Num8bers
Rachel Ward’s Num8ers is the first book in the Numbers trilogy.
This book takes place in London during the Year 2010. For as long as she has known, Jem has seen people’s numbers. The numbers were an 8 digit combination only she could see and she only later discovered what they meant. When Jem was six, her mother died from a drug overdose. Jem discovered that the numbers she saw on her mother matched the date of her mother’s death. Since the day her mother died, Jem has been in the foster system, constantly changing homes until, one day, she makes a friend. As she explores this new friendship and the trouble it brings, she must carry the burden of knowing when he will die, and sadly, that date is depressingly soon. Jem must be one of the most pessimistic protagonists. She is stubborn and seemingly hates everything and everyone. While constantly cursing, she distances herself from everyone. While her attitude is understandable due to the fact that she can see the date people will die, it is frustrating to see the way she isolates herself. She is suspicious of all adults, never looks people in the eye and always tries to avoid making friends. By the end of the story, she does develop. During the story, her actions can only be described as impulsive, stupid, and self-destructive. She is complex character, but not a very likable one. Num8ers was a surprisingly good read. I have heard a lot of negative press surrounding this book, and for good reasons. The characters are extremely impulsive and have slightly mixed up morals. The book covers mature content like drugs, sex, and death. Along with excessive cursing and law-breaking, this creates a perfect book for younger YA readers, not to read. This book also touches upon bullying. While this is a relatable topic and it is viewed in a negative light, there is little done about it and our characters response to bullying isn’t; one that should be repeated. Much of the negative press surrounds the premise of the book. The book has a good premise, but reading the synopsis may suggest a different story than what readers got. This book largely focuses on running away, a topic that most readers probably didn’t suspect. Despite all the negatives, there are some positives. I went into this book with very low expectations, which may be why this book seemed good in my opinion. This book is fast paced. It takes a little while to start up as Jem explains her depressing life, but once the plot picks up, it doesn’t slow down. The lead characters are fairly complex and interesting to read about. Most of their actions are impulsive, but the characters are full of emotion making this a book someone can connect with. The plot revolves around running away. This puts enormous tension on the characters that the readers can feel. The story has its share of romantic moments, unbelievably lucky moments and depressingly unfortunate moments. I give this 325 page book 4 stars. |
NumbersThis series takes place in modern day London. While the first book is narrated by 15 year old Jem, a girl with the ability to see when people are going to die, the later books are narrated by her son, a boy with a similar ability.
More books in the SeriesComing Soon
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