Book Review: The 100 - Kass Morgan

Title: The 100 (The Hundred #1)

Author: Kass Morgan

Release Date: September 3rd 2013

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: Bought from National Bookstore

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No one has set foot on Earth in centuries - until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents - considered expendable by society - are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life... or it could be a suicide mission.

Clarke was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. Wells, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves - but will she ever forgive him? Reckless Bellamy fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only siblings in the universe. And Glass managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope.

I have a thing for book-to-screen adaptations so it's no surprise that I first heard of The 100 when it was announced that it'd be made into a TV show for The CW. I was ecstatic because omg Thomas McDonell I don't get to see much sci-fi on TV, so this certainly will be a welcome addition to my currently-watching list.

What I knew about this book prior to reading it I learned from watching the trailer for the TV series, so I had no idea that it has multiple narrators - four perspectives, guys - and, unlike most people, I loved that because it gave a deeper and wider look on the story. Each of the characters were intriguing, all of them with vastly varying reasons pushing them to carry on with their young, difficult lives. I admired everyone's will to stay alive and make the best of their situations.

And just how exciting is this premise? Imagine leaving a dying Earth to live in outer space and then, after three centuries of floating up there, going back if it's inhabitable once again or if dinosaurs have reemerged. That, plus all the secrets, lies, and emotional baggage of each of these characters, made for one thrilling story, and I couldn't read fast enough.

"The radiation might have mutated the genetic material hundreds of years ago, but there wouldn't be any trace of it now."

That's what I love about post-apocalyptic books: imagining what could change in our planet. What's new? Unicorns? Dragons?

Well, okay, no unicorns or dragons were present in this book, but there was enough tension between the characters to go around. Who the hell would think sending one hundred teenage rebels to test the Earth was a good idea? They were expendable, yes, but a lot of unafforded problems would surely arise from that rebellious streak. Anyway. One could say that love has no place in such a dangerous world, but I'm not that one. I actually really liked how familial and romantic love was the motivating force behind almost everyone because that just made it easier to relate with them.

I can see how not everyone will enjoy The 100, but I certainly did. I usually have a problem with third person POV and heavy use of flashback, but not this time. I actually really liked the flashbacks because it was like reading a prequel that's been infused in the main book. Now that I think about it, nothing much happens in this book, but that's not to say it's boring. I can't wait to see how this has been translated to screen because from what I can tell from the trailer, a few significant changes have been made. I'll certainly be doing tons of comparison.

MY FAVORITE PART was the ending. Just give me the next book now.

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