The Minders, By John Marrs ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Computer Hacking, Dystopian Fiction, Espionage, Government Conspiracies, The United Kingdom, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 16th, 2021

416 Pages

Synopsis:

In this electrifying near-future thriller, five strangers guard government secrets, but only four can be trusted.

In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into—so a unique government initiative has been born. Five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders—the latest weapon in thwarting cyberterrorism. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country’s most classified information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted in their heads.

Together, the five know every secret, the truth behind every government lie, conspiracy theory and cover up. In return, they’re given the chance for to leave their problems behind and a blank slate to start their lives anew.

But not everyone should be trusted, especially when they each have secrets of their own they’ll do anything to protect…(Goodreads)

The Minders is the third book by John Marrs set in the UK in the not too distant future. While you needn’t have read The One and The Passengers to keep up, I’d still recommend you do so to get a better sense of the world and technology. The chapters alternate between the five complex main characters, and as usual, Marrs does a solid job fleshing out their backstories. The plot itself is a little slower paced in the first half than in the previous books, but it’s still compelling, and given the increasing sophistication of hacking, I could see some of the things detailed in the book happening. My only quibble is that I felt like I was being told rather than shown what was happening, yet despite this, I was still drawn into the story. I have to say that after reading three books in this unnamed series now, I’ve found that the author is quite adept at making what would ordinarily be ludicrous plot points acceptable. Overall, The Minders is another exciting and creative piece of science fiction and a worthy follow-up to the previous books. 

TRUEL1F3 (Lifelike #3), Jay Kristoff ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Children for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 30th, 2020

480 Pages

Synopsis: From the bestselling co-author of The Illuminae Files, comes the thrilling finale in the LIFEL1K3 trilogy—hailed by Marie Lu as “a breathless, action-packed exploration of what humanity really means.”

Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you’re on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves—and each other—was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war—this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus’s at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn’t stop there because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes…and they may not be who you think they are.

Without a doubt, Jay Kristoff is one of the most talented YA authors out there, and with TRUEL1F3, he brings his epic LIFEL1K3 trilogy to a spectacular conclusion!

Beginning with a brief and helpful recap of what happened in the two previous books, the action kicks into high gear immediately and despite this being almost 500 pages long, I raced through it in two sittings. Kristoff is known for writing flawed, emotionally tormented characters, and the cast in this trilogy are no different. While Lemon turned out to be my favorite, I found them all to be pretty much unforgettable. My only nitpick is with Eve. After discovering that she’s been lied to her entire life, beginning in the second book she embraced villainy whole heartedly. At the end of LIFEL1K3, she suddenly turns back to the light and all is forgiven. Um. No. Call me vengeful, but when someone turns evil and their actions cause the deaths of innocence, I want to see justice. This is one of the main things that drove me absolutely NUTS about Anakin Skywalker’s backstory in the Star Wars movies. He kills millions of people, including an entire academy of children, and he’s forgiven and goes to Jedi heaven because he saves his son’s life? I don’t think so! Sorry for that digression, but it’s a little like that here. I understand Eve’s anger and feelings of betrayal, but that doesn’t excuse her actions. Yet at the end, apparently everything is hunky dory because she does the right thing and saves Lemon’s life. Argh!

I’m only taking a half point off my rating for that, because the rest of the book is just brilliant! My anger at Eve aside, I’ve grown quite fond of this motley crew of characters and I’m reluctant to say goodbye. I can’t wait to see what Kristoff will come out with next though. One word of caution: these books are extremely dark, and there are several bloody and gruesome scenes, some involving torture, so this may not be for everyone. If your interest is piqued though, I highly recommend this exciting science fiction trilogy with its unique storyline and colorful quirky characters.

 

 

Chosen Ones (The Chosen Ones #1), by Veronica Roth ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Mental Health, Suicide

Thanks to Edelweiss and John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 7th, 2020

432 Pages

Synopsis: The first novel written for an adult audience, by the mega-selling author of the Divergence franchise; five twenty-something heroes famous for saving the world when they were teenagers must face even greater demons—and reconsider what it means to be a hero…by destiny or choice.

A decade ago near Chicago, five teenagers defeated the otherworldly enemy known as the Dark One, whose reign of terror brought widespread destruction and death. The seemingly un-extraordinary teens—Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie, and Esther—had been brought together by a clandestine government agency because one of them was fated to become the “Chosen One,” prophesized to save the world. With the goal achieved, humankind celebrated the victors and began to mourn their lost loved ones.

 Ten years later, though the champions remain celebrities, the world has moved forward, and a whole, younger generation hasn’t doesn’t seem to recall the days of endless fear. But Sloane remembers. It’s impossible for her to forget, when the paparazzi haunt her every step, just as the Dark One still haunts her dreams. Unlike everyone else, she hasn’t moved on; she’s adrift—no direction, no goals, no purpose. On the eve of the Ten Year Celebration of Peace, a new trauma hits the Chosen: the death of one of their own. And when they gather for the funeral at the enshrined site of their triumph, they discover to their horror that the Dark One’s reign never really ended.

To be honest, I’ve had a mixed feelings about Veronica Roth’s YA books. I enjoyed Divergent, but the rest of the series fizzled, and Carve the Mark and it’s sequel The Fates Divide, never really caught my interest. When I saw the premise for her first adult book, The Chosen Ones though, my curiosity was piqued, and I was thrilled when my request for an ARC on Edelweiss was approved. And you know what? I liked it!

The first forty or so pages were a bit slow for me because it’s a huge info dump, but once I got past that the plot really took off for me. The story begins ten years after The Dark One was defeated by then prophesied Chosen teenagers: Sloane, Matt, Ines, Esther, and Albie. Coming up on the 10th anniversary, they’re all suffering from PTSD and coping (or not), in various ways. At first, Sloane isn’t easy to like. She’s bitter and angry and has closed herself off from everyone. She and Matt are together, but she doesn’t even allow him access to everything that’s going on with her. But as more was revealed about the torment and trauma she endured, the more I understood her and emphasized with her. While most of the story focuses on  Sloane, you also get to know her fellow Chosen Ones pretty well, and I liked all of them except for Matt who was a little too “golden boy” for me. I’m interested on seeing where all these characters go in the next book.

The world(s) building is fantastic and once again emphasizes Roth’s main strength—her wonderfully detailed and visual writing style. Except for the bumpy beginning, I stayed fully immersed thanks in part to this and the fairly steady pacing. The conclusion was a little rushed, but perfectly sets things up for the next book.

In my opinion, The Chosen Ones is a strong beginning in this new series for adults, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what comes next. Roth starts with a familiar fantasy/dystopian trope, and then brilliantly dismantles it. It’s messy and complicated but in a good way, and I highly recommend it for anyone who’s ever wondered what adulthood was like for the Harry Potters of the literary world.

The Rise of Magicks (Chronicles of The One), by Nora Roberts ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Action-Adventure, Adult Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction, Romance

Thanks to Edelweiss and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 26th, 2019

464 Pages

Synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of  “Year One” and “a Of Blood and Bone” concludes her stunning trilogy that the New York Times Book Review praised as “A match for end-of-the-world classics like Stephen a King’s ‘The Stand’.”

After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways. Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness—if, indeed, they can be saved.

Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans. Now she must help them heal—and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth she has been The One, she is still only one. And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy’s stronghold, and pursues her destiny—to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all—she will need an army behind her…

The Rise of Magicks is the spectacular conclusion to the Chronicles of the One trilogy, and is further evidence of Nora Roberts’ writing artistry. The way she juggles numerous characters with their own fully plotted backstories, snappy dialogue, exciting fight scenes, swoon-worthy romance, immersive world building, AND ties everything up in a perfect bow, is simply amazing. There are no empty fillers here. Everything and everyone has a purpose. The only issue I had (and I’m not sure if I’m being overly fussy), is that I had envisioned an epic battle between Fallon and her evil cousin Petra, but when their face-off came, it was a bit anticlimactic. Overall though, The Rise of Magicks is as close to perfect as you can get, and Chronicles of The One is my favorite trilogy by Roberts after her Three Sisters Island trilogy. I highly recommend this and the previous two books—Year One, and Of Blood and Bone—to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, fantasy, paranormal fiction, romance, and adventure.

Day Zero (Day Zero Duology #1), by Kelly deVos ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 12th, 2019

432 Pages

Synopsis: If you’re going through hell…keep going.

Seventeen-year-old coder Jinx Marshall grew up drilling weekend with her paranoid dad for a doomsday she’s sure will never come. She’s an expert on self-heating meal rations, Krav Maga and extracting water from a barrel cactus. Now that her parents are divorced, she’s ready to relax. Her big plans include making it to level 99 in her MMORPG and spending the weekend with her new hunky stepbrother, Toby.

But all that disaster training comes in handy when an explosion traps her in a burning building. Stuck leading her headstrong stepsister, MacKenna, and her precocious little brother, Charles, out to safety, Jinx gets them out alive only to discover the explosion is part of a pattern of violence erupting all over the country. Even worse, Jinx’s dad stands accused of triggering the chaos.

In a desperate attempt to evade paramilitary forces and vigilantes, Jinx and her siblings find Toby and make a break for Mexico. With seemingly the whole world working against them, they’ve got to get along and search for the truth about the attacks—and about each other. But if they can survive, will there be anything left worth surviving for?

The whole collapsing of civilization and heroic teenagers are the only ones who save everyone, is pretty much the underlying theme of almost every YA dystopian novel out there. Whether the fall of mankind is brought about by alien invasions, zombie apocalypses, AI run amok, sinister scientists, or as it is in this case—a tawdry tale of governmental corruption, dishonesty, greed, arrogance and stupidity—it’s always interesting to see how the next generation will turn things around. I’m happy to say that Day Zero is an exciting and original addition to the dystopian genre that’s certain to appeal to a wide audience. It’s dystopian, yet because of its political and social infrastructure, also manages to be contemporarily relevant.

Jinx, is an utterly relatable and sympathetic character, who as the daughter of a well-known doomsday prepper, hasn’t had the most traditional upbringing. When her world is further upended, she doesn’t suddenly take on superhuman heroic qualities. She’s unsure of herself and makes mistakes. Yes she has some pretty mad skills including Krav Maga, but her self-doubt at times gets her into trouble as does her bickering with her stepsister, MacKenna. Speaking of which, one of my favorite parts about this story is how despite their differences, Jinx and MacKenna are equally protective of Jinx’s precocious younger brother Charles, who is diabetic and sometimes needs to be saved from himself. Charles is also my favorite person in the story because he’s just so darn sweet and adorable, and knows just about everything there is to know about botany. I swear, every scene he was in I just wanted to reach in and hug him!

The story itself thoughtfully explores how in a two-party system, neither side ever gets it absolutely right. I also liked how the idea of doomsday preppers all being crazy is completely upended, although even at the end I don’t think Jinx’s dad should win any Father of the Year awards. There are many twists here, but the biggest comes at the end, and completely had me floored. It also perfectly sets things up for the final book in this duology, Day One, which is set for release in 2020.

As is usually the case in these types of books, some of the scenarios as they play out are a little far fetched, but overall Day Zero successfully combines compelling characters, plenty of action and suspense, mystery, and thoughtful social commentary. One cautionary note though: There’s quite a bit of violence and that combined with the sophistication of the plot itself, definitely makes this geared more for older teens. Otherwise, I highly recommend this to fans of dystopian fiction.

 

 

 

 

The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted, by Conor Grennan ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Dystopian Fiction, Mystery, Tween Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 8th, 2019

368 Pages

Synopsis: Jack Carlson is dreading a class presentation, when he suddenly finds himself transported to the Hadley Academy, a secret institution that tracks teens with unlikely gifts and trains them to protect the world from an unseen squad of killers. But Jack isn’t the only one who doesn’t know what he’s doing at Hadley. Despite indications that he is the one prophesied to end the ancient Reaper War, Jack appears to have no extraordinary abilities.

So when dark, mysterious forces grow, Hadley is in a confused panic. Much to everyone’s dismay, humanity seems to depend on Jack and his new teammates. Can Hadley’s rawest recruits push past personal struggles and enormous doubts, develop their dormant powers and stop the spreading evil? And are they willing to commit to Hadley’s motto, “One Life for Many,” and make the ultimate sacrifice? The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted might be just the place for Jack after all. 

The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted is a thoroughly enjoyable story that gives the ubiquitous “chosen one” trope a refreshing new twist. 

I’m going to get the one negative I found, out of the way first, hopefully without giving away any spoilers. Jack and his team are newcomers to the Hadley Academy, and as such, don’t know anything about their dormant abilities. The other recruits have had years of training but suddenly about halfway through the book, Jack and his friends are thrust into these life and death situations that had me silently protesting “No! They’re not ready!” The whole thing had me a bit stressed at times.

But that leads me to one of the biggest pluses of this book—the characters. To say that I loved Jack and the other members of Team Thirteen is putting it mildly. While this is like a teen version of the X-Men, in addition to dealing with superpowers and saving the world, these kids are also grappling with difficult backstories, and all the trials and tribulations of being young teenagers. They’re likable, relatable and easy to root for.

The story itself is exciting and managed to surprise me more than once. The world building is very well done and has more than enough originality to make it stand out from other books in this genre. The ending while not a cliffhanger per se, still is clearly setting things up for subsequent stories.

Overall, The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted is a fabulous book for kids ten and up who are fans of books like the Percy Jackson and The Maze Runner series. I am very much looking forward to the next book!

 

 

The Future Will Be BS Free, by Will McIntosh ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Coming-of-age stories, Dystopian Fiction, Humor, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s  for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: July 24th, 2018

352 Pages

Synopsis: In this terrifyingly timely tale for fans of The Eye of Minds, a teen and his group of friends find themselves on the run after using a genius lie-detector contraption to expose their corrupt government.

In a Putin-esque near-future America, the gifted and talented high school has just been eliminated, and Sam and his friends have been using their unexpected free time to work on a tiny, undetectable, utterly reliable lie detector. They’re all in it for the money—except Theo, their visionary. For Theo, it’s about crafting a better world. A BS-free world, where no one can lie, and the honest will thrive.

Just when they finish the prototype and turn down an offer to sell their brainchild to a huge corporation, Theo is found dead. Greedy companies, corrupt privatized police, and even the president herself will stop at nothing to steal the Truth App. Sam sets his sights on exposing all the lies and holding everyone accountable. 

But he and his friends quickly realize the costs of a  S-free world: the lives of loved ones, and political and economic stability. They now face a difficult question: Is the world capable of operating without lies, or are lies what hold it together?

I enjoyed Will McIntosh’s Burning Midnight, so I knew I had to request  The Future Will Be BS Free as soon as I spied it on NetGalley, especially after reading that intriguing premise. While I didn’t like it as much as the previous book, there is much to recommend about it.

First, before contemplating reading this, please bear in mind that Sam, the main character, is a sexually frustrated seventeen-year-old. He comes from a poor background, his mother is disabled, and the girl he’s in love with, (who happens to also be his best friend), doesn’t return his feelings. He does some horrible things, but given his background his actions are somewhat understandable. Throughout the book he demonstrably grows and matures and by the end of the book I actually liked him.

The story itself is credible, as are the diverse characters, both teens and adults. And, I was kept on my toes regarding how it was going to end which is always a good thing. 

Overall, The Future Will Be BS Free, is a fast-paced, and thought-provoking YA novel that successfully combines dystopian fiction with a coming-of-age story. It also scarily echoes much of what is happening in our world today. While there are some cringeworthy moments in the romantic subplot that I didn’t think was necessary, I think this would be a great choice for high school book discussion groups.

 

 

Shatter (Glitter #2), by Aprilynne Pike ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

384 Pages

Synopsis: Danica planned to use beauty, blackmail, and a glittering drug to control her own fate. Her escape from the twisted world of  the Palace of Versailles was perfectly orchestrated and paid for. Or so she thought.

Betrayed by the man who had promised her freedom, Dani is now married to the murderous King. It’s a terrifying position to be in…and yet it’s oddly intoxicating. Power may be an even stronger drug than Glitter—-a drug Dani can’t resist, in the form of secrets, manipulation, and sabotage.

In her new position at the head of the court, Dani must ask herself who she really is. Can she use her newfound power to secure her real love, Saber’s freedom and a chance at a life together outside the palace? Or is being Queen to addictive?

I was a little iffy about trying Shatter after reading it’s predecessor, Glitter, but I’m glad I did, because I found this so much more enjoyable. Although I loved the world building and setting, I gave the first book a paltry 1.5 stars mainly because I absolutely loathed Dani who I felt had absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. What a difference a book makes. Dani is still dealing Glitter but she now sees the moral repercussions of what she is doing. Unfortunately, she’s trapped, as if she stops, her true love Saber will be killed by Reginald, the man supplying the drugs. And to make things worse, she’s forced to marry Justin, the loathsome King of the Palace of Versailles, and along with her small group of friends discovers a horrific plot afoot. 

Dani matures so much in this sequel, although that also means she’s forced to become as ruthless and calculating as Justin at times, for the greater good. I was shocked and thrilled to see this new side of her. She also shows her vulnerability when in order to cope she keeps her stays under her dresses as painfully tight as possible to give her a sense of control. 

Thankfully she has the ever loyal Saber at her side to help her. But this also brings me to why this didn’t get a full 5 stars. In both books, Saber served as a voice of reason to Dani, even if she didn’t always listen to him. By now I expected their relationship to go up to the next level. Yes, they do become a couple, but there’s very little romance, and what there is, it’s more told, rather than shown. Despite a couple of touching scenes, I just never found their love completely believable.

Overall though, I was impressed with how much an improvement Shatter was over Glitter. Because of the way the book ends, I’m not sure if there’s to be a third, but I’m rather hoping there is. 

This Mortal Coil (This Mortal Coil #1), by Emily Suvada ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

432 Pages

Synopsis: Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.

That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.

When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race.

Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?

Mortal Coil is an original, inventive, and highly entertaining beginning to a new YA dystopian series, that checks off all the right boxes.

I’ve read a ton of post-apocalyptic books where the plot is centered on some sort of deadly plague which has wiped out most of humanity, leaving zombie-like creatures, survivors desperately trying to save the world, and opportunistic villains who either caused the calamity to begin with, or who are now trying to exploit it. While this novel follows this formula, it also deviates into something different and refreshing. 

First, although this is science fiction, Emily Suvada makes the events that transpire believable. I think I’ve mentioned before that I do not have a scientific mind, so with all the DNA sequencing, gene hacking, computer coding and nano-technology that’s in this story, it would have been all too easy for someone like me to get lost. Instead, Suvada provides an understandable explanation for everything, and she accomplishes this without slowing the story down. 

What also adds to the authenticity are the characters. Each of them are well-rounded and came across as realistic individuals, which allowed me to become fully invested in them and the increasingly dangerous situations they found themselves in. There’s a semi love triangle that happens, but there’s so much action going on that I didn’t find it nearly as annoying as I usually do in YA books. 

There are also quite a few twists and turns, some of which I guessed, but there was one in particular that took me completely by surprise. These helped move the story along even more quickly and I wound up finishing this in two sittings.

This Mortal Coil is definitely one of my favorite science fiction reads of 2017. By the time I was halfway through the story I was already thinking of my dream cast if this is ever adapted for film or tv. I would caution though that it’s quite graphic. For example: people explode, hence the cover. Because of this I recommend the book for older teens and adults. With a kick-ass heroine and fantastic world-building, this is sure to have wide appeal. It’s the first book in a planned trilogy, so I can’t wait to see what the second book has in store!

Last Star Burning (Last Star Burning #1), by Caitlin Sangster ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Eastern Culture, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 10th, 2017

400 Pages

Synopsis: Sev is branded with the mark of a criminal–a star burned into her hand. That’s the penalty for being the daughter of the woman who betrayed their entire nation.

Now her mother’s body is displayed above Traitor’s Arch, kept in a paralyzed half sleep by the same plague that destroyed the rest of the world. And as further punishment, Sev is forced to do hard labor to prove she’s she’s more valuable alive than dead. 

When the government blames Sev for a horrific bombing, she must escape the city or face the chopping block. Unimaginable dangers lurk outside the city walls, and Sev’s only hope of survival lies with the most unlikely person–Howl, the chairman’s son. Though he promises to lead her to safety, Howl has secrets, Sev can’t help but wonder if he knows more about her past–and her mother’s crimes–than he lets on.

But in a hostile world, trust is a luxury. Even when Sev’s life and the lives of everyone she loves may hang in the balance.

Perfection. Last Star Burning is absolutely sheer perfection from beginning to end! While the exquisite cover might suggest fantasy, and the story contains some allusions to Sleeping Beauty this is pure dystopian through and through. 

The world-building is spectacular. It includes everything you usually find in dystopian fiction: post-war/apocalyptic setting, divided societies, and the “us” vs “them” mentality. But by giving it an eastern setting, this stands out from the rest of the genre. The author mentions in her notes that she loves Chinese history, and her passion for it is more than evident. She also includes places to find more information on the historical events she used as inspiration, which I really appreciated. 

The characters are all larger than life, especially Sev. She’s intelligent, courageous, loving, and loyal to a fault, but because of what she’s been put through, she’s also insecure and has moments of despair, and doesn’t know who to trust. Her story is heartbreaking and brought out a lot of emotions in me as I was reading.

You would think with all the world-building and characters that are introduced, the pace would be slowed somewhat, but that’s definitely not the case. Even at 400 pages, I was captivated from the very first page and finished this over the course of two nights. The ending is exciting and perfectly sets the stage for the next book.

In my humble opinion, Last Star Burning is one of the best dystopian fiction novels I’ve read. What makes it even more incredible is that this is Caitlin Sangster’s debut. I highly recommend this for both teens and adults who love this genre. It’s going to be difficult to wait until October 2018 for the sequel!