The 100

I'm torn about calling it popular from the tv show as it is accessible and action packed or whether to instead focus on the literary aspects. The biggest takeaway from the first read (because I have no doubt I will read it again) is that the balance between honoring freedom and human dignity and the battle over resources resonates strongly with what is happening in politics today. Having said that, this book does what scifi does best, creates an exciting world where we can see ourselves and explore our human potentials and shortcomings. Time for me to read the next one!

I enjoyed The 100. The premise was intriguing and the writing sucked me in immediately. The story was told from the points of view of 4 characters: Clarke, Glass, Wells, and Bellamy. Most of them were Confined on their ships for breaking a law and set to be executed after their 18th birthdays. Instead, they found themselves as part of the "lucky" 100 to go down to Earth and determine the safety of the planet. The ones who weren't already Confined had a loved one who would be sent down to Earth and did extreme things to get on that ship.I loved the mixture of science fiction and dystopia on the spaceships above earth and the post apocalyptic and action on the Earth. It was a story that gave me everything I really wanted in terms of genre. Each of the characters had their own story and reasons for ending up where they did. Even better, most of them knew each other, so their histories overlapped in certain areas.The 100 had plenty of drama and romance on top of the action packed plot, though book 1 was mostly informative and I knew it was setting me up for the rest of the series. It was full of action, but the entire story arc wasn't present. Normally, this infuriates me, but the pace of the novel was so good and the writing sucked me in so immediately, I wasn't all that mad when it was over. I want more, sure, but I'm definitely happy with what I got. I also felt like the backstories I got from all of the characters were much needed.The front cover of the book informs me that The 100 will be a show on The CW and the entire time I was reading, I felt like it was extremely appropriate that it be turned into a show. Like I said, even though this was clearly a beginning novel, it was so engrossing and there was so much happening and so many dynamics. It was a great book and it will translate really well into a TV show. The characters came to life and I wanted more.. more of what happens next, but also more backstory!I definitely recommend The 100. It isn't the best of the genre, but it was really good and combined a lot of elements into one amazing premise. I think people will really enjoy it and I'm super excited for the show.

I watched the show and wanted to read the books. So while I really enjoyed the book; it is very different from the show.It is a good and simple read. I enjoyed it and it only took me a couple of days to get through it.

I received a physical ARC copy for review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in anyway.This book was totally different then what I expected it to be. It was more about teenagers adjusting to earth and their new surroundings, then a fight for survival on a unpopulated, dangerous planet. I have to admit I was disappointed with The 100. It was a big let down. I was expecting a face-paced, action-packed, thrill-ride, for a battle to survive on a plant that has long been abandoned over 300 years ago. But it wasn't, it was the total opposite.The 100 was really slow, but still interesting enough to hold my attention and keep me reading! I never felt like giving up and saying the hell with it. It was boring at times, but the thought of it getting better got me through and kept me reading.One of the things that bothered me a lot was the 4 different POV's in this book. It was far too many! It was easy to follow the POV's with ease, but it was just too annoying. It felt like I was reading 4 mini story's about each person going through a similar situation as the previous POV was. This book also went back and forth from the present to the past, to show what happened to each of the 4 main characters, and what they went through in the past and what their going through now in the present. If this book had 1 or even 2 POV's it would of made a lot more sense, and would of been easier to get into and follow. I mean, I still don't understand why the author decided to use 4 different POV's?The Plot:Earth as long been abandoned after a nuclear war over 300 years ago. The remaining humans on earth were sent up to space to rebuild their community and population on a floating space ship. They have long adjusted to the harsh conditions and drastic change from earth to space. But many problems are starting to arise. Time in space has put a huge dent in their reserve of oxygen and supplies. With resources dwindling by the minute, and oxygen running out, they are given no choice but to go back to....EARTH!Living on a spaceship in outer space has its limitations, with confined living areas, and hardly enough room for the remaining humans. So with not enough room for excess amounts of people, only limited number of babies are allowed to be born. Rules are strict and enforced to the maximum, "To Maintain The Safety Of The Rest Of The Human Population." They make examples out of the people that dare too break their rules, and are quick to execute, and rid their ship of the unworthy people.At 18, all criminals are given a re-trial to prove that they are innocent. But almost always re-trial's are a failure, and pardons are not granted. So if that happens, they will be put to death on their 18 birthday.With resources and supplies dwindling, they decide that these teenagers are worth more to them alive then dead, and are giving them a chance to be the first people to return to earth to make sure that it is livable again. And if these teenagers survive, they will be pardoned for their crimes and will have a chance at a fresh start at a new life on earth. But that's only IF they survive...So 100 teenagers are sent to earth with limited supplies and resources, and are forced to fend for themselves. Things are not as they expected on earth. There are things that survived the nuclear war 300 years prior. Trees, plants, animals, and other living things they never would of guessed have survived. They have to learn not only how to adapt to new situations and living areas, but also how to live and trust each other if their going to survive.This book had an amazing premise, but didn't live up to all the hype and my expectations. It just didn't have anything that I really cared about. Their really wasn't any action or anything going on that was interesting enough for me to stay up late to read. The characters didn't seem to have any personality. It was hard to connect with any of the 4 main characters, because as soon as I would start to get into a character and want to know more about a that person, it would change the POV, and when it came back to that person again, they were talking/going through something new. So I'm guessing if their wasn't so many different POV's it probably would of been easier to connect with them and/or care about what happened to them.Another thing that really bothered me about this book was the ending. The last 4 chapters were about each of the main characters and at then end of each characters chapter, something extremely important would happen to the character, then it would abruptly change the POV. It was not like having a cliffhanger ending. It felt unfinished in my opinion. The last 4 chapters felt like we were in the middle of a sentence, then BAM the book was over. It felt like it ruined the whole book with that terrible ending.I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in teen drama and romance, versus action and survival. And anyone looking for a quick end of the world, living in space kinda read. But don't go into this expecting a fast-paced, action-packed thrill ride, because honestly you won't find it here, at least I didn't!Overall, this book was slow, boring at times, but still had an unique interesting premise that kept me reading. I thought it was okay. I liked it, but didn't love it at all. I will be reading the next book in hopes that some of the flaws in this book is changed. And plus I need my unfinished ending answered!

This book was--where do I begin? This was one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read, and I've read plenty. A wonderful plot and story, and it's just so brilliant. I love the blossoming relationship between Bellamy and Clarke, at least I hope it's blossoming. But this story is not entirely directed on the romance, and for that I am glad, as many books these days are directed in that area. I have recently begun watching the show, and I must say, although not being quite true to the book, it is amazing. Brilliant job. I recommend this book to those who are eager for action.