgan wrote the two together, as one book, and was made to split it in half for easier marketing or something like that I wouldn't be shocked at all. It feels like one story; but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.Like with the first book there isn't a huge amount of pace to Day 21. Events seem to unfold at a fairly lesisurely rate, and whilst there should feel like there's more tension and drive to the story it's kind of absent. This lack of speed was also present in the first book, and made it surprising to learn that twenty days had passed in that volume. I'm not even sure how much time passes during this book, and that bugs me a little.Bellamy should be looking for his missing sister, trying to find her trail in the woods, or questioning their prisoner, Sasha, to get information. Instead, he waits around for a few days, moping at the camp, going hunting, and occasionally trying to get a few answers. He should be desperate to get his only family member back, but seems a little relaxed about the whole thing. Equally, the 100 don't seem too determined to find out from Sasha about her people, or those attacking and killing them. Instead she keeps getting tied up, untied, taking trips into the woods, tied up again, kisses Wells, then finally escapes and goes home. Whilst her introduction is definitely an interesting and welcome addition, it's a little like the characters and the author aren't too sure what to do with her.The story on board the colony doesn't help with the pacing much either. Since the last book Glass has been trapped in one of the sections of the station with Luke, waiting for the air to run out and everyone die. The two of them hatch a plan to get her back in the 'rich' part of the station and unlock the doors so that everyone can get air again, and possibly escape. Okay, so this is definitely a tense story line, and has some great moments in it, like Glass spacewalking, but the pace is completely at odds with the rest of the book. Once Glass unlocks the doors people start pouring into the previously secure section of the station and it becomes a mad dash to the drop ships. This should be happening quickly, with it being a race for survival, but these chapters are inter spaced with the ones on Earth, and it really slows the pace of these sections down a lot.Despite these issues with pacing, the second book in the series definitely builds more on the world, and introduces new elements and plot points that are sure to be big things going forward. We learn that there are two factions of people on Earth, one friendly, the other hostile. We discover how these people survived the apocalypse and see their underground facility. Clarke learns of another expedition to Earth that included her parents, who might still be alive. And we get hints that there might be a killer within the 100's camp.These are all great moments that move the plot forwards and make it feel like a bigger world, but most of these come towards the end of the book, so don't expect to learn more until volume three at least.Whilst the flashbacks in the first book were a great way of us learning more about the characters and getting a good sense of the kinds of people they are, as well as giving us a lot of information about the colony itself, this time they feel a little more redundant. This time round the information that they're giving the reader aren't as important, and some of them make vague hints to things the characters learn later in the book anyway, and all their inclusion does is tip the read off to things that would have otherwise been a surprise.I'm hoping that these flashbacks will become more relevant in the next book, or will simply not be used. I'm a little worried that what was a great narrative device in the first book will be kept around and become overused, much like the increasingly harder to justify flashbacks in Lost.Overall Day 21 was an improvement on the first book, simply because it moved the plot forward and introduced some interesting new elements. It still, however, felt like a smaller part of a much bigger narrative, and as such left me a bit dejected come the end. I'm glad I'm reading it now, when all the books are already out and waiting for me, rather than having to wait on long periods between books for their release.

This is the second book in the 100 series! It is set 21 days after the 100 have landed on earth and the drama is continuing. I started reading this really quickly after the first one because I loved the first one so much. I preferred this book to the first one because I thought more exciting things happened and relationships/friendships were forming really well.I love the dystopian elements of this series but I would ware you: if you're reading this because you've see the series you're in for a surprise: they are completely different!

This book picks up pretty much where the last one left off, and is written in a similar format: jumping between different characters P.O.V and using a lot of flashbacks to tell back story.I found the flashbacks more irritating this time round. It just felt like most of the important stuff had already been told in the first book and now the flashbacks were being used to illustrate points rather than give us insight. While some of the flashbacks were interesting, I kept thinking: if that's the story you wanted to tell, why not start there, instead of constantly flashing back?A lot of the tension seemed to have diffused now, which was strange considering the climax at the end of the last book. While I expected to find the 100 being attacked by Earthborns and Luke and Glass suffocating, everything seemed a bit calm when I expected panic and drama.I found Luke and Glass' story more interesting than the 100's this time, as what was happening on Earth seemed fairly dull compared to what they were going through, which again, is strange because there was quite a lot happening down on Earth. I just found all the tension was erased by the constant back and forth romances and the insistent focussing on that. I understand if you dump a bunch of horny criminal teenagers together there's going to be some sexual tension, but I can't believe they're so worried about who loves who rather than fears of attack or starvation or radiation poisoning.While I still enjoyed this book, I think it's a bit of an easy read: I'm in it more for the story than the writing and even the characters sometimes. It reads too simply and glosses over some of the finer details (and some of the larger ones) and that's what really makes a good book. I can see why it's been adapted to a TV show. It's never going to be the height of great literature but I know I'll still be looking out for the sequel.

Her implicit descriptions are what make this novel. I wish that the show had followed Morgan's narrative closely in terms of Wells and Glass. Clarke Griffin is an inspiring character, I wish I had her brain and heart, to be honest. Bellamy Blake is a problematic character undeniably, but I relate to him a lot in terms of his upbringing, his self-reliance and independence are equally inspiring. Morgan's characters are all diverse souls and that is what makes this novel so addictive.

I bought this for my daughter - very fast dispatch - great value for money - thank you very much she loved it!! x