Amber Stone and the Dead Doctor: A Young Adult Dystopian Series

by Vivian Otoo

She's not supposed to exist, but her abilities are growing stronger day after day… Amber Stone is a seventeen year old orphan. From the outside looking in she has a great life. But with the elite class controlling the society, life is far from great. Even her "loving" Auntie has warned her from a young age to hide who she is, and more importantly, what she can do. Because the Elite class is dead set on keeping the status quo. Anyone who is different is a threat. If her true nature were ever known, it would mean her life. Amber Stone and the Dead Doctor is the first book in the Amber Stone YA sci-fi dystopian series. If you like an alternate earth, fast-paced adventure, powerful abilities, betrayal, and a strong female lead, then you’ll love Vivian Otoo’s new page turning epic.

385 pages, Paperback

Published July 3, 2023

Reviews

[Shilo Goodson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this has an interesting plot. For me, though, the story doesn’t flow quite right. That’s the best way that I can explain it. There are parts where I feel like we skip ahead without understanding what’s really happened, and there are other parts where the descriptions weigh down the story, causing the plot to move very slowly. There are also places where information is repeated, again slowing down the story. The author uses a lot of similes, particularly toward the beginning of the story. For me, these distracted from the actual story.

This book does have some swearing. There is some violence, but it’s not overly graphic, and there is no sexual content. Because the plot was interesting, I may read the other books in the series when they come out.

I got an ARC copy of the book from the author through Voracious Readers Only.

[Rebecca Hensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Marvel, D.C. Comics, and manga you will no doubt like this book. The plots are interesting and the pacing is well down. However, it seems to ha e been written by someone who has no concept of grammer. Yes, I understand it is supposed to be written by Amber. Yes, I know she is seventeen, but she is supposed to be a brilliant student. I was so distracted by poor grammer, misspellings, incorrect word choices, and sentence fragments, I could not enjoy the read. There are some well thought out sequences, but there also sections I had to read several times just to try to understand. The characters are developed and well-rounded. The ending is logical, yet it is not what I expected. This book could be excellent with proper editing.

[Briant Farnsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise. I generally liked the story, the mystery and the intrigue. I'd be interested in following the story as it continues and develops in subsequent books.
The characters were inconsistent. It seemed their personalities would shift mid scene without explanation, and then shift back - which made the read a little confusing. Their reactions to certain tragic events was also off - seemed muted or like an inconvenience rather than traumatic.
Despite this, the story moved along at a good pace and kept me engaged and interested. Overall, a good read.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.

[Lucy Fear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad dystopian sci fi YA, it was a bit hard to get into, i didn't really feel 'hooked' until 2/3rds of the way through. Was almost a bit too sci fi if for me that makes sense! Was a bit slower going than I like, but the story was good, the writing comfortable to read. Sets up well for the next book.

Full transperancy, I received this book for free via Voracious Readers and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Anita Hofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really awesome story highly recommend.

[Kathy Brickert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story really dragged till right on the end, and the ending was depressing. Not really a fan, but it sets up for a second book. Not sure if I'll read on or not.

[Stephanie Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story and the characters
Look forward to more

[Zeinab Dh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read and review this book. I like sci-fi, and this one was nice. The story is well-written, the characters are cool. It's a sweet read.

[Jenn Klingberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice quick read, written from the stance of a teen. Overall, it's a good read for those that enjoy fast paced superhero like adventures!