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    Atlantia
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    Atlantia
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    Atlantia
    Audiobook9 hours

    Atlantia

    Written by Ally Condie

    Narrated by Rebecca Soler

    2.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

    For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above-of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio's true self-and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden-she has nothing left to lose.

    Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother's death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 28, 2014
    ISBN9780698153950
    Unavailable
    Atlantia
    Author

    Ally Condie

    Ally Condie is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Matched trilogy. A former English teacher, she lives with her husband and four children outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the founder of the non-profit WriteOut Foundation.

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    Reviews for Atlantia

    2.5/5

    10 ratings20 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A great world-building, character driven read for teens who enjoy strong female protagonists who grapple with relationships and making sense of their culture's religious/political landscape. Atlantia, an underwater world is the "Under" in this version of Earth. "Above" are those who continue to live in the polluted, and struggling planet. Rio and her sister Bay lived with their priestess mother, the late Minister, in the below, devoting themselves to temple work, helping their mother, and preparing to live a life forever below OR choosing to go above. When the choosing ceremony occurs, Rio is stunned when Bay chooses to leave her behind -even though their mother recently died- and go Above without her. the book takes off from there as Rio struggles with the loss of her sister, as well as her mother, struggles to contain her "siren" voice (now seen as dangerous or forbidden) & find out the truth about her mother's death, her mysterious aunt Maire's disappearance, and what her role should be to best serve Atlantia. True Beck, a thoughtful, handsome boy reaches out to her, and together they begin to uncover more secrets than they realized about the Council, the new lead Minister Nevio, and what they may be able to do to help save their crumbling Atlantia. Gets pretty complicated & the ending is even more convoluted but Rio emerges triumphant if changed.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      Meh. I really, really love the concept of an underground world, and one in which it's built because the air up on the ground is toxic is super interesting. However, this was just not well done. I found myself not caring much about the characters or even what happened, and only finishing the book for the cool Atlantia descriptions.
    • 1/5
      Kind of boring -- weak world building -- annoyingly dim main character. Nothing inappropriate. Fine for all ages.
    • 2/5
      Although I enjoyed Condie's Matched trilogy, Atlantia was disappointing. I couldn't empathize with the main character and the writing was sub par. The plot lacked excitement as well.
    • 4/5
      Bay and Rio are sisters who live Below, an underwater world where their mom, who has just died under mysterious circumstances, was the minister. When the girls get to the point where they choose where they'll live in the future, Rio is shocked when her sister chooses Above. Rio finds more and more wrong about the world she is living in - seeking advice from the aunt she is unsure if she can trust. Rio is determined to find Bay and try to save Below from disaster. I found Rio a compelling character and really like the exploration of sisterhood in multiple generations of the same family. Enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      The world of Atlantia combines the fantasy/myth of the famed city of Atlantis with the dystopian genre so popular in young adult fiction. The reader discovers the secrets behind Atlantia along with the main character of Rio. I would have enjoyed more about the world Rio lives in and the background.
    • 2/5
      I don't know if my expectations were too high or what, but I was not a huge fan of this book. It was kind of like the Disney movie Atlantis, huge potential = major letdown. I had such high hopes for this book. Sirens?! A city under the sea?!? What could go wrong?! Apparently everything, because I was unimpressed with the whole thing. Rio and her sister Bay have always lived Below in Atlantia, but for as long as she can remember, Rio has wanted to go above. When her mother dies Rio promises her sister that she'll never leave Atlantia, but that all backfires when her sister abandons her and goes Above instead. Now Rio is stuck Below and filled with doubt. Why would her sister leave her? Was her mother murdered? How can she sneak above? To top everything off, Rio is a Siren, but she hides it from everyone because it's dangerous and could mean a life of servitude. Will Rio find the answers she's looking for? Will she unexpectedly find love along the way? Will she ever make it Above? Read if you really want to find out. If not... you're not missing out. Great concept, but... it just doesn't mesh. Something is off about this story.
    • 4/5
      I couldn't get into matched but I really liked Atlantia from the beginning . I felt a connection with Rio and wanted to see her succeed. The middle was a bit slow paced but the pace soon picked up and I loved the ending.
    • 4/5
      ATLANTIA was an entertaining post-apocalyptic story about a girl in an underwater city who longs for life on the surface. The city had been created many generations earlier when conditions on the surface became difficult. The world was divided in Aboves and Belows. The relationship between the two has become strained. Some of those living in Atlantia have become Sirens - able to sway people through the power of their voice. At first the sirens were considered a miracle but then some of them abused their powers and the government turned against them. Now, sirens are taken from their families and raised by the Council.Our heroine Rio is a siren but her mother who was the religious leader of the city kept her talent hidden. Rio has grown up with her twin sister Bay and her mother both keeping her secret. Now, her mother is dead and the circumstances of her death are suspicious. Teens in the city are given a choice about at a ceremony about whether to choose live Above or life Below. Rio has always wanted to live life Above. She wants to see the sky. However, after their mother's death, Bay makes Rio promise to stay with her Below. However, things take an unexpected turn when Bay chooses life Above and leaves her sister Rio behind. Rio is determined to find out why Bay chose as she did and also determined to join her Above. As Rio makes plans to join her sister, she learns that all is not as she thought in her city of Atlantia. The new leader of the city has plans and secrets that could be tragic.Rio is alone except for her aunt Maire. She doesn't really know her aunt except to know that she is a siren who works for the Council. She thought that Maire and her mother were estranged. Her aunt comes to her and offers her help in her plans to escape and offers to teach her about the history of her city that has been hidden. But Rio isn't sure that she can trust her.While she is making plans to leave Atlantia, Rio meets a boy named True who becomes her friend. He is content with his life Below and works as mechanic. He is also wondering why his best friend Fen chose to go Above. It seems that Bay and Fen had a relationship that Rio didn't know anything about. I enjoyed this story which was filled with interesting characters and took place in a fascinating world.
    • 4/5
      This drew me in and kept me reading but also left me wanting more, there were some parts that really kept me reading but other parts that moved very slowly or seemed to skip details that I wanted. Still a story I enjoyed and want to read more by this author.So Rio and Bay are about to make the choice everyone has to make, leave in Atlantia or go to the world above where they will not be able to come back to below. Atlantia is an underwater world, a world people went where the air wouldn't be as polluted as above, where people could breathe freely. But in this underworld Sirens developed, people who could change people's minds, change what they think. Unknown to anyone but her family Rio is a siren. A hidden siren who will save the worlds and make sure that both survive.I found it engaging, but left wanting more.
    • 4/5
      This is an interesting stand alone that combines sci-fi and fantasy elements in a future where humans have built a city under the ocean to escape the pollution Above. I liked the magic that was worked in along with a wonderful story about sisterly love. The writing felt a tad simplistic at times, but the romance was slow and cute which was great to see in YA.
    • 1/5
      I went into Atlantia only knowing that it was about an underwater city. I always loved that idea and was interested to see how it was played out here, but I ended up being so bored while reading that I didn't really care about anything. My biggest problem was the writing. It wasn't bad, it was just written in a way that I couldn't connect to any of the characters and didn't care about what happened to them. Rio is constantly asking questions, to herself or to her Aunt, Maire. "Hali's argument isn't without logic. But why wouldn't Bay tell me that she wanted to serve in the Above? Why did she ask me to promise to stay, and then leave? Why trick me? Was she afraid I'd be angry?"Questions are constantly thrown at the reader. "Why is she gone? How did she die? Who made it happen? Nevio could have done it. Or was it Maire? It's not a thought I want to have, but it won't leave me. Could Maire tell me if I'm the last siren?"There's never a show and tell, someone is always telling you what happened with constant info dumping. Rio rarely figures things out on her own, someone usually just ends up telling her.Rio is so flat and bland. Her voice is always described as being emotionless and flat, so that is how the story is written as well. She always seems so cut off from everybody that I was never convinced that her and True could really have feelings for each other. The only reason I continued reading was because I wanted to know why Rio's sister decided to go Above.I liked the idea behind Atlantia, I just wasn't a fan of how it was executed, and the writing was definitely not for me. I guess the writing kind of goes with the atmosphere of living underwater, but it still wasn't enough for me to get engaged. Honestly, the only "character" I enjoyed were the bats. I loved the bats.
    • 1/5
      I tried SO hard to get through this book and enjoy it, but sadly I could not. When I originally requested the arc from Penguin, I thought it was about mermaids... or sirens like the scary kind I have read about in other books but this was not the case. What I found with Atlantia was just a slow moving plot line - in the first chapter Rio's sister, Bay, leaves for the Above and I read up until about 200 pages and Rio is still figuring out a way up to ask her why. Now this would have been fine if there was other stuff happened as build up but really everything that happened just seems lack-luster. Rio begins to question the system - but doesn't do anything about it, her aunt becomes part of her life - but she seems fine with it overall, and there is a cute guy - only, she is being detached and off-putting toward him so romance didn't really happen in those first 200 pages either. Everything that should have pulled me in, just didn't.I really wanted to enjoy this book, and I feel like I stuck it out for about 100 pages more than others the DNFed it, but still nothing - I just wanted to take a nap (and once I even did fall asleep while reading it :/)
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed Ally Condie's Matched trilogy so I knew I had to read this one as well. I loved it. It was a little slow in the beginning and then felt a little rushed at the end but I love the idea of society changing and separating into the Above and Below. It's different from other dystopian stories. It would be interesting if Ally Condie wrote another book about the other society that has a people living in the clouds like they talk about in this book.
    • 4/5
      An intriguing setting for YA dystopia, but it doesn't really offer anything new to the genre.
    • 3/5
      Rating:3.9Before I start I have to say that I have a love-hate relationship with Ally’s writing. I loved Matched, but it sort of went downhill from there. Crossed was good, but I was disappointed with Reached. I don’t know if it was the writing style or the storyline, but I was bored out of my mind. I was constantly rereading over pages, and it was a bad experience. I was very weary in the beginning of Atlantia. I was very fascinated by the whole concept of the story, but I didn’t have high expectations.But to my intense surprise, I ended really enjoying Atlantia. I had no problem with the writing style. It was definitely not an action pack story. In fact, most of the real heat happened towards the end, but it was still very entertaining. I was always eager to learn more about the siren’s history and the conspiracies behind the divide. The details were vivid and blue. Ally truly created a surreal world.Rio was a very interesting character. She is a siren and she has kept it a secret her whole life. (sirens are not mermaids) After her sister leaves her, she is forced to come to terms with what she is. I really liked her. She was determined to go to the above, and she didn’t let anything get in the way. She was strong and independent and her love for her sister reminded me of my own sister. Bay was also an interesting character and obviously a big part of the book. She loved Rio, and she always tried to protect her. I really would have liked to know more about her relationship with Fen. I think it was a big part of the story, but she never went into detail about it. Maire, Rio’s aunt, was one of my favorite characters in the book. She was mysterious and selfish, and in the end, she redeemed herself. I really loved her, but I also wish Ally would have gone more into detail about her past. I would love to read more about her.There is some romance, but I don’t think it’s the focus of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I really loved, True, Rio’s love interest. He was sweet and smart and a total catch, but I think the focus of the book is in the bond between sisters. Ally puts a lot of emphasis on this. Not only with Rio and Bay, but we also see the bond between their mom and aunt. Overall, I liked Atlantia, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. If you’re the type that needs constant action and a fast pace, you’re probably not going to enjoy it. I think that’s the reason why it has so many negative reviews, but if you’re willing to stick with it, you might end up pleasantly surprised.
    • 2/5
      Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele

      Dieses Buch war so, so, sooo langweilig o.O Ich hatte mich eigentlich wirklich auf Ally Condies neuen Roman „Atlantia“ gefreut, immerhin es geht um Unterwasserstädte und es kommen Kreaturen aus der griechischen Mythologie darin vor – zumindest dem Namen nach. Denn in Wirklichkeit… Naja…

      Das größte Problem von „Atlantia“ ist schlicht und ergreifend, dass nichts passiert. Okay, das stimmt natürlich nicht ganz. Immerhin stirbt die Mutter von Rio und Bay und dann lässt Bay Rio auch noch allein in der Unterwasserstadt Atlantia zurück und natürlich sucht Rio nach einem Weg zu ihrer Zwillingsschwester zu kommen. Aber davon einmal abgesehen? Das was passiert, geschieht hauptsächlich in Form von Infodumps, in denen dann die wirklich interessanten Dinge mal eben schnell abgearbeitet werden – die Vorgeschichte, der Epilog und alles dazwischen. Vielleicht kam es mir auch nur so vor, aber ich hatte das Gefühl, die relevante Handlung war auf einige wenige, rein erklärende Abschnitte beschränkt…

      Dazu kommt, dass die Seiten für mein Empfinden sehr groß bedruckt sind – hätte man den Text etwas platzsparender und in einer nicht ganz so riesigen Schriftgröße gesetzt, hätte man vermutlich locker zwei Seiten auf eine bekommen – ohne dass die Schrift zu klein geworden wäre. Das streckt die Geschichte natürlich zusätzlich und so kommt es, dass man von Seite 20 plötzlich einen hundert Seiten langen Sprung auf Seite 120 gemacht hat und es einem trotzdem vorkommt, als könnte man erst auf Seite 40-50 sein.

      Außerdem fand ich vieles von der Logik her eher grenzwertig. Wenn es so ein großes Opfer ist nach Oben zu gehen, warum könnte Rio dann nicht nachträglich einfach ihre Meinung wechseln und ihrer Schwester folgen? Wonach wird festgelegt, wer gehen muss und wie viele gehen müssen? Offenbar scheinen die Jugendlichen das frei wählen zu dürfen… Oder dass die Menschen in Atlantia auf Lebensmittel vom verseuchten Oben angewiesen sind – wie kann das sein, sind sie doch geflohen, weil ein Leben auf der Erdoberfläche aufgrund der Verschmutzung nur noch in Begleitung eines qualvollen Todes möglich war – wie sollen unter solchen Bedingungen vernünftige, für den Verzehr geeignete Lebensmittel angebaut werden? Auch sonst hatte ich immer wieder das Gefühl, dass die Konzepte hinter den Dingen nur mäßig durchdacht waren bzw. die Sachen dem Leser einfach hingeschmissen wurden, ohne die geringste Erklärung.

      Der Hammer war allerdings das Ende:

      Wie gesagt, die Geschichte ist total gestreckt und irgendwann zwischen Seite 200 und 300 habe ich einmal nachgeschaut, ob „Atlantia“ vielleicht nur ein Reihenauftakt ist, denn ich hatte einfach das Gefühl, dass die Konflikte, die in der bisherigen Handlung dann doch irgendwann aufgetaucht sind, auf den restlichen Seiten nicht mehr gelöst werden könnten – zumindest nicht in einem angemessenen Tempo und gewissen Mindestmaß an Details. Tja, Pustekuchen… Die folgende ausführlichere Erklärung (okay, eigentlich rege ich mich nur auf darin ;) ) ist für alle, die das Buch schon gelesen haben oder eh nicht lesen wollen – und natürlich für die, die zu neugierig sind, um Spoilern aus dem Weg zu gehen ;)

      Okay, wo fange ich an? Nehmen wir mal das Oben: Wie sieht es wohl dort aus? Eine postapokalyptische Welt voller Gefahren, Tod und Verderben? Pustekuchen. Es ist halt eine Insel. Eine wohl ganz nette Insel. Problemlos bewohnbar, denn das klitzekleine Problem mit der Luftverschmutzung ist schon seit Jahren Geschichte. Ist halt so, da brauch man dann auch nicht näher drauf eingehen, denn es gibt ja nicht interessantes über diese Welt zu sagen. Dann das Verhältnis von Oben und Unten: Natürlich können die Leute oben die Unten nicht ausstehen, haben deren Vorfahren ihre Vorfahren doch zurückgelassen, um sich für sie zu Tode zu schuften. Ach, und Atlantia war nicht das einzige Unten, die sind die Leute Oben aber schon längst losgeworden. Und die Jugendlichen aus Atlantia sind super als billige Arbeitskräfte, lassen sich prima ausbeuten, aber zwingend brauchen tut man sie ja auch nicht und da die Minen von Atlantia nichts mehr bringen, kann man ja eigentlich auch das letzte Unten loswerden. Wie das umgangen wird? Naja, allzu überzeugt scheint niemand von diesem Entschluss gewesen zu sein, denn eine einfache Rede von Rio reicht völlig aus, um alles zu ändern und dafür zu sorgen, dass sämtliche Pläne Atlantia zu fluten, direkt verworfen werden… Ein paar Wochen später ist das Verhältnis von Oben und Unten dann schon Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen, alles super o.O Die Sirenen! Also mal ganz abgesehen davon, dass ich ein riesiger Fan von entweder überaus technischen Dystopien oder richtig phantastischen Dystopien bin und „Atlantia“ weder das eine noch das andere ist, sondern in irgendeiner verschwommenen Grauzone dazwischen dümpelt, wodurch die Sirenen und die sie umgebende Magie völlig deplatziert wirken, fand ich es auch recht… seltsam, wie mit ihnen verfahren wurde. Sie sind Oben wie Unten gefürchtet, also werden sie kurzerhand alle umgebracht – natürlich bis auf Rio. Und die muss wieder runter, denn Oben kann sie halt einfach nicht überleben. Und dann, oh Wunder, gibt es unten natürlich doch noch andere Sirenen, alles Kinder, und die brauchen nur einmal zu singen, schon hat sich das mit der Furcht erledigt und auch hier ist alles Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen.

      Also im Grunde macht es am Ende einfach *puff* und alle Probleme sind weg. Erklärungen unnötig, denn die Probleme existieren ja schlicht und ergreifend nicht mehr. Und außerdem würden sie ja auch gar nicht ins Konzept der Geschichte passen! Aaaah… Also dafür bekommt „Atlantia“ von mir eine 1-2 für die Idee und eine 5 in der Umsetzung… Hätte man sicherlich noch schlimmer machen können, immerhin ist der Schreibstil sehr angenehm zu lesen, aber wirklich sinnvoll war dieses Buch jetzt nicht, schade, da hatte ich eindeutig mehr von Ally Condie erwartet…
    • 3/5
      Atlantia is a science fiction novel about the needed sacrifices to keep the civilizations of Below and Above continuing.In the past, civilization had to separate. One member of a family stayed Above while another went Below. The air had become bad and they wanted humanity to survive, so those who stayed Above are to work and sacrifice by sending food and materials Below. Those Below are to appreciate what the Above do because they are to survive. With members of families Above and Below, people would more readily help each other. Below is a city called Atlantia that sits on the floor of the ocean. Any breach means certain drowning death. As time has passed the Below is showing signs of aging and the Above doesn’t seem to want to help.Rio and Bay are fraternal twins whose mother has been murdered Below. She was the minister of the religion they practice, which is a misunderstanding of the temples from the past. Each person must choose Above or Below at a ceremony while a teenager. Rio is shocked when Bay, who loves the Below, chooses to go above when that’s all Rio has ever wanted to do. Rio chose Below because Bay made her feel guilty. The novel is about Rio striving to get Above; and, in this journey, she learns what is truly going on with Atlantia. You see Rio is a siren, a miracle of the Below. Sirens use their voices to control people, but they aren’t to use it with evil intent. People have become suspicious of sirens, so no one knows Rio is a siren. She must talk in a monotone voice so that no one suspects. Her aunt is a powerful siren who had a falling out with Rio’s mother. Therefore, Rio doesn’t feel she can trust her. I found the novel to be slow at times. I thought Rio would surface sooner, but the novel isn’t about her surfacing. The novel is about humanity and what we’re willing to do to and for each other for evil or for good. It does require one to suspend a great deal of imagination with Atlantia. The miracles needed more plausible explanation. Also, Rio didn’t interest me. She had little depth of character and I couldn’t grow to care for her or what would happen to her. With that said, it is a very interesting novel about sacrifice and love.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed Ally Condie’s Matched series, so I was so excited to hear of a standalone book by her being published this year. I am always amazed how authors create entirely different worlds in their minds. I loved the concept of this book, that Atlantia was originally a planned community. The story of the sirens was fascinating, and I loved loved loved this entire book. I loved the characters, their motivations, how everything played out… I just felt it was a great book, and it was “clean” which is refreshing for Young Adult fiction these days. It was a great story about relationships and learning to trust, and oddly enough I loved how the bats fit into the story.

      Would I recommend this to fellow book lovers? Yes!
      Would I recommend this to my teen daughter? Absolutely.