In the future, humans live in citylike 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.

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GOODREADS || AMAZON

MY REVIEW OF DAY 21

ARC received via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review but it didn’t affect my opinion about this book.

When I heard that this book already had a TV series, it perked my interest. It should be really great for it to achieve something like that. So I picked it up, thinking that I found a great YA book that I would gush about.

Only to have my expectations dashed.

You see, the whole time I was reading this book, I felt like a bystander dragged in their world with no provisions or warnings or whatsoever. I didn’t understand what the heck was happening.

The book went like this. After the biological and nuclear war threatened to destroy earth, the humans who managed to survive the first stages of Cataclysm were forced to abandon it. For the next three centuries, they lived in space in what they call the Colony. Then, out of the blue (since the reason wasn’t revealed at all), a hundred Confined juveniles were sent to earth to see if the earth was viable.

Spoilers ahead.

The story was narrated from the eyes of four characters:

Clarke – daughter of the most famous scientists in Phoenix, who were executed when found out that they were conducting an illegal, unauthorized experiment on radioactives that involved children; Confined after she was considered accessory to her parents’ crime; one of the 100 sent to earth; Wells’s ex-girlfriend

Wells – son of the Chancellor; told his father about Clarke’s parents’ experiment hoping that he would stop it only to have them executed, making Clarke loathe him; Confined after deliberately committing an infraction, forcing the Council to put him as one of the 100 sent to earth; Clarke’s ex-boyfriend

Bellamy – brother of Octavia, one of the Confined sent to earth; shot the Chancellor and jumped into dropship to be with his sister

Glass – Wells’s best friend; Confined after getting pregnant without the Councilor’s permission; supposed to be of the Confined juveniles to be sent to earth; escaped while the Chancellor was shot; was pardoned

The world-building was insufficient. What the heck happened during the Cataclysm? What was it? What was the Exodus? What was the Gaia Doctrine? What the heck did their Colony look like? What was their implementing body, the Council, like? Where was Walden? Phoenix? What were the differences of a Waldenite and Arcadian? Hell, what did the characters even look like? Everything was just so vague.

Then we had Clarke. Wow, she was really annoying. She loathed Wells after what he did to her parents. When they reached earth, she hated him still and even had a budding romance with Bellamy. But when her BFF was all like, “He loves you so much he went to such lengths to be with you blahblahblah.” (Non-verbatim, ofc) *snaps fingers* And just like that, her hate evaporated then she went on looking for him and minutes later they were kissing, then minutes later again, something happened that made her hate Wells again and off she went looking for Bellamy. Girl, are you serious? Ugh.

I didn’t even know what the hell was the point of the story. Nothing much happened after the first 100 were sent to the earth. A little about them surviving, Wells trying to make Clarke love him again, Bellamy and Clarke having sparks, Glass and Luke together again, Wells and Clarke getting back together then not, Bellamy and Octavia getting exiled, then Thalia, Clarke’s BFF, dying. That was it.

Oh, did you notice how most of what happened was all about love?

There was just too much romance. I wanted to puke. Instead of surviving, these guys actually had the time to flirt and shit. Their need to survive for the sake of humanity was marginalized because of the romance. Because Wells’s need to get back with the girl whom he once dreamt to gaze the stars with. Because Glass’s getting back together with Luke, the father of her child. And remember, Wells intentionally burned a tree for Clarke just so that he’d be Confined then sent to earth with her. So. Much. Love. Ugh.