Red Rising - Pierce Brown

Red Rising was released 2 years ago. How could I not know that? Somehow this managed to slip my radar. But I found it. And oh, am I glad I did!

Meet Darrow. He's a Red, the lowest class "citizen" in a futuristic coloured-coded society. The Reds are miners on Mars. They believe they serve a greater purpose. They are making Mars livable for future generations.

But then Darrow and his wife are arrested for entering a garden they are forbidden to. During their punishment, Darrow's wife, Eo, sings the forbidden song. Her punishment is death.  Reds are not allowed to bury their loved ones, but Darrow cannot handle the thought of his wife not getting what she deserves. This means death for him.

But Darrow is saved. And he is shown the great lie. Mars is livable. There are cities that prosper. The colours live wonderful lives, while the Reds are slaves. He is told he's the chosen one. Chosen by Ares himself to bring justice for all Reds.

Darrow is transformed into a Gold. This transformation is painful, but is nothing compared to what he will face.

Darrow is sent to infiltrate the prestigious Institute, the training academy that produces all the top leaders of Society. His job is to rise as high as he can within the Gold ranks. The only catch, is he must survive the Institute and all the tests thrown at him.

Darrow is a wonderful character. He is torn between who he is, who he believes his wife wanted him to be, and who he feels he's become. He makes friendships, but knows one day, this friends will be his enemy. He struggles with being true to himself, and being true to his disguise.

The best part of not knowing about this trilogy until now, is I don't have to wait a year for book 2!

The Compounders - Julie Trettel

The Compounders is the debut of Julie Trettel. It's book 1 in a new dystopia series. And it covers alot!!!

The United States of America is going through some turmoil and Mike Jenkins wants to protect his family. He builds an amazing bunker and moves several families in. Here they live, not knowing what's happened to their country, in safety.

After several years of living in isolation, the Elders decide to open the bunker doors. They are allowed outside, but limited time. Holly Jenkins is thrilled to have her freedom and solitude. She sneaks up a mountain to her "special" place to enjoy some quiet time to reflect on the things going on in her life.

And here, she meets Griffon. He tells her about his village and what has happened. The United States of America no longer exists. There is martial law. Food is limited. There is no religion or books. It is worse than Holly's father could have ever imagined.

I was given the book, in exchange for an honest Amazon and Goodreads review (I'll post them shortly). I loved the story. I'm a dystopia fan, and this is probably one of the more realistic ones I've read. I also enjoyed how Holly grew, not just age-wise, but she matured and found herself.

But here's what I struggled with. Holly. I know she's growing and changing and learning what's important and finding her way (and that sentence has too many ands). Holly struggles with her feelings for Milo, her best friends brother and the pastor's son. The Elders would like to see them as a couple. Holly has feelings for him, but she's not sure he's the one. Then she meets Griffon. He makes her feel like no one else. But while she spends her Sundays-Wednesdays with Milo, she secretly makes her way to the cave on Thursdays-Saturdays to be with Griffon.

Then all hell breaks loose and Griffon is shot. She brings him and his family into the bunker for protection. She finds her strength and decides she needs to help the small town. And here she becomes close with Griffon's friend, Jared. And now she's confused about her feelings for him. Yes, she's a teenager. Yes, she flips flops in and out of love, but just when you start loving the story-line, you get sucked into this. Sorry.

Breeders - Ashley Quigley

In Breeders

we meet Ariet.

She lives in a new world.

One isolated from disease and war.

Her daily life,

follows a simple routine.

Each morning,

everyone has a brief medical examination.

One day,

what seems like a routine medical exam

everything is thrown upside down.

Ariet is drugged

and taken away from her family.

She is told she is the carrier of a unique gene

and therefor she is to become a breeder.

Her family will be told she died of an illness.

Ariet learns,

that not only is she a breeder

but her mate has been chosen for her.

She is given a few weeks to get to know her mate,

and then she is expected to start the breeding.

However, 

if the child does not carry the desired gene,

her pregnancy

and possibly her herself 

will be terminated. 

The concept of the book was fabulous

however,

it felt rushed.

Her relationship with Mason

doesn't really develop.

Do they have feelings for one another

or not?

We learn his parents were terminated

but never learn why.

At the end,

Mason's friend Thor

meets his grandfather.

And then we're at the epilogue.

Really?

Just cut us off like that?

So I don't know.

Did I love the book?

No.

But I did enjoy it.

That counts,

right?