Name: Rebel Seoul
ISBN: 9781620142998

Axie Oh

Pacific Rim meets Korean action dramas in this mind-blowing sci-fi novel set in New Seoul in the year 2199.

Rebel Seoul

fc ♡

“You’ll know soon,” she says, her eyes moving across my face. “And then you won’t look at me the way you’re looking at me now.”

 Like she’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. Like she’s mysterious and strange and easily annoyed. 

“I know who you are,” she says. “You’re my new partner.”

 That sounds better than supervisor. “I am.”

 “The last one didn’t last long.” She sweeps past me. I turn in time to see her jump off the boarding lift. She does a graceful somersault in the sky and lands on her feet. She stands and looks back at me. Our gazes meet. 

“Whatever this is, it’s not going to work.” Tera stands by the door, having followed me through. 

“This?” I ask. There’s an alcove in the wall, and I place the tray into it. 

 “Being kind to me. It won’t make me trust you.”

 I raise a brow. “Have I been kind to you?”  

  “You’re asking if you can eat from my highly prescribed rations I’m allowed twice a day?”

 “What are partners for if not to eat each other’s food?” I take a bite of the apple

"You shouldn’t feel anything for me.”  

“But I do.”  It sounds like a confession. 

She looks up, her eyes stricken. “Don’t. Please don’t.”

 “Tera . . .” There’s a hollow knock on the window from the outside. “Dammit.” I stand. “I should go.” 

As I leave, she reaches out and grabs my hand. Her hand is cool and light. “Tomorrow, be a soldier to me, Lee Jaewon. Don’t be anything more.” A soldier. A stranger. “Promise me,” she begs. 

Moth

The writing was good. I felt like it was engaging and was vivid in its description of things. I could see the God Machines, I could imagine every character. The story goes fast and carries, it keeps things interesting and you aren't left bored, even in the more domestic scenes. The only issue is that time passes fast and you aren't sure how. Sometimes it feels like it was only a few hours or a day when weeks had gone by. I wish that was a little clearer, but that's really it.

(Full Review On My Blog)

Jamieson

"Maybe this love is a love that's worth dying for, I don't know. All I know is that it's worth living for, again and again


I was very excited to read Rebel Seoul, which was pitched as a blend of Pacific Rim and Korean Dramas. I've seen lots of hype for this book, especially from Korean reviewers and so I was very excited to get an arc of this book. Although I didn't love Rebel Seoul, I still liked it. I still really appreciate the ownvoices elements of the story and the setting. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to connect to the characters which effected my reading. 



My favourite thing about Rebel Seoul was definitely the setting. In this futuristic world, the Great War of the Pacific was fought between the East Asian nations, which eventually led to the creation of the Neo Council - a body which presides over all East Asian states and makes decisions on behalf of them. Following this unification, a war was waged between The East and The West, which was won by the East, solidifying the Neo-State. Now, a third war is being waged, between the Neo State, and rebels who seek to undermine and dismantle the regime. I loved the worldbuilding, and how the setting was described. The inclusion of other elements such as gangs, virtual reality simulations of military situations, and the God Machines also contributed to me really enjoying the setting. 

Rebel Seoul is also incredibly racially diverse. Every character who appears is of East Asian descent. The main character is of South Korean heritage, as are the majority of characters he interacts with. There is also one character who's explicitly said to be Japanese and one said to be Chinese. Unfortunately however, there was no lgbt+ representation, if anyone was wondering. 

I was incredibly engaged in the first 100 pages. The explanation of the world and how it unfolded was really interesting, there was some really cool action sequences, and the stakes were really high! I was really intrigued. 

Unfortunately, after the first 100 pages I began to run into some issues with characters and character development. The main character is quite well developed, but I found the side characters to be not nearly as developed. It was hard to grasp or understand the motivations of the majority of the characters. I felt that the female characters, who had great potential, were regaled to being love interests. The romance that appears was unconvincing to me, and since most of the romance happens off screen it was hard to grasp and believe the relationship. 

I found the middle of Rebel Seoul dragged quite a bit. The plot seemed to be put on hold while the characters interacted and ultimately I found myself really bored. I wasn't invested in the characters at all, and the way the plot developed left me confused. I wasn't sure which plot threat to follow. I think Rebel Seoul had issues in the middle with trying to be too many things at once.

 I was really glad the last 100 pages picked up a lot more. The action returned, and the book seemed to get black onto it's central plot. I only had one issue with the last one hundred pages, that the villain had the (view spoiler)[ "a girl rejected me and I want revenge" (hide spoiler)] trope/motivation. I really hate this trope so I was a little disappointed when it cropped up. I was also a bit disappointed I guessed the plot twists well before the reveal. 

However, on a final positive note, I did think the ending/epilogue was great! The stories were well wrapped up and checked in with each character. I think that the conclusion was quite satisfying and that Axie Oh did a good job in gathering all the plot threads up and giving them a good ending. 

Personally, I was a little disappointed with Rebel Seoul. Although it didn't have any glaring issues, I personally just found it difficult to connect to the characters which impacted my reading. However, just going to the Goodreads page you can see I am very much in the minority with this review - most loved it! I've also seen a lot of hype from Korean reviewers about the representation.

 I wish I had loved this book, I really do, but I find it very difficult to love books if I don't love the characters. 

Overall, Rebel Seoul is an incredibly diverse book set in an amazing setting. The world of Neo-Seoul will suck you right in, and you'll find yourself loving being among the characters of this world. 

actual rating 3.5*

I was provided an arc of Rebel Seoul from the publisher. All opinions are my own. Thankyou to Tu Books!

Lauren

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this book on my own. Support yo authors!

Book Series: Rebel Seoul Book 1

Rating: 2/5

Diversity: Korean set and characters

Publication Date: September 14, 2017

Genre: YA Dystopian Sci-fi
 
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, test subjects, and loyalty).

Publisher: Tu Books

Pages: 389

Amazon Link

Synopsis: After a great war, the East Pacific is in ruins. In brutal Neo Seoul, where status comes from success in combat, ex-gang member Lee Jaewon is a talented pilot rising in the ranks of the academy. Abandoned as a kid in the slums of Old Seoul by his rebel father, Jaewon desires only to escape his past and prove himself a loyal soldier of the Neo State.

When Jaewon is recruited into the most lucrative weapons development division in Neo Seoul, he is eager to claim his best shot at military glory. But the mission becomes more complicated when he meets Tera, a test subject in the government’s supersoldier project. Tera was trained for one purpose: to pilot one of the lethal God Machines, massive robots for a never-ending war.

With secret orders to report on Tera, Jaewon becomes Tera’s partner, earning her reluctant respect. But as respect turns to love, Jaewon begins to question his loyalty to an oppressive regime that creates weapons out of humans. As the project prepares to go public amidst rumors of a rebellion, Jaewon must decide where he stands—as a soldier of the Neo State, or a rebel of the people.

Pacific Rim meets Korean action dramas in this mind-blowing, New Visions Award-winning science fiction debut.

Review: I really liked the concept of this book and I thought this was a really interesting plot. I really wanted to like this book because the synopsis hit all the right chords with me, but in the end I didn’t connect with it.

I felt that the characters were flat and didn’t jump off the page to me. The world building was a bit lacking and the pacing was really slow. I just didn’t connect with this book that much unfortunately.

Verdict: This seems like an amazing read! Might try it again in the future.