dystopian

Review: Starters by @Lissa_Price

 Starters is an international bestseller and the first in a duology. The second, Enders, will be released in January.Starters

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie’s only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie’s head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator’s grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations’ plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

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Review: The Selection by @KieraCass

The Selection is the first in a bestselling trilogy. Be sure to check out the second, The Elite, and the novella, The Prince.
The_SelectionFor thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

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A Little Inspiration from Wool by @HughHowey

Wool Omnibus is the first in the Silo Series and is an indie phenomenon. Read the second, Shift. The third, Dust, is available for pre-order.

WoolThis is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside. 

Wool is an adult science fiction/dystopian novel. If you only read YA in this genre, you’re really missing out. From the very first line, I couldn’t put the thing down. There’s a reason why this book is a phenomenon.

I’m not going to fill you in on everything I loved about it, from the characters to the silos the characters live in underground to all the engineering details. Instead, I’m going to focus on the one thing Wool did “wrong” and why it should encourage you as a self-publisher. Don’t worry, it’s inspirational.

One of the biggest rules in writing is to stick with your point-of-view (POV) main character. Readers first bond with whoever they’re first introduced to and do not do well when the person whose head they’ve been in suddenly leave. You risk losing the reader.

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Review: Legend by @Marie_Lu

Legend is the first in a trilogy. The second, Prodigy, was released earlier this year. The third, Champion, will be released in November.
LegendBorn into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

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