Overall rating and opinion of "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign

Use this forum to discuss the February 2020 Book of the month, "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign
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Caffrey_19
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Re: Overall rating and opinion of "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign

Post by Caffrey_19 »

This book is a good read as it portrays Adam’s development from an introverted loser, to a socially active teenager. In plain text, this book tells everyone that they could be a better version of themselves and also change their society’s perspective of who they are. Claire’s hope on Adam changing is a rather significant one and I see this happening.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it possesses the attributes of a well edited book. I hated that Carly lost her mother and I liked that Carly is an exceptional protagonist along side Adam. I would recommend this book to all teens as they have a lot to learn from it.
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Post by leximutia »

Now that I'm reading how everyone else feels about the book, I'm questioning my own thoughts about it. I suppose I should still hold onto my position. In my personal opinion, while the book definitely had an intriguing premise, I struggled to finish reading it, for various reasons.

What I most liked?

The biokenretic abilities, Russian bloodlines, and general lore was all pretty interesting. Creative and fun for me to read about in the story.

What I least liked?

I found it very difficult to connect with the characters. Unfortunately, I did not like the main protagonist Adam very much. He referred to his human peers as "animals." He was obsessed with his mother, to the point of creating his Den where he has pictures of her all over the walls, and there, he keeps weapons, certain toys, rope, a video camera, etc. He, although inadvertently, played a role in the "disappearance" of Terry. The fact that Adam's demeanor, personality, and perception of others disturbed me made it difficult for me to connect with him. When it came to other characters, I feel like there just wasn't enough interaction or written scenes involving them for me to properly bond with them.

I felt the storytelling was more telling of what happened, as opposed to displaying through scenes and interactions. I felt the characterization was a bit lacking, especially with the later-introduced cast of the young Russian bloodline descendants. There was not enough spotlight on each of those characters for me to be able to distinguish who was who (physical characteristics, bloodline, personality, unique biokenretic abilities) without having to sit and think about it.

Overall, while I did initially look forward to seeing where Opaque would go, it became tougher for me to see the story to its conclusion. Depending on the audience, the book can be much more enjoyable than it was for me, but I generally would not recommend it, at least not for audiences who like strong characterization and prefer storytelling through show and not tell.

I have mixed feelings on expressing my thoughts about the book, but I do believe I should be honest about my experience reading it. Others can and will definitely think differently! Looking at many others' opinions, Opaque is a great read! Perhaps, it was just not the book for me.
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Post by Palfree »

I really didn't like this book when I started it. The main reason why I disliked the beginning was because Adam was such a dark negative character. As Adam started to change due to his relationship with Carly, I liked the book more. I am glad the book was written in such a way that we see characters influence others for good. Overall, I give the book a 3 out of 4 star rating.
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Post by Musk doaab »

I was both repulsed and attracted by its starting point of Adam, I was curious how Adam will deal with it but it came out to be outwardly induced. I loved reading it but I expected more of Adam to be honest, maybe, in the next book?? it was unique to see how Carly doesn't expose all of herself even to the reader, it's more like ball of snow rolling that keeps getting bigger and bigger. I enjoyed their secrets scattered all over too. So, it was a great book but the main lead was bit short of expectations.
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Post by Standor5865 »

I love the idea of an interplay of relationships in books. The book is captivating, as it is easy for the reader to relate to it on a personal level. I would strongly recommend the book. Kudos!!
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Post by Bookreader548 »

This book doesn't belong to the genre of books that I love to read but seeing these comments, I'd love to check it out because it seems like an interesting read
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Post by 4njhe »

What is your overall opinion of the book?
I like this book quite a bit. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars. There was a few punctuation and grammar errors, but I gave it this because it took too long for Adam to find out about his abilities, how to use them and for him to find out about his true family. I did not like that Dauma “ended” herself so soon. Also, to me not enough fighting.

What do you like most about it?
How once he found everything how the others accepted him, especially Carly’s mother.

What do you like least?
There are a few things I wish Calix had done differently but there’s no one thing I like least more than another.

Will you recommend the book to other people?
Yes

Why or why not?
It has the making of a love story, fight not for one’s self but for a whole “family” race. And Most of all it shows how one person can change so much.

One last thing, I see there is two more books connected to this. I would like to see them added her for review; to see if they meet up to the same standards.
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Post by Just_jay »

This was quite an enthusiastic book. like everyone, I enjoyed how the characters' personalities grew into better versions.I adore Andy and Carly.I love how this is about acception.
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Post by Sarah_Tricia »

I just read 'Opaque' and gave it two out of four stars. I'm sorry, but it just didn't click with me and sometimes it was hard to find the will to read it.
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Post by hasincla »

I enjoyed this book, and especially Adam's character development. He went from dark and disturbed to really getting things figured out, in a way that wasn't trite or overly simplistic. I also liked the world created by the author, with the Descendants and the Iksha out to exterminate them. What I didn't like was the huge cast of characters I had to keep straight at the end!
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Post by GPM »

Jachike Samuelson wrote: 01 Feb 2020, 20:24 I haven't read the book yet, but I'm a fan of sci-fi and not so much the YA genre. Still, I'd love to see how the author merges these two together. From the official review of the book though, Adam sounds like a relatable character with enough elements to his predicament to keep things interesting.
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GPM
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Post by GPM »

4njhe wrote: 13 Apr 2020, 16:17 What is your overall opinion of the book?
I like this book quite a bit. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars. There was a few punctuation and grammar errors, but I gave it this because it took too long for Adam to find out about his abilities, how to use them and for him to find out about his true family. I did not like that Dauma “ended” herself so soon. Also, to me not enough fighting.

What do you like most about it?
How once he found everything how the others accepted him, especially Carly’s mother.

What do you like least?
There are a few things I wish Calix had done differently but there’s no one thing I like least more than another.

Will you recommend the book to other people?
Yes

Why or why not?
It has the making of a love story, fight not for one’s self but for a whole “family” race. And Most of all it shows how one person can change so much.

One last thing, I see there is two more books connected to this. I would like to see them added her for review; to see if they meet up to the same standards.
Good thing that this is recommended.
"A man learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people." - Will Rogers
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Post by JKO »

I really loved the relationship between Adam and Carly. Carly came into Adam's life and because of that, changed the readers negative perception of Adam. 4 out of 4 stars for me.
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Post by Coud »

I'm just starting to read this but is very different to what I'm used to read. The plot is interesting but it also has so many different perspectives of how the things might turn out for the characters
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Post by Brielle_S »

I really enjoyed reading this book. Watching Adam's character development was very interesting, and I thought that the author discussed some fascinating themes. I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good book to get lost in!
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