Tag: book reviews

Blog Tours · Books I've Read

BLOG TOUR: Perfect Pitch

Denise @ Life With No Plot3 Comments

PerfectPitchTourBanner

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Perfect Pitch by Alex Hayes, the second book in the Chameleon Effect series. Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for the opportunity to read this new exciting book!

First, let’s take a look at book #1 of this new series: Silken Scales

Book #1

Silken ScalesTitle: Silken Scales

Author: Alex Hayes

Series: Chameleon Effect #1

Publication Date: March 4, 2019

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Find It: GoodReads, Amazon

Blurb: Idris Williams’ life may seem perfect…

Sure, Idris has confidence and great looks, a famous father and a beautiful girlfriend. Life would be perfect if he could dodge the bullet his father has aimed at his head — following dear old Dad into motivational-speaking stardom. But there doesn’t seem to be a way out…

— Until Idris morphs into something green and scaly.

Cadi has finally found a safe and loving home. Then a malicious boy turns her whole world upside down. The next thing she knows, she’s wandering the streets on New Year’s Eve, alone.

— Until a crystal leads her to this lizard boy with a smart mouth and massive ego.

To change Idris back into his sexy human self, Cadi must reveal a secret she’s been holding close to her heart for as long as she can remember. A secret that will send them racing to close a wormhole ahead of a deadly army.

A secret that could change their worlds forever…

Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, fast paced, and had characters that you could really relate to . . . even if they are secretly aliens from another planet.

Idris is a young man who is being pushed by his highly successful father into a future career that he doesn’t want (despite being really good at it). His father wants perfection, which is not a good thing once your skin starts turning into green scales.

Cadi is a foster kid who finally hit the jackpot with some wonderful foster parents. Too bad she feels like she has to hide the fact that she’s telekinetic.

This story is told from both of these characters in first person perspectives, alternating chapters. You know at some point they will have to come together and that somehow Idris’s green scales and Cadi’s crystal necklace that sank into her chest are connected, but it was done in a way that didn’t feel to predictable. It was a fun journey, putting the puzzle pieces together, and learning the bigger picture. And that bigger picture? Pretty darn epic. It was exciting from start to finish.

Book #2

Perfect PitchTitle: Perfect Pitch

Author: Alex Hayes

Series: Chameleon Effect #2

Publication Date: August 6, 2019

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Find It: GoodReads, Amazon

Blurb: All Dean wants is to escape…

But he can’t leave his younger brother, Ty, in the care of their alcoholic mother. And when their abusive father shows up, Dean has to get Ty out. Which means joining Shri — his best and only friend — in taking a job out of state and breaking the law by stealing his brother away.

Cadi’s life is almost back together after Dean blew it into a million pieces. She’s come to terms with her life as a shape-shifter — well, almost. She’s still trying to wrap her head around the fact that a vicious enemy is out to destroy the remnants of her people.

As if Cadi doesn’t have enough to deal with, Dean’s about to land on her front doorstep, forcing her to decide whether to let him into her secret world or  slam the door in his face.

The Chameleon Effect series, starring shape-shifter teens with extraordinary superpowers, is sure to appeal to Young Adult and New Adult readers who enjoy romance with a paranormal twist.

Review: I think what I liked best about this is that it really teaches you not to make assumptions about people. In the first book, Dean accidentally reveals Cadi’s secret about being telekinetic and it’s easy to think that he’s a jerk for doing so, especially when it brings complete upheaval to her life. But in this book, we see what Dean is really going through. The chapters alternate between his story and Cadi’s (although Idris isn’t too far behind), and it is a nice blend of the extraordinary (the battle between the Livrans and the Everetons) and the mundane (Dean’s fight to protect his little brother from their neglectful/abusive parents).

We also get to know Cadi’s friend Shri a lot more in this book. Shri is awesome. Full stop.

Cadi and Idris are taking their relationship and bond to the next level and it is beautiful to see. They have a mission now, and Cadi’s foster parents are helping them. Idris does have some issues with Dean, now that he is back in Cadi’s life, but they are understandable given Cadi’s mixed feelings towards him, especially with how they ended things.

I really liked this continuation of the story. This is probably a middle book of a trilogy (or at least I think it is), and sometimes middle books can get bogged down. This one didn’t. It continued to be fast paced and interesting throughout, bringing in enough new characters to keep things exciting, while still focusing on the original characters we’ve grown to love.

GoodReads rating: I gave both books 5 stars. They were both highly enjoyable.

Meet the Author

AlexAlex Hayes wrote her first fiction story when she was twelve. Inspired by her mother’s storytelling, she began work on her first novel, Ice Cracks, at eighteen.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. In her twenties, she moved from Marin County, California to Boston, Massachusetts, where she built a career as an IT professional in database engineering. In 2004, she self-published Ice Cracks, which became a semi-finalist in the 2005 IPPY Awards.

Alex splits her time between Grand Junction, Colorado and Guanajuato, Mexico. When she isn’t writing, she’s helping her partner, Lee, renovate a 450 year old hacienda. She is mother to one beautiful daughter and many wonderful cats.

Giveaway Time!

This tour features a giveaway. You can enter to win Ebook copies of both Silken Scales and Perfect Pitch, plus a $25 Amazon gift card. You can enter via this Rafflecopter giveaway.

Follow the Tour!

This is the last day of the tour, but do check out the other hosts to learn more about these wonderful books!

August 5th
–The Avid Reader >> Interview
–BookishRealmReviews >> Review
–tfaulcbookreviews >>  Excerpt
–Character Madness and Musings >> Interview
–Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author >> Excerpt
–Treestand Book Reviews >> Review

August 6th
–Lisa Loves Literature >> Excerpt
–The Eclectic Review >> Review
–Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books! >> Review
–Jazzy Book Reviews >> Excerpt
–Viviana MacKade >> Guest post
–diary of a wannabe writer >> Review
–Books 4 Book Nerds >> Excerpt

August 7th
–Brooke Blogs >> Excerpt
–Reviews By Jaye >> Guest post
–Bookworm for Kids >> Interview
–cupcakesandbookshelves >> Excerpt
–Urban Fantasy Investigations >> Guest post
–Jessica Belmont >> Review
–Ilovebooksandstuffblog >> Excerpt

August 8th
–Living in a Bookworld >> Excerpt
–So Few Books  >> Interview
–Adventures in Writing >> Excerpt
–Sarah Says >> Review
–A Dream Within A Dream >> Excerpt
–Kelsey Covers Book >> Review

August 9th
–The Genre Minx Book Reviews >> Excerpt
–Sincerely Karen Jo >> Review
–Two Ends of the Pen >> Interview
–Literary Flits >> Excerpt
–Life With No Plot >> Review

Books I've Read

REVIEW: Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay

Denise @ Life With No Plot1 Comment

Ever AliceTitle: Ever Alice

Author: H.J. Ramsay

Pages: 347

Series: none

Edition: Ebook ARC from NetGalley

Blurb: Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental procedure. When Alice decides at the last minute not to go through with it, she escapes with the White Rabbit to Wonderland and trades one mad house for another: the court of the Queen of Hearts. Only this time, she is under orders to take out the Queen. When love, scandal, and intrigue begin to muddle her mission, Alice finds herself on the wrong side of the chopping block.

Review: I have to start by saying that the reason I got this book was because I am a huge fan of anything Alice in Wonderland. I eat it up. Because of that, anything fiddling around with my beloved story will be under intense scrutiny. Not that you can’t change things and have fun. Wonderland is almost always changing in the most absurd ways possible. That’s what’s awesome about it. But you have to do it right.

This book did it right. Yay!

This book picks up Alice’s story as a teenager, still working on wrapping her head around what happened in Wonderland. Her family doesn’t believe her and has been sending her to an asylum, which gets worse when she is going to have surgery in order to try and fix whatever is “wrong” with her. I hated that part, but it was in line with what people would have thought in that time period. It was definitely realistic.

A direct contrast with the chapters in Wonderland, which was great. I thought H.J. Ramsay had a perfect voice, coming very close to mimicking the absurdity of the original novel. Up is down, left is right, and no one questions the Queen of Hearts. The chapters alternate between Alice, who gets rescued from the asylum and brought back to Wonderland by the White Rabbit, and Rosemund, the Queen of Hearts who is trying to stop a plot to take her throne.

The story really plays up the question of whether this is real or whether it’s in Alice’s head until the very end, when you find out the truth. Many of the original characters are there, like the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and Bill the Lizard. There are also some new characters we get to meet, like Thomas (the Prince of Hearts) and Constance (the Queen of Spades). It makes the story familiar while still being very new and exciting. For me, it was a really good blend.

GoodReads rating: 4 stars. If you like Wonderland, you should really enjoy this.

Books I've Read

REVIEW: You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

Denise @ Life With No Plot4 Comments

You Were HereTitle: You Were Here

Author: Cori McCarthy

Pages: 400

Genre: YA Contemporary

Series: none

Edition: Library eBook

Blurb: Grief turned Jaycee into a daredevil, but can she dare to deal with her past?

On the anniversary of her daredevil brother’s death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake’s favorite hideout—the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of dysfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother’s exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.

As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn’t bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.

Review: I wasn’t planning on posting a review today, but then, I wasn’t planning on reading this book in 24 hours either. Let’s start with how I found it. I was on NetGalley checking to see what pending book requests I was waiting to hear back from when I noticed that I had a title listed under “Will Not Give Feedback.” How it got there, I’m not sure, not when I requested it back in 2016. It has long since been archived, but I found an eBook copy of it through my library, so I figured why not?

Have you ever read a book that blew you away so completely, you had to talk about it right away, just to get the feelings out? That’s how I felt about this one.

I’m not sure why it hit me so hard. It’s a tough subject, sure, but I could not stop reading. This is a well-written character study in grief and what it does to people. Jake died doing something stupid (he did a back flip off the top of some playground equipment and broke his neck), but everyone in this book has processed it differently. Jaycee has distanced herself from everyone and has started doing the same reckless behaviors as her brother so that she can feel close to him. Her former best friend, Natalie, has never told Jaycee that she witnessed the accident, as she was hiding from the older boys, who were all drunk, waiting for the chance to tell on them all. Mik, one of Jake’s best friends, has pretty much stopped talking to people, but silently has joined Jaycee in her trips to the abandoned mental hospital every year on the anniversary of Jake’s death.

Rounding out our group is Zach, Natalie’s boyfriend, who takes nothing seriously as a way to distance himself from his abusive home life. And Bishop, Zach’s friend, who is recovering from the breakup of his emotionally abusive girlfriend. All of these characters are incredibly flawed and struggling with different issues in their lives. It all came across as very real. Real people are flawed. Real people are confused and don’t know what to do with their lives. Real people don’t know how to move past something terrible that has happened to them.

This is a sad story, but there was also quite a bit of dark humor. That helps a lot, because despite the sadness, I didn’t actually get misty-eyed until the very end. I’m not going to spoil it, but I will just say this: the paper airplane. You’ll know it when you see it.

GoodReads rating: 5 stars. This book will stick with me for a long time. Why didn’t I read this back in 2016?

Books I've Read

REVIEW: Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

Denise @ Life With No Plot2 Comments

Tower of DawnTitle: Tower of Dawn

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Pages: 664

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

Series: Throne of Glass #6

Edition: Ebook

Blurb: Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea’s last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.

After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.

In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival—or doom them all . . .

Review: I’ll be honest — it took me a while to get into this one. After the major, MAJOR cliffhanger ending to Empire of Storms, to not be back with Aelin, Rowan, and Dorian was disappointing at first. I needed to know what was happening!!!!

Although now . . . I think Yrene may be my new favorite character of the whole series? Maybe? I still love Manon and Elide, but Yrene . . . she’s just awesome.

Where the previous book was about this large, sweeping campaign to raise allies to help fight Erawan and the enemies of Morath, this book was much more intimate than that. Sure, the war is still out there, and the enemies were getting closer and closer to Antica, but this book was primarily about the relationship between Chaol and Yrene. It was also about finding forgiveness: Yrene needed to forgive the people of Adarlan for what happened to her family, and Chaol needed to forgive himself for what happened to, well, everyone around him.

Their relationship is not an easy one. These are two strong-willed and highly opinionated people here, so there were lots of times when they butted heads, but when they did move through the traumas of their pasts, it was really beautiful to read.

Also, Antica is a really cool place, especially the Tower. And I want to ride a ruk! For anyone who hasn’t read it, a ruk is basically a giant bird big enough to ride (like a huge eagle or falcon) and the khaganate has an army of ruk riders. One of the princes is a captain of these ruk riders and I loved seeing Nesryn falling for him, and him for her. Nesryn is such a cool character, so when Chaol got closer to Yrene, I wanted Nesryn to find happiness for herself. Not that she needed a man to do it — I think becoming a ruk rider and reconnecting with her family and her home country went a long way to making her feel more settled and content — but having a beautiful prince who shares her adventurous spirit certainly doesn’t hurt things.

We also get a pretty big reveal about some of our favorite baddies. Not going to spoil that here — you need to experience that one for yourself.

I gave this 4 stars on GoodReads. It’s a solid chapter in the overall story, but it did drag in places and, as I said, took me a while to get into. But otherwise, if you are a fan of this series, it shouldn’t disappoint.

Blog Tours · Books I've Read

BLOG TOUR: Stranger Rituals

Denise @ Life With No Plot3 Comments

StrangerRitualsTourBanner

Hello everyone! Welcome to this stop on the blog tour for Stranger Rituals by Kali Rose Schmidt, hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. This book was a dark whirlwind of a fantasy – let’s check it out!

About the Book

Stranger Rituals - eBook smallTitle: Stranger Rituals

Author: Kali Rose Schmidt

Publication Date: July 9, 2019

Genres: Fantasy/New Adult

Find It: GoodReads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks

Blurb: A fighter with a venomous grudge.

A monster with an immortal curse.

A girl with a terrible gift.

All three out for blood in a land torn apart by harsh gods and holy wars. Each entwined with the other, on their own quests for vengeance, and yet held together by strange links to sinister pasts. As their fates unravel, a dangerous romance blooms, and violent darkness beckons.

At turns both darkly humorous and utterly morbid, STRANGER RITUALS is the startling first novel in Kali Rose Schmidt’s dark new series.

Review: This is one of the more interesting blog tours I’ve been on!

I really enjoy fantasy and this book did not disappoint. A rich story world, complex characters, mystery, magic, twists and turns – this book had all of that and more.

Let’s start with our main character, Scarko. She has a rare form of magic, different from the others in the Order she belongs to. She also has to drink blood, which first made me think she was a vampire, but the story never refers to her as such other than the blood. Her magic is also made from blood, so there are some bits of the story that are a little gory. Much of the story revolves around Vojtech, who is the leader of their people, and also a large being with horns on his head. Scarko is very loyal to him, and doesn’t question when he asks her to go on a quest to kill a street fighter deep within enemy territory.

That fighter is a young man named Zephir, who is very complicated and tricky. He was a mystery the entire time and it was so fun to try and figure out where his loyalties lie (and I’m still not sure). There is also Rhodri, who was my favorite character, another being with horns on his head like Vojtech. The next book in this series will hopefully address more of his story, because I want to know more!

There’s a holy war brewing and Scarko needs to figure out where she fits into everything that is about to happen. No one is who they seem to be, and that’s what makes it so much fun.

GoodReads rating: 4 stars

About the Author

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Kali Rose Schmidt is an author, mother, and villain lover. She likes bloody tales of monsters, yoga with the lights off, and anything that goes bump in the night.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Pinterest | GoodReads

Giveaway Time!

This tour offers a giveaway – one signed copy of Stranger Rituals, plus a $10 Amazon giftcard! You can enter via this Rafflecopter Giveaway link. Good luck!

Follow the Tour!

July 15th
–I Smell Sheep >> Guest post
–Life With No Plot >> Review
–Urban Fantasy Investigations >> Interview

July 16th
–A Dream Within A Dream >> Excerpt
–Jessica Belmont >> Review
–Finding Magic In Books >> Review

July 17th
–Adventures in Writing >> Guest post
–Abooktropolis >> Review
–Jazzy Book Reviews >> Excerpt
–So Many Books, So Little Time >> Review

July 18th
–The Avid Reader  >> Interview
–Smada’s Book Smack >> Guest post
–Inspired Chaos >> Review
–The Laughing Listener >> Review

July 19th
–Discover Elysian >> Review
–The Magic Of Wor(l)ds >> Interview
–Treestand Book Reviews >> Review

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Blog Tours · Books I've Read

BLOG TOUR: Lock Every Door

Denise @ Life With No Plot5 Comments

BANNER

Hello everyone! I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for this amazing book! Thank you so much to the Fantastic Flying Book Club for this opportunity!

About the Book

42368604Title: Lock Every Door

Author: Riley Sager

Publisher: Dutton Books

Release Date: July 2, 2019

Genre: Adult/Horror/Thriller

Blurb: No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. 

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew’s dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.

Review: Y’all, this book was so good! Even though I had other things that I needed to read, I didn’t want to put this one down!

I absolutely love books that are set in New York City. It’s my absolute favorite place in the world and yes, a lot of its history is pretty dark. I’m sure every building on every street has a story, something I’ve always wondered about, which is part of what made this book so good.

Let’s talk about our characters. I absolutely loved Jules. She is a great narrator and someone who is easy to relate to. How many of us have been at the end of our rope, looking for some sort of miracle to help us get through the week? I know I have. She’s a very strong person, surviving the deaths of her parents and the disappearance of her sister, and when Ingrid disappears, Jules is determined to find out what is going on. But the thing is, there are so many twists and turns, it’s easy to see how Jules could either be reading way to much into things, or have her suspicions completely confirmed.

The pacing of the story was great as well. It never dragged, always kept me wanting more. There is a pretty big twist towards the end that I was in no way expecting, which was great. You know who some of the villains have to be, but you definitely don’t realize just how bad some of the people are until the very end. They are complex and intricate and just great to read.

This book had all the things I love: set in the best city in the world, interesting characters, and a story that I couldn’t put down. If you like mysteries and thrillers, check this one out. One brief thing: one of the genres listed for this one is horror, but there isn’t anything to graphic. So if you like suspense-filled stories, but don’t like a lot of blood, you’re good to go with this one.

GoodReads rating: 5 stars. I loved it!

GoodReads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

 Kobo | iBooks | IndieBound

About the Author

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Riley Sager is the pseudonym of a former journalist, editor and graphic designer.

Now a full-time writer, Riley is the author of FINAL GIRLS, an international bestseller that has been published in 25 languages, and the New York Times bestseller THE LAST TIME I LIED. His latest book, LOCK EVERY DOOR, will be published in July.

A native of Pennsylvania, Riley now lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Website | GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway Time!

This tour includes a generous giveaway. There are seven copies of Lock Every Door available to win! Just click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link to enter. Available in the U.S. only.

Tour Schedule

This is the last day of the tour, but be sure to check out these other stops for lots more fun!

July 8th

Devouring Books– Review
TBR and Beyond– Creative Post
Kat’s Books– Review
Just Busy Reading– Review & Bookstagram

July 9th

Confessions of a YA Reader– Spotlight
Fictitiouswonderland– Bookstagram
Moonlight Rendezvous– Review
The Life & Times of a Book Addict– Spotlight
The Reading Chemist– Review & Bookstagram

July 10th

That Artsy Reader Girl– Creative Post
Never Too Many To Read– Creative Post
One More Chapter– Bookstagram

July 11th

Twilight Reader– Bookstagram
Story-eyed Reviews– Review & Favorite Quotes
Bookish Geek– Review
Bookish In Bed– Review

July 12th

Life With No Plot– Review
Sometimes Leelynn Reads– Review/Playlist
The Reading Life– Review
Books I've Read

BOOK REVIEW: It’s Our Time

Denise @ Life With No PlotLeave a comment

It's Our TimeTitle: It’s Our Time

Author: Diane Krauss

Pages: 222

Genre: YA/New Adult/Dystopian

Series: none

Edition: eBook ARC from NetGalley

Pub. Date: July 9, 2019

Blurb: There are new founding fathers, and America is led by President Torrent and her council.

The Elites live in the opulent Villages beyond the walls while the rest of the civilians live in the war-torn Divisions.

All goods come from the all-powerful government. Private enterprise is unsanctioned and illegal.

If the gangs within the Divisions aren’t killing each other, then the Torrent Regime or the chemically infected people known as Night Terrors are.

In Brooklyn’s Division 12, a young nurse named El, has had enough. Joined by her best friend Kai, and a mysterious new friend, Pratt, El sets out to help those in her community.

Along the way, it becomes a movement that sweeps the nation.

You wouldn’t think so much could change in a mere 25 years, and that is what the administration was counting on.

It’s Our Time.

Review:  This book started out really strong, it really did, but then sort of petered out a bit towards the end. I hate saying that, because y’all know I love a good dystopian tale. This one wasn’t bad by any means, but it wasn’t quite great.

First, let’s talk about our characters. Our main character is El, short for Elisha, a young nurse living in the “Divisons.” Think sort of like the Districts in The Hunger Games, only instead of there being one large Capitol, there are smaller settlements called Villages where the upper class, or Elites, live. It means the common folk get to interact a bit more with the Elites, which helps a bit. El is a very kind person who sincerely wants to help everyone, so when the gas attack hits and a large portion of the population basically become zombie-like, she is ready to try and break some of their strict societal rules to try and help as many people as possible.

This is all well and good, and the first half of this book sort of works with this idea. Between El’s family, her friend Kai, and the people in her neighborhood, she is able to help as many of the sick people as possible. They also set up a barter system so as not to be too dependent on the government Rations Centers. The story gets a bit weird towards the middle and the end when somehow El becomes a candidate for president, trying to fight President Torrent and her corrupt, power-hungry government. It was never completely believable that El made a good candidate. She seemed much more suited for a behind-the-scenes sort of character. The other thing that made the second half drag some much is that Torrent is a very one dimensional villain. There’s really not much there except for her hunger for power and enjoying having more than the others do.

There’s also a bit of a love triangle, sort of, between El, Kai, and El’s friend Pratt, who is not part of their community at first, but comes in to help them. He’s a bit of a renegade. I didn’t feel a strong tie between El and either one of her suitors, so it just ended up weird.

I did really like the story world a lot, but that is partially because I like dystopian settings. Their system worked, for what it was. It was unfair, but no one suffered unduly unless they stepped out of line or questioned anything. Having the Elites so close by made a lot of the conflict seem more real because the people of the Divisions could see exactly what they were up against.

I did enjoy this story, but I thought there were some parts that could have been a bit stronger. The epilogue at the end does leave room for a sequel, but I don’t see one listed on GoodReads yet. It would be interesting to see what happens in another book, since a lot of things were pretty much tied up at the end of this one.

GoodReads rating: 3 stars