Dawn of Rebellion by Michelle Lynn

Exercise for today is to just pick up a random book. Don't read the blurb, just start reading. I often download free books and don't look to closely at the blurb. Sometimes I have the wrong idea about a book and it can be a bit disorienting. (Like this one which I thought was about the American war of Independence, but then I read about London and cars etc.and it dawned this was not a historical novel) I always like to be surprised, I think it ads to my reading pleasure. So this one was a surprise, but a good 5 star one.

Dawn of Rebellion by Michelle Lynn

I have a habit of not reading book blurbs carefully and I’m often surprised when I start reading a book. I got all comfortable with my kindle and sat down to what I thought was a novel about the American war of independence. I didn’t mind one bit when I found myself reading a YA novel about two sisters, Dawn and Gabby surviving in a future version of London where a totalitarian regime rules. The former United States is once again a colony of Britain. When Gabby is arrested for shoplifting, she is shipped off to the colonies. Her sister Dawn and Gabby’s boyfriend Drew start a desperate journey into the unknown to find her.

This is a story about young people discovering a strength and bravery within that they didn’t know they possessed. It is also about the power of love making you discover this strength. The book is narrated by Gabby, Dawn and Drew. The chapters are named after the narrator so this doesn’t get confusing at any point. The story has a quick pace due to short chapters, lots of action and narrator changing all the time. All three talk in sort of cockney London accent, that I found very amusing. It made Dawn and Gabby believable as two streetwise London kids.

This is firmly a young adult novel and the budding romances between Dawn and Drew and Gabby and Jeremy will please this group of readers. Also the action is good and there are a number of cliff hanger moments, including the ending. (Got to leg it to Amazon and buy part 2) The book is also laden with symbolism as the group find bits of a former civilisation and inhabitants of a land that used to be the United States. No one knows what destroyed this civilisation, but religion is now banned in Britain. This mix of all destroying war, religion and world powers, makes the book current and interesting to adult readers like myself too. I will be interested to see where Michelle Lynn will take this story next. Promising start to a series.

Defective (The Institute Series Book 3) by Kayla Howarth

I already reviewed the first two in this series and it is a pleasure to now do the third. This Australian YA writer is a cut above the rest and her books are fun to read. Even though the pace in this book is a bit slower, it still kept my attention and I'm happy to give the third in the series 5 stars too.

Defective (The Institute Series Book 3) by Kayla Howarth on Amazon

I hugely enjoyed book one and two in this series, so I eagerly awaited the third instalment; Defective. We find Allira two years on from the end of the second book. She is working with her aunt in a clinic, helping defective patients who increasingly find themselves the victims of hate crimes. Allira is wracked with guilt that overthrow of the institute didn’t lead to greater tolerance; instead it left defectives vulnerable to attacks. Two years later she is also still mourning the death of her boyfriend Chad. She has agreed to live with Paxton James and his daughter Nuka, once things became difficult at home; her grieving has pushed the once closest to her away. Paxton is running for president and Allira agrees to play his ‘girlfriend’ in order to help his campaign. Life for Allira is shaping up to be all about duty, until tall handsome psychology student Jayce walks into the clinic. The pace of this book is initially a bit slow as Allira struggles with duty versus what she really wants, but then things hot up as the past is catching up with her and she realises what she thought was the truth proves to be otherwise. There are a good few surprises towards the end of the book, and the final chapter sets it up nicely for a sequel. Judging by the ending, book four I imagine, will have a few comedy moments. I think Jayce is one of Kayla Howarth's best characters yet. He is comfortable leaving all the heroics and ass-kicking to Allira and sister Jenna, just providing moral support and a shapely shoulder to cry on. Who needs a hero when you are perfectly able to kick any ones butt? I’m happy she has found the brains to her brawn.

Reborn by S.L.Stacy

Even though this was a great read, I had some issues with it, so 4 stars to this debut novel:

Reborn by S.L. Stacy

This was a sexy, fast paced YA story, and I enjoyed it very much. (YA but contains some sexual content.) I read this book in a few sittings, which is always a good sign.

 Who knew that there is more of a link between the ancient Greek city of the gods Olympus, and an American sorority, apart from the use of the Greek alphabet? At some points I was a bit puzzled by the plot, but decided to not question it too much and go with the flow.

 The main character Siobhan Elliot is a perky American College student and initially I sympathised a lot with her. She carries a secret that seems impossible to reveal to people, and she ended up pushing the ones she loves away. What made me scream at the pages, was the fact that when Siobhan had the chance to mend bridges and rekindle a lost love; she ends up making some terrible choices. I suppose she is very human in thinking she can turn a bad boy good. But with the YA feel of the book I would have liked Siobhan to be a better example. There is a follow up, so here’s hoping.

 

The Institute by Kayla Howarth

This week I've been reading young adult science fiction. This one was a bit different from the rest as it was well written and had plenty of action. I might be getting a bit to old to read about angst ridden teenagers but I certainly recommend this to a younger audience.

The Institute by Kayla Howarth

In a future where the population has been decimated by disease and a nuclear explosion, some humans have come to possess special powers. The authorities deem these people to be defective and have started to round them up and place them in The Institute to be cured of their dangerous abilities.

Allira Daniels lives with her father and ‘defective’ brother Shiloh. They move around a lot and Allira has perfected living her life being almost invisible. Then one night she helps two car crash victims and everything changes.

Kayla Howarth is on familiar territory with a dystopian society where being different is not tolerated, but what makes this such an entertaining read is the main character Allira. She struggles with putting herself before others, harbouring a secret while falling in love for the first time. She is narrating the story and we experience her thoughts, fears and insecurities first hand. Her love life is complicated to say the least which leads at times to hilarious situations. She is a sympathetic character I could easily relate to. The story moves at a quick pace and I was glued to my kindle for hours at the time. There is plenty of action and a great ending that sets the book up for the sequel.

What I liked about the book is that even though it is set in the future, it still is a society we easily recognise. People still ride the train and use telephones which made this story easy to follow and relate to. The characters are well drawn out and believable. I certainly look forwards to reading the sequel.