grapeapril75

It is really tough to write this review without giving too much away. It is safe to say that it is a terrific read with a YA male lead. Aubrey is resilient and charming. You just can not help routing for him and his friends.

I am going to say that it appears after 900 years of living you lose your dang mind!! Seriously!! You are gonna hate this bad guy and his twisted thinking!

There are many highs and lows in this story emotionally. Have tissues handy! Life in a dystopian world is ugly sometimes. It is something I have come to expect, but still breaks my heart.

The story flows nicely, although it is slow it doesn't feel heavy. I expected the story to drag because of the pace, happily it did not.

It is all from the lead character's POV, which does limit things. You do not know what others are thinking unless they say or do something. Have Jimmy or Hannah's perspective would add so much to the story. I can only hope that will occur in later books.

I wish we had a bit more of his life with his father. The home life and testing flew by, you hardly had a chance to see where he came from. It would have given later events even more impact.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Michael Braun, who delivers a wonderful read. He has consistent and distinct voices throughout the read. My only real complaint is that the pace is very slow, even when I sped it up in the app. Fortunately that did not effect the energy of the story throughout the read. I love his tone, especially wen he is reading for Jimmy.

Overall, I was thrilled with this book and am sure many young men will be thrilled to see it in the genre. Much of YA is female protagonist, which is great but I know young men who are looking for guy leads too. This is one of those books that will appeal to both male and female readers. It is an interesting twist on the genre and I am eager to see where things are headed!

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.