Review: Essence by Lisa Ann O'Kane

Essence
by Lisa Ann O'Kane

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: Angry Robot Ltd
Publication Date: June 2014
Page Count: 243
Format: E-Book
Source: Netgalley (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: Autumn escaped a cult, but now she realizes she's fallen into another.

Growing up in San Francisco’s Centrist Movement, sixteen year-old Autumn Grace has always believed emotions—adrenaline, endorphins, even happiness—drain your Essence and lead to an early death. But her younger brother’s passing and a run-in with a group of Outsiders casts her faith into question.

Ryder Stone, the sexy, rebellious leader of the Outsiders, claims Essence drain is nothing more than a Centrist scare tactic -- and he can prove it.

Autumn follows Ryder to his Community of adrenaline junkies and free spirits in Yosemite National Park, and they introduce her to a life of adventure, romance, sex, drugs and freedom. But as she discovers dark secrets beneath the Community’s perfect exterior, she realizes the more she risks in search of the perfect rush, the further she has to fall.

GOODREADS . AMAZON

Review: I had hoped to get this review posted much earlier in the day, but better late than never, right? I am all about sticking to my April review goal though, which means I needed to finish writing it out before I allow myself to go to bed, so that's what I'm going to do! I have had this book on Netgalley for awhile now, and I should have gotten to it much sooner (story of my life, I guess). While I was definitely interested in the synopsis when I first requested it, it made me a little hesitant once I was accepted and could actually read it. Sure, dystopians are one of my favorite genres, but this one seemed quite a bit different than the others I have read thus far. Turns out, it was pretty different, though I do not think that it was a bad thing at all. 

Essence was incredibly realistic, which was one of the biggest changes for me. A lot of the dystopians I have read seem pretty impossible when you think about it compared to how we live currently. This book was not the same, though. It takes place in the not-so-distant future, seeing people rebuild after a serious of earthquakes have destroyed much of what they have known. Out of this disaster comes to distinct groups or cults, the Centrist Movement and the Community.

It was very interesting to see the drastic difference between these two groups. We don't get as much detail about the Centrist Movement as Autumn decides to leave them, but we are given enough information to realize why she would not be happy to stay there. They believe that adrenaline and showing any sort of emotion, happiness included, will lead to a much shorter life. I cannot say that I would want to live in a place with people that had those beliefs, either! The Community believes the exact opposite. They believe that having emotions and being adventurous will lead to a much longer life. Ultimately, Autumn has to decide what she believes. 

I do think that this book had a lot of exciting parts to it since a lot of it took place at Yosemite National Park. It was fun getting so much description about where they were and what they were doing. I do think that the writing was very nice as well. O'Kane gives a lot of great details that kept me interested and grateful to know the information. She had a style of writing that had me want to continue reading without putting the book down. 

The only thing I did not love about the book was the love triangle. Don't get me wrong, all of the characters were fantastic. I loved Autumn as a main character, and the author did a wonderful job of describing the minor characters as well, so it was quite easy to like them, too. Love triangles can be pretty hit or miss for me though, and this one made it quite obvious who she was going to pick pretty quickly. This is not always necessarily a bad thing, but it was not my favorite in this book. That is just a minor detail though, and certainly not something that made me dislike the book.

I would highly recommend this book to any other dystopian fans out there. It has a lot of unique, different situations to offer than what we have seen in the popular dystopians lately, and I think that makes it even more enjoyable to read.

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner 

by James Dashner 

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 2009
Page Count: 374
Format: Paperback
Source: Own

Goodread's Synopsis: "If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N 



Review: Yup, I'm one of those people. I see a movie trailer for a book adaptation, and I suddenly feel like I need to read the book right. then. Okay, this isn't always the case. I certainly did not feel this way when I watched the Fifty Shades of Gray trailer (I just HAD to see how they were going to make the trailer even somewhat appropriate..). Typically, when it comes to a young adult title I am sold, though. I know that this book has been out for awhile, almost five years, in fact. This is not the first time I have felt the desire to read the book, either, but I simply never picked it up. A few months ago I finally got it for a great price at Target and added it to my bookshelf, though it took me awhile to actually read it. 

I'm going to be honest again, it's been some time since I've read this now and I'm not sure I'm going to remember everything like I hoped. I also took my copy to my classroom library (school starts tomorrow!), and so I don't have it here to include the quotes or great parts I marked. Basically, I'm a failure when it comes to this review, sorry! Still, I am going to share my thoughts with you about the book, because that's what this here blog is all about. Right? 

I really had no doubt that I was going to enjoy this book. It's a YA Dystopia, after all, and I'm sure you all know by now that this is one of my favorite genres. I keep hearing people talk about how tired they are of seeing dystopians everywhere; not this girl. I say bring them on! I was happy with just how much I enjoyed this book, too, as the movie trailer looks pretty good to me. I love how the book really just throws you into the story. There is no background or introduction, Thomas is just surviving the ride to the Glade, where he appears and has no idea what is going on. Heck, he's not even sure if his name is really Thomas, it just seems kind of right to him. 

I thought that Dashner did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing throughout the entirety of this book. Every time I was sure I had everything figured out and knew what was going to happen next, he threw in a twist and I was lost all over again. To me, this is the sign of a great science fiction book. I give Dashner a lot of credit for this; as well as for his obvious intelligence. He had so many small details throughout the book that he has to be brilliant in order to imagine them up, keep them in order, and make them seem realistic. I have no doubt that he has a wonderful mind, and that showed through in this book. 

Honestly, while I was completely intrigued by everything that was going on (I mean, how scary do those Grievers seem?), it was really the characters that had me in love with this book. It was not just Thomas, either. While he was a great, loyal, conflicted character in his own right, he had a lot of amazing supporting characters right along side him. Chuck was so fun in all of his parts, and I love how he decided that he was going to take care of Thomas, though he was clearly younger than him. He was a very real character though; as much as he wanted to be strong like everyone else seemed to be, there was still a scared little boy underneath the facade. Who wouldn't be terrified in that situation? One of my favorite characters in the book was Minho, though. I was interested in his role as a runner, and then his ability to share with others that Thomas was brilliant despite the possibility of it making his skills look a little less. It was clear he was a good guy who desperately wanted to help everyone stuck in the Glades. 

Some parts I did have to re-read, some because I didn't quite get what was supposed to be going on with them, and others because I was so interested in parts that I just wanted to go back and read it again. While I thought the book was wonderful, I was a bit disappointed by the ending. Not because of that happened; I certainly think that Dashner carried out and awesome, believable, intriguing series of events. I do believe that it happened too fast, though. We could have been given much more information and still been left to wonder what was happening. 

I'm very glad that I read this book, and I am even more excited to go see the movie when it releases now. While I loved this book and suggest everyone read it, I must be honest and say I am not sure I will finish the series. I had been warned by a few people that it goes downhill, and I'm said to say that those people might be right. I read a few chapters of book two before I had to put it down. I just wasn't feeling it and it was not grabbing me and pulling me in like book one. I am sure I will eventually go back and read them (especially if they continue the series in film), but I do not think it will be anytime in the near future. 

Have you read The Maze Runner? What did you think of it? Do you plan to see the movie? 

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Review: Blackout by Madeleine Henry

Blackout

by Madeleine Henry

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: New Heroes Media
Publication Date: June 2014
Page Count: 182
Format: e-book
Source: via author (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: One wall divides life from darkness. After the worldwide Blackout, America built a concrete wall--the Frontier--across the middle of the nation to isolate its precious electricity in the top half. Everyone below the Frontier was forsaken, and now only a few survive in the grim region known as the Dark Zone.

Sixteen year old Phoenix Troublefield endures the dark with his girlfriend, Star Windsong. When America announces that it will trade electricity for immigrants, Phoenix and Star sacrifice themselves for the power that might save her younger brother. On the other side of the Frontier, they find America is not what they expected, and instead they are thrown into a shocking and deeply personal contest that threatens to destroy their love. When the chance comes to escape back into the Dark Zone, it may already be too late.

GOODREADS . AMAZON



Review: I was on Twitter one evening (I go back and forth with Twitter, some days I really enjoy it, and others I really forget to check it), and saw that author Madeleine Henry was offering to let some bloggers read and review her YA dystopian book. Of course, for anyone who has been around this blog for awhile, you probably know that I jumped on that offer as quickly as possible. It is my favorite genre, after all. I was excited for the chance, but disappointed that I had so many other books that I needed (had) to read before I could get to this one. Last week I was finally able to pick it up, and let me tell you, I could not put it down!

I was not really a fan of The Hunger Games series, and while parts of this book reminded me of that story because of a bit of the plot, I felt it was done so much better. I had high hopes for this book because the synopsis sounded so good, and I was not disappointed. The characters were amazing, the plot had me reading, and I always had to know what was going to happen next. I read this book in two days, and that's only because I had to work on things for the new school year and what not. 

One of my favorite things about this book is that the main character is a BOY. That's right, a male lead character, and he was amazing. He was strong and confident, yet he had a weakness; the girl that he loved more than anything else. The world has fallen apart, a wall has been built up to divide the country, and Phoenix lives on the side without electricity, the Dead Zone. This was a new turn for the whole injustice and government control that you always see in dystopians. 

The characters are already dealing with so much, and suddenly they are made an offer. They can get some electricity in the Dead Zone as long as they are willing to send one young DZ from each home across the wall to participate in "The Carnival," something that they don't know much about. Phoenix agrees for one reason, he is in love with Star. Star's brother is ill and needs electricity in order to recover, and so Phoenix agrees to do whatever he has to in order to try to help Star. I LOVE a strong male character who also cares for others. That is something that we do not get to see with many man characters in YA, and I love it.

The Carnival is what makes me think the most of the Hunger Games. I don't want to give away too much since most of it is not in the synopsis, and I think it's something that readers should get to learn about and experience for themselves, but it ends up being awful for our characters, especially for Phoenix. They really need to win, though those outcomes aren't good, but it seems like losing would make things even worse for them. There is a lot of faking and tricking that must take place, which is very similar to THG, but I feel like it was written SO much better. 

I love that Henry did not just focus on the main characters, either. There were SO many great minor characters within this story. A lot of them had very full stories, and you could tell that the author spent a lot of time developing them, even if their role was not very big. Everything was written so beautifully and went together so well. There was technology that seemed realistic for the future, and I one hundred percent believed that everything that was happening was possible. 

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to read this book. It has quickly become one of my favorite YA dystopians, and that is saying a whole lot based on the number of them that I read. I feel very lucky that I was on Twitter at that time, and I cannot wait to see where this story picks up and continues. Needless to say, I will be reading this whole series whenever I can get my hands on the books. Thank you again for allowing me to read your book, Mrs. Henry. You created a wonderful, intriguing world, and your writing was incredible. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

 

Review: Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand

Imitation 

by Heather Hildenbrand

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: Accendo Press
Publication Date: March 2013
Page Count: 272
Format: e-book
Source: Netgalley/Mark My Words Book Publicity

Synopsis:

Everyone is exactly like me. There is no one like me.

Ven wrestles with these contradicting truths every day. A clone of wealthy eighteen-year-old Raven Rogen, Ven knows everything about the girl she was created to serve: the clothes she wears, the boys she loves, the friends she loves to hate. Yet she’s never met the Authentic Raven face-to-face. Imitations like Ven only get to leave the lab when they’re needed—to replace a dead Authentic, donate an organ, or complete a specific mission. And Raven has never needed Ven . . . until now.

When there is an attack on Raven’s life, Ven is thrust into the real world, posing as Raven to draw-out the people who tried to harm her. But as Ven dives deeper into Raven’s world, she begins to question everything she was ever told. She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she’s never met?

GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N

Review: When I first read the synopsis of this book and read the information on Goodreads, I knew that this book was going to be right up my alley! A YA dystopian? Yes please! Honestly, no matter how many books I read in however many genres, I always want to go back to dystopia. It is just what I enjoy, and this book was no different for me. I had already read one book by Heather Hildenbrand, but it was a contemporary so naturally it was quite different. However, I did already know that I enjoy her writing, so I was eager to read something else by her. Turns out, she's good at writing in different genres as well. 

I was very intrigued by the concept of this book, and it's certainly not something that I have read before. I think that says a lot with dystopia when a lot of things can start to seem or sound the same. That was not the case here. In this series, there is a separate town full of clones or "imitations." Now, not everyone has a clone, only the wealthy and those who have been deemed important enough to need one. These clones live in their own town until they are needed. Now, why do they have clones? Well, that's simple. They are there for anything their authentic might need. Perhaps they lose a limb, they will just take that part from their clone, easy fix. They are ultimately there to protect and serve their authentic, and they are certainly not treated like real people. 

In the book we meet Ven, who is the imitation of Raven Rogen, a wealthy teen who is a bit full of herself. Ven is required to know everything about Raven, though she has not actually met her. The interesting thing about the book is that we never get to meet Raven ourselves, but we get to know her through Ven as well. It's different, and I liked that as well. All this information comes to help Ven when she gets a letter saying she needs to step into the place of Raven. 

You see, Raven's father has hidden his real daughter for her safety, as there are people after her. Because of this, he wants to put Ven in danger and act as Raven in order to draw the enemy to a different town. It is quite clear that Mr. Rogen does not care for his daughter's clone. Nor does he have any problem threatening to terminate her if she messes everything up. Needless to say, he is not a nice guy.

There is a lot of action and danger in this book, which is always exciting to read in a book like this. However, there was also some romance. We are introduced to Linc, Raven's body guard. He knows that something is different with "Raven" and spends a lot of time questioning Ven about it. The chemistry between the two is undeniable, and I do love the relationship that developed between them. Sure, it was a bit fast, but I do love having the sweet romance, so I am not going to complain! 

I was quite thrilled with this book. I believe that it was a wonderful start to a series, and it certainly had me eager to see what happens next. I do believe that the second book was released in March, so I am going to try to get my hands on it very soon. I would highly recommend this book to other dystopian fans.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 

Carrier by Anne Tibbets Blog Tour + Review

Carrier by Anne Tibbets
(The Line #1)
Published by: Carina Press
Publication date: June 16th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, New Adult

 Synopsis:

Twenty-two -year-old Naya has spent nearly half her life as a sex slave in a government institution called The Line. When she’s kicked out after getting pregnant with twins, she’s got no way to earn a living and a horrifying choice to make: find someone to replace her, or have her babies taken in her stead.

A doctor with a history of aiding ex-Line girls, Ric Bennett, wants to help. He runs a team of rebels that can delete Naya’s records and free her forever. But when The Line sniffs out his plan, things get bloody, fast. Naya means more to them than just a chance at fresh faces—her twins are part of the government’s larger plan.

As they hide from government search parties, Ric comes to admire Naya’s quiet strength. And Naya realizes Ric might be a man she can trust. If they make it off the grid, they could build a new life. But first they’ll have to survive the long, vicious reach of The Line.

GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N

Review: I was thrilled when I was offered to review this book for a blog tour. I would probably spend all of my time reading young adult dystopian books if I could do so. I especially love when it's the first book in a new series that I have not heard of instead of the "big" ones that everyone seems to be talking about. I've found that I am really loving reading those lesser known books. They turn out to be quite awesome, and this book was certainly the same. Anne Tibbets began a wonderful series, and I cannot wait to continue with it.

One of my favorite things about this book was the world building. I think that sometimes dystopian books miss the mark when it comes to creating the world that exists in their story. When I think of dystopian, I think of things being really, really bad. The world has reached a point of destruction, everyone is desperate to survive, and things are not easy for anyone. These things can be sugar coated in certain stories, but Tibbets does a wonderful job of making it clear that things are not well in the world. How can they be when there is The Line? A sort of brothel where the girls are hired for hourly appointments. Horrible!

Another thing I absolutely loved about the book was the characters, Naya in particular. She has gone through so much, and she has to continue to deal with so many more things throughout the extent of the book. While she receives some help throughout the plot line, it's also quite clear that she is a very strong person. She has to decide what she wants, despite knowing that things could be very dangerous for her. Along with that, her reactions and emotions seemed realistic for someone who had been through the things that she had. She did not trust or feel easily, and how could she? I thought she was very well developed.

Honestly, I don't really have any negatives to say about this book. I know that I tend to rate dystopian books pretty high, but it's truly because I enjoy them very much, and this book was not any different. I got through it in one sitting, and I wanted the next book right away. If I have any complaint, it would probably be the last chapter of the book. While I know it is a series, so there is much more to come, I do feel like the ending was cut short. It was wrapped up a bit too quickly, but still not bad. I do like that she has given a sort of happy ending, just to see what happens in the next book. Very mean, Mrs. Tibbets! I really enjoyed this book, and I would highly recommend it to other YA dystopian lovers.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

Trailer:

AUTHOR BIO:

Anne Tibbets is an SCBWI award-winning and Smashwords.com Best Selling author. After writing for Children’s television, Anne found her way to young/new adult fiction by following what she loves: books, strong female characters, twisted family dynamics, magic, sword fights, quick moving plots, and ferocious and cuddly animals.

Along with CARRIER, Anne is also the author of the young adult fantasy novella, THE BEAST CALL and the young adult contemporary, SHUT UP.

Anne divides her time between writing, her family, and three furry creatures that she secretly believes are plotting her assassination.

Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnneTibbetsAuthor or on Twitter @WriteforCoffee. To contact Anne, visit www.annetibbets.com and click the ‘CONTACT’ tab.

Author Links:

http://www.annetibbets.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4839392.Anne_Tibbets

https://www.facebook.com/AnneTibbetsAuthor

https://twitter.com/WriteforCoffee

Giveaway:

Tour wide giveaway

Open INTL - Ends July 22nd

--20 $ Amazon gift card

--3x eBook copies of Carrier

--20x Carrier t-shirts with Auberge pens.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Review: Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart

Shattered Veil

by Tracy E. Banghart 

(The Diatous Wars #1)
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction - Dystopia        
Publication Date: February 28, 2014  
Edition: Ebook
Source: Via Mark my Words Book Publicity

Goodreads Synopsis: **WINNER** 2014 IndieReader Discovery Awards: 2nd Place, Fiction

When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?

War has invaded Atalanta’s quiet villages and lush woodlands, igniting whispered worries in its glittering capitol. Far from the front lines, 18-year-old Aris Haan, a talented wingjet flyer, has little cause for concern. Until her beloved Calix is thrust into the fray, and a stranger makes her an impossible offer: the chance to join a secret army of women embedded within the all-male military.

Aris’s choice to follow Calix to war will do more than put her in physical danger; it will make her question everything she believes about herself. When she and her enigmatic commander uncover a deadly conspiracy, her expert flying may be the only hope for her dominion’s survival…and her own.

It’s Mulan meets Battlestar Galactica, with a heroine who is strong enough to save a nation…but only if she’s willing to sacrifice everything, even the one promise she swore she’d never break.

Review: Before reading this book, I had not read anything by Tracy Banghart. Based on the other reviews I have read, this clearly means that I am behind and missing out on some other great books. I intend to fix that in the very near future. I was very excited about the chance to read and review this book, though. It was one that I saw on Netgalley and was strongly thinking about requesting, but then I received the email from Mark my Words Book Publicity, and I jumped on the opportunity. 

I was thrilled to be reading young adult dystopian again, as it is one of my favorite genres, right behind contemporary. I was also thrilled when I realized that it was going to be a series, as that is one of my favorite things as well. Going into this book, I was a little worried that I had my hopes too high for it because of these things, but I was thrilled to find that it did not disappoint at all. It had everything I look for in a good dystopian novel; a new world, new technology, and people that are at war with one another.  

Another thing I really liked about this book was how it reminded me of Mulan, at least a little bit. We are introduced to our main character, Aris, who is one of the best fliers around, though she is a young girl. She is sure that she has everything planned out, that she and her boyfriend Calix will go through the Selection and be together, but things do not work out how they planned. While Calix becomes what he had hoped for, he ends up having to go into the military, a place that Aris is not allowed to follow him as they do not accept women. 

Of course, that does not stop our female character, and she decides to disguise herself as a man in order to follow Calix into the military. At first, I was incredibly annoyed with Aris' reasons for doing this. Sure, I can understand that she is young and sure she is in love, but it is a lot to do just to make sure she can see a guy. Throughout the story, after learning some pretty shocking things, I am glad that the whole thing becomes far more than that. We get to see Aris grow from a young girl into a young woman, even as she is pretending to be a boy. 

I really loved that this book was not all about the romance. Sure, I love to have some romance and a good love story in most of the books I read, but I do not think that they should always be the main focus. I appreciate that Banghart can put some romance into the book without making it the main focus, or A main focus at all. It was set on the back burner, and I appreciated that. I was also thankful that we were not thrown another love triangle in this book. While I don't hate them, it's nice to have a change. 

Overall, I was very impressed with the writing style of Banghart. I feel like she did a wonderful job with her world building and the development of characters. She created a main character that I cheered for; one that I wanted to succeed, and I believe that is very important. I look forward to continuing this series in the future, and I hope to delve into some more of Banghart's writing before then as well. I highly recommend this book. 

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 

Creators by Tiffany Truitt Blog Tour + Review

Creators by Tiffany Truitt
(The Lost Souls #3)
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction - Dystopia
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: April 28, 2014
Book One: Chosen Ones
Book Two: Naturals

Heartbroken but more determined than ever after a tense showdown in the woods, sixteen-year-old Tess once again returns to the safety of her community of Isolationists. Bolstered by new alliances and desperate to protect those she loves, this time she knows she can return stronger and more powerful than ever to take back what is hers.

As she trains in combat and grows more confident, Tess receives beautiful letters penned by her forbidden love, the chosen one James, from his prison in Templeton. He is now serving as a bodyguard to the creators—the team of scientists who created artificial life in the first place. And what he has discovered about the true origin of the illness that halted natural life could change everything. Enemy will become ally and death will bring new hope in this stunning conclusion to Tiffany Truitt’s epic Lost Souls trilogy.

AMAZON. B&N. GOODREADS 

Review: I was THRILLED when I received the email about this blog tour. (Yeah, I know that I say that a lot, but I was SUPER excited about this one!). Sure, I was a little worried since this was the last book in the trilogy and I had yet to actually begin the series, so I was not sure I would be accepted to do the review for the tour. Not only was I accepted though, but I was given all three books to read and review, and I could not have been more thankful and excited! I love dystopians, and this one seemed like it was going to be very promising. I am very happy to say that it did not disappoint. Not. One. Bit. 

I really do not want to give too much away, as I feel like everyone should read the books for themselves and experience the pure amazement that is this trilogy. Therefore, I am going to be very careful about what I share here, but also give enough information for you lovely readers to realize that you need to go on Amazon or B&N and buy the ebooks right away so you can start reading them NOW. (Even though I have the ebooks, I have every intention of buying the books in paperback, too. I need them sitting on my shelf). 

The beginning of the series starts out quite sad. Tessa, our main character, has to watch her sister die. You see, the Naturals are not supposed to have children, and if they attempt to, it will kill them. Her sister fell in love, though, and made the mistake of becoming pregnant. After watching her sister die, Tessa must take the position as eldest daughter in their family. She is branded and sent to work at Templeton where the Chosen Ones are bred and live until someone decides to take them for whatever job they need doing. When she begins working there, she runs into James. While he is a Chosen One, it is obvious from the beginning that he is not just like the rest of them, something that both intrigues and frightens Tessa. Honestly, I loved the two of them from the very beginning. 

Naturally, in dystopians where the government (the council here) is trying to have full control, things do not go right or well. There are a lot of secrets and shady things going on, and Tess realizes that there are some really bad things going on, which leads into the second book where she manages to get out of Templeton, but then has to deal with a new group of people. Honestly, I read the whole series within about two days, so things did begin to run together, so I am having a little trouble remembering what specific thing happened in each book. It doesn't matter though, the series was amazing, and that's what is important! 

Truitt did a beautiful job creating the world that the story takes place in. Every single bit of it was believable, which is the most important thing to me when it comes to dystopian novels. Of course, I felt horrible for Tessa as she went through so many things, and wish I could have been there to tell her things were going to be okay (does anyone else ever talk to the characters?). So many amazing, crazy, complicated, upsetting things happened in this series, and I cannot even begin to explain them all. While the ending was heartbreaking (and secretly what I hoped would not happen), I applaud Truitt for doing what made sense for the story. I will always respect that over taking the easy way out, just because it is what your readers probably want to happen. Like I said, this series is amazing, and everyone should go out and purchase it right this moment! 

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Book One: Chosen Ones (The Lost Souls #1)

Life is bleak but uncomplicated for sixteen-year-old Tess, living in a not-too-distant future where the government, faced with humanity's extinction, created the Chosen Ones, artificial beings who are extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

When Tess begins work at Templeton, a Chosen Ones training facility, she meets James, and the attraction is immediate in its intensity, overwhelming in its danger. But there is more to Templeton than Tess ever knew. Can she stand against her oppressors, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Book Two: Naturals (The Lost Souls #2) 

 Tess is finally safe from the reach of the Council, now that she is living in the Middlelands with the rebel Isolationists. With James having returned to Templeton, she easily falls back into her friendship with Henry, though her newfound knowledge of Robert’s chosen one status still stings. Even surrounded by people, Tess has never felt more alone. So she’s thrilled when James returns to the settlement, demanding to see Tess — until she finds out that it’s because her sister, Louisa, has been recruited into Tess’s old position at Templeton, and that the dangerously sadistic chosen one George has taken an interest in her.

Tiffany Truitt received her MA in literature from Old Dominion University. Her debut　Chosen Ones,　first in the　Lost Souls　trilogy, is a searing look at what it means to be other and how we define humanity, as well as a celebration of the dangerously wonderful feeling of falling in love. www.tiffanytruitt.wordpress.com

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