Tag Archives: dystopian

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Book Review for “Blink”- Fiction/Romance/Paranormal Mini-series

What the book is about: “Aria Grace has always been a rebel. Well… maybe more like a silent rebel. Okay, okay, perhaps that’s not really a thing. But still, she’s totally a rebel in her head. Until she meets gorgeous Wisdom and lets the rebel in her out to play. Then her world shatters, leaving Aria’s mind spinning and her heart aching. Maybe it was only a dream. A beautiful, fleeting dream. So fleeting, that if she blinked, she could fool herself into thinking it never happened. That he never happened. But Aria knows better. Wisdom was real. He had to be… right? Soon, Aria finds herself on the run, her life in danger, with no idea who she can trust. Wishing with all her heart she could just go back to dreaming. ”

About the author:
C.B. Stone is sometimes called author, writer, or purveyor of stories. One might even dub her a yarn spinner, if you will. It’s very possible she might be considered just a little left of normal by most, but she’s cool with that. Really, she’s too busy avoiding normal to care.

On any given day, you might find Stone pounding away at a keyboard in sunny Florida, contemplating waves, contemplating life, and dreaming up more exciting stories to share with readers. Except Sunday’s of course. Sunday’s are God’s day, so you’ll often find her making her best “joyful noise” with her local church praise team.

When not pounding poor fingers to bloody nuggets and reinventing the definition of eye strain, C.B. Stone enjoys living it up, doing the family C.B. Stone is sometimes called author, writer, or purveyor of stories. One might even dub her a yarn spinner, if you will. It’s very possible she might be considered just a little left of normal by most, but she’s cool with that. Really, she’s too busy avoiding normal to care.

On any given day, you might find Stone pounding away at a keyboard in sunny Florida, contemplating waves, contemplating life, and dreaming up more exciting stories to share with readers. Except Sunday’s of course. Sunday’s are God’s day, so you’ll often find her making her best “joyful noise” with her local church praise team.

When not pounding poor fingers to bloody nuggets and reinventing the definition of eye strain, C.B. Stone enjoys living it up, doing the family thing, the kid thing, and the friend thing. And in her downtime, reading the minds of fans.

Also being invisible. Being invisible is fun.

My review: I received a copy of this book from Instafreebie with no obligation for a review. I am always looking for good dystopian fiction. This one didn’t disappoint, other than it is a series of short books. So fare this one ends in a cliff hanger. I am moving on to the next one right away. Good writing, good characters and you will go through a gamete of emotions in a few short chapters. Clean fiction, no swearing or sexual content. Load of suspense. I give it 4/5 stars and can recommend for teens and up.

Get your copy here

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Book Review for “An Exalted Depravity”- Christian YA Dystopian

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What the book is about:

“Amendment Thirty to the Constitution of the United States of America: The education of young American persons between the ages of five years and twenty years shall hereby and indefinitely lay in the hands of the United States government. Any form of alternative schooling without government sanction shall not be permitted.

It all started with the rebellion. Teens in the streets, throwing bricks through every storefront, slashing every tire, and beating any stranger who looked at them twice. But sometimes the solution is worse than the problem. This is the lesson Zak learns after being ripped from his humble family and thrown into a new school, where open sexuality reigns and chastity is a vice.

There, the question in his mind remains: what exactly is the cost of discipleship?”

My Review: I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I am a fan of Logan Judy, so when he offered me a copy of his latest book I accepted. I loved this YA dystopian book. This one had a whole new take on dystopian. I found it very relevant and couldn’t help thinking of “Brave New World” as I read it. The story is set in a society that is void of morals with a government that thinks they can do a better job raising the children than their own parents. A must read for Christian teens! I give it five stars, and am looking forward to more of this series. Though this clearly is book one, it could be read alone. No swearing. There is a lot of talk of sexual contact, but not in a graphic way, only as a description of societies values. Some violence and bullying. Though geared for teens, I think any adult dystopian fan (like me) would like it.

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Book Review for “Slip”- YA Dystopian Fiction

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What the book is about:
As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip.

But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone?

And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip?

In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.

My Review:
Another great one from David Estes! I thought the “Dweller” series was great, this one is even better. So though I can’t give more than five stars (that’s my star value for Dweller) this one was so much better even. Great characters. This author is great at fleshing out his characters. You feel like you’ve known them your whole life. He also has a canny way of getting into the head of teens. There is a great mix of humor, action, suspense, and some romance. The romantic side is clean and sweet, yet full of teenage passion as well. No swearing, no sexual content (other than a retelling of an attempted rape, not explicit. There is some fighting. I can recommend this book for teens and up. Great story about hope, loyalty to friends and family, and how sometimes the lines between good and evil are blurry. Already reading book two.
As a post script, I appreciate that Mr. Estes puts his book on Kindle unlimited!

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Blog Tour for “Uncommon Blue” – YA Dystopian Fiction

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The Book:
In Telesphore, the glowing color of a person’s palm determines their place in society, and touching hands with another mixes the colors permanently. When sixteen-year-old Bruno accidentally kills a royal soldier, he goes from favored to fugitive. Now Bruno’s only chance at survival is to become someone else. That means a haircut, a change of wardrobe, and most important, getting rid of his once cherished Blue. Now he’s visiting parts of town he never knew existed, and making friends with people he would’ve crossed the street to avoid only weeks ago. At the last minute, Bruno’s parents arrange a deal to clear his name and get his life back. All Bruno has to do is abandon those in the Red slums that look to him as a leader and let an innocent Green boy die in his place.

My Review:
I was given a copy of “Uncommon Blue” by the author, R.C.Hancock in exchange for an honest review. I love dystopian, think Hunger Games, The Giver, and Divergent. This one has a twist and I enjoyed the read. Great storyline of sacrifice and friendship. Good characters, geared for YA. I can recommend for Jr. High and up. I am 50 and I really liked it. There is a clear finish to the story but it is definitely open for more, and I hope that is the author’s plan. I give it 4+ stars. I really liked it!

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Book Review for “Meritropolis”- Dystopian Fiction

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I received a free copy of Meritropolis from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this dystopian story. The writing is an easy style, the characters and likable, and the storyline is good. Residents of Meritropolis are judged by their merit score. Those of lower scores are not afforded the privileges and rights of those with a higher score, but life is hard for them all. This is clearly going to be more than one book as the story isn’t finished. It does end in a good place with a clear resolution to a problem, but is also left open ended for more. I will definitely read more from this author. I give it four stars, I “really liked it.” I can recommend for teens and up, no swearing, or sexual content, but there is fighting and some violence.
At the time of this review Meritropolis is free on amazon, kindle version.

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Book Review for “Earth Dweller”-YA Dystopian Fantasy

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Last book! “The Earth Dwellers” finishes off two series by David Estes: “The Dwellers” and “The Country” sagas. It all comes to and end in this one book with all of your favorite characters, at least the ones who lived through the adventures. I love these books. They are well written, quirky and funny, yet serious and thought provoking at the same time. Dystopian at it’s best. Great for ages 13 and up as there is no swearing (other than some made up words) and no sex. Strong loyalty and morals, lots of action, including violence and fighting. There is some romance, not cheesy or sappy at all. I am sad to see the story end and was thrilled with the free short stories at the end. Great Job! 5 solid stars!(

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Book Review for ” “The Island Collection Complete”-YA Dystopian

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I was given a copy of “The Island Collection Complete” through Story Cartel (http://storycartel.com/about), in exchange for an honest review. I “liked” the story. The writing style was easy to read. The theme runs through all three dystopian books, basically a “book” from each society was misconstrued and taken as Holy writ. I found it humorous that one of the books was a journal of a 10 year old boy who used a Star Wars notebook, and wrote about the “force.” Parts of the book reminded me of “Lord of the Flies,” and parts reminded me a bit of David Estes’ “Dwellers” series. Each book can be read as a stand alone. In fact there are some repeated scenes in books one and two, to keep you informed. If you are reading them back to back, it is a tad repetitive. A good read. I would read more by this author. I don’t recommend for ages younger than 16. There is implied sex between teens and some swearing. Though there isn’t a lot of “real” swearing, most of it is made-up swear words, there is some strong language. I give it 3 stars.