The 100

Title: The 100

Author: Kass Morgan

First Published: September 3rd 2013

Series: The 100 #1

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopia

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook

Pages: 323

My Copy: Physical copy

My Rating: 8.5/10

Goodreads Summary

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 pair of 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.

This is an epic book that kept me right on the edge for the whole story!

In the (near?) future, Earth has been abandoned by humans after a nuclear war known as the Cataclysm. Now, humanity lives aboard two spaceships in outer space. This is no new concept really. Nuclear war leads to inhabitable earth, which leads to human migration into outer space. But it was Kass Morgan's writing that made it seem new and fresh! The switching between perspectives and the past and present shows what really happened that lead to the Confinement of our protagonists. Then, our protagonists are sent to Earth as a crazy experiment to test if Earth is ready for humans to live there.

Once on Earth, chaos breaks loose. They had already crash-landed, meaning there are injured people and that their supplies are all over the place. Clarke works frantically to save those who are injured, especially her friend Thalia. Wells tries to restore some kind of order, but the others sneer at him and insult him. It quickly turns into a Lord of the Flies theme. Graham is the leader of the more violent teenagers, wanting to gain the position of power, and he couldn't care less who gets in the way. Bellamy is quick to distance himself from all the others, only talking to Octavia and Clarke mainly. He is the main hunter of the group and provides food for them all, even if he doesn't like it.

So far, my favourite character is Wells. He's mistreated by the 100, mainly because he is the Chancellor's son. He's also in love with Clarke. But does she love him back? Not anymore. I feel very bad for Wells, since he sacrificed so much to get to Earth and be with Clarke, and she doesn't want anything to do with him. Clarke doesn't want to listen to Wells' story, but Wells doesn't really want to explain it to her. All this miscommunication! :(

Bellamy and Clarke?! Really? I don't know how feel about this ship, and so I'm not on board yet. It seems quite sudden and out of the blue. I think Bellamy is a strong character, but he keeps all this rage and uncertainty bottled up inside him. One day, he's going to explode. He is also Octavia's brother, right? However, there isn't much sibling bonding in this book, though that's understandable, given the laws on the ship. I'd like more sibling teamwork in the future though!

Shoutout to Glass who managed to escape! She's smart and quick on her feet - that's how she managed to leave without anyone finding her. Well, she's been pardoned, so I guess it's easier for her now, instead of being a fugitive. On a spaceship, where can you run? How do you guys feel about Glass and Luke? Do you think they're good together? I think that there needs to be more development in their relationship, even though we know their past.

Oh wow! The ending! *Spoiler alert* Of course there are some people who never left! I wonder how they managed to survive the high levels of radiation on Earth. I guess with most of the population gone or dead, it would be easier to scavenge for food and survive in small groups. Hm, who are we going to meet in the next book? *Spoiler over*

Now that I've finished the first book, I'll move on to the second. But I also want to watch the TV show! I've heard that it's a bit different, but is it worth the watch? Have you watched it? Do you prefer the books or the show? Let me know! :)

My Chosen Quote

“That was the thing about secrets - you had to carry them with you forever, no matter what the cost.”