dystopian

Review: A Better World by Sarah Langan

~ megs14malloy

A Better WorldA Better World by Sarah Langan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Better World brings the Reader another unsettling near-future as imagined by Sarah Langan!!

I really enjoyed Good Neighbors by Langan, so was looking forward to checking this one out. It’s absolutely as wild and wicked as that previous novel, but this one went even darker, IMO, which I adore.

This story follows the Farmer-Bowens family, a married couple, Linda and Russell, as well as their teen twins, Hip and Josie, as they are given the opportunity to join the company town of Plymouth Valley.

In this dystopian near-future a safe haven like Plymouth Valley is an unbelievable windfall for any family.

After touring the community, they realize they can’t turn it down. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Russell, a genius with numbers, is offered a job with the company and that will be their foot in the door.

Linda will have to give up her medical career, but truth be told, it’s not exactly keeping them safe anyway. The family agrees that they’re going to go for it. They’re moving to Plymouth Valley.

Once they’re there, things are…a little too perfect. You know what I mean? It’s so perfect, it’s unsettling.

Hip and Russell seem to adjust okay. Linda and Josie not so much. Maybe it’s slightly easier for the men for some reason. Is that possible?

Mainly through Linda’s perspective, we learn the truth about this seemingly-bucolic company town and watch this one family try to survive it.

It was hard to predict going in what exactly Langan was going to deliver with this one, but after reading it, it makes perfect sense. No one does unsettling perfection better than Sarah Langan.

This is The Stepford Wives on steroids. This story is nuts. The vibes are so creepy. It’s one of those fantastically-told stories, where from the start you’re creeped out, but you can’t really put your finger on why.

It’s like, you’re scared, but nothing overtly scary is happening. And reading it, it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion, everything is slowly revealed but with perfect pacing, providing optimal impact for just exactly how messed up this situation is.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a deep dive into a dark dystopian future. This provides a lot of commentary on wealth, privilege and the power of corporations, for you to sink your teeth into.

It feels a little long, as in, Langan really built out this story, but if you have the patience and just settle in for the ride, it’s so well done. I definitely believe it successfully captured the vibes the author was hoping for!

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’m sorry it took me so long to get to this one, because I’ve been missing out. I cannot wait to see what Langan is going to deliver next!!!

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Review: Gleanings (Arc of the Scythe #3.5) by Neal Shusterman

~ megs14malloy

Gleanings (Arc of a Scythe, #3.5)Gleanings by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gleanings, tagged as Arc of the Scythe #3.5, is a collection of 13-short stories set within Shusterman’s incredible world of the Scythe. A world without death, or disease. A world I fell in love with as I binged the entire trilogy recently.

This was a fantastic collection. I listened to the audio and loved the multiple narrators, including Shusterman himself. It provided great new insights and gave me some extra time with a few of my favorite characters that I wasn’t ready to say good-bye too yet.

I appreciated how the collection was arranged and liked how it was sort of book-ended by stories following one of my favorite characters of the series.

My favorite story though, which personally I think is worth picking up the entire collection for, is hands-down The Martian Minute, which gives the Reader tons more insight into the Mars disaster. It’s a bit of an origin story for the most wicked villain of the series.

I loved how varied the perspectives were and how many of them connected to the original series. As bonus content goes, this leans into the must read category.

I did read this immediately upon finishing The Toll; as in, I started it the next day, so the entire series was fresh in my mind. I was emotional about it ending and didn’t want it to be over. This provided just the right amount of material for me to feel like I can walk away with a full heart now.

Shusterman is a genius. That’s clear throughout this series and I am really hopeful that we’ll eventually get more in this world. I’m not sure if that is in the cards or not, but you better believe I would be first in line at the bookstore if it ever comes to fruition.

Overall, I had a fabulous experience with this. I’m sure glad I made time for it and am happy to display it with the rest of the series on my shelf!

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Review: Thunderhead (Arc of the Scythe #2) by Neal Shusterman

~ megs14malloy

Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The World:

I hate reading sequels.
Ew, the dreaded second book syndrome strikes again.
Can it ever live up to the magic of the first book?

Neal Shusterman upon writing Thunderhead:

Honestly, and I mean this, Thunderhead is one of the most delightful sequels to ever sequel. There is absolutely no dreaded second book syndrome here.

I feel like I am the last person in the world to read this, but just in case I’m not, Thunderhead is the second book in Neal Shusterman’s Arc of the Scythe series.

This YA series is set in a future where natural death has been eradicated. While natural death may be a thing of the past, population control is still necessary. Thus, we have the Scythes, whose job it is to glean people, aka. end their lives.

These books start by following some Scythe apprentices and then we sort of escalate from there. I was concerned this would lose some of the initial intrigue. Sometimes that happens with series, all of the magic lies in the world-building in the first book and then it will sort of dissipate.

Luckily, Shusterman was far from done building out this world. We’re introduced to new things in this book, including characters that really added to the overall story.

I also loved the trajectory for our two mains from the first book, Rowan and Citra. Rowan’s arc, in particular, really evolves in this one, heading in a different direction than what I would have originally anticipated for him.

There’s also a vein of this story that starts investigating the intentions of the founding Scythes. That avenue helped to build out the lore of the world. It brought in history and really got my brain cranking about how vast this scope actually is. It’s truly impressive.

Shusterman has a plan for everything with this one: past, present and future. There’s also so much commentary here, it’s overflowing with religious symbology and if you are searching for those types of connections, it certainly offers up a lot of food for thought.

Additionally, for a longer book, the pace of this never lets up. It builds and builds until one of the most shocking conclusions that I have ever read. It’s perfection.

My jaw was on the floor. I never in a million years could have predicted the end. It was one of those finales that made me so glad that I waited until all the books were released before I started it. I never could have waited.

I did start The Toll immediately upon finishing this and am so glad. If you haven’t made time for this series yet, you absolutely should. I recommend it to all Readers. It’s so unique and engaging. It’s definitely worth a go!

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Review: The Stranded by Sarah Daniels

~ megs14malloy

The Stranded (Stranded, #1)The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Stranded is a YA-Dystopian novel, the cover and synopsis of which grabbed my attention right away. The cover emits quite the vibe. I love it. It’s so Ghost Ship.

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy, but then put off reading it for a bit after seeing some not so encouraging reviews. I wasn’t sure I was in the right mood to get into it at that time.

Recently, I felt inspired to go for it. I was itching to get into a dark and high-stakes YA-Dystopian world.

Unfortunately, this book was a complete miss for me. After the initial set-up, I’m talking the first 5-8%, I was feeling good about it, but then nothing happened.

It never took off for me; fell flat with a vengeance. I dreaded picking it back up after I put it down and never felt compelled or intrigued in any way.

Honestly, I should have pulled the plug, but for some reason, I just felt like if I kept going, maybe I would have a light-bulb moment with it. All would make sense and I would suddenly feel connected with the characters and the story.

The narrative follows three different characters, none of which I felt were particularly well-developed. Additionally, I didn’t feel the world was developed at all. I wanted so much more from it.

One of the things I tend to enjoy about Dystopians are that, sometimes, if done well, you can see glimmers of your society in them. You think to yourself, this is creepy because this could happen. I never felt that with this, because I didn’t feel like I really knew anything about the world, or what led them to be in the current state.

The stakes were ambiguous, the tension was nonexistent and I couldn’t have cared less what happened to any of the characters we were following.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse with this review, too late, some of you may be thinking, nevertheless I shall bow out gracefully here…

As always, please take my opinion with a grain of salt. I am by no means an expert on all things YA Dystopian novels.

If this synopsis sounds intriguing to you, give it a go. You may love it and then you can circle back and tell me how very wrong I am. I look forward to it!

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Although The Stranded wasn’t for me, I know there are a lot of Readers out there who will really enjoy it. I look forward to seeing their thoughts on this one.

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Review: A Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor

~ megs14malloy

A Sliver of DarknessA Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

A Sliver of Darkness is a short-story collection comprised of 10-tales by beloved author, C.J. Tudor. This was Tudor’s only 2022 release, a fact that she addresses within this book.

Anything from Tudor would get me excited, but I was particularly looking forward to trying out some shorter fiction from her. This collection was definitely interesting.

I found these stories to be unique and entertaining. It’s pretty clear Tudor has entered her dystopian/post-apocalyptic era and I’m not mad about it.

This explored themes that felt fresh and relevant to our post-pandemic world. It also got pretty murdery and twisted; two things I adore in dark, or speculative, fiction.

I enjoyed how each story had a short introduction by the author. This reminded me of King’s The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. I always enjoy when an author includes these types of insights into their inspirations, or connections, to each story. It makes the experience more personal.

Additionally, I feel like it helps to set-up the proper tone for each story. I’m definitely glad that Tudor decided to include them in the final copy of the book.

Overall, I found this collection to be varied, unpredictable, well-written, engaging and it definitely gave me a lot to think about.

Considering all the world has been through over the past 3-years, I don’t think it is surprising that this is the type of creativity Tudor felt like expressing. It definitely feels apropos for the times.

Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I love Tudor’s style and will continue to pick up everything she writes!

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Review: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

~ megs14malloy

Cinderella Is DeadCinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cinderella Is Dead is set in a stark-Fantasy world, 200-years after the legendary Cinderella’s happily ever after with Prince Charming.

We follow 16-year old, Sophia, who on the eve of her first Ball, can think only of how she wants to be with her girlfriend, Erin, forever after, not with some man, or boy, she doesn’t even know.

Even though it’s risky, Sophia pleads with Erin to run away with her. Erin refuses. In their society it is treacherous to be different; to want something different for their lives. Erin is scared to be caught, to put herself and her family at risk.

Within the kingdom, all young ladies of a certain age are required to attend the King’s Annual Ball, where they are paraded around in the hopes of being selected to be a man’s wife. They are given a limited number of chances. If not selected, it’s sort of unclear what becomes of them, but many forfeited girls are never heard from again.

The girls are chosen for completely superficial reasons, so it’s important to look your best; to be seen, but not heard.

On the night of their Ball, one of Sophia and Erin’s friends isn’t as prepared as she should be. The King reacts harshly and the poor girl’s fate is sealed.

After witnessing the King’s cruelty, and the citizens impotence in the face of such evil, Sophia can’t stand it anymore. She makes up her mind that she needs to get away. Feeling she has no other option, refusing to bow to these ridiculous traditions, Sophia runs.

Now a wanted criminal, on her own for the first time, outside the grip of the kingdom, Sophia begins to learn more about the kingdom’s history and finds that the lore the society is based upon is nothing but a bag of lies.

Together with her new friend, Constance, Sophia vows to return to the kingdom and dismantle the hurtful, unfair and savage system. It may not be easy though, as the King’s power stems for a formidable and unusual place.

While this started strong for me, with an intriguing premise and set-up, the further I got into the story, the more it lost my interest.

By the end, I was ready to move on. I still think this is a solid idea and build-up, however the final execution just didn’t match my tastes.

As the story opens, I was intrigued by the system and I still find that interesting. I also like how Bayron framed the society around the legend of Cinderella. It was a clever plot device for setting the stage for some serious examination of a patriarchal society.

I also really enjoyed and appreciated how well the dystopian tone blended with the fantastical backdrop. That was nicely done.

I think where this started to lose me was the melodramatic interactions between Sophia and Constance. I didn’t like Constance at all. I was disturbed at how quickly Sophia shoved aside her once-proclaimed super powerful feelings for Erin the second she met Constance.

That didn’t feel genuine. It kind of turned me off to both characters. I also didn’t vibe with how quickly and easily the girls seemed to be able to overpower, or influence, others. This was especially evident in the final scenes, although I don’t want to say too much here because, spoilers.

Overall, I think this was creative and had a very solid set-up. The ideas explored were interesting and I loved the use of the actual fairy tale to set up the basis for the functioning of this system.

Even though the execution of this didn’t quite blow me away, I am still definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!!

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Review: The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3) by Blake Crouch

~ megs14malloy

The Last Town (Wayward Pines, #3)The Last Town by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Last Town is the concluding book in Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines series.

I read the first two books last Fall, but for some reason, as often happens, I then failed to pick this one up. Sometimes when things are so good, you just don’t want them to end.

Luckily for me, this is a very memorable story, so I had no problem picking this one up even though almost a year had passed. I hadn’t forgotten a thing.

The truth of Wayward Pines, even the idea of it, is so horrifying that it is seared into my brain from now until forevermore.

After the reveals of the second book, which had huge repercussions for the entire town, things get much worse. Much, much worse.

Ethan Burke has ticked off Pilcher and that results in Pilcher cranking up for a temper tantrum of epic proportions. He’s about to unleash a community-wide shitstorm, pretty much the equivalent of a 10-year old flipping over a game of Monopoly because they’re losing.

This installment was non-stop action from the very start. It’s dropping you off directly where the action left off. There’s no time to pause.

It’s bleak. Not going to lie. For the majority of the book, I felt pretty helpless with regards to my favorite characters. How the heck are they going to get out of this?

It seemed the end was near. I mean I could feel it, watching the percentage run down on my kindle. It was coming. What was it going to be?

Overall, I am satisfied with this ending. I wouldn’t have guessed the ending and I can’t argue with it. This was a tough one. The world was what it was. There were no easy answers.

I think Crouch did an exceptional job over the course of these three books building out this world and providing characters that the Reader could care about. I loved many of these characters and it was sometimes tough to read about the things they went through.

I would definitely recommend this series. Even though it is a bit of an older series, it’s absolutely worth picking up!!

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Review: #Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil

~ megs14malloy

#Murdertrending (MurderTrending, #1)#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Gretchen McNeil’s futuristic YA Dystopian novel #Murdertrending drops you straight into a world where the federal government has privatized part of the prison system.

After that decision was made the Postman app was launched.

Essentially the app turns capital punishment into a lucrative business by broadcasting death row as the ultimate reality show. Survivor has nothing on this, trust.

In addition to following the inmates, viewers can also follow their favorite executioners, collectively known as the Painiacs. There’s fandoms involved. It’s a whole thing.

The executions are also broadcast, with each executioner coming up with their own creatively brutally ways of taking someone out.

We follow Dee, who after being convicted of killing her step-sister is sent to Alcatraz 2.0, the most famous prison island, to serve out the last of her term. She is set to be executed, but you never know when it will happen.

That’s half the fun, am I right?

The inmates in Alcatraz 2.0 live fairly freely on the island itself. They have jobs and can socialize with one another. Because of this, Dee ends up making some friends.

The friend group is dubbed DRBC, the Death Row Breakfast Club, through social media. Since they all claim to have been wrongfully convicted, they desire to uncover the truth behind Alcatraz 2.0.

But what is the truth?

#Murdertrending is a unique and interesting read. I enjoyed the themes explored regarding the criminal justice system and social media’s effect on society.

It did take me a wee bit to get my bearings with this one because you are literally plopped down in the middle of Dee’s world. I just had to relax into it and trust that McNeil would ultimately reveal everything I needed to know about the world and she did.

I enjoyed learning about the inmates and executioners. The executioners all had special names that reminded me of the type of punny names people use in roller derby, which added to the air of over-the-topness. It was fun.

I also enjoyed the mystery surrounding the Postman app. You can tell there is some sort of conspiracy happening, but how far does it reach? I tend to enjoy evil corporation vibes and this one definitely channeled that.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t crazy about the final reveals. I really wish it had gone in another direction, but that is simply personal taste.

With this being said, even though it lost me a bit in the end, I am so happy that I finally made time for this one. I don’t think that I will be continuing on with this series, but am still happy to have read this one.

Thank you to the publisher, Freeform, who actually provided me of a copy to read and review back in 2018. My apologies for not getting to it before now. I should have because honestly, I had a lot of fun with it!

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Review: Skyhunter (Skyhunter #1) by Marie Lu

~ megs14malloy

Skyhunter (Skyhunter, #1)Skyhunter by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Skyhunter is a YA-Dystopian novel set in a world ravaged by war. Mara is the last nation to remain out from under the rule of the Karensa Federation. It’s literally the last outpost of freedom.

The Karensa Federation has conquered each nation one by one, using modified human-monsters, known as Ghosts, as their front-line fighters.

The horrific imagery conjured by the descriptions of these Ghosts within the first few pages had me hooked!

Refugees fleeing the Federation’s rule flock to Mara’s borders in the hopes of finding safety.

Talin Kanami is one such refugee, who fled with her mother from nearby Basea as a brutal Federation attack left her father dead. Talin was injured during the attack, leaving her mute.

Some years later, Talin has joined the legendary fighting force of Mara, known as the Strikers, where her muteness is seen as an asset. Ghosts are attracted to sound, therefore, Strikers use sign language when in the field to communicate with each other.

At a low point in Talin’s life, a prisoner gets brought before the Strikers, said to be a solider for the Federation. There’s something about him that calls to Talin. She doesn’t believe he is guilty of what they say he is.

She puts her life on the line for this mystery man. Strikers are paired together in groups of two and as punishment for Talin speaking up on the man’s behalf, she is paired with him. Talin must then train him in the ways of the Strikers and trust him to have her back in the field when it counts.

The man, Red, turns out to be much more powerful than anyone could have guessed, but whose side will he ultimately come down on?

As Karensa pushes closer to Mara, it looks like the nation may finally fall. Talin and her friends must buckle down for the fight of their lives before all they love is lost.

Marie Lu has proved her talent again and again. Skyhunter was such an intensely-gripping story, with well developed characters. The entire history and functioning of the world was also very well-imagined.

I enjoyed getting to know Talin. She had a fascinating backstory and her refugee status reflected that of refugees living in our world. It was an interesting examination of the difficulties that they face; I felt that aspect was very respectfully portrayed.

Additionally, I loved Talin taking a huge risk and standing up for Red. Then as their relationship developed, I just became so invested in it. Their connection to one another ran deep.

The culminating scene of this book was super intense. Everything was on the line for our characters. It left off in a very key spot, as far as setting up the second book.

I’m super stoked to keep going with this, to see how the duology wraps up!

Overall, this was a great reading experience and I’m very glad that I finally made the time for this one. Lu is so gifted. Her stories never fail to impress me!

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Review: Dustborn by Erin Bowman

~ megs14malloy

DustbornDustborn by Erin Bowman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Dustborn the world has been reduced to a desert wasteland. Danger lies around every corner and humans are forced to travel in packs just to up their chances of survival.

Delta of Dead River has lived her whole life in this world. Delta is very special, for she is the keeper of a map that could lead to the Verdant, a Garden of Eden of sorts, and a place that many people want to find.

The tricky part is the map is tattooed on Delta’s back. She’s never even seen it clearly and couldn’t read it anyways, as it’s drawn in old hand that she is unable to decipher.

When her village gets attacked by a band of raiders lead by a man known as the General, Delta believes they may be looking for her and the map.

Delta’s pack is taken by the General and his people, therefore Delta must go on a quest to get them back. Along the way she runs into old friends and makes some new ones.

Let’s cut to the chase, this wasn’t my favorite from Bowman. I can definitely admit it is a good story, it just never captured my attention like I was hoping. Not once!

The thing I appreciate the most about the story was the setting. I love a dusty, dangerous post-apocalyptic wasteland. Who doesn’t?

What I was never able to care about was the main character and her mission. I got to the very end and was like, what’s this girl’s name? Her entire story was forgettable for me.

There were aspects of the story that had some promise for me, but ultimately I just couldn’t get behind it. Also, there was the unnecessary slaughter of an animal about halfway through that completely turned me off. The narrative was never able to grab me back after that.

Overall, while I completely understand why a lot of Readers love this one, the content just wasn’t a fit for me. Bowman’s writing is strong and I have enjoyed other novels from her; specifically, the Contagion duology.

Thank you to the publisher, Clarion Books, for providing me a copy to read and review.

While this one wasn’t quite to my tastes, I look forward to picking up more from Erin Bowman in the future.

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