Tag Archives: dystopia

The Sacrifice

By Charlie Higson, published by Penguin.

The Sacrifice (The Enemy #4) Goodreads Synopsis: The sickness destroyed everyone over the age of fourteen. All across London diseased adults are waiting, hungry predators with rotten flesh and ravaged minds.
Small Sam and his unlikely ally, The Kid, have survived. They’re safe with Ed and his friends at the Tower of London, but Sam is desperate to find his sister.

Their search for Ella means Sam and The Kid must cross the forbidden zone. And what awaits them there is more terrifying than any of the horror they’ve suffered so far . . .

My Review: I really don’t know why I’d not gotten around to this yet, being a huge fan of the series, but I’m glad I finally got around to it! The Sacrifice was another brilliant installment in a brilliant teen zombie series.

I was so glad to be getting back to the character of Sam! I just loved him, and have adored following his journey as he survived zombie attacks by himself, being just a small boy. I really admired his courage and bravery. He’s a great, vital character to this series! This story was pretty much focused all around him and that was just awesome. Also, of course, it focused around The Kid, Sam’s newest accomplice. I loved The Kid because he seemed very different to any of the other teenagers in the book. He was a little… strange, but I loved that. His humor and general random-ness really brightened up the book! The bond between The Kid and Sam was just beautiful, I think, and had very intriguing links to this religious warning given by a teenager that went mad after a gas poisoning. Sounds a bit random, right? It all makes sense if you read the book, haha!

The plot was really great. The focus frequently switched between Sam and The Kid’s journey, to Shadowman, a mysterious guy stalking the increasingly intelligent zombies, to Ed and his crew from The Tower, who go out in search for Sam after he disappears with The Kid and the strange new Tish (Who I thought was bad news from the start. And I was SO right). Higson handled this really well: He didn’t switch every chapter, which would’ve been annoying, but he did flip the focus leaving huge cliffhangers that meant I really couldn’t stop reading!

The descriptions, as ever, were bloody and gory and stomach churning. Obviously, though; what else could you expect from one of teen’s biggest horror writers? I absolutely loved it (don’t be fooled by the cute looking blog I have. I love gory stuff ;)). The vivid and horrific descriptions captured Charlie Higson’s apocalyptic world so brilliantly! As always, also, the settings were great. I love the whole concept behind it; how the teenagers were all taking advantage of famous London Landmarks. Not only do you get a great insight into the landmarks, like St. Paul’s and The Tower, but the author has definitely made them seem a whole lot darker. Maybe I’ll avoid St. Paul’s Cathedral if I’m ever in that area. Some creepy stuff happened there in The Sacrifice!

Overall, The Sacrifice most definitely did not disappoint. Full of violence, action and brutal, terrifying zombies, fans of horror in any form will gobble Charlie Higson’s brilliant Enemy series up! Though, these books are especially not for the faint hearted. The plot was probably the best that I’ve seen in the books so far, although it did seem like this installment was very much about showing all of the settlements to the reader… hopefully for a huge connection to be made in the final books? The characters in The Sacrifice were great: I loved all of them so much and felt like crying a bit at some of the deaths. I’ve now jumped on to reading an ARC of The Fallen, published tomorrow, and that’s great so far, too!

My Rating:

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I received a copy of The Sacrifice from family as a Christmas Present (I KNOW, I can’t believe I never got round to it until now, either! :/).

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Mini Reviews!

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Over the last couple of months, I’ve forgotten to review a few books I’ve bought, on my blog! As I probably can’t write a whole review on them now, as I haven’t got the details fresh in my head anymore, I’ve decided to do a couple of mini reviews. Summaries on my thoughts, basically. There might be a few more mini reviews coming up soon! 🙂
Here are two horror/sci-fi/dystopia books! They both have the same genres, though they’re remarkably different. Both, however, are utterly terrifying.

172 HOURS ON THE MOON: (Johan Harstad, Tara Chase-translator)
This was a brilliant read. I loved the idea of a lottery run by NASA for three teens to go up to the moon! I borrowed this from a friend. I thought ooh, interesting! This looks very sciencey. He told me DO NOT READ IT IN THE DARK. NEVER. For the first half of the book, I though he was joking. It was good, well paced with great characters. It seemed a bit contemporary, and I was kind of enjoying it. Then they arrive on the moon as spooky things begin to happen. The horror kicks in. Pace quickens… As does pulse. Stupid me, I read this before going to sleep. I should really listen to my friends better.
172 HOURS was truly quite terrifying. The horror concept was random, a bit, but really thrilling. The last quarter of the book was a bit too fast for me (or was I just scared and reading quickly?). The ending? Wow.
If you’re looking for a good fright, and a real shock, this is the book!

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1) ANGELFALL (Susan Ee)
This has been on my to-look-out-for mental list for some time. Spotting it in Sainsbury’s, I grabbed a copy! Honestly, I though it was a paranormal romance thing: apocalypse caused by angels. Wounded angel is tended to by girl looking for answers about her sister. Girl falls in love with angel. Love/action story for rest of book.
While it was a tiny bit like that, I had no idea how much of the horror element was in this book. It started as great as any other dystopia book I’d read… And then it took a dark and sinister turn. The last… Seventy five pages or so were terrifying, and most definitely not what I was expecting! It’s pretty gory and twisted- think Darren Shan’s ZOM B, with elements of sister-love thrown in. Totally gripping, though after such an interesting, dystopia read, I felt the horror oriented ending didn’t quite match up with the rest of the book. Despite that… A brilliant, determined protagonist!

My Ratings: It’s quite hard for me to rate these books… Both were great but there were aspects I didn’t enjoy.

Overall…

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To Angelfall

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To 172 Hours On The Moon

I borrowed a copy of 172 Hours from a friend, and bought a copy of Angelfall in a local store.

The Elites

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By Natasha Ngan, published by Hot Key Books.

Goodreads Synopsis: ‘There is a rumour that the Elites don’t bleed.’

Hundreds of years into the future, wars, riots, resource crises and rising sea-levels have destroyed the old civilisations. Only one city has survived: Neo-Babel, a city full of cultures – and racial tension.
Fifteen-year-old Silver is an Elite, a citizen of Neo-Babel chosen to guard the city due to her superior DNA. She’d never dream of leaving – but then she fails to prevent the assassination of Neo Babel’s president, setting off a chain of events more shocking and devastating than she could ever have imagined. Forced to flee the city with her best friend Butterfly (a boy with genetically-enhanced wings), Silver will have to fight to find her family, uncover the truth about Neo-Babel and come to terms with her complicated feelings for Butterfly.
Packed full of adventure, romance, exoticism and the power of friendship, The Elites is a highly compelling and beautifully written novel from a supremely talented debut author.

My Review: I heard about this book at the beginning of this year, and I’ve been getting so excited for it throughout the past few months. When I received a copy, I was so ecstatic! I delved right into The Elites and found it hard to drag myself back into reality between chapters. It was such a breath taking, beautiful book, that screamed originality. Beware of a long review here, ranting on about the brilliance!

Firstly, the setting! Neo Babel was just so well developed. I actually don’t think that I’ve read about such a well thought out, brilliant world since Harry Potter… And that was *mentally calculates* five years ago! Neo Babel was rich with fantasy, mixed in with an interesting, but tension filled, multicultural society. The blend of imaginative fantasy and realistic society (I think London is a lot like it, in terms of diversity!) made for such a brilliant backdrop. It reminded me a little of The Killables by Gemma Malley, in the fact that the city is enclosed from the outside world… Though there are these small, rebellious groups outside.

The plot? Practically flawless! I was most definitely not expecting the twists and turns that we’re in store for me. The story begins with Silver, who witnesses the assassination of Neo Babel’s leader. This was just in the first few pages! Every event after that was just as riveting. I enjoyed reading about Silver and Butterfly as they set outside Neo Babel, in search of Silver’s parents. If you’re looking for an exciting plot, read The Elites. You will not be disappointed!
I think the only thing that I disliked about the plot was very minor. Silver and Butterfly both discover *SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT!* lost family members. As surprised as this made me feel, I think that I couldn’t emotionally attach to the characters much over this. Maybe, if things about their pasts with family had been revealed before the discoveries, I could have been even more sympathizing with the new characters and the protagonists? The family finding thing was just thrown on me, and I wasn’t too sure what to make of it at first as I didn’t know about them before.

The characters in this book were just… Unforgettable! I loved Silver so much- she was a great, strong protagonist. I was rooting for her throughout the entire novel. I was fascinated (and maybe slightly jealous) of her job, as an Elite! I laughed with her, and felt all of her emotions so well through the author’s writing: Natasha Ngan made me feel genuine love for most characters like Silver and Butterfly, and genuine hatred for others… There were points where I wanted to just throttle Ember! (Ember was like an evil stepsister. And although I felt a teensy bit sorry for her, I disliked her as much as the main antagonists).
Oh, how could I forget?! BUTTERFLY. Butterfly is the male lead character of the book, and I’m competing with a lot of bloggers at the moment to be his hugest fan. Think… Peeta (Hunger Games), but stronger, more sacrificing, with a little bit of Jace’s (Mortal Instruments) charm and awesomeness. Oh, plus wings.
Yep I said wings. How cool is that? The love interest, and heartthrob, and imaginary husband to a bunch of bloggers, (I’m looking at you, Hawwa!), has wings. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better supporting character.

Overall, The Elites just blew me away. It was such an original read, that I devoured quickly and was left wanting more of… though, it’s a standalone, which I’m also quite happy about. The characters were flawless and the book was laced with their raw emotions, thanks to some immaculate writing. A plot with excellent twists and surprises was set on a backdrop that was described beautifully (Dear Natasha: Can I live there? Pleeaasee?). This has got to be one of the best fantasies I’ve read this year, up with the mortal instruments, and when it’s published, I have no doubt it’s going to be big.

My Rating:

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Also, the publishers have made this amazing interactive cover! Go check it out- full of extracts, links, and a video.

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/421691333351047168#tlsite

I received a copy of The Elites from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

THE RIG

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By Joe Ducie, published by Hot Key Books.

The Rig Goodreads synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Will Drake has made a career of breaking out from high-security prisons. His talents have landed him at The Rig, a specialist juvenile holding facility in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. No one can escape from The Rig. No one except for Drake…

After making some escape plans and meeting the first real friends of his life, Drake quickly realises that all is not as it seems on The Rig. The Warden is obsessed with the mysterious Crystal-X – a blue, glowing substance that appears to give superpowers to the teens exposed to it. Drake, Tristan and Irene are banking on a bid for freedom – but can they survive long enough to make it?

My Review: THE RIG was an absolutely brilliant story from start to finish- and most definitely deserved to win the Guardian/Hot Key young Writers Prize! The whole idea was both chilling and gripping, and I was given an utterly original tale that I don’t think I’ll be forgetting.

The setting was so vivid, and seemed terrifyingly real: an old Oil Rig, secluded from the public eye, that now houses juvenile offenders and is run by the pretty brutal Alliance. Think of the relentless police force that control Britain in ACID by Emma Pass: but their power on a global scale! It made the whole book pretty scary! The remote oil rig was also probably the most genius backdrop for an escape/mystery novel. It made the final escape plan devised by Drake and his new accomplices very unpredictable.

The plot was just, in one word, immaculate. It’s got to be one of the most thrilling that I’ve read this year! It was full of unexpected events and twists, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading. Things were complicated very quickly, thanks to Drake’s cockiness towards the Guards and, most especially, minor antagonist Grey and his thuggish gang; also prisoners of the Rig, and they hold grudges. The story was paced really well as Drake searched for a way out, got into scraps with Grey, and made relationships with characters whose parts in the book shook up the story (especially Irene, and Drakes psychiatrist!).

I really couldn’t ask for a better character to lead this story! Drake was a brilliant protagonist- he was extremely bright, always on an adventure, trying to escape from high security prisons (To Joe Ducie- Was the front door of one REALLY unlocked?) , and was cocky and funny, brightening up an otherwise quite dismal situation. He’s quite a relatable character, as parts of his past (like his family background) were really well explained- though a lot of it was shrouded in a cloud of mystery, which was interesting. I felt really sympathetic for him throughout the book, as he was scared to make friends in case he lost them like previous people in his life. It was really great to see him slowly grow closer to two certain prisoners.

As for the writing? Gripping! It was rich with imagery, and I could imagine the setting and characters so well through Joe Ducie’s writing. I mentioned before that Drake was really relatable- and I’ve only ever found that I’ve been able to connect with characters in first person books. However, this book’s in third person, but I really felt like I was Drake. The author definitely has writing talent, and he left some cliffhangers that made this book unputdownable. And the cliffhanger at the end. *refrains from putting on Caps Lock* I need a sequel, now!!

Overall, The RIG is an unmissable read for Young Teens and up. It’s entirely original, and I’ve never read an action/mystery novel like it before. There’s no wonder it won the Young Writers Prize! The characters were realistic and I either fell in love with their personalities or learned to hate their guts (*cough* Grey *Cough* The whole Alliance *cough*). Also with a brilliant, thrilling setting and well written chapters, what’s not to love?

My Rating:

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I received a copy of THE RIG from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse

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By Katie Coyle, published by Hot Key Books (Winner of the 2012 Young Writers Fiction Prize).

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse Goodreads synopsis: A chilling vision of a contemporary USA where the sinister Church of America is destroying lives. Our cynical protagonist, seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple, is awaiting the fated ‘Rapture’ - or rather the lack of it. Her evangelical parents have been in the Church’s thrall for too long, and she’s looking forward to getting them back. Except that when Vivian arrives home the day after the supposed ‘Rapture’, her parents are gone. All that is left are two holes in the ceiling…

Viv is determined to carry on as normal, but when she starts to suspect that her parents might still be alive, she realises she must uncover the truth. Joined by Peter, a boy claiming to know the real whereabouts of the Church, and Edie, a heavily pregnant Believer who has been ‘left behind’, they embark on a road trip across America. Encountering freak weather, roving ‘Believer’ gangs and a strange teenage group calling themselves the ‘New Orphans’, Viv soon begins to realise that the Rapture was just the beginning.

My Review: It was no wonder that Vivian Versus The Apocalypse won the 2012 Young Writers Prize! This book simply blew me away with its originality. I’ve never read a book centered around religion almost entirely- it was really interesting, and now the future of religion in America is looking a bit terrifying. The story begins with Viv, at a party that’s basically mocking the supposed Rapture- a date given by a American messenger who predicted that all believers would be awarded on this particular date by being sent up to Heaven. It was such an original idea- I’ve never read, or seen, a book like it before! Katie Coyle has successfully given this whole new American religion a great, detailed background- I understood it straight away and was really intrigued about it. Coyle’s writing was immaculate! It explained everything really well, and I was totally hooked on this because of the imagery.

The plot was really well structured. A huge chunk of the story was told as Viv went on a road trip across America to obtain answers: I really liked that aspect, because every few chapters I was transported to a different place in America, where there were more exciting and riveting plot twists in store for me! For the first part of the book, I wasn’t especially supportive of Viv- who just willingly left with her grandparents who she’d never known, leaving her friends behind. Then, everything definitely picked up as she returned, ready for a road trip with her old and new friends to seek the truth about the Rapture and the location of her parents. The book was just entirely unpredictable, really! The only thing that I didn’t like about the plot was the last few pages before the ending. Don’t get me wrong- the ending was brilliant! But I think that everything was revealed quite fast-Or was that just me reading quickly, eager for answers…?- and so I think the answers didn’t really sink in properly at first. I had to re-read a few passages.

I feel in love with the personality of Viv! She was a really, really great main character. Apart from the beginning, where she left for a while and I couldn’t understand her reasons behind it, she was an excellent protagonist. Strong, a little quirky, and modern, I found myself growing to love her character as the story progressed. I was really hoping she would find her parents! I could feel her emotions really well through Katie Coyle’s writing… especially when she discovered something about her family background quite a way into the book. Wow! That was a really shocking part. And very clever, too. Also, the other thing I adored about Viv was her growing relationship with the character Peter, who was the love interest for the story. They made such a sweet couple! He had a really great background, too. The ending left me a little heartbroken (I’m trying to write this without spoilers. Diiiiiificult!). I now need a sequel to find out what happens with the two of them!

Overall, Vivian Versus The Apocalypse was a truly brilliant read. It was definitely worthy of the prize for the young writers competition run by Hot Key Books and The Guardian! I adored the main characters, and I think that the story was one of the most original that I’ve read lately. Never before have I read a book much like this one! The religious side was really thought provoking, and scarily possible. I’d recommend this to any teenagers looking for an incredible, imaginative read.

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Vivian Versus The Apocalypse from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

My review of the other Young Writers Fiction Prize winner, THE RIG, will be up soon, so keep an eye out!

The Testing

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By Joelle Carbonnaeu, published by Templar.

The Testing (The Testing, #1) Goodreads synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Cia Vale is honoured to be chosen for The Testing – a series of exams set by the United Commonwealth that selects the brightest young adults to become leaders of their war- stricken world. But when candidates start disappearing and Cia witnesses unimaginable horrors done in the United Commonwealth’s name it becomes clear that these are no ordinary exams, and Cia is forced to realise the truth: this is no longer about winning, but surviving.

My review: The Testing was a really enjoyable read, great for dystopia fans, though there were a few points that I think brought the book down. I’ll get those points out of the way, before I go onto the best things!

I started this book, really excited to see what would happen. I’ve never read anything by Joelle before so I was quite interested to see what her writing would be like. I was really hooked onto the story from the beginning, curious about this mysterious Testing that was taking place in a mostly destroyed future world. Then, as the story progressed, I got a little bit annoyed about certain aspects.

Anyone who knows me well enough will know that I am a huge obsessive about The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is my all time favourite book. And so while I was reading this, I noticed a lot of things that seemed to just have been copied from THG. For example: Teens are being selected from district-like colonies, and there’s a city much like the Capitol that they travel to. Then, they have a feast before The Testing… a little like they do before the tributes go into the arena in THG. Then, in one stage of The Testing, the teenagers are left in a wild, abandoned place and it turns into a game of survival where people start getting killed. All of this just made it seem like this book had been built on the foundations of another book, which was a bit disappointing for me because I had such high hopes for this, and it looked pretty original. But, bad stuff aside now. Onto the good points!

Despite the beginning which I didn’t enjoy as I kept noticing Hunger-Gamesy things, I really grew to love this book after about half of it. I enjoyed reading about these tests that Cia had to undertake, and the book got pretty pulse quickening as some of the tests were revealed as deathly! The plot was gripping, especially during the final, lethal test of survival. There were definitely lots of surprises hidden away, making the story unpredictable. I ended up reading the whole thing in a matter of hours, because I wanted to know what would happen to Cia.

Cia was a really great character, though I didn’t really connect with her at first. She seemed a bit emotionless, until she was selected for The Testing. Then, I started to really feel what she was feeling. She was portrayed as a typical teenager, really- with the best friend who she has a crush on, who’s got the good grades. There wasn’t that much development on her background, though there really was on her father’s, which was really interesting as his past linked to her fate, in a way. She was quite realistic after I’d gotten used to her character, brave, intelligent, and above all, I really loved seeing her relationship with her friend grow throughout the Test of survival.

The world building was effective in this book. The destroyed, but re-building world the story was set in was brought to life well through the writing. I liked the narration, and the vivid descriptions of some horrific things!

Overall, The Testing was a great read. It annoyed me that the first half of the book seemed to be based on The Hunger Games, but the story definitely picked up halfway through and I came to enjoy it more. It was really fun to see Cia travel through her terrifying journey to winning The Testing, and the world it was set in was imaginative and scarily possible! I read it in quite a short space in time; this is a great book to curl up with. The ending has really made me want to read the sequel, which I’m really hoping doesn’t have other book’s aspects in, though. A fun read for dystopia fans!

My Rating: I was really torn as to what to give this book, because of so many good and bad things. This rating is going to seem quite low, but it’s actually a good rating for a book. Check out my rating system page to get the details!

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I received a PDF of The Testing from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Nineteen Eighty-Four

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By George Orwell, published by Penguin.

Nineteen Eighty-Four Goodreads synopsis: Winston Smith works for the Ministry of truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities. Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent – even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101 . . .

My Review: Nineteen Eight-Four was such a brilliant read! I’ve been meaning to read it for ages, and finally spotted it in my school library. Then borrowed it. Then devoured the whole thing in about a day, because it was just so addictive!

The story began really well. Instantly, I disliked Big Brother- from the first paragraph, describing that super creepy poster. The whole set-up was very eerie and suspicious. The world that Orwell has built in this book is just so imaginative; intriguing and scary at the same time. The Big Brother and the Government are trying to develop a new language to avoid people being able to speak rebellious thoughts, and telescreens in every single room monitor actions and can call in police if you stick one foot out of line. It’s a pretty terrifying vision of the future!

The plot was great, too. Well written, and rich in detail, it was just so entertaining to read. Throughout the whole story,I honestly didn’t have a clue where the story line was headed. I loved how Winston was mislead by Julia’s spy-like actions, and then how they came together and became a rebellious duo. Towards the ending, there were some truly brilliant plot twists that threw Winston and Julia apart in the most unpredictable of ways. I’d been brainstorming ways Winston and Julia might face capture, but the way they did was so unexpected, and left me in a state of shock for the rest of the novel. There were lots of pretty scary parts, too, at the ending. Room 101 terrifies me, thanks to Winston’s terrifying encounter with it. If I ever have another English class in that room (one of my school English classrooms is 101!), I think I might be more than a little scared.

Winston, at first, I didn’t really like. His negative thoughts towards Julia, before they were together, were really a little too harsh, and made me think that he was always going to be a really bitter character. In fact, it wasn’t for a while that I started to like him. As his relationship with Julia began to blossom, he didn’t seem to really, truly care about her much. However, all of that was abolished when things began to get more dangerous in the city, and I was totally rooting for him to get out of everything okay near the ending.

I think that Julia was an okay supporting character. Nothing too special, but made for an enjoyable character to read about. She was quite basic- not much background information was given on her, much unlike Winston. Maybe, if I’d gotten to know a bit more about her, and if Orwell had given her some visible emotions, I would have loved her much more.

Overall, Nineteen Eighty-Four was a really great classic read. It’s a brilliant dystopian, and obviously a must for fans of dystopic novels- because, as I’ve heard, most are based on Nineteen Eighty-Four! The world-building was just immaculate- it felt so real. The setting definitely had a big impact on me as a reader, because it’s believable, in a way, that London could actually soon become this. I liked the characters, and although they’re not my favourite protagonists ever, I do admit that I really did enjoy reading about them. If you’re a fan of classic novels, dystopia novels, or looking for a very terrifying read, then Nineteen Eighty-Four is definitely for you!

My Rating:

I honestly had a very hard time rating this book! The characters put it down a little bit at the beginning, but the world building was just so brilliant. So, my original rating of three has now gone up to a four, just because of the plot and setting, really.

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I borrowed a copy of Nineteen Eighty Four from my school library.

After Tomorrow

NOBLE CONFLICT

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By Malorie Blackman, published by Random House.

The Noble Conflict

Goodreads synopsis: Years after a violent war destroyed much of the world, Kaspar has grown up in a society based on peace and harmony. But beyond the city walls, a vicious band of rebels are plotting to tear this peace apart. It is up to the Guardians – an elite peacekeeping force – to protect the city, without ever resorting to the brutal methods of their enemy.

When Kaspar joins the Guardians, he has a chance encounter with a rebel – a beautiful girl named Rhea. Haunted from that moment on by strange visions and memories – memories that could only belong to Rhea – he realises he hasn’t been told the truth about what the rebels really want, and what he’s really fighting for.

My review: What a brilliant, dystopian read! If you’re a fan of Dan Wells, Suzanne Collins, or Lauren Oliver, I’m pretty sure that you will love this book. The setting was really great, and was really well developed and imaginative. A world half destroyed by war… and a ‘peaceful’ society in which people now grow up in… It was just so great. Plunging straight into the Guardian graduations at the beginning, I immediately got really interested in the society these people in the future are living in. Then, when not even fifty pages in, a terrorist attack took place, I literally went “WHOA!”, and realised that this book was going to be very action packed. And, to my delight, it was. Throughout the (seriously brilliant, well structured and unpredictable) plot, there was so much nail-biting suspense and action that kept me on the edge of my seat. This is definitely one of the most thrilling dystopians that I have ever read. And I’ve read a lot.

The plot was so great. the first, rather unexpected terrorist attack set off a chain of events that would affect Kaspar’s friends and future. There were so many shocking moments that I had to keep re-reading (that’s a good thing, because they felt so realistic!). Also, I really loved Malorie Blackman’s writing. I really liked how she added, every few chapters, a segment from a piece of writing containing information about the war that has destroyed so much of the Earth and formed a terrorist group. Those pieces were much enjoyed by myself, but seemed to get forgotten about around the middle section of the book, though, and then were shown towards the end. I would have liked to have read a few more, really, because they were really interesting.

Kaspar was a really great character and I loved reading about him. From the start, I could see his raw determination to become a Guardian of the city and help fight back at the violent terrorists. I think he was such a likeable and clever character, and he developed really well in terms of confidence throughout the story. I was supporting him all the way through, and totally respected his choices, especially the heart-breaking one about Rhea towards the ending. He also got closer and closer to Mac, a supporting character, through the course of events, and I really enjoyed seeing Kaspar start to find feelings for Mac, and how their story ended. My only problem with him was that after A Certain Somebody I Won’t Mention The Name Of died near the middle, he seemed angry at first… and then seemed to just forget about him. If there was one thing I could change about this book, I would have enjoyed it even more than I already did if he felt a bit more affected by A Certain Somebody’s death, and maybe did it justice by getting back at the terrorists somehow.

Overall, NOBLE CONFLICT was a really, really awesome read. If you’re looking to read what I’m very sure is going to be The Next Big Dystopian, go buy this now! This book was full of action, drama and adventure, in a layered and well-written plot, and was led by a very strong character who I’d love to read more about. I’d so want a sequel, Malorie Blackman- this brilliant world you’ve created is absolutely amazing!

My Rating: (check out my new rating system on the third page of the menu, above.)
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I received a copy of NOBLE CONFLICT from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.