Category Archives: Dystopia

Earth Girl by Janet Edwards
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Earth Girl, Book 1

Synopsis: I KNOW WHAT YOU CALL US. THROWBACKS. NEANDERTHALS. APES.

In the far future, the universe is divided into two different groups: the Norms, who can portal between planets, and people like Jarra, the one in a thousand born with an immune system that doesn’t allow them to survive anywhere but Earth.

BUT I HAVE A PLAN.

Norms come back to Earth for one reason: to study human history – like the ruins of what was once New York City. But only if they don’t have to interact with any Apes along the way. 18-year-old Jarra has a plan to change that.

THIS IS ONE EARTH GIRL WHO WON’T GIVE IN.

My thoughts: Earth Girl intrigued me from the moment I read the first review. Science fiction is not my regular cup of tea, so I was a bit hesitant at first. However, the book continued to call to me, so I finally decided to purchase and read it. Well, it only took a few pages for me to fall in love and drop into a world I was loathe to leave. Wonderful world-building and a strong female protagonist kept me awake long after midnight.

Earth Girl is a fascinating story about a teenager filled with bitterness and anger about the way Handicapped people are treated by Norms, who believe apes like Jarra are lacking in intelligence.  When the time comes to choose her future, Jarra decides to apply for a Pre-history Foundation Year at an off-world university. All the courses in the first year are held on Earth, which will enable her to fool the Norms into thinking she is one of them. Her plan is to prove to them that she is every bit as intelligent and capable as they are before telling them the truth and feeding them all her fury.

I really love Jarra. She is smart, capable, strong and utterly disarming. She knows what she wants and will do everything she can to achieve it. But what seemed so easy at first, becomes more complicated when Jarra actually meets her Norm teacher and fellow students. I really love the way Edwards portrays Jarra’s emotional roller coaster and her confrontation with her own prejudices. Jarra is quite a dominant character and she really sticks out, but several of the other characters were also worked out quite well.

Earth Girl was a joy to read. Although it’s not a SF Romance, the romantic storyline was quite charming and had me smiling numerous times. In my opinion, Edwards created a believable world that takes place in the future. A most intriguing world and one that I would love to read more about. Thankfully this is the first book of three, so I have two more books to look forward to. I cannot wait to read more of Jarra’s adventures!

5

Mirjam copie

Far Shore by Traci L. Slatton
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After Trilogy, Book 3

Synopsis: An old enemy wreaks new havoc at the end of the world…

After the mists’ lethal apocalypse, mankind’s only hope for survival lies broken and battered, the prisoner of a ruthless sociopath who will stop at nothing to hurt him. Emma sets out to rescue him. She faces an ultimatum and must relinquish everything she holds dear. As Arthur teeters on the brink of life and death, Emma’s healing ability fails. Her own despair tests her, and she must grow stronger than she ever dreamt possible as she confronts the truth of her own heart.

In a time of apocalyptic despair, love is put to the test…

A mystical odyssey, a haunting love…

Review: I loved the first two volumes and I was impatient to discover the third. I thought it would be the last one, but is it really? That we finally would have the last word of the story but I was surprised to see that this was not the case. But I wonder if the author is preparing a fourth book or if finally the book ends on such an open end. But back to the beginning.

We find Emma once again, she is actually living with her children and her husband after saving him. Yet she still dreams of Arthur and it’s more and more difficult for her companion to bear it. He loves her but they also both know that the limit is almost here. So when her friends come back to ask her for help to save a pregnant friend, Emma doesn’t need more to leave … If only she didn’t have the unbearable ultimatum from her husband who told her that if she leaves, it won’t be necessary to come back, either for him or her daughters. It’s really terrible for her, but she can not abandon her friends and she therefore shares a heavy pound in her heart for this new adventure. But this is not all and soon Emma also learns that by leaving the Alexei’s camp, Arthur stayed behind, being tortured during all this time. It’s really sad to see all the things our heroine has to go through. She just wanted a normal life with her family, but nothing is ever simple. Love, revenge, and her thoughts are always on her way, whatever she does.

We have many events in this novel. We discover Emma full of doubts, trying to keep hope in all circumstances and yet it remains very difficult. By saving Arthur, she didn’t expect a broken and destroyed man. I’ve always had some fairly complex feelings towards Alexei throughout the novels. We come to appreciate him, then hate him and our feelings are constantly changing towards him… It’s the same in this book and I admit that I really struggled to decide about his fate. Despite his hatred for Arthur, we know that he really appreciates Emma, in his own way even if a little twisted. But each character will evolve, and understand many great revelations, which will also change their future.

I found that this novel was really eventful. We come to discover the weaknesses of this mom we continue to discover in these novels and it is true that we can only understand her loneliness, sadness and desires. Everything is always so hard for her… It was in any case once again a very good story that I enjoyed to discover. Everything is easy to read and it’s always fascinating to learn a little more about this new world. By cons as I said the end leaves me a bit puzzled if it ends up like that and if there are no other novels thereafter.

4

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Pawn by Aimée Carter
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The Blackcoat Rebellion, Book 1

Synopsis: YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There’s only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that’s not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she’s only beginning to understand.

Review: I’ve read some volumes in the first Aimee Carter’s series and I enjoyed them, so when I saw the release of a whole new story I was immediately intrigued. And what more can we ask for than a dystopian novel? I confess that I have not read a lot of them, but I think it’s always really fascinating. Then, it is true that this novel had a little something which made me think to the Hunger Games series, but I think you should read it to understand that.

Kitty is a girl like any others, and as each person at her age, she must pass a test to find out what she will do in her future. Indeed, each person is marked with a number for life and must submit to what it means. However, the test does not happen at all as she had hoped and now here she is with a III. A figure that means she will have to leave her town, her friends, her family and her boyfriend she loves: Benjy. She can not accept that! But when after some terrible circumstances, the Prime Minister asked her if she would like to change her number and become a VII, she sees this as an opportunity to escape her new life she already hates. But she did not expect that this change comes with a price so high. Physically changed so that she now looks like Lila Hart, the niece of the Prime Minister, she is torn from everything she knew and is forced to take the place of the dead girl to calm the rebellion established. She will also be helped by Celia, Lila’s mother who is fairly enforced and by the fiancé of the girl who seems too good to be honest.

I loved this story. Kitty really has no choice now that she has become Lila. She must learn everything about the girl and her role or be killed. You can suspect that she will then take her role to heart, especially when the Benjy’s life is put at stake. It’s really sad to see how she is processed and pulled from all sides. While Celia and Knox want her to fuel the rebellion formed, the Prime Minister and his mother want her to become their pawn and calm everyone. And it will not be easy for the girl to choose sides, especially for her own survival. But Kitty has a highly developed survival instinct and she is ready to do many things to keep it that way. She also discovers what it means to be a VII, something that is not always that easy, especially whole torned on all sides, where conspiracies and hatred constantly mixed with family.

I was immediately intrigued by Knox, the boy who becomes her new boyfriend. He is very nice to her and does everything to help her. Yet we feel that there is more and it is true that I was more than surprised when I discovered his true nature, same as Celia’s. I did not really expect that and I was just as surprised as Kitty, and even hurt that he kept so many things from her. She will have to stay strong and keep her head clear from all the lies and half- truths coming from all directions. I was really impressed by what she was able to do in such circumstances.

It was a really good story and we are surprised by many points throughout the novel. It’s a fascinating dystopia and I took great pleasure in discovering it. I was eager to see if an uprising would happen and if Knox and Kitty were to become something, if Benjy would appear and find the girl. I’m very curious now to read more, I’m really looking forward to have the second novel.

4-5

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Cold Light by Traci L. Slatton
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After Trilogy, Book 2

Synopsis: The end of the world brings chaos, madness, and psychic powers. For Emma and Arthur, separated by an ocean, it brings a love that demands everything. Emma’s beloved daughter is kidnapped by vengeful raiders, and Emma embarks on a soul-crushing journey to rescue her. When Arthur finds Emma, can she trust him? Against impossible odds, Emma draws near the rogue camp, where she also confronts the deepest choice of her heart….

Review: This series is really a great discovery for me. I fell in love with the first book and when I had the opportunity to read the second and third book in this trilogy, I admit that I did not hesitate. And I just loved this new story. I find it very interesting to read dystopias, but it is often easier to fall on good young adults ones in this genre than of good adults stories, but this one is really exciting.

The story takes us therefore some time after the end of the first volume. Emma has returned to Canada, to her family and she is now with her ​​husband and her two little girls. Everything should perfect for her, if only the presence of Arthur was not hovering in the mind of our heroine. She knows she has to put her family first and she can’t not just abandon them now that she has returned, but it is very difficult not to follow what her heart really wants. But when Beth, her older daughter, is kidnapped by raiders, it takes no more than this for this mother to go and look for her even if she knows that her husband can not help her in this adventure. Because of that, she goes alone looking for Beth, desperate to find her missing child while she could have died many times. And when she thinks that nothing could be more complicated, it seems that Arthur and some of her friends came for her, Arthur wants to win her back despite her stubbornness but he is also here to help her find her daughter despite her refusal to engage.

Emma has a very special relationship with these two men. In this ruined world, she did not think that one day she would find her husband again and has created an unbreakable bond with another man different from her husband, Arthur. But now she knows she can not leave her husband as he needs her as welll as her children. Haywood knows what happened in France, but he loves Emma and her daughters more than anything and he is determined to keep her with him. But Arthur is also in love with her and would do anything to get her back and bring her back in France. It is terrible to be Emma, to need to choose between these two different men who love her more than anything. But it’s not the only thing she has to think about and she knows she can not divorce or be away from her daughters. All this really broke my heart, we can see all the sacrifices she made to try to do the best and yet it is not easy. She always remains in doubt, and her opinion is constantly changing. I must say that the two men do not really help.

We can also discover a lot of revelations in the novel. Some nice surprises and I took a great pleasure in discovering everything. We also meet a lot of characters that we did not know and all are very intriguing. The plot itself is well done, we follow Emma in her mission to find her daughter, and this is really fraught with obstacles of all kinds. Now that I finished the book, I ‘m really looking forward to read the third and final book to find out what will happen in this world so different. If you like dystopias I really recommend this one by Traci L. Slatton as it is a great read.

4-5

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Fallen by Traci L. Slatton
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After Trilogy, Book 1

Synopsis: When the world ends, all that is left is love….

As chaos descends on a crippled Earth, survivors are tormented by strange psychic gifts. In this time of apocalyptic despair, love is put to the test. One woman with mysterious healing power guides seven children to safety. Charismatic Arthur offers her a haven. Slowly Emma falls for him. But at the moment of their sweetest love, his devastating secret is revealed, and they are lost to each other. Will Emma stay with him?
The first in a romantic trilogy set during the end times.

Review: I admit that I started the novel without too many ideas in mind. I did not know anything about the series but the cover immediately attracted me. I was a bit scared that the whole story would be a little too cliché with the end of the world, but it wasn’t the case at all and found a dystopian world more than interesting. Then it must be said that a novel set in France always really intrigues me .

Emma and her daughter were traveling in France when the mist came, something that can make someone crazy and kill everyone with whom they come into contact. However, mother and daughter have survived in this new world become so difficult. Besides, Emma has adopted during her progress some children she is trying to protect as much as she can. This little group is heterogeneous but in addition to this, since this Apocalypse, people have developed skills unusual and completely varying from one person to another. But when she meets Arthur, she knows she can’t continue like that and to advance and to save her children she is ready for anything, and if becoming the lover of this man can help, then there is not even a question to ask. She does not just expected to fall gradually in love with this man so different from the others. Yet the fact that her husband and her other daughter are in Canada is still in her mind. From there, her whole world will change, like Arthur’s and together they will create a hope of salvation for all.

I loved Emma. She is a very brave young woman who does not hesitate to speak her mind despite the consequences. She decides from the outset to develop the camp and to change the habits of Arthur. I must say I was quite surprised to see how he bent to her demands. Gradually a very sweet relationship is created between them and I loved seeing this trend. Of course, Arthur is not aware of the past of our heroine and that makes her sometimes quite uncomfortable. Emma is struggling to accept her feelings throughout the story and tries to avoid them. But there is more and we quickly understand the Arthur’s secret with all his talks, but it takes a lot more time to our dear mother to accept the truth. Arthur knows what he wants and is determined to have no obstacles when his choice is decided. It was a very interesting to experience all the many facets of this character.

I enjoyed this new world with all its dangers and I admit that I was totally swept away by the Traci L. Slatton’s ideas. I am also more than curious to read more and find out the adventures of our dear Emma and her nice daughter.

4

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Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
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Gone with the Respiration, Book 1

Synopsis: CAN A PROPER YOUNG VICTORIAN LADY FIND TRUE LOVE IN THE ARMS OF A DASHING ZOMBIE?
The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the mores of an antique era. Sixteen-year-old Nora Dearly is far more interested in her country’s political unrest than in silly debutante balls. But the death of her beloved parents leaves Nora at the mercy of a social-climbing aunt who plans to marry off her niece for money. To Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. Now she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting a fatal virus that raises the dead. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and thoroughly deceased. But like the rest of his special undead unit, Bram has been enabled by luck and modern science to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

Review: After hearing a lot about this novel I was quite curious to try it. Many are struggling to decide on the genre, but it’s true that I would rather call it a dystopian novel. In terms of those who see it as a steampunk novel, I have a little trouble to really agree. It is a changed world, using the morals of the Victorian era but nevertheless all the innovations we have today and even more. So we can’t see any really machines or objects out of their elements or truly original. In addition, each character speaks like we do now.

I found it very interesting to discover this world and all its intricacies. It must be said that there are still a large number of them. Everything is very different from what I had the opportunity to read so far, and it’s true that I would like to learn more. We therefore follow Nora Dearly, the daughter of a former great researcher who leaves school to have some days off with her aunt, now that the mourning period of one year for her father has ended. She can now wear colors other than black and socialize with others. But this girl is really different of the others of her rank. Mingle with others is not important to her, especially as she only needs her friend Pamela. While the other girls are looking for a husband in good company, unobtrusive and beautiful Nora is interested about the current events, like the ancient wars. Something that is not made for girls of good family. But overnight, her life is turned upside down in the most terrible ways. In fact, she is attacked in her home by Gray, some zombies working for a dangerous man who wants to recover her at all costs. Saved in extremis, she will end up in a strange basis of which she knows nothing and meet a very intriguing young zombie, named Bram. Despite his instructions, Bram reveals the whole truth to our heroine, and as well as us at the same time, showing us around a world that no one suspects.

I enjoyed discovering the history of each character. They all come from completely different cultures and it was interesting to see how they arrived there. I was quite surprised at first by the tie of the book. In fact, each chapter is from the perspective of a different character, and although I loved to follow Nora and Bram, I had a little more trouble with the other characters and I was hoping to finish each chapter to return to our two heroes. I understand however that these chapters there were important for understanding the history and what was happening in the different parts of the city.

Nora was really a character I really liked, she never gives up, and responds and acts like she thinks. Her friends and family are everything to her, and she is capable of anything to save them. The relationship established with Bram is pretty cute and I’m curious to see how it will evolve as we understand very well at the end of the novel that troubles are far from over.

4

 

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The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
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Synopsis: A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Três shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Três will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

Pulsing with the beat of futuristic Brazil, burning with the passions of its characters, and overflowing with ideas, this fiery novel will leave you eager for more from Alaya Dawn Johnson

Review: Immediately I was very attracted by this book. The synopsis was very attractive too and the cover so beautiful, to the point that I couldn’t resist. The idea of a futuristic Brazil where human sacrifices are practiced was something quite new to me and I was very curious to discover more things about it. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm quickly collapsed with the first few pages. 🙁 Indeed I didn’t manage to connect to the story and I really regret it because it’s the first time I read such an original novel.

So here we are in Palmares Três, a pyramid-shaped city governed only by women. At the head of this matriarchal society, there is a ‘Queen’ and the ‘Aunts’. Once every five years, a king is elected. His influence within the government will be more or less significant depending on whether we are in a lunar or solar year. But the most important thing here is that no matter what if they are lunar or solar, all kings are killed during a ritual whose purpose is to designate the Queen. Enki has just been elected. He is the Summer King so he has no much time to live. But Enki is not like the other Kings because he comes from the ‘verde’, the most disadvantaged area of the city, it’s located at the base of the pyramid.

To tell the truth, I don’t know what to think about this book. Even if I didn’t like Alaya Dawn Johnson’s writing style, I must recognize that The Summer Prince didn’t leave me indifferent. It is a very original but also a very complex novel. I had to go back and read again many passages to make sure I understood everything. Many things annoyed me during my reading. The words invented by the author bothered me: while some of them seemed easy enough to guess, others, however, seemed to me less obvious. So because of all this futuristic vocabulary, I had some difficulties to picture most of the descriptions. Another point that annoyed me: the absence of chapters. The book is divided into four main parts which are in fact the four seasons of a year. The novel itself is already quite complicated so it’s confusing to have such a division. Finally the lack of information about the world before the cataclysm and everything that led to the creation of Palmares Três and its unique system is quite unsettling. Nothing is really explained and the little things we discover in this book are unclear. In short everything is rather confusing.

Concerning the characters, it was hard for me to really appreciate them. The heroin, June lives only for her art. She’s a rebellious teenager who is trying to find herself. Her relationships with her mother are conflicting. June reproaches her mother the death of her father and blames her of remarrying someone else. A strange relationship starts between June, her best friend, Gil and Enki. I must say I didn’t expect that eroticism occupies such an important place in this kind of book. Indeed, the author broaches topics like homosexuality, bisexuality or prostitution in original ways. Enki is an enigmatic character and the presence of some passages from his point of view didn’t really help me to understand him better. I liked Gil however but unfortunately he is the character that is less present. The ending is fairly predictable but it’s the most logical and in the end I’m rather satisfied with this conclusion.

To conclude I think The Summer Prince is a very original exotic reading but unfortunately I didn’t enjoyed it. A good point however: all the references to traditions, culture and the Brazilian folklore. There are many words in Portuguese as well as many musical references and even cooking! It was interesting.

2mon pseudo