Secondborn by Amy A. Bartol
Secondborn
Author: Amy A. Bartol
Published: August 1, 2017
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: April 6-27, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Firstborns rule society. Secondborns are the property of the government. Thirdborns are not tolerated. Long live the Fates Republic.
On Transition Day, the second child in every family is taken by the government and forced into servitude. Roselle St. Sismode’s eighteenth birthday arrives with harsh realizations: she’s to become a soldier for the Fate of Swords military arm of the Republic during the bloodiest rebellion in history, and her elite firstborn mother is happy to see her go.
Televised since her early childhood, Roselle’s privileged upbringing has earned her the resentment of her secondborn peers. Now her decision to spare an enemy on the battlefield marks her as a traitor to the state.
But Roselle finds an ally—and more—in fellow secondborn conscript Hawthorne Trugrave. As the consequences of her actions ripple throughout the Fates Republic, can Roselle create a destiny of her own? Or will her Fate override everything she fights for—even love?
Jessica’s Review:
Secondborn has an interesting concept about birth order and where you fall in society. And you better not have a third child without permission! (Only firstborn’s can have children).Roselle is our protagonist and she is the second born child to a very elite mother, a mother who could care less about Roselle. Roselle even grew up on television and she is well known. But once her 18th birthday hits all life changes for her, she has to become a part of the army.
This is a coming of age story and Roselle’s fight to survive. There is also a love interest thrown in which I could have done without, but it becomes important later in the book and I am sure for the future books of the series.
Secondborn is similar to Divergent with the different sections of society (in Divergent you have a choice) with a female protagonist becoming who she is meant to be with a love story with a hottie thrown in. Ultimately it was just an ok read for me as it did not really add to the YA/Dystopian genre. I’ll stick with the Divergent series which I really enjoyed, despite the unpopular ending that I saw coming and actually enjoyed.
Blog Tour: Unborn by Rachel McLean
Today I am sharing my review as a part of the blog tour for Unborn by Rachel McLean. This is a dystopian novel with a bit of a legal thriller that shows one direction that our society could be heading.
Book Description:
She killed her unborn child. The punishment will fit the crime.
America, 2026.
Feminism has been defeated.
Equality is a memory.
And abortion has been criminalized.
Three women find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Kate, carrying the child of a sexual predator.
Grace, whose baby will be born with a fatal deformity.
And Cindee: abused, abandoned and pregnant.
Can these three very different women come together to fight an oppressive system and win their freedom?
Find out by reading Unborn, a chilling dystopia combined with a gripping legal thriller.
Unborn
Author: Rachel McLean
Published: Today, February 21, 2020
271 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Dates Read: February 2-11, 2020
Jessica’s Review:
Set in the not too distant future, women have lost their rights and all abortion is considered murder. If a woman suffers a miscarriage then she may possibly be charged with manslaughter if it is deemed as an abortion. And let’s not talk about what women are forced to do as a part of their sentencing for the ‘benefit’ of others…
In this chilling future in the United States, we find ourselves involved in the lives of three women whose differing circumstances eventually come together. You can’t help but like and also feel for all three women and the situations they are in: Kate, Grace, and Cindee.
Unborn is a thriller that also has a court element which was just as intriguing as the rest of the novel. It is a quick read that leaves you thinking about morality and legalities of this time. Unborn also helps you to be fearful that this could be the direction we may be heading in one day, but hopefully not as quickly as the time that this novel is set in.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
About the Author:
My name’s Rachel McLean and I write thrillers that make you think.
What does that mean?
In short, I want my stories to make your pulse race and your brain tick.
Do you often get through a thriller at breakneck pace but are left with little sense of what the book was really about? Do you sometimes read literary fiction but just wish something would damn well happen?
My books aim to fill that gap.
If you’d like to know more about my books and receive extra bonus content, please join my book club at rachelmclean.com/bookclub. I’ll send you a weekly email with news about my writing research and progress, stories and bonus content for each book. And I’ll let you know when my books are on offer.
Contact Rachel:
Twitter @rachelmcwrites
Instagram: @rachelmcwrites
Sunday Series VIDEO Review: Arc of a Scythe
Today Kim is bringing you a Sunday Series VIDEO review of the Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. Both Jessica and Kim have loved this series, which the final book just came out and Kim has already read it! Once Jessica can get her hands on it (and time to read it) we will bring her her thoughts on it!
Books in the Series:
Scythe
Thunderhead
The Toll
Scythe
Published: November 22, 2016
449 Pages
Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.
Kim’s 5 star review is here.
Jessica’s 5 star review is here.
Thunderhead
Published: November 21, 2017
504 pages
Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the chilling sequel to the Printz Honor Book Scythe from New York Times bestseller Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology. The Thunderhead cannot interfere in the affairs of the Scythedom. All it can do is observe—it does not like what it sees.
A year has passed since Rowan had gone off grid. Since then, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. His story is told in whispers across the continent. As Scythe Anastasia, Citra gleans with compassion and openly challenges the ideals of the “new order.” But when her life is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that not everyone is open to the change. Will the Thunderhead intervene? Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel?
Kim’s 5 star review is here.
Jessica’s 5 star review is here.
The Toll
Published: November 5, 2019
627 Pages
In the highly anticipated finale to the New York Times bestselling trilogy, dictators, prophets, and tensions rise. In a world that’s conquered death, will humanity finally be torn asunder by the immortal beings it created?
Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?
The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.
Kim’s Ratings of the Series:
Scythe: 5 Stars
Thunderhead: 5 Stars
The Toll: 4 Stars
Kim’s Thoughts on the Arc of a Scythe Series:
Purchase Links:
These are links to the boxset of all three books:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
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