Want

(Read as a buddy read with Samantha of Forest of Words and Pages)

First things first - THIS COVER THOUGH. I mean, I can't possibly love it more if I tried, but I'll try pretty damn hard to because THIS COVER THOUGH.

And can we talk about how awesome Daiyu is? Actually let me talk about how awesome she is, but beneath a cut since learning about some of her awesome actions could change your reading

Daiyu spends her kidnapping refusing to bow to damsel in distress tropes. She isn't happy, but she quickly realizes that Zhou is a lot of show, but not bite. She uses her time to learn about the mountains and experience a part of life that she's never had a chance to before.

She's whip-smart; like any child she doesn't want to believe the worst show more of her father, but once her eyes are opened she doesn't turn away again. She makes it possible (both directly and indirectly) for Zhou and his team to infiltrate Jin Corp's offsite location. She doesn't judge Zhou for what he did (kidnapping her), but she does strive to understand. Actually the entirety of their relationship is built on the two of them realizing "wait a second, the world isn't so easily cut and dry".

She genuinely wants to build a better future and is willing to BURN HER WORLD to ashes if that's what it takes.

I had a couple questions at the end - namely when all was said and done what happened with Joseph? He contracts the flu, his family is whisked away from their home, and I'm guessing he survived since Daiyu never mentioned a funeral...? What is Daiyu's mother like? Who would I have play Zhou, Daiyu and everyone else if a live action drama was ever produced?

I had some qualms with Zhou at times; Vic is right, he's a bit too tender hearted for the mission and he spends a lot of time angsting over what to do about Daiyu. I wish we could have spent a bit more time with the group, or with each individual member. You get a good read on Lingyi and Arun, but other than some observations by Zhou about Iris and Victor, we have very little time with them as individuals outside of the group. Much is made of Victor's ability to wheel and deal based on his charming personality and suaveness, but we see very little of that as he keeps a different kind of "front" up around the group. Iris...the vulnerable moment we see of Iris late in the book is a beautiful moment. I wish we could see more.

The opening jumped around for a bit and the group's plan takes a few chapters to even get off the ground as they tried to get all their ducks in a row after a slight set back. While Zhou is an engaging protagonist, I really wanted Daiyu to show back up and be part of the action again. Or for Iris to run around spooking the living daylights out of Zhou constantly. Maybe both.

The setting is a very visceral part of this book. I've never been to Taipei or Taiwan, but Pon's descriptions of the night markets, of the lights and the mountains, of the way things seem to be both diminished because of the pollution, but also desperately trying to carve out an existence still, the beauty that once was and the beauty it could be once more...its almost its own character. Zhou's love of Taiwan is what drives his actions, what drives all their actions in the end. Pon brings that love to life and into focus, even as things seem really bleak at times. show less

I applaud the author's tackling of the disastrous environmental situation we're in right now, and the book mostly flowed coherently. I enjoyed Cindy Pon's signature yummy food descriptions. However, EVERYTHING was telling instead of showing. The narrative would stop to go into detail about dynamics we've already learned about. Daiyu's motivation and trust regarding Zhou are built on the flimsiest of reasons and go into questionable Stockholm Syndrome territory. I won't be reading the sequel.

This book is currently a finalist for the Norton Award, and I read it as part of my Nebula voting packet.

Want is a fascinating book, in large part because of its vivid setting of Taipei. It spins a very realistic-feeling future setting where pollution is wretched and often fatal. The rich survive in fancy suits that provide them fresh air, regulated temperatures, and an overall decontaminated environment. Jason Zhou is part of a group of young people who wants to take down Jin Corp, the maker of the suits, a company that is invested in the stratification of society and polluted environment.

It says a great deal about Pon's writing that Jason remains a sympathetic, appealing character, even though he commits a horrific act at the very show more start of the book: he kidnaps a wealthy young woman for ransom money to finance his planned terrorism campaign. The concept alone would likely prevent me from even trying a book. But Pon makes the scheme work, and makes Jason Zhou a strong, conflicted character.

Some of the plot twists are pretty transparent; you know the young woman he kidnaps will be someone important, and that they will fall for each other later on. Even so, I was hooked, and there were still other developments that surprised me and compelled me to read on. The environmental responsibility issues presented by the book never felt preachy, but their importance to the plot--and the warning about what may happen in the real world--is undeniable. show less

Want by Cindy Pon is a near-future science fiction YA book set in Taiwan that stands alone but is also the opening of a series. It's the first book by the author that I've read, though not for lack of trying; most of her other books are unavailable in Australia and Europe and it felt like I had to wait a while for Want to make it to Australia. Hopefully the planned sequel will arrive more promptly.

This novel is set in a near-future Taipei in a world where pollution has gotten bad enough that the rich walk around in environment suits and the poor die young. Zhou and his friends want to change the status quo and hatch an ambitious plot to do so. It involves infiltrating the world of the rich in the hope of helping the poor of Taipei. (The show more title comes from the idea of the divide between the "haves" and the "wants".)

I really enjoyed this book. Although I ended up reading it over a longer period of time than I usually do with YA books (for external reasons), I was consistently engaged with the story and the characters. It's told in first person from Zhou's point of view, meaning we see the most into his world, his past and his feelings. He sits somewhere in the middle among his friend group in terms of privilege and current circumstances, and we see the lives of the poor from several angles as well as the lives of the rich.

I found the story fun to read even when it was dealing with heavy concepts (aside from a few more poignant moments). I particularly found some events near the end delightful (but I won't spoil them here) and I felt that the book ended on a really strong note. Although the world's problems aren't completely resolved by the end of Want the main plot lines of the book draw neatly to a close. While I want to read the sequel because I enjoyed Want, I would also have been satisfied if no sequels had been planned.

I recommend this book to fans of YA, dystopias and near-future SF. In particular, readers looking for diverse settings in YA books will find much to like here. It's nice reading a book that's both not set in the US and acknowledges the existence of the rest of the world. I enjoyed Want and hope to read more by Pon in the future, whether it's the sequel or one of her other books (may they lose their geo-restrictions).

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. show less

I seem to be pulling away from YA books lately so maybe that’s why I wasn’t feeling this one? It wasn’t a bad book, it was just such a typical YA book with a new setting. A poor man pretending to be rich to take them down? How many times have we seen that?

I found the pacing really weird too. There was so much build up in the beginning and we didn’t get to that actual action stuff until past half way and then the rest went by so quick. I was happy with that small twist at the end, making it a little less like other YA books.

This was hard to rate. On one hand, this is a pretty cliche young adult dystopian evil-corrupt-government premise and story, yet the setting itself is a rare gem full of diverse characters (though somewhat... bland) and a lush world that despite being cliched felt new enough that it was fun to read. In the end though I just sort of realised this didn’t make me feel anything. I liked the setting, the environmental aspects and the diversity but the story itself, and the romance, just failed to make me FEEL anything.

Pros: great setting, real people, great extrapolation

Cons: slow at times

Jason Zhou has been living on the streets of Taipei since his mother died when he was thirteen.The haves (yous) and have nots (meis) are at odds in the city, a situation exacerbated by the terrible pollution covering the city in perpetual smog and acid rain, pollution the yous never experience, all but living in suits fitted with filtered oxygen and temperature controls. Zhou’s closest friends have come up with a plan to stop the creator of the suits, a man who’s also bribing and threatening - even murdering - politicians to prevent any environmental clean-up. That plan begins with him kidnapping a you girl for ransom. Because bringing down the man is an show more expensive business.

I loved that the book was set in Taipei. It’s cool inhabiting another city, even if it’s one in an unpleasant extrapolated future. Given the way global warming is being treated, I have no problem believing that the future will be covered in smog and that life expectancy will drop because of it. I also have no problem believing that the rich will isolate themselves from the problems of the world so long as those problems aren’t seen as directly impacting them.

Zhou and his friends all have different strengths, making them fascinating to watch as they work on their plan. I loved that they complemented each other’s skills and that though they didn’t always agree, they worked things out. Daiyu was also great, a mixture of determined, smart, courageous, and feminine. The characters all felt like fully fleshed out people.

The story was interesting, though I found it was slow at times. I never really worried characters wouldn’t pull through, even though there were some tense moments.

This is a great book. show less