The 100 by Kass Morgan

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 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.

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.
--Julie

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