The 100: Book One

I came to this book after watching the TV show. I'm glad I finally read it to satisfy my curiosity, to make sure I wasn't missing out on a really good book. But this isn't a really good book. It's decently written, and the general concepts & ideas behind it are exciting- hence the making of the TV show. But this book was too short, and it was rather unsophisticated/naive in parts. Everything just happened too quickly, and the end product was too shallow.

I am however grateful towards this book for inspiring an awesome TV show. One can easily see where the two differ, and the changes they made when adapting the book were very clever. The TV show sped things up, sharpened the characters, became a little darker, made the dialogue more dramatic and nuanced.

I might recommend this book for a younger audience- the 17/18 yr old characters would suggest a young adult audience, but I think the early teens (13-15) might like it more.

Goodreads Synopsis: In the future, humans live in city-like 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.My Review: I requested this book from netgalley because I had recently started watching the tv show based on this book, on netflix. I was a little disappointed by the tv show, and quickly got bored of it. I'll try again after I'm done reading the books. The book, on the other hand, is totally different. I didn't realize how much stories change when they make them into a tv show. There are whole characters that don't exist in the book, but are big parts of the show. People died that didn't in the book. Whole scene's are different. That's why I always start with the book. That was my mistake. Don't get me wrong. I like this book. I also got the second one on netgalley so I'll be finishing that up next. It's a good series. The characters are interesting, a lot more interesting than they are on the show. I just can't believe how different it all is. I really with that the show was more like the book, because I probably would've stuck with it a lot longer than I did. Clarke is a fun character. She's so determined. Bellamy is an awesome person in the book. He seems like such a bad guy in the show. I don't know what else to tell you about it. It's an awesome book about what happened after WWIII, how they tried to escape earth, how they lived on a space station for 300 years, and how they're starting to send them back. Definitely a good read. Check it out if you get the chance to! Thanks for reading. (radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

I received a free copy from the publisher, via netgalley, in return for an honest review.The 100 is a futuristic sci-fi novel that centres around a group of 100 teenagers, who are sent from giant spaceships hovering above planet Earth, to Earth to see if the planet is habitable.Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of four main characters; Clarke, Glass Wells and Bellamy. Each character's reasons for being one of the hundred is told through the use of flashbacks. The writing style is clear and the plot intriguing. It held my interest throughout and I was eager to discover the next part of the story. Although this reads as a young adult book, I'm sure it will appeal to the wider audience. The fact that a TV series has recently been made should ensure the appeal of this great book. A sequel, Day 21, has recently been published; I'm looking forward to catching up with the next part of the story!

Inhaltsangabe:300 Jahre nach Stunde Null: Die Menschheit musste sich damals auf zwei Raumschiffen retten, um der atomaren Katastrophe auf der Erde zu entgehen. Auf der Walden und der Phönix sind die letzten verbliebenen Menschen und sie leben unter strengen Regeln. Auf viele Vergehen steht die Todes-Strafe. Selbst jugendliche Straftäter sind nicht davor gefeit, allerdings werden sie bis zu ihrem 18. Lebensjahr im Arrest untergebracht, ehe dann ihr Fall neu verhandelt wird – meist mit dem gleichen Ergebnis.Die Lebensbedingungen auf den Schiffen werden immer schlechter. Nahrungsmittel sind knapp und der Sauerstoff wird immer dünner. Die Regierung sieht sich gezwungen, 100 jugendliche Straftäter auf die Erde zu schicken, um zu testen, ob die Strahlung noch tödlich ist oder ob inzwischen ein Leben dort wieder möglich ist. Unter diesen 100 Jugendlichen befinden sich auch Wells (der Sohn des Kanzlers), Clark und Bellamy. Mit ihren verschiedenen Fähigkeiten und Anlagen versuchen sie das Beste aus der Situation zu machen, doch sie alle sind Straftäter und bringen somit auch viele Altlasten mit.Glass konnte vor dem Start des Transporters noch fliehen und erhielt auf wundersame Weise eine Begnadigung. Anstatt sich darüber zu freuen, erkennt sie, wie brenzlig die Lage auf den Schiffen wirklich ist.Mein Fazit:Ich habe schon einiges von dem Buch gehört und gelesen. Die Meinungen darüber sind durchaus zwiegespalten, wie ich festgestellt habe. Demnächst kommt die erste Staffel auf DVD heraus und ich wollte zumindest den ersten Teil der Reihe schon mal gelesen haben.Die Grundstory ist wirklich sehr faszinierend. Die restliche Menschheit lebt im All auf zwei großen Raumschiffen. Sie mussten von der Erde fliehen, wo eine atomare Apokalypse statt fand. Selbst dreihundert Jahre später ist es für die Menschen kaum vorstellbar, das man dort wieder leben kann. Doch die Regierung will nichts riskieren. Sie schicken 100 jugendliche Straftäter hinunter, um zu testen, ob dort wieder Leben möglich ist. Die Jugendlichen sind teilweise wegen banaler Vergehen eingesperrt. Die eine hatte Medikamente gestohlen, eine andere eine nicht genehmigte Schwangerschaft ausgetragen. Allerdings haben die strengen Regeln durchaus ihren Sinn. Die Recourcen sind knapp, nicht jeder wird satt, Platz ist auch nicht unbegrenzt vorhanden. Damit die Menschheit überleben kann, müssen einzelne durchaus sterben, weshalb auch immer. Selbst eine Mutter, die ein zweites Kind bekommen hat, kann durchaus mit dem Tode bestraft werden.In dieser Situation werden 100 jugendliche Straftäter zur Erde geschickt – als Versuchs-Kaninchen, nur mit dem Nötigsten ausgestattet. Und ohne Kenntnisse darüber, wie man auf der Erde überhaupt überleben soll. Nur vereinzelte Jugendliche wissen, wie man sich zurecht finden kann. Drei Jugendliche stechen dabei besonders hervor: Wells, Clark und Bellamy. Jeder der drei kann für die Gemeinschaft ungeheuer nützlich sein, jedoch haben sie mit ihren eigenen Altlasten und mit den übrigen Staftätern zu kämpfen, denn nun gibt es keine Ordnung mehr – es herrscht das Gesetz des Stärkeren.Soweit die Grundstory! Leider finde ich die Umsetzung der Geschichte nicht wirklich gut gelungen. Es war am Anfang für mich wirklich sehr anstrengend, den einzelnen Geschichten wirklich zu folgen. Denn es wechselte häufig in die Vergangenheit. Es gibt kaum erklärende Ansätze, sondern mehr Andeutungen, die sich zwar zum Teil zum Ende hin auflösten, mich aber zwischendurch frustriert zurückließen. Es wird auch nicht wirklich auf die neue Situation, die Landung auf der Erde, eingegangen. Und oft genug hatte ich das Gefühl, als gäbe es im Lager nur die drei Haupt-Personen und einen ominösen Graham, von dem man überhaupt nichts erfährt, der aber ziemlich rumstänkert. Die Situation auf dem Schiff wird da schon eher beschrieben und sie wurden mehr mit Leben gefüllt, die Abschnitte mit Glass und Luke haben mir gut gefallen. Ich konnte mir das beengende Lebensgefühl dort sehr gut vorstellen und die Handlungen von Glass und Luke gut nachvollziehen.Ich bin ja guter Hoffnung, das die Autorin sich da vielleicht noch etwas weiter entwickelt. Weiterlesen will ich es auf jedenfalls, denn die Geschichte hat ungeheures Potenzial, auch wenn es unbefriedigend umgesetzt wurde. Dieser Teil bekommt von mir drei Sterne.Veröffentlicht am 12.11.15!

Good premise. Very much a character focused book, even for book one of a series. Can't wait to see where the characters go with the setting.

I wasn't totally sure about The 100 going in. It sounded interesting, but I'd heard little about it, and what I had heard wasn't great. I'm also rarely a fan of Little Brown books if they aren't out from Poppy. But I went in with an open mind and enjoyed the read a lot more than I thought I would.One thing I was really wary about as I started was the number of perspectives. But each point of view was valuable and entertaining and different. The voices of each character weren't as distinct as I would have preferred, but they definitely all had their place. And each character's story was interesting, so there was never one perspective I was rushing to get to, because I wanted to know all of the stories.The writing was nothing spectacular, but it did keep me hooked on the book. I read it in about two sittings, which is a rarity for me these days. It was well paced so there was something interesting on almost every page.The one thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the flashbacks. They definitely served a purpose, but when they popped up, somewhat randomly, things did slow down and I would get a bit bored. It was a good way to avoid a lot of info-dumping, but it was a slower pace and of less interest and some of them probably could have been cut all together, unless they're necessary for book two.But I thought the relationships between the characters were all very realistic and very interesting. None of them were rushed or pushed into things, there's a definite development going on and it's not going to get pushed along for the sake of timing or quick resolutions to some problems.I also really appreciated that this book, while part of a series, can pretty easily stand on its own. It had a good arc and you can see why it's part of a series arc as well. There were definitely some loose ends that were TOO loose, but not enough to feel cliffhanger-esque. Overall, I really enjoyed reading The 100 and I'm excited to see the TV show and see where this goes next. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes sci-fi, good relationships, and quality characters.

The space station inhabited by the remains of the human race is deteriorating 300 years after the nuclear holocaust that made them leave the earth. To test the viability of returning to the planet, 100 teen convicts are selected, placed on a shuttle, and sent to earth with minimal supplies. First in a series

The 100 has been billed as Battlestar Galactica for teens, and, for once, I totally agree with the marketing. Of course, it's very much season 3 Battlestar where things started going a bit off the rails, with some people on planet in weird costumes and Gaius Baltar becoming some sort of religious figure on the ships. I mean, not exactly, but that's the level of quality the book has. It's not the first season of awesome, and it's not quite the ending where I didn't know what the fuck was happening anymore. What it comes down to is that The 100 is a highly entertaining drama-fest set in space, but not especially deep.Word on the street is that The 100 is set to be a show on the CW. Now, I don't know if it's for certain yet or not, but I can see this making a really great teen show. The reason I'm starting this book review with this particular comment is to help you understand whether you'll enjoy reading the book. If you enjoy CW teen programming with a little bit of a plot and a big heaping helping of teen angst over the top, then The 100 is a good choice for a quick, entertaining read.Morgan uses four third person limited perspectives in The 100: Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass. Just try and guess their genders based on their names alone! Hint: the first and last are females. Actually, speaking of gender, that's one of the things that I think The 100 did fairly well. Women are not entirely marginalized in this futuristic society, which is a nice change from so much science fiction and dystopian stuff out there. Clarke's actually one of the stronger characters and Glass, though I didn't like her, does make choices for herself.Anyway, these teens live on a spaceship and things are kind of a hot mess on board. There are rules about who can have kids, and capital punishment is really popular with the government. All four of the main characters, except for Bellamy, are Confined, basically imprisoned until their eighteenth birthdays which are rapidly approaching. At that point, they're to have a retrial, but that's just a formality, because no one's being found innocent at retrials anymore. Harsh, man.So the point is that 100 of the teens from Confinement are going to be put on a ship and sent to earth to make sure it's habitable again (more on that later). Then there are some shenanigans and Glass ends up staying on the ship, allowing the reader to find out about all of the drama happening there, and Bellamy gets himself onto the prison ship. The ship goes down to earth and the rebellious teens start in on the romantic drama and trying to set up a rudimentary society, only they're a) rebellious and b) basing their knowledge of how society works off of the ship. All of this means things get pretty serious fast and it's totally a popcorn read.What saves The 100 from being merely a surface read and builds out a bit of depth are the flashbacks in every chapter. These flashbacks show how the teens ended up in Confinement, and slowly reveal how desperate the situation on the ship had gotten. They really raise the stakes and the intensity, as you realize how far each one of these teens is willing to go. As much fun as The 100 is to read, I had some issues with the world building, in that I would like more of it. I mean, the reader does learn that there was some sort of nuclear something or other and Earth is now irradiated. While they're waiting for the radiation to dissipate, they're chilling on this ship. Supposedly the radiation is maybe down to livable levels. What I want to know is roughly how long they've been on the ship and how they got there. Was there a plan in place to escape before things went haywire like in Phoebe North's Starglass? There's really no inkling of that.Also, most of the characters are pretty terrible people, which means that I really don't care if they live or die. Even the nicest of them is such a terrible judge of character that I don't really care what happens to him either. I still had fun reading about them, but there's definitely no emotional investment here.The 100 is the bookish equivalent of a teen TV show, complete with romantic drama, shirtless boys and action scenes. It's fun and a nice choice for when you don't want to have to think too hard, and sometimes that's just the kind of book you need, you know?

Ever since I heard THE 100 was being turned into a TV show I made it my goal to read the book before the show premiered and time was running out. When I first started the book and noticed that it was told from four different perspectives; Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass, I worried that it would be too confusing and I wouldn’t be able to connect with the characters. I was SO wrong! After just one chapter from each perspective the characters had already wormed their way into my heart. They are so young, yet they had all dealt with an incredible amount of heartbreak and tragedy in their pasts. My heart was constantly breaking for their pasts or swelling with hope for their futures. I think it’s a pretty amazing feat on the author’s part that all four points of view were enjoyable & engaging. I was kind of expecting to at least hate one of them. My favorite chapters were the ones about Glass. Her & Luke’s relationship was just so heartbreaking & beautiful you couldn’t not root for them. My second favorite is a tie between Clarke & Wells which is ironic because their stories are basically one. My least favorite was from Bellamy. Having four different points-of-view made the pages fly by! Each of the characters had done something in their past to get them confined and sent to earth. These reasons are slowly revealed to us piece by piece through flashbacks. Just as you start to discover the history of one character the POV would switch leaving you craving more but then sucking you right in to that character’s story as well. It was a vicious cycle that kept you constantly engaged and turning pages.Unfortunately, the ending that should have come as a total shock didn’t because I had seen the TV show previews which kinda give too much away. Otherwise, it would have totally been a jaw dropper, but even so, it still was a cliffhanger. Let’s just say I’ll be the first in line for a copy of DAY 21 when it hits stores on September 16th!

That thing where you almost forget to eat on your lunch break since you are too busy reading......

Yeah, that was me reading this! Such a great book with suspense and great characters! I am dying right now about Wells! I cannot wait to read the next book and see where things go from here! Such a great new series, one of my new favorites for sure!!

I know alot of people have hated this book compared to the TV show, but I really enjoyed it. More than the show even. This is about 100 juveniles being sent to Earth to test it's ability to live safely. It's a pretty great story.

My youngest son got me watching the television show adaptation of this book and it didn't take long before I was hooked. My 17-year old daughter saw me watching it and said it was good but the book was better. I said "There's a book?"Needless to say I binge watched (thank you, Netflix) the show but more quickly binge read the entire book series. I do prefer the book to the television series because, as is so often the case with books, it is much richer than the screen version.I really enjoy Dystopian novels. Kass Morgan did not disappointment with this series. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that when I love a book, I can't put it down. And that's how I was with The 100 (and with Book 2 and 3 in the series as well).I think the book may be underrated because the television series is so popular. If you've only watched the tv show, do yourself a favour and pick up the book. You'll find a level of character development, plot twists and depth of story so much more rewarding that you get from the screen version. Highly recommended for any Dystopian lovers out there!

One hundred juvenile delinquents are sent from the spaceship in which humanity made its escape from nuclear cataclysm three hundred years ago are sent back on earth on a mission to see if radiation levels have decreased enough for everyone to return.The story is told from four points of view: Clarke, a delinquent who is nearly 18 and thought she was going to die in two months, Wells, a boy who loves her and got himself in trouble to go to earth with her, Bellamy, who will do anything to protect the sister whose very existence is illegal, and Glass, a delinquent who manages to stay behind and get pardoned. Furthermore, it's the present of the trip to earth and the teens' survival and flashbacks to what got them there in the first place. Honestly, the flashbacks worked best for me as both more interesting and more in depth that what was happening "currently." Having so many points of view meant a few things happened off-scene that I really would have liked to have part of the main story, and one of the storylines for a side character annoyed me. Add in that the last 20 pages of cliffhanger was more exciting than the middle of the book and I'm left feeling kind of "meh." Maybe I'm just cranky today.

If you are a big fan of the TV show, skip this book. If you've never seen the TV show, don't bother read this book and go to the TV show instead, which is everything this book is not - the TV show is well written with a strong cast that gradually develops along with the story and provides layers to the story that the book never gets close to. No surprise - I'm a big fan of the TV show, and I could not help comparing the book with it all the time.Both the book and the TV show are based in a post apocalyptic setting. Earth has been in habitual after a nuclear disaster (probably war) and the only human survivors are those on the space stations. After some time (300 years in the book, after ~100 years in the TV series) a 100 young prisoners are given "a second chance" and sent to earth to see if it is now safe to return to. The book is focused on mainly romantic relationships while the TV show is focused on survival and various kind of relationships not only romantic kind. In the book the story is told through 4 different peoples eyes: Clarke, Bellamy, Wells and Glass. (TV series have almost a completely different set of cast) Each story jumping between the time of the return to earth and past events to explain why they were on the drop ship to begin with. This means the story is jumping back and forth a lot not allowing you to get any deeper into the story or description of the different characters. The settings/world building (the post-apocalyptic earth, the space ship etc) and the characters themselves are very poorly described as well as any background on the nuclear event that is only said to be a nuclear winter. The book is a quick read, but you find yourself starting to skim the pages more and more because you don't really care about the characters. (Didn't hinder me to go on to book 2 directly after though...)I was quite disturbed about some of the differences between the book and the TV show - not only that the story line differs quite significantly but also the terminology. For example the space station is called the Colony in the book but the Ark in the TV show. So I did some searching on the internet to understand why it differs so much, and it seems like the TV series was developed in parallel to the book - not after it. The publisher pitched the main concept to CW TV while Kass Morgan was still writing it.There are plenty of other books in the sea - so don't waste your time!

Having interviewed Kass Morgan last year and given the success of the CW series based on the books, I was plenty eager to give The 100 a try. While I haven't read a staggering amount of YA dystopian, the books in the genre that I have tried (e.g. classics like The Giver and the Uglies series), I absolutely loved; given my background, my initial impressions of the premise were highly anticipatory.The book is told from four different teenagers' perspectives—Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass. All narratives aside from Glass's are told in a concurrent timeline, through the eyes of the delinquents who have been forced to settle on Earth for the first time in centuries. While Glass's story, which takes place back on the mothership, was initially the least interesting, it eventually pans out to serve as an anchor—a tie to the surviving, but still unstable lifestyle back in space.Kass Morgan creates a vivid high-tech world in The 100, where citizens are divided by social standing and resources are limited—of course, except to the upperclass. Back on Earth, the prospects are obviously grim, but it's still a thrill of a journey to follow Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and the other 97, as they each rediscover a planet that they've only read about in books, yet have such a deep internal connection with. I appreciate the idea of providing different points of view, but think it was slightly too ambitious for the author to try to squeeze a Lord of the Flies-esque conflict AND a love triangle AND an undercurrent of radiation's aftereffects (say what?) into everything. It's all interesting until it just becomes too much; I'd have much preferred one central conflict with stronger relationship-building and more background insight.While there is no one thing fatally wrong with any of the characters, all four of them are too generic, too idealized. Everyone loves having attractive/smart/clever characters to read about, but they all start to blend together when the author tries to make them all perfect, especially since everyone thinks in close third person. The unrealistic and unextraordinary characterization prevented me from developing any sort of attachment to any of them. The only one that seemed remotely human and believable was Bellamy, our resident rebel. But then again I've always been a sucker for bad boys with a past...That said, the story itself is filled with drama and tension between the main characters (and secondary characters!) which makes The 100 exciting to read. The sheer nature of the resettlement of our planet is enthralling; Morgan does well with engaging readers to the surprises and twists scattered throughout the novel. There's definitely lots of action-filled scenes and, love it or hate, an INTENSE cliffhanger ending, that just leaves you thirsty for more.Structurally, I found The 100 quite hard to work with. The constantly changing perspectives get a bit disorienting because it's not just a "he said, she said," but rather a "he said, she said, another he said, another she said." Kind of exhausting. On top of that, each of the narratives are very heavy on backstory which, in good fiction, is absolutely necessary. But when it takes up 50% of the book in the form of italicized flashbacks, it gets out of control.Pros: Fascinating storyline and world-building // Engaging; keeps you hanging on constantly // Dramatic Earth-bound adventures and minor plot twists // Bellamy is a strongly written character // Ending makes me want to read the second book! That's what ultimately matters, right?Cons: Abundance of flashbacks is annoying; causes disorder in the flow of the storytelling // Constant narrative shifts also gets chaotic // Stylistically unimpressive // All the characters are grossly idealized (i.e. sweet, pretty/handsome, kind, brave, etc.) and thus pretty forgettable (with the exception of Bellamy) // Cliffhanger ending may cause distressVerdict: Despite my numerous quips with the lacking characters and structure of The 100, I found myself enjoying it while reading and left wanting more once finished. It's definitely a plot-driven sci-fi novel with lots of action and lots of suspense; if that's your thing, you should totally give it a chance. Kass Morgan's debut is one of those books that isn't mind-blowing, but is still hard to put down, so I definitely understand its appeal to mainstream young adult audiences. While unimpressive in a literary lens or by composition, The 100 is still a promising first installment in an exciting dystopian series.Rating: 7 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; borrow, don't buy! Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, FSB Media!).

Great premise. Quick easy read.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. I watched the TV series which just got better and better so when I saw the book I just had to get my hands on it.

How was it? Okay but underwhelming, yes I was disappointed.
So, I then thought the trick to reading this book is to forget about the TV series and read the book as if I have never heard of the story. A better plan because there appeared so many differences in the book which you can’t help but compare whilst reading.

Start again….. What was the book about in a nutshell. 100 young adult criminals under 18 were sent back to earth to see it was habitable again after nuclear contamination. The different areas they came from onboard meant that there was already a class hierarchy. Faintly reminiscence of Lord of Flies, ensued with such unruly reprobates. Most of the book was learning about the main protagonists; their crime, circumstances, and friends.

The bits I liked about the book?

I love this genre so much, and enjoyed the background setting that Morgan painted in a way that so plausible. (Or was I thinking about what I had watched on TV?) I liked the characters with a great mix of emotional confusion with Wells and Clarke/Bellamy, typical YA behaviour told with each POV.

I enjoyed how the characters remained so plausible, with young adults complete with their inexperiences and angsts trying to be responsible though a rage of hormones. Morgan also gets the moral thoughts racing; No, how could they do that! Were their deaths necessary? But what if they didn’t - how do you choose? Who are the real criminals here? So much to question after you put the book down.

I liked the hierarchy of the classes having an impact on their perception of each other, especially the way life became expendable for the greater good the lower class you were. Nicely done.

What didn't work for me?

I didn’t like the way the POV was told in a block of flashback in each of the characters chapter. It felt very disjointed and almost like the real story was the flashback parts, and the current-day was a fill-in waiting for things to get more excitingly active towards the end. I would have preferred for the story to have started with everyones story, the excitement building slowly towards being back on earth when their fearful adventure begins.

Had I not seen this fantastically imaginative story on TV I probably would have felt it to be a very slow book that cheated me out of the excitement I craved and possibly would have given up reading half way through. I believe I filled out gaps with my imagination from watching it earlier.

Overall, it’s an okay book but lacks any true excitement or goal. I understand this book was written after the series - sorry just didn’t work!

‘The door slid open, and Clarke knew it was time to die.’Now that’s a fine opening sentence for a YA dystopian novel and there’s no question The 100 by author Kass Morgan starts out with a bang. The remnants of humanity have been living on a spaceship floating somewhere above the earth for three centuries after it was devastated by a nuclear war. But time and space are running out. Only one child is allowed per family and many of the young end up in Confinement for even petty crimes waiting to be tried on their eighteenth birthday. Except no one is ever found innocent and the guilty are ejected from the ship to float forever in space. But now there’s a new plan. One hundred of these young detainees are being sent to earth to see if it is safe for the rest to return.So what did I think about the book:Lots of action - checkLots of excitement - checkGood world building – not great but okay. This is the first in a series so I’ll give it a break. There is a rigid caste system on the ship but no explanation of how or why this came about. Interesting characters – see previousThe book is told from four different POVs, Clarke, Welles, Bellamy, and Glass. There are two boys and two girls but you’ll have to read the book to found out which is which (or maybe watch the TV show on CW. I haven’t but I’m guessing they’re all there). These kids are all pretty likeable and *spoiler alert* Clarke doesn’t die. So why only three stars? Well, okay, here’s the thing – I’m not a fan of romance at the best of times but romance in a dystopian novel, seriously?! The world is coming to an end, teens are being sent to a possible death of nuclear poisoning, and their big concern – who their crush is canoodling now. And then there’s the girl who manages to escape from being sent down to earth, not so she can avoid previously mentioned possible death, but so she can see her boyfriend who she hasn’t seen for a very long time, only turns out he has a new girlfriend – bet you didn’t see that coming, eh.Okay, so I’m being a little flip. This isn’t a bad book. In fact, I rather enjoyed it and I suspect that most young girls would love it. I can say honestly that I have read much worse written and sillier YA dystopian novels lately. Sometimes it seems like they’re being ground out like pink slime because of the genre’s popularity but, thankfully, this is several steps and stars above that. I know this could be construed as faint praise and that would be a fair assessment. Truth is, remove the teenage romances and there’s a heck of an exciting tale between those hormonal cracks. Despite my reservations about The 100, I would have no hesitations about reading the sequel to see where the non-romance part of the story will go from here.

A great debut with amazing world-building and memorable, engaging characters! I really enjoyed Kass Morgan's simplistic and outright writing style, world-building (dystopian and sci-fi!) and intriguing storylines... In THE 100, a nuclear war has devastated Earth and those who were able to escape before the bombing, evacuated and have been living in spaceships for many, many years. Life on a spaceship can be quite confining, making a few people restless and careless, even for those who have never experienced anything but living life aboard a spaceship. Laws are stricter, the population is controlled and people have been classified by their status and divided into sections. The smallest misdeed can get you imprisoned and even executed. Even if you're a minor. Usually minors get a retrial when they turn 18 years old, and can apply for a pardon. But lately, most retrials have been denied and have been sent to be executed. This of course has raised high suspicions that something is going on; but is it a corrupt government? An overpopulation issue? Is the spaceship running out of supplies? Oxygen?Told from four point-of-views, the story focuses on Clarke, Wells, Bellamy and Glass. In the beginning, Clarke, Wells and Glass are all imprisoned. While Bellamy is doing his best to look out for his imprisoned younger sister - the only siblings ever to exist, that they know of. Bellamy has learned that the government will be conducting an undercover mission to Earth. They will be sending one hundred juvenile delinquents to earth to see if Earth's radiative surface is now habitable. If they succeed, they will be allowed a second chance to live their lives. Quite an honor considering if they don't succeed it is probably because they died on their trip there, or because of the radiation... Each of these four characters have very distinct qualities that make them very strong, memorable and important individuals. Clarke is very independent and was studying to become a doctor; she is informed that she will be one of the hundred. Wells is a good guy, a good soldier and also, the chancellor's son. He too will be going to Earth. Glass comes from a well-to-do family, and has had to grow-up quickly and knows more than she lets people know. She too will be taking the trip to Earth. Until Bellamy creates a distraction, his dedication and loyalty to his sister is immeasurable, he will do anything to continue to protect his sister - he has forced his way unto the ship. Thus allowing Glass to make her escape and goes in search of her mother... and Luke, the reason why she was imprisoned. Four distinct voices with stories to tell all entangled to form one very powerful tale with day to day events and flashbacks as to how they got there. There is never a dull moment. Once the 100 land on Earth many surprising discoveries are made... one of them being, that they survived getting there, the air is breathable and that they may have a chance at recolonizing the planet... or do they?A great premise with a ton of potential! I am really looking forward to following the series and to catching up with the tv show.*A paperback copy was sent to me for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Read from September 04 to 06, 2014Read for Fun (Library Copy)Overall Rating: 3.00Story Rating: 3.00Character Rating: 3.00Read It File It Review: Overall The 100 by Kass Morgan had the makings of a strong story but just didn't quite "wow" me. I am not sure if it was the multiple POV's (each chapter) or the time jumps (backstories) that kept pulling me out of the story but I just couldn't stay interested. I loved the world and concept because they were unique, gritty, and full of potential. If the last couple of chapters were anything to go by then the next book should be far more compelling. I will probably stick with this series (at least through the next one) to find out what happens.

I absolutely loved The 100 so much!! The last few chapters killed me though. Now I have to go read the second book, Day 21!!

Before I start talking about the book I really feel like I should point out that I waited what felt like a long time for the show. I first heard about it last year and was really excited because it seemed right up my alley, having taking time away from my blog for most of last year I didn't know about the book and it wasn't until the show had already started I knew. Was I excited for the book once I started watching the show? of course I was. I thought my ship had come in, to many time I watch something and wish I had a book of it to read also. After reading the book however I wish I either read it before the show, or could separate the two in my head. Sadly I cant and I was left confused and disappointed by the book.I'll try not to compare the book to the show, so before I start my review I'll get it out of my system. Firstly, very early on its apparent that the show had a lot of creative license, something that was pretty important was done completely different and I was confused as to why it wasn't the other way around (granted, if I hadn't watched the TV show I wouldn't know any different). One of my favourite characters from the show also wasn't in the book.. like not that he wasn't mentioned, he just wasn't in the books at all. Which yet again opened up more questions for me. (again I say I wouldn't know any different), and though I don't want to compare the show to the book, I would be a liar if I said I wasn't disappointed. This show had painted this picture for me, and it was nothing like the book, but that's not really the authors fault.However, I didn't like the character in this book. We still had Clarke and Wells and Bellamy, but Clarke was more of a 'woe is me' character, Bellamy was a romantic but not the good kind and Wells was just... confusing. He was a mixture between a leader and a follower, it was like he couldn't make up his mind. I did like Glass, she is one character I knew nothing about so it was interesting to read about her and her experiences/relationship and such. Though the new character was refreshing, it wasn't enough to connect me to the book. I think personally there was just too many characters and 4 POV just didn't seem to work for the storyThe relationships in the story were also something that I will say I found completely unbelievable, everything seemed to happen in a blink of an eye and its not like other books where you think its been too quick, but the time frame isn't implied. Well you know how long has passed between them landing on earth and the end of the book so it was something I really didn't like.Though the world building was really good, I feel too little was explained at the start about why everyone was up in space, it wasn't really until half way through the second book did we get an in depth explanation. Thought a lot more important things were going on in the book, they were too overshadowed by the love interests.I know I'm a fan of the show, I will forever be a fan of the show. But even if I didn't like it, I don't think it would have made me like this book anymore, most of the things that I disliked about this book had nothing to do with the show. In fact, it was like a completely different story so my comparisons aren't valid. Either way, this book just wasn't for me. I don't think there was enough action to go with this type of book

I enjoyed the pace of the book, switching between characters stories worked well, would like the book to cover some more of the 100. I will be reading the next book

It didn't matter where they were. Any spot on this planet was going to be infinitely better than the world they'd left behind.I absolutely flew right through this book because I loved it. It was filled with characters that I found to be interesting and complex and it had a plot that kept me hooked throughout. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I got this book from NetGalley.Most, if not all, of the main characters had some sort of hardship from their past that seemed to drive the decisions they made. Even the characters from more elite side of the space ship seemed to have some pretty bad troubles. I loved reading from Glass and Clarke's point-of-view. While both of them grew up on Phoenix (the more elite part of the ship) they are now struggling with the horrible things that caused them to be Confined.Through most of this book I really liked Clarke and felt sorry for her. I felt that most of the time her anger towards Wells was justified but at the end her anger was no longer justified and was clearly misplaced. She shouldn't have been made at Wells towards the end and it is horrible how she is using Bellamy. I loved the relationship between Glass and Luke. I just loved their whole Romeo and Juliet thing. I hope that in the next book their relationship will continue in the way that it is now going and that stupid Camille won't ruin it.I never really liked Bellamy and his sister Octavia. I understood why Bellamy did some of the things that he did but I still found him annoying. I knew Octavia was trouble from the beginning. I didn't like how she was all flirty with Wells. Bellamy also needs to realize that Clarke is basically using him.This book would have gotten five stars from me if it hadn't have ended right when it seemed the shit was hitting the fan not only on Earth but also up in space on the ship.I really loved the premise of the book and felt the execution of it was great but then when all this drama starts to happen the book just suddenly ends. Thank god that I got the next book in the series from NetGalley so I won't have to wait to see what happens next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read The 100.

"The door slid open and Clarke knew it was time to die." What a way to start the book. Kass Morgan dives right into her storyline with an in-your-face opener. It took a bit of time before I, as the reader realized what this book was about. She began by setting up a number of characters, switching between perspectives, to quickly introduce you to the players. Those people who will have the biggest impact upon the storyline.Each character is thrown into the mix, destined to be sent to Earth. The first in a long, long time. While not all make it, we are still treated with back stories and past relationships. Had the author not included those scenes, her characters would have been much more difficult to relate to. You come to briefly understand what the person goes through, exactly why he/she is so angry and hurt, and what they each did to become subjected to the fate of the 100. Personally, I would have preferred that greater attention had been given to character development rather than relationship development.The Earth was unlivable for so long, and yet they send these 100 "children" as guinea pigs, rather than trained professionals. People who could colonize, build shelters, feed the colony, study the land and environment, or even tend to the ill. Instead, these youths are forced to come together with a common goal - survival.One gets to a certain point in the novel and then realizes they don't entirely know what these different living situations/names mean. Of course, the Walden and Arcadian people seem to be of a lower class, economic, and social standing than the Phoenix. Walden also had an outbreak at one point that had to be quarantined. But beyond that? I'm not entirely sure what the distinctions are. Clearly the Phoenix people are "posh", with foreign accents, prone to extravagances and taking what they have for granted. But how did they come to be in that, dare I say, caste to begins with? Were people settled based upon their original locations on Earth? Or perhaps based upon the money/knowledge they could provide? Unfortunately, that aspect of the story is not very clearly explained. It seems that the author took more time to focus on the intricacies of the relationships than the world building. Sometimes the author was redundant, choosing to repeat the same fears/desire over and over again. Yes, we understand that the medicine is missing. Was it flung from the ship before the crash or during? Can they survive without it? We don't know yet, but if we didn't realize the medicine was important the first time it was mentioned... We certainly realized it after the tenth.This book has a very unique concept in that it combines the post-apocalyptic Hunger Games or Divergent-type Earth with space. While it may exist in other novels, I've not yet read something similar. Where it does seem to follow typical YA novels is the fact that it has a love triangle. Those seem like they are a requirement, as they are in most popular young adult novels. (HG, Divergent, TMI, Vampire Diaries, etc.)There is a bit of mystery in the book as well. It seems that the reason one of the characters is arrested must be kept a secret, even from the reader. The author continuously has the girl think to herself, 'Why isn't he asking me about my confinement?', 'He's happy, this is for the best [that he doesn't know.]', and even has her love interest say "I heard a rumor about a girl on Phoenix who was arrested for..." Yes, there was a dramatic pause. And no, he does not finish his sentence. After the third or fourth time, the author finally reveals the girl's situation during a flashback.Throughout the novel, the author develops the relationship between two main characters. Unfortunately, it's a bit jarring and sporadic. It quickly jumps from bitter hatred from the moment they step foot on Earth to reconciliation after one act, then back to hatred. Again, after one act. While relationships can be a roller coaster, this is a bit too authentic to the carnival ride.The relationship is not perfect, especially when she has a second possible love interest. A guy who after only a short while, thinks of only her before he falls asleep. That girl must be something. The first time they really spend any time together, he decides that making out is the best course of action. Much to the dismay of her other love interest, though it does not dissuade him. Sound familiar?It doesn't take long before he snaps at her and their brief... Whatever it was is over. Or is it? They must be masochists, because it seems they're just gluttons for punishment and emotional, gut wrenching hurt... Or just those that don't learn from history. (Doomed to repeat it and all that.) Who would continuously subject themselves to that kind of torment? Move on and let yourself heal. It's not a post-apocalyptic world that only the two of you can repopulate... There are other individuals in camp with you. (Like the second guy you may or may not like, but that you certainly make out with in the woods.) But that's just my perspective.While I found myself bemused and skeptical at times about certain aspects of the book, none of those times corresponded to the purposefully exaggerated environment that they must adapt to on Earth. Rather it is the progression of relationships, situations characters find themselves in, and utterly disastrous karmic intervention. Seriously, they must have really messed with the world for it to so perfectly separate two lovers as it does.I suspected there would be a particular plot twist and unsurprisingly it came to fruition approximately 98% of the way through the book. I'm intrigued to see where the author takes it and how it will develop in the sequel - The 100: Day 21 (which is next on my review list!)I find myself enjoying the read, dispute the obvious flaws one notices whilst reading it. If you take it as an easy, enjoyable read - then that is what you will come away with. If you expect it to be a fantastic piece that delves into the human psyche to truly draw you into a character's life and relationships - then you will be quite disappointed. Overall, I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy dystopian, teen romance series.

Goodreads Synopsis: In the future, humans live in city-like 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.My Review: I requested this book from netgalley because I had recently started watching the tv show based on this book, on netflix. I was a little disappointed by the tv show, and quickly got bored of it. I'll try again after I'm done reading the books. The book, on the other hand, is totally different. I didn't realize how much stories change when they make them into a tv show. There are whole characters that don't exist in the book, but are big parts of the show. People died that didn't in the book. Whole scene's are different. That's why I always start with the book. That was my mistake. Don't get me wrong. I like this book. I also got the second one on netgalley so I'll be finishing that up next. It's a good series. The characters are interesting, a lot more interesting than they are on the show. I just can't believe how different it all is. I really with that the show was more like the book, because I probably would've stuck with it a lot longer than I did. Clarke is a fun character. She's so determined. Bellamy is an awesome person in the book. He seems like such a bad guy in the show. I don't know what else to tell you about it. It's an awesome book about what happened after WWIII, how they tried to escape earth, how they lived on a space station for 300 years, and how they're starting to send them back. Definitely a good read. Check it out if you get the chance to! Thanks for reading. (radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

Started out with the drama series but I loved the book version as there seems to be characters which did not appear in the series and vice versa.
Easy read and one of those books which I can hardly put it down as I wanted to know what happens next or what had happened previously which leads to the current situation.

This book had a very interesting premise. The earth had been pretty much destroyed by nuclear war, and the only remaining humans lived aboard a space station. 100 juvenile criminals, who have already been sentenced to death, are sent down to the earth, as an experiment. So, they were pretty much sent to earth to die.

But they don't die. Everything is fine on the earth, except for a few mutant animals here and there. They just settle down and create their own little teenage society. Whooptie-freaking-doo. It's boring as shit, once they settle in.

So the beginning of the book is awesome. The middle is pure MEH. Then, the last few chapters picks up with a few interesting twists, and the fucking book ends in a cliffhanger. As soon as it gets good again, this bitch Kass Morgan fucks us in the ass.

Sure, it made me desperately want to read the next book in the series. I mean, who doesn't like a good ass fucking now and then. But come on Kass... At least give me a goddamn reach-around.

High above a ravaged Earth, the spaceship colony is running out of options. One of hundred of the colony's delinquent teenagers is sent down to see if Earth can sustain life once again.The book follows four individuals: Clarke, a wrongly imprisoned girl; Wells, the son of the chancellor who wants to protect Clarke; Glass, a teen who escapes getting sent to Earth only to find things are not as they seem on the ship; and Bellamy who fights his way onto the dropship to protect his sister.I had three main problems with this book. First, with so many points of views, it flt like there was never enough time with one person to really be interested in them. I found I wasn't affected by their problems. Second, the drama. There was so much drama it was tiresome. Third, nothing felt resolved at the end. I can't think of any one plot point that had a resolution. It didn't feel like this book could stand on its own.Overall, it was an alright read, and I would recommend it to any reader of dystopian fiction who doesn't mind drama.

This book has a lot of interesting things going on and lots of promise for good stories from the other books in the series. I liked it, but it would have been better to me if the storytelling was smoother. There are so many characters and it flips between all of them and all of their pasts and futures constantly. I do plan to continue with the series.