The 100: Homecoming

By Kass Morgan

Alrighty, I just finished this one, and I’m not as impressed with it as I was The 100 or The 100: Day 21. My biggest issue was the feeling that there was no real character growth. The 100: Homecoming takes place over a greater amount of time than the first two books. I expected, with events calming down and life gaining a sense of “normal,” for characters to take that time to grow a bit. Nope.

My biggest beef with this book, however, was how Sasha was treated. Her potential to be a really good, well-rounded character was everywhere! It was totally ignored, and Sasha ended up just “some guy’s girlfriend” and a plot device. More or less. I’m trying to be non-spoiler-y here.

 

I also wish Clarke was more like her TV series self. Alas, she’s a lot more damsel in distress than I care for and she’s emotionally immature—which is mostly fine. She’s seventeen—but contrasted against Bellamy, it’s a bad look. I see why the TV series aged him down. His emotional immaturity in the books would make way more sense if he was also a teenager. And Octavia! She’s nowhere near the character I thought she’d be. A total 180 degree turn from what I expected. Not a bad thing, just a little disappointed.

For the story itself, I’m not quite sure what to think. The book is fast-paced, but somehow there’s a lot being said with nothing much happening the entire time. I’m also unhappy with the poorly thought out reveals. They come at times that benefit the main characters, and it happens more than once or twice. Let’s just say if Bellamy’s story were true, he’d be super dead. That can’t be a spoiler because his face is plastered on the front of the fourth (and final) book.

Overall, I feel The 100: Homecoming could have used a lot more revision before striking out into the world. YA doesn’t have to mean absurdly predictable and borderline boring stories. Curious how the next one will go.

~ Anna
(Entry 32)