DNF YA Review: Freefall

Freefall by Joshua David Bellin, September 26, 2017. 320 pages. Published by McElderry Books. Source: publisher for review consideration.

In the Upperworld, the privileged 1% are getting ready to abandon a devastated planet Earth. And Cam can’t wait to leave. After sleeping through a 1,000-year journey, he and his friends will have a pristine new planet to colonize. And no more worries about the Lowerworld and its 99% of rejects.

Then Cam sees a banned video feed of protesters in the Lowerworld who also want a chance at a new life. And he sees a girl with golden eyes who seems to be gazing straight though the feed directly at him. A girl he has to find. Sofie.

When Cam finds Sofie, she opens his eyes to the unfairness of what’s happening in their world, and Cam joins her cause for Lowerworld rights. He also falls hard for Sofie. But Sofie has her own battles to fight, and when it’s time to board the spaceships, Cam is alone.

Waking up 1,000 years in the future, Cam discovers that he and his shipmates are far off-course, trapped on an unknown and hostile planet. Who has sabotaged their ship? And does it have anything to do with Sofie, and the choices—and the enemies—he made in the past?

First Sentence

I told Sofie I loved her the day we boarded the ships.

When I received a copy of Freefall for review from the publisher I was really excited. Unfortunately, it failed to hold my interest; it came to a point where I was even avoiding it.

• I enjoy the occasional science fiction read, though I don't read nearly as many of them as I used to, which is why I was excited to give this one a chance. Yet, the more I read, the less I cared about the characters or the overall storyline.  What started out as a promising story turned into a complete mass of garbage. Consider me unimpressed. Usually, I can find at least one good thing to say about a book even if I failed to finish it. Sadly, that is not the case with this one; the more I think over what I read, the more disappointed I am with myself for wasting my precious (and limited) reading time on nearly two-hundred pages of blather. 

• I thought the story would have been better if it had focused more on Sofie and her story as the people of the lowerworld (this little moniker should have been a dead giveaway) fought for freedom. It was a crying shame that her/their story was used as nothing more than a crutch for his. Especially when he went through zero character development in the span that I read. 

• There are so many things that I disliked about this book, that I don't even know where to start. But I guess I'll begin with the main character and build from there, okay. I cannot recall the last time I read a book with such an annoying, whiny, excuse-making terrible character as he was. Ugh, just ugh!But what really bothered me about the main character was the way he narrated his story. Like he was trying to make excuses for his shortcomings without ever taking responsibility for his failure. Not really the type of character that should be the main protagonist. 

• As to the writing: Even though I read almost two-thirds of Freefall, I can honestly say that other than being really annoyed and disappointed with the overall presentation of the plot, one that "sounded" interesting, the writing itself left me feeling nothing at all. I hate saying that, but it is what it is. 

Final Verdict: Freefall- In a story that could have been compelling and entertaining, this book misses the mark by a colossal landslide.

A copy of this book was received from the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.