Review : The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson
Summary (from Goodreads)WHAT IS OLDEST WILL BE NEW, WHAT IS LOST SHALL BE FOUND.
The ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy. But global climate change is not something new in the Earth’s history.
No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the process.
Now it is Owen’s turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry…and that less-than-ordinary can evolve into extraordinary.
The ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy. But global climate change is not something new in the Earth’s history.
No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the process.
Now it is Owen’s turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry…and that less-than-ordinary can evolve into extraordinary.
Personal Thoughts
The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson managed to grasp my attention when I first read the synopsis. The premise of the dying race of Atlanteans was something that I found to be unique, interesting and intriguing. However, the originality of the plot got tarnished due to poor characterization.
The Lost Code begins with the main character, Owen, who's just arrived at CampEden on his father's insistence. Soon, Owen finds himself drowning in a lake due to a health condition and he's on the verge of death. However, he wakes up and eventually finds out that he has acquired gills. Right after, he meets others who are like him. Secrets about his past and present are unraveled and Owen soon realizes that he might be the only one that holds the key to the rediscovery of a nearly extinct civilization.
As I mentioned above, the characters were very hard to connect with. Owen, the main character, was bland and boring. Seeing the world through his eyes was a slow, dull and dreadful experience. For a book to be really awesome, I need to feel in synch with the character, especially the main character. In Owen's case, not much of his personality was truly shown. It might be because he's a boy and I'm a girl, but trying to relate to him was a very tough task. He sometimes acted very childish and immature and had me cringing on numerous occasions.
The same goes for the secondary characters. I don't think I liked any of the characters of the book. Their personalities lacked substance and I thought that they were too underdeveloped. For characters to really shine, they need to have some kind of individuality. However, none of the characters in The Lost Code truly had an essence.
The plot in The Lost Code was fairly interesting. The poor characterization led to the story-line being somewhat marred. The world that has been created by the author was mystifying and I truly wanted to get to know it better. Indisputably, the book had immense promise. Other than the underdeveloped character, one other thing that had my attention really wavering was the slow pace at the beginning.
I appreciate that the author managed to actually insert topics, such as global warming, which are absent in many futuristic books. It also touched different themes such as sci-fi, dystopia, romance and science.
Kevin Emerson is undoubtedly a good writer. His originality and knack for finding creative ideas are actually praise-worthy. With a little development in characters, The Lost Code had the possibility to become one of the best YA books out there.
The Lost Code might not have lived up to my expectations, but that doesn't mean that it won't appeal to other readers. Somehow, I feel that the book would be more fitting for younger readers. With its appealing world-building and original premise, I have no doubt that The Lost Code will entice many readers.
The Lost Code begins with the main character, Owen, who's just arrived at CampEden on his father's insistence. Soon, Owen finds himself drowning in a lake due to a health condition and he's on the verge of death. However, he wakes up and eventually finds out that he has acquired gills. Right after, he meets others who are like him. Secrets about his past and present are unraveled and Owen soon realizes that he might be the only one that holds the key to the rediscovery of a nearly extinct civilization.
As I mentioned above, the characters were very hard to connect with. Owen, the main character, was bland and boring. Seeing the world through his eyes was a slow, dull and dreadful experience. For a book to be really awesome, I need to feel in synch with the character, especially the main character. In Owen's case, not much of his personality was truly shown. It might be because he's a boy and I'm a girl, but trying to relate to him was a very tough task. He sometimes acted very childish and immature and had me cringing on numerous occasions.
The same goes for the secondary characters. I don't think I liked any of the characters of the book. Their personalities lacked substance and I thought that they were too underdeveloped. For characters to really shine, they need to have some kind of individuality. However, none of the characters in The Lost Code truly had an essence.
The plot in The Lost Code was fairly interesting. The poor characterization led to the story-line being somewhat marred. The world that has been created by the author was mystifying and I truly wanted to get to know it better. Indisputably, the book had immense promise. Other than the underdeveloped character, one other thing that had my attention really wavering was the slow pace at the beginning.
I appreciate that the author managed to actually insert topics, such as global warming, which are absent in many futuristic books. It also touched different themes such as sci-fi, dystopia, romance and science.
Kevin Emerson is undoubtedly a good writer. His originality and knack for finding creative ideas are actually praise-worthy. With a little development in characters, The Lost Code had the possibility to become one of the best YA books out there.
The Lost Code might not have lived up to my expectations, but that doesn't mean that it won't appeal to other readers. Somehow, I feel that the book would be more fitting for younger readers. With its appealing world-building and original premise, I have no doubt that The Lost Code will entice many readers.
Rating
Cover : 3/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 2/5
Writing : 3/5
Big Thanks To HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC of this book.
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