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Ruin
Thirty years ago, there was a revolution.
Humans were granted powers through experiments performed upon them against their will. They broke free from the Labs and burned across the land, creating a dangerous new territory called the Wildlands.
Paula has grown up in the Neutral Territory, never knowing a time without the neighboring Wildlands as a threat. Her government does what it can to protect her people, but they still live in fear of the powerful Wildlanders invading their safe and protected territory.
Then one night Paula's mother is arrested, and Paula is banned from the Neutral Territory to the Wildlands. Now she must make a new life for herself in a territory of people she knows will not be welcoming.
Humans were granted powers through experiments performed upon them against their will. They broke free from the Labs and burned across the land, creating a dangerous new territory called the Wildlands.
Paula has grown up in the Neutral Territory, never knowing a time without the neighboring Wildlands as a threat. Her government does what it can to protect her people, but they still live in fear of the powerful Wildlanders invading their safe and protected territory.
Then one night Paula's mother is arrested, and Paula is banned from the Neutral Territory to the Wildlands. Now she must make a new life for herself in a territory of people she knows will not be welcoming.
203 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2011
4 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
N.M. Martinez
3 books22 followersN.M. Martinez lives with her boyfriend and their two cats in Monterey Bay. She harbors a not so secret crush on Isaac Asimov, loves comic books, and enjoys playing old video school games.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 27, 2012
I feel a little bad about being harsh on a book like this because in general I root for Indie authors. This was a completely ordinary, averagely mediocre YA book set in a dystopian universe. I think it could compete solidly with similar works in the genre such as Blood Red Road. Indeed, if you enjoyed that one, I encourage you not to be put off by my review because you'll probably like Ruin as well.
That being said, I didn't think this was a great book. I had a hard time connecting with Paula, the heroine. I think I liked what the author was trying to do -- Paula spends a good few days adjusting the shock of her new situation (exiled to the wildlands, mother imprisoned, meeting dangerous dad for the first time, etc.) Sometimes I think YA heroines hit the ground running a little too fast and I like how it takes Paula time to cope - that seems plausible to me. The heroine doesn't have to be super-power-ninja-girl to be resourceful and useful and brave and all that... That being said, there was something that didn't work for me. Maybe it was that Paula spent so many days moping - cooped up in an apartment doing nothing except sleeping. I wanted her to less complacent, at least be more inquisitive or something. More like Cass Devlin who at has her diary and tries to learn and adapt despite being in a completely new environment.
Also I didn't get why Paula was so scared of her new situation. I know we are told that everything and everyone is dangerous, but I think we should have been shown this more and better and sooner. Paula just ended up seeming like a scaredy cat.
Incidentally, my favorite part of the book is the "intermission" where we learn the back story of one of the main characters and his love interest that dies. Here we are shown real dangers. I also thought the author achieved a degree of sympathy and complexity of characters that was not done in the main story. Very little of this was then translated back to the main plot.
The pacing of the book was also uneven. The first half was all Paula learning to adjust to her new situation. Then the intermission. Then a second half where she is kidnapped (sort of) and off on some mission for which there was really no lead-in. And she goes along with it all without understanding much, without asking any questions and without having any clear motivation for doing anything other than thinking her captor sexy with his shirt off (back to my gripe about Paula being too complacent and uninquisitive).
A final pet peeve. Why do authors write in the present tense? Why? Why? I just hate it -- it's almost always detracts. Could someone explain the purpose? To make current action more powerful? More real? What? Well it doesn't. I've never read a book in present tense that I don't think would be better in plain old first or third person past tense. Stop it authors - unless you really think you are the next Virginia Woolf or something, it's just distracting.
That being said, I didn't think this was a great book. I had a hard time connecting with Paula, the heroine. I think I liked what the author was trying to do -- Paula spends a good few days adjusting the shock of her new situation (exiled to the wildlands, mother imprisoned, meeting dangerous dad for the first time, etc.) Sometimes I think YA heroines hit the ground running a little too fast and I like how it takes Paula time to cope - that seems plausible to me. The heroine doesn't have to be super-power-ninja-girl to be resourceful and useful and brave and all that... That being said, there was something that didn't work for me. Maybe it was that Paula spent so many days moping - cooped up in an apartment doing nothing except sleeping. I wanted her to less complacent, at least be more inquisitive or something. More like Cass Devlin who at has her diary and tries to learn and adapt despite being in a completely new environment.
Also I didn't get why Paula was so scared of her new situation. I know we are told that everything and everyone is dangerous, but I think we should have been shown this more and better and sooner. Paula just ended up seeming like a scaredy cat.
Incidentally, my favorite part of the book is the "intermission" where we learn the back story of one of the main characters and his love interest that dies. Here we are shown real dangers. I also thought the author achieved a degree of sympathy and complexity of characters that was not done in the main story. Very little of this was then translated back to the main plot.
The pacing of the book was also uneven. The first half was all Paula learning to adjust to her new situation. Then the intermission. Then a second half where she is kidnapped (sort of) and off on some mission for which there was really no lead-in. And she goes along with it all without understanding much, without asking any questions and without having any clear motivation for doing anything other than thinking her captor sexy with his shirt off (back to my gripe about Paula being too complacent and uninquisitive).
A final pet peeve. Why do authors write in the present tense? Why? Why? I just hate it -- it's almost always detracts. Could someone explain the purpose? To make current action more powerful? More real? What? Well it doesn't. I've never read a book in present tense that I don't think would be better in plain old first or third person past tense. Stop it authors - unless you really think you are the next Virginia Woolf or something, it's just distracting.
August 29, 2011
Ruin is a terrifying and savage world where Paula, the Neutral daughter of an activist spy, has been exiled from the only life she knows. Now her only options are to adapt - and fast - or instead perish. The people here are ruthless and powerful, and Paula doesn't even know if she can trust her own family. She'll discover who she can trust, as well as who she can't, and she'll try to reinvent herself because going back is not an option, and going forward is the only way she'll ever survive.
With sharp detail and riveting emotion, NM Martinez creates a world that is moving, shocking, impossible to put down, and impossible to forget. If you like post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a good dose of swoon, humans with mutated powers that have consequences sometimes charming and other times spine-chillingly scary, you will love this!
Bonus - it's the first of many more to come! :D
With sharp detail and riveting emotion, NM Martinez creates a world that is moving, shocking, impossible to put down, and impossible to forget. If you like post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a good dose of swoon, humans with mutated powers that have consequences sometimes charming and other times spine-chillingly scary, you will love this!
Bonus - it's the first of many more to come! :D
August 26, 2011
Ruin is a wonderful story for many reasons. One thing I love about it is that the world in which it takes place feels fully formed and so large--it has its own history and mythology. The story is mostly told in first person, from the viewpoint of Paula--the person who probably knows the least about what is really going on. As a result, the reader learns two versions of the history of the conflicts between the Neutrals and the Wildlanders all at once--the half-truths and lies that Paula learned in her Neutral life, and the version of events from the perspective of the Wildlanders. Another thing that I love about this story is the time and care that is taken with the characters. They are truly distinct and the attention that is paid to small details and mannerisms makes them seem very real. I also love how the author describes some of the feelings, actions, and sounds. The thought put into these really allows you to slip into Paula's mindset and to experience some of what she is feeling, and that is something that I love the most about reading stories told in the first person. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Read
August 21, 2011I'm not going to rate my own book.
This book is in a hard spot for me to place. I borrow elements from science fiction (people being experimented on) and fantasy (people with powers, an almost feudal system) and literature (coming of age story, a story about how people interact with one another in this strange situation), but it isn't one of any of those elements. To someone looking for fantasy, it probably won't suit the bill and like-wise for someone looking for science fiction. And anyone looking for straight literature, well they'll probably be surprised or disappointed too.
It's hard to know who will like this book. I can only say that I do like this book, and I enjoy reading it even after spending enough hours with it that I'm sick to death of it.
Hopefully you give the book a try, and hopefully you like it for whatever it is.
This book is in a hard spot for me to place. I borrow elements from science fiction (people being experimented on) and fantasy (people with powers, an almost feudal system) and literature (coming of age story, a story about how people interact with one another in this strange situation), but it isn't one of any of those elements. To someone looking for fantasy, it probably won't suit the bill and like-wise for someone looking for science fiction. And anyone looking for straight literature, well they'll probably be surprised or disappointed too.
It's hard to know who will like this book. I can only say that I do like this book, and I enjoy reading it even after spending enough hours with it that I'm sick to death of it.
Hopefully you give the book a try, and hopefully you like it for whatever it is.
December 2, 2011
I would and have recommended this book to friends and family. It caught my interest from the very first page.
I found myself intrigued by the characters and how their live intertwine, the author payed great attention to even the smallest of details to make each of them different in their own way, which make them seem so real that it's very easy to slip into A world that's both fascinating and impossible to put down.
Thank you Nina for Ruin and The Two Brothers, I look forward to spending more time in your worlds.
I found myself intrigued by the characters and how their live intertwine, the author payed great attention to even the smallest of details to make each of them different in their own way, which make them seem so real that it's very easy to slip into A world that's both fascinating and impossible to put down.
Thank you Nina for Ruin and The Two Brothers, I look forward to spending more time in your worlds.
November 15, 2011
Absolutely loved it from start to finish. The story, and the characters had me from the moment I read the first chapter. Every turn in the book had me wanting to keep reading until that sad moment when I finished the story. Fantastic(:
January 8, 2018
EDIT: 1/8/18
Dropping the review to 3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4). While I still love the story and would place it above a lot of YA/YA-esque novels (both traditionally and self-pubbed) I've read, time and a more critical eye have made me see some of the flaws I had glossed over previously. I enjoyed the information about the world and its inhabitants, but the plot itself dragged quite a bit until the very end where it picked up (jarringly, might I add). I also feel like unnecessary time was given to characters that were important in the sims version of the story (but not so much in the novelization). The story still shines as a deep character study--something that is sorely missing in a lot of novels I read nowadays. It's still a strong recommend.
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ORIGINAL REVIEW - 2012
Loved it!
I've been following Ruin's sim story incarnation for at least a year or two and it was great to see it in novel form.
If someone is looking for a YA-ish slightly dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel without:
a) a whiny and dependent protagonist
b) romance taking away from the heart of the story
c) love triangles and other nauseating instances of twu wuv gone wrong
this is the story for you!
All of the characters had their own voices and didn't fit the clear-cut roles of good and bad guys--something I truly adored. The writing style itself is lush, gorgeous, and makes me strive to achieve the same result in my own work.
It is also well-edited, especially for a self-published novel. I would love to see it in a bookstore as a testament to good writing amongst all of the rubbish bin that is the modern day YA.
If I were forced to say something critical about this novel, all I could come up with would be that some of Paula's lip-licking and/or biting moments became a bit tiresome to read. It's a very tiny issue and one that could be easily ignored. I stopped paying attention to it myself.
Once again, LOVED IT.
Dropping the review to 3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4). While I still love the story and would place it above a lot of YA/YA-esque novels (both traditionally and self-pubbed) I've read, time and a more critical eye have made me see some of the flaws I had glossed over previously. I enjoyed the information about the world and its inhabitants, but the plot itself dragged quite a bit until the very end where it picked up (jarringly, might I add). I also feel like unnecessary time was given to characters that were important in the sims version of the story (but not so much in the novelization). The story still shines as a deep character study--something that is sorely missing in a lot of novels I read nowadays. It's still a strong recommend.
------
ORIGINAL REVIEW - 2012
Loved it!
I've been following Ruin's sim story incarnation for at least a year or two and it was great to see it in novel form.
If someone is looking for a YA-ish slightly dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel without:
a) a whiny and dependent protagonist
b) romance taking away from the heart of the story
c) love triangles and other nauseating instances of twu wuv gone wrong
this is the story for you!
All of the characters had their own voices and didn't fit the clear-cut roles of good and bad guys--something I truly adored. The writing style itself is lush, gorgeous, and makes me strive to achieve the same result in my own work.
It is also well-edited, especially for a self-published novel. I would love to see it in a bookstore as a testament to good writing amongst all of the rubbish bin that is the modern day YA.
If I were forced to say something critical about this novel, all I could come up with would be that some of Paula's lip-licking and/or biting moments became a bit tiresome to read. It's a very tiny issue and one that could be easily ignored. I stopped paying attention to it myself.
Once again, LOVED IT.
August 14, 2014
Um I don't really understand the pacing of this book. It seems like we are getting lead somewhere in the beginning of the story, but then once Paula gets to the village area where he family is staying a whole lot of nothing happens for a good portion of the book. There's a lot of fear and time for her to think. Then out of nowhere in the last part of the book there's suddenly a romance developing and a rescue mission that we receive no real lead up to. I don't know who these characters are and why they do what they do. The only reason I see for any of them to interact together is to just use each other to get what they want. And I don't know 90% of what they want. There's barely any emotion and what emotion there is is fear and crying. I don't get it. I had to struggle to finish this and I don't think I'll be reading the second book.
February 19, 2013
I liked it, but it was really short. The price was right. A lot of inner monologue'ing as the chicka barely speaks to anyone. The mousy lead character kinda made the book more original than a lot of others out there. We American gals have a lot of sassitude and that is reflected in most of the YA female narrated books. So this was different. She had almost zero sassitude and was stuck in freaking out, scared poohless land most of the book.
January 24, 2012
It was an okay read and if I were a teen, I guess I would have enjoyed it. But the author left an awful lot unsaid about circumstance and environment and just how many times and in how many adjectives can one describe their main character as being "afraid?" no depth to any of the characters was added-I kept reading and kept hoping, but nada..
March 7, 2014
Well, I liked it, but it could have been better!! The pacing was... off and the plot threads were... confuzzled, but the characterization was pretty awesome and the world-building was really interesting (if also slightly confuzzled). Will read more!!
unfinished
October 17, 2012Read the Kindle sample. The world building seems promising so I might go back to this at a later date.
March 3, 2014
I've greatly enjoyed this story...I believe there NEEDS to be a continuation. Even with the epilogue, I feel like a lot of the story was left hanging.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews