Betrayed by Family. Tortured by the Enemy. Destined to Destroy the World.
Wynter Reeves lives by three rules: Don’t stand out. Blend in. Remain invisible. In a world where individuality is dangerous, being forgettable keeps her alive.
Until she begins showing signs of a rare disease, drawing the unwanted attention of the State’s sinister research facility, the DSD. Apprehended against her will for testing, Wynter becomes the subject of the mysterious Dr. Richter, who is determined to make sense of her condition.
However, Dr. Richter’s intentions are less than noble, and after months of horrifying experimentation, Wynter jumps at the chance to escape her captors. But freedom isn’t what she expected, and as her symptoms worsen, she must make a choice. One that will determine not only her future…
But the fate of the world.
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In a society where to stand out means that you are a troublemaker or a potential threat to society, Wynter Reeves stands by her own policies – to draw no attention to herself, to do nothing that could be considered rebellious, and to survive. To cause trouble could land you in Re-education for a year, and if you weren’t lucky enough for that, you were sent to Termination. Wynter’s plan involves avoiding all of that and leading a life boring enough to let her be considered a satisfactory citizen.
However, in one of the most important moments of her life, while she is taking her placement exam that will determine which zone she is to work in, and how the rest of her life will pan out, Wynter is struck with intense pain and a glimpse of destruction. As it passes, she realises what her actions, of drawing all eyes to her and submitting her exam unfinished in order to leave, means for her. She runs, but her worst fears soon come to life, and she finds herself locked within the Department of Scientific Discoveries – the DSD. And everyone knows that those who enter the DSD never leave.
Wynter finds herself at the mercy of Dr. Richter, who gives her a choice – willingly submit, and allow them to run tests on her for the rare illness they believe she has, or don’t, and they will run them without her consent. As Dr. Richter’s tests grow brutal, and Wynter finds herself wishing for death to overcome her, just so she can escape the pain, Dr. Richter’s methods finally bring around the result he wanted. Wynter relives the vision she saw in her exam and sees a man next to her as the world crumbles. A man called Ezra Laramie. A man who is a suspected member of the terrorist organisation PHOENIX.
I greatly admired Wynter. She goes through unimaginable torture, and she has no escape. She is not a two-dimensional character in any way. She does not soldier through in the hopes that things will end up alright. Instead, she withers away under Dr. Richter’s terrible control, and she is forcefully kept alive. The vision of Ezra, though, gives her just a little bit of hope. If the vision is of the future, even though it means the world will end, it also means that she will find some refuge, away from Dr. Richter.
I do not want to give away too much of the story, and talking about Wynter may lead to just that. Instead, let us take a look at some of the other characters in this book that I adored. In particular, Ezra and Jenner. It seems inevitable that we will meet Ezra in the story, so I do not think I am giving anything away by speaking of him. I loved Ezra, he may be rather young, but he takes on an incredible amount of responsibility, and he has a past that has both steeled him and given him a softer edge – it just depends on what information he has, and whether someone is a threat or not. Jenner, is, on the surface, much more friendly and approachable than Ezra. He, too, has a past that he would rather forget about, and although he has clearly been affected by it, he tries to stop others from feeling their own pain. He tries to make people laugh, to make them smile. To maybe make them forget about their worries for a moment or two. I loved Jenner as well, and I found myself in a constant state of trying to figure out if I preferred Ezra or Jenner. I think I ended up with Jenner.
I am aware that this comparison has been made before, but this book reminded me of the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Everyone has their place in the world, and once you are put there, you stay there. Everyone must do as they are told, and when someone is found to be different, all hell breaks loose. In a way, it also reminded me of The Host by Stephenie Meyer, especially when talking about PHOENIX. The world that has been created within the covers of this book was simply awe-inspiring to read about, and everything has been thought of, down to the smallest of details. After reading this book, I had a look at the interactive map of the State, and it is exactly as I imagined it. There are seven zones, with Zone 1 being the rich, and those in charge, and Zone 7 the derelict zone, the lawbreakers, and the poor. The way that the map is so exactly how I imagined the State while reading just goes to show the impressive story-telling skills this author has.
This book has everything and more that you could possibly want from a dystopian, young adult novel. There is no way I can possibly leave this series alone after Book 1, and the cliffhanger, in particular, makes me desperate to read book 2!
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