What do you think?
Rate this book
Assimilation: The Societies Trilogy Book 1
Seven Societies. One Choice. No Turning Back.
Kena grew up inside Verkent, a conspiracy group whose belief that aliens originated human life on Earth was mocked—until the aliens returned, with a mission to decide whether Earth should be allowed to rejoin their Alliance.
When Kena is invited to participate in the Choosing, it seems the orphaned teen’s lifelong dream of Assimilating into one of seven different but equally wondrous Societies in their home worlds is coming true. But from the moment she and other Earthers arrive at the Societals’ central space station, it becomes clear they’re under threat, not only from their suspicious hosts but also an enemy long thought dead.
With the Societies shaken by turmoil, her own fierce powers growing, a budding romance, and her friends' lives on the line, Kena faces a high-stakes Can she find not only a place for herself in these worlds, but a way to save everyone else who calls them home?
Kena grew up inside Verkent, a conspiracy group whose belief that aliens originated human life on Earth was mocked—until the aliens returned, with a mission to decide whether Earth should be allowed to rejoin their Alliance.
When Kena is invited to participate in the Choosing, it seems the orphaned teen’s lifelong dream of Assimilating into one of seven different but equally wondrous Societies in their home worlds is coming true. But from the moment she and other Earthers arrive at the Societals’ central space station, it becomes clear they’re under threat, not only from their suspicious hosts but also an enemy long thought dead.
With the Societies shaken by turmoil, her own fierce powers growing, a budding romance, and her friends' lives on the line, Kena faces a high-stakes Can she find not only a place for herself in these worlds, but a way to save everyone else who calls them home?
317 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2023
21 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 10, 2023
When I got the offer to get a review copy of this book I jumped on it, as it sounded like my kind of read.
I had a hard time to get into this book at first as some of the things that were told seemed illogical to me. Now I have confess I do tend to overthink things, so I decided to suspend disbelief for a bit as the whole Choosing thing did sound cool.
And I'm glad I did because once Kena and the others join the Choosing the story got so good! I was soon totally engrossed and eager to find out where it would lead.
The Societies all have their own distinguished looks and powers, while still looking mostly human. I loved learning more about each Society while rooting for Kena and her friends to discover what they got mixed up in.
When after lots of cool action and intrigue I reached the ending of the book it was hard to believe I had such misgivings at the start of this book. You bet I will get my greedy trotters on the next book, and not only because this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I need more!
I had a hard time to get into this book at first as some of the things that were told seemed illogical to me. Now I have confess I do tend to overthink things, so I decided to suspend disbelief for a bit as the whole Choosing thing did sound cool.
And I'm glad I did because once Kena and the others join the Choosing the story got so good! I was soon totally engrossed and eager to find out where it would lead.
The Societies all have their own distinguished looks and powers, while still looking mostly human. I loved learning more about each Society while rooting for Kena and her friends to discover what they got mixed up in.
When after lots of cool action and intrigue I reached the ending of the book it was hard to believe I had such misgivings at the start of this book. You bet I will get my greedy trotters on the next book, and not only because this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I need more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2025
I didn't know what to expect with this book but I was instantly hooked from the first page! It was such a unique concept, I'm bad at summaries but essentially this "alien" species has their children live in a space hub until they turn 13 and can assimilate which is essentially a sped up evolution process to acquire physical abilities needed to live on one of seven planets they've acquired. The main character Kena is part of a group on earth called The Verkent who has always known this species exists so when they come to earth her and several other people are invited to tour the planets and choose one to assimilate too.
That's just the set up however, but there's mystery and political intrigue and you are not sure who to trust. The descriptions of the characters and world in this book are done beautifully, I could picture the whole thing and was sucked in. The characters are so lovable and complex, we even get a little romance set up for the next book.
So happy I came across this, I need more people to read it. Can't wait to move on to the next book.
That's just the set up however, but there's mystery and political intrigue and you are not sure who to trust. The descriptions of the characters and world in this book are done beautifully, I could picture the whole thing and was sucked in. The characters are so lovable and complex, we even get a little romance set up for the next book.
So happy I came across this, I need more people to read it. Can't wait to move on to the next book.
June 14, 2023
The premise of the book was unique. It tells of an ancient conflict between aliens called the Societies, and the first settlers of Earth. At an early point of these aliens’ lives, they can choose to Assimilate into one of several different planets and develop abilities to adjust to their new world. Earth, however, has lost its connection with the Societies and thus its inhabitants cannot Assimilate. But now the aliens are back and have given them an opportunity to mend the rift. Our FMC Kena is thrilled to embark on this adventure along with her friends and other humans. The author uses delightful imagery to take the reader on a tour of the different Societies. The conflict with a hidden villainous faction was well done and got me so suspicious of everyone. Now that I’ve finished the book I still don’t know who to trust in Kena’s circle. I also liked how the book deftly tackled xenophobia.
I liked the way Kena and all the characters are written. They each had their strengths and weaknesses and I appreciated that the author gave each character a little backstory that made them more real to me. I found myself rooting for all the Blanks as they inched towards their Assimilation. There’s no spice in this novel but there’s a budding romance towards the end of the book that I’m excited to read more about.
Reading this book swept me away on a journey first to a space hub before moving to a whole other planet and I enjoyed every step of the ride. This was a fantastic read and I’m looking forward to getting the next book in the series.
I liked the way Kena and all the characters are written. They each had their strengths and weaknesses and I appreciated that the author gave each character a little backstory that made them more real to me. I found myself rooting for all the Blanks as they inched towards their Assimilation. There’s no spice in this novel but there’s a budding romance towards the end of the book that I’m excited to read more about.
Reading this book swept me away on a journey first to a space hub before moving to a whole other planet and I enjoyed every step of the ride. This was a fantastic read and I’m looking forward to getting the next book in the series.
June 27, 2023
3.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up on Goodreads)
// I received this as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review//
This story is about Kena who is an Earther. Earth has been cut of from the societies which is seven different planets where aliens can choose to assimilate and develop abilities special to each society.
The aliens are back and have given Earth a new chance to assimilate.
Kena is part of a group called Verkent, which is the group in contact with the aliens. Kena’s uncle is the leader of the group and therefore Kena gets to come along with 49 other Earthers to assimilate in one of the societies.
This story gave off Divergent vibes which I really enjoyed, but I felt like there was a lot of information and it was very hard to navigate what was happening in the first half of the book.
It took some time for me to connect with the characters and sometimes I didn’t want to pick up the book.
But the ending and the societies was very interesting and I am excited to see where this story is going and I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
// I received this as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review//
This story is about Kena who is an Earther. Earth has been cut of from the societies which is seven different planets where aliens can choose to assimilate and develop abilities special to each society.
The aliens are back and have given Earth a new chance to assimilate.
Kena is part of a group called Verkent, which is the group in contact with the aliens. Kena’s uncle is the leader of the group and therefore Kena gets to come along with 49 other Earthers to assimilate in one of the societies.
This story gave off Divergent vibes which I really enjoyed, but I felt like there was a lot of information and it was very hard to navigate what was happening in the first half of the book.
It took some time for me to connect with the characters and sometimes I didn’t want to pick up the book.
But the ending and the societies was very interesting and I am excited to see where this story is going and I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
June 10, 2023
So where do I begin? This is the first book of a YA sci-fi trilogy. I would say the first third to half of the book is very heavy with plot. It's been a while since I've read a plot heavy book so in the beginning it was hard to draw my attention but once I hit the halfway point, I was sucked in.
The story is intriguing. Right off the bat you're given an introduction to the way this world works and a mystery is starting to unfold.
And the ending????? It ended on a cliffhanger that I wish I had the second book available to read immediately.
The book almost felt like the divergent and hunger games series squished into a new trilogy. There were some familiar storylines which I appreciated (and enjoyed here a lot better). I would recommend picking up this trilogy if you're looking for a new YA sci-fi series.
Enjoy!
The story is intriguing. Right off the bat you're given an introduction to the way this world works and a mystery is starting to unfold.
And the ending????? It ended on a cliffhanger that I wish I had the second book available to read immediately.
The book almost felt like the divergent and hunger games series squished into a new trilogy. There were some familiar storylines which I appreciated (and enjoyed here a lot better). I would recommend picking up this trilogy if you're looking for a new YA sci-fi series.
Enjoy!
June 16, 2023
First off.. completely agree with this giving Divergent and Hunger Games vibes which is why I ATE THIS UP.
I know with all of the different societies it did require perhaps more plot that I’m use to but I liked getting that extra information about each.
I wanted to escape reality and dang did I go to space and a whole new planet; honestly with people (or Blanks) that I would love to have by my side. There is a slow burn romance I feel like .. 😏 but having a kick butt female main character was great!
I would like to thank Sydney for the ARC and that all of my thoughts/opinions are completely my own.
I know with all of the different societies it did require perhaps more plot that I’m use to but I liked getting that extra information about each.
I wanted to escape reality and dang did I go to space and a whole new planet; honestly with people (or Blanks) that I would love to have by my side. There is a slow burn romance I feel like .. 😏 but having a kick butt female main character was great!
I would like to thank Sydney for the ARC and that all of my thoughts/opinions are completely my own.
June 23, 2023
If you loved the Hunger Games and/or Divergent series then Assimilation should definitely be your next read. Assimilation takes you to another world (or should I say 7 other worlds) with plenty of action, dystopian subplots, extremely loveable characters, and a hint of a budding romance. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll change your mind who the real villain is multiple times. This is the stuff Elon’s dreams are made of. I’m counting down the days until book 2 is released after the cliffhanger start to this journey. I can’t wait to see where Kena and the gang end up next.
August 21, 2023
I received this as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Assimilation follows Kena who is an Earther. Generations ago Earth was cut off from the Societies. The Societies are made up of seven different planets where aliens can choose to assimilate and develop abilities special to each society.
The aliens are finally back and have given Earth a new chance to become a Society. A small group of Earthers are chosen to participate in a pilot program to see if they can assimilate into the current Societies.
Being that this is a sci-fi book there was a lot of world building in the first half of the book. I found it very interesting but a little hard to get into at first. But once I did, I couldn’t put this down. There is action, adventure, a little mystery and a romance sub-plot.
Science fiction is not one of my regular genres but I really enjoyed this book. I am excited for the next book in the series.
Assimilation follows Kena who is an Earther. Generations ago Earth was cut off from the Societies. The Societies are made up of seven different planets where aliens can choose to assimilate and develop abilities special to each society.
The aliens are finally back and have given Earth a new chance to become a Society. A small group of Earthers are chosen to participate in a pilot program to see if they can assimilate into the current Societies.
Being that this is a sci-fi book there was a lot of world building in the first half of the book. I found it very interesting but a little hard to get into at first. But once I did, I couldn’t put this down. There is action, adventure, a little mystery and a romance sub-plot.
Science fiction is not one of my regular genres but I really enjoyed this book. I am excited for the next book in the series.
June 26, 2023
this was a strong start to the Societies series, it had a great story going through it and I was invested in what was happening. Sydney Reames has a great writing style and creating unique characters. I'm excited to read more in this series and from the author.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 10, 2023
I’m gonna keep this short and sweet.
Do you like hunger games? Divergent? Space?
If you said yes to any of these three, please read this book!
Do you like hunger games? Divergent? Space?
If you said yes to any of these three, please read this book!
April 1, 2025
This was such a great read! I was hooked within a few pages, the concepts and ideas of the book so different than anything I had ever read before. It’s an easy read, and although there is a ton of information explained in the chapters, I never felt confused. I can’t wait to read book 2!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews