Alright, here we go with my first book review! I just want to preface by saying that I mostly read for pleasure and do not take a ton of notes while I read, so my thoughts are sporadic. I do my best to be cohesive here.
A brief synopsis:
Amy Harris’s life changed forever when They took over. Her parents—vanished. The government—obsolete. Societal structure—nonexistent. No one knows where They came from, but these vicious creatures have been rapidly devouring mankind since They appeared. With fierce survivor instincts, Amy manages to stay alive—and even rescues “Baby,” a toddler who was left behind. After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope. On the surface, it appears to be a safe haven for survivors. But there are dark and twisted secrets lurking beneath that could have Amy and Baby paying with not only their freedom . . . but also their lives.
Why I chose this book:
I am currently doing a book bingo card and one of the categories is “dystopian society.” So, while I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep I figured I would try to read a bit and found this book on Google Play Books. I definitely had trouble sleeping after I started this!
Rating: 4.7/5 Stars
Yup, that’s right. 4.7 out of 5 on my first review ever. I know it seems safe to start off with a book that you really like, but I can honestly say that I had no clue I was going to enjoy this going in. I find dystopian books to be pretty played out and I have read a ton of them, so I wasn’t expecting anything new here.
I stayed up until two in the morning reading this because I couldn’t stop. The pacing was so perfect that I couldn’t find an easy stopping point. I wanted to keep going, to find out what was going to happen to Amy and Baby! I should also mention that “They” are classified early on as a specific entity that terrifies me beyond belief, so I was also too scared to sleep. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will just leave it at that.
Amy is a fairly likeable main character. She is a nerdy, literature-loving, teenage girl and I identified with her character from the get go. I didn’t really care that she was over-aggressive, but there was something about her character that I found off-putting later on. Almost like her indignation at the goings on or the outrage she felt wasn’t necessarily genuine? I am not sure, but there was definitely a “thing” that left me wanting.
Baby is still a complete mystery to me. I am devouring the second novel right now and I still have no clue what is really going on there. There is a hint as to what might have happened in her past and what might make her unique, but I am sure all the really juicy stuff is being saved for Lunetta’s next book. I will say that Baby was an “okay” character in my book. She pissed me off a few times while reading and I am not sure if that was just my reaction to Amy and her, or if it was because of Baby’s actual actions on her own.
The plot is so easy to sink in to and so easy to get lost in that I read this thing in two days. Mind you, it is fairly short, but I absolutely couldn’t put it down when exciting things were happening. The first bit, before they actually reach New Hope is my favorite. I love books that describe the actual apocalypse happening instead of checking in six months down the road. You get to experience the terror, the disbelief, the anxiety, and the loss right along with Amy. I got so sucked in that when any appearance made by “Them” happened I was actually holding my breath. I would have to remind myself to breathe!
Once the pair arrive at New Hope the story takes a definite turn. The “overthrow the government” vibe is so strong that I almost wanted to roll my eyes a bit. I get it, post-apocalyptic government is bad. Blah. There is an event that happens in this section that really shook me up involving Amy and her mother and I feel like that is what saves this book. I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s pretty horrifying to think that this could actually maybe happen. If it was just a “New Hope Government vs. Innocent Amy and Baby” thing I would have probably not enjoyed it as much, but it gets pretty dark and the real horrible stuff is kind of juicy to read about.
There is one “EVENT” that happens while Amy and Baby are in New Hope and I basically knew it was going to happen based on prior events in the book. It’s a predictable route for this character (wow this is hard to write without spoilers), although it did not make the book less enjoyable. I just felt like maybe this particular character could have been made more likeable earlier on, so that the “EVENT” was more shocking and less, “well…duh.”
Overall, I really REALLY liked this book. It’s a cool spin on a dystopian novel and I really loved experiencing a terrifying apocalypse at two in the morning. Note to self: do not read scary books before bed. I am halfway through book two at this point and I can safely say that this is a MUST read for any dystopian YA fans out there. Seriously, it’s not a long book and if you can get past a few predictable plot points you are in for a really good ride.
Thank you so much for reading! I know this was a bit on the longer side for most book reviews.
- Fel
Fel Magic 
Ahhhh awesome review Felicia!!! I am definitely putting this book on my TBR! I’m happy your first review was such a great book! Definitely starting on a good start 😀
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It was honestly such a shock, I just picked it to work on my book Bingo card and when I read the little sample I was hooked. I seriously am excited for you to read it too!
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