The Culling

The Torch Keeper #1

by Steven dos Santos

Recruitment Day is here...if you fail, a loved one will die

For Lucian “Lucky” Spark, Recruitment Day means the Establishment, a totalitarian government, will force him to become one of five Recruits competing to join the ruthless Imposer task force. Each Recruit participates in increasingly difficult and violent military training for a chance to advance to the next level. Those who fail must choose an “Incentive”—a family member—to be brutally killed. If Lucky fails, he’ll have to choose death for his only living relative: Cole, his four-year-old brother.

Lucky will do everything he can to keep his brother alive, even if it means sacrificing the lives of other Recruits’ loved ones. What Lucky isn’t prepared for is his undeniable attraction to the handsome, rebellious Digory Tycho. While Lucky and Digory train together, their relationship grows. But daring to care for another Recruit in a world where love is used as the ultimate weapon is extremely dangerous. As Lucky soon learns, the consequences can be deadly...

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, LGBT, Science Fiction, Romance, M M Romance, Fiction

434 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Steven dos Santos is author of THE TORCH KEEPER novels, a Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic series. Book One, THE CULLING, was released by FLUX Books in March of 2013, and named an American Library Association 2014 Rainbow List Top Ten Selection. Book Two, THE SOWING, was released on March 8, 2014. Steven is currently finalizing Book 3 of The Torch Keeper series, THE RAISING. His new novel, DAGGER, a Young Adult Paranormal Espionage Adventure, was released by Evernight Teen in September 2015! Steven is a Team Member of We Need Diverse Books and is represented by literary agent, Lynnette Novak of The Seymour Agency. Steven graduated from Florida International University with a B.S. Degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications Television Broadcasting program and also has an MFA in Writing from Spalding University. He is an adjunct English Professor and a passionate advocate of LGBTQ+ rights.

To learn more about Steven, visit his website: www.stevendossantos.com.
You can also connect with him on Facebook (www.facebook.com/stevendossantosauthor); Twitter (www.twitter.com/stevendossantos, www.twitter.com/thetorchkeeper); and Tumblr (http://stevendossantos.tumblr.com/).

You can also add Steven's books to your Goodreads reading list here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's this word we use in Britain and, judging by the puzzled looks on the faces of my University's international students, it is quite possible it isn't used anywhere else. The word is gutted. Not gutted like gutting a fish - though I'm sure that's where it comes from - but gutted as in extremely disappointed. Gutted as in "I'm gutted" at having my year-long trip plans ruined by a bout of unexpected snow (also a British thing as other places seem to know how to cope with bad weather. Here it's like "Oh god, it's snowing! Didn't see that one coming." Even though it happens every. Sodding. Year.)

Now, let me tell you a little something about my reading journey during the past couple of years. Dystopias have been 'effin huge. You can blink and suddenly there were ten more upcoming dystopian releases promising to be the next life-changer you can't possibly live without. I've read good dystopias and bad dystopias. Atmospheric dystopias and dystopias plagued by purple prose. Dystopias with zombies, with robots, with vampires, with angels... Dystopias that weren't really dystopias but romance stories. Dystopias set in our world and dystopias set in fictional ones. Dystopias set in the United States, in Britain, in Canada, in Japan and in Mexico.

You name it and I'd read a dystopia to go with it. Or so I thought. But in all those books, I had yet to read one that featured a central LGBT romance. I had yet to read one where the protagonist was gay. So, when The Culling came along promising that which I thought was impossible - something new from the dystopian genre - I couldn't stop myself from experiencing the high hopes that followed. So when I say gutted here, please understand it to be the only word that can express how disappointed I am in finding out that one of the books I really really wanted to be good... just wasn't.

The Culling is a novel that takes one deliciously unique factor into the dystopian genre and pads it out with material dangerously similar to dum, dum, dum, wait for it... The Hunger Games. Copying from HG is doubly unoriginal because so many people have already tried that one on for size. Everything but the gay romance is completely derivative and even that makes use of the old love triangle thing. Of course. But The Trials, the randomly chosen young participants in The Trials, the training and Lucky's motivations for everything he does (protecting his younger brother) is so similar to The Hunger Games that I'm surprised this idea made it to print.

Now let's not get into the whole...



or the...



Whether or not Collins drew inspiration from Battle Royale or not doesn't matter because her trilogy was unique enough to stand on its own. The differences far outnumber the similarities and the world/set-up of the plot and characters bear no resemblance to each other. The same cannot be said for
The Culling which uses a similar world, similar characters and relationships (but without the same depth of character), similar motivations and a similar love triangle. All this is on top of the use of The Trials which strongly resemble The Hunger Games, the only difference being that instead of there being one winner, there is one loser instead. And for this latter reason, I couldn't help but feel that there was far less at stake too.

As well as the noted similarities, Lucky fails to be the kind of protagonist you can care about, he certainly looks shabby when we inevitably compare him to Katniss Everdeen, as does the romantic angst/chemistry here. I also think some of his actions are quite ridiculous, like the risk he pulls near the beginning of deliberately getting caught so he can talk to Cassius, his supposed reasoning behind it is faulty and I can't believe anyone would risk getting tortured and killed for the sake of having a chat with their boyfriend.

Very, very unimpressed. Gutted. Is this book for anyone? Well... fans of deja vu should love it.

[shady boots · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is also available over at my blog.

______________________

Okay, I think I've recovered. I think.

The first time I'd heard about this book, I was excited because it was a YA dystopian with a GLBT romance, which I've been waiting aaaages for. So I was ecstatic when I saw this on NetGalley and when the publisher approved me for it.

Little did I know what a wild, insane ride this book was going to be.

My emotions were splattered all over the walls and floors non-stop as I read this. Because let me tell you, this book takes place in the most cruelest dystopian world I've ever seen. There's a government called The Establishment that recruits five people to go through the Trials, facing numerous dangers along the way, and the last recruit standing will be victorious and earn a spot on the city's Imposer Task Force. But if a recruit fails any level of the Trials, they will be forced to participate in The Culling, where a family member of theirs held as an Incentive will be brutally killed, and the recruit having to choose which one.

Lucian Spark lives in the city with his four-year-old brother Cole, who he takes care of with the help of their neighbor, Mrs. Bledsoe. Then Lucian reunites with his long time friend, Cassius, who is now the city prefect. His life takes a turn for the better, until a shocking betrayal lands him as one of the recruits for the Trials, with Cole and Mrs. Bledsoe as his Incentives. And then there's Digory, the protective boy who Lucian can't help but feel a deep attraction to. But if he wants to save his family's lives, especially Cole's, he'd have to do anything to keep himself alive and win the Trials.

The amount of action in this book was unbelievable. It made me unable to stop reading. All of the scenes were gripping and heart-wrenching, and sometimes I was worried to turn the page because I was afraid what would come next. Never have I seen a dystopian world so cruel and unfair. Because if you fail any level of the Trials, instead of being killed yourself, you have to choose one of your family members to be killed, even if they're just little kids. We get to see a lot of that from some of the other recruits who didn't make it, and all those scenes had me in tears. And the fact that the methods of the killing were so brutal didn't help either. Steven dos Santos, you are a heartless, heartless man. ._.

Another thing I really loved about this book was that the GLBT romance wasn't a big deal in it. It was just a normal thing. One of the male characters even has a husband and the authorities treat it like a normal marriage. I wasn't expecting this of course, since it's a dystopian society, and I'd thought that it was going to be the subject of ridicule and all that, but no. I loved that the author didn't make it a big deal.

I connected with all of the characters. My heart broke many times for Lucian, because of all the unfairness that he was put through in the whole book. Digory, the love interest, was a very sweet guy, but he was sometimes a little bit too overprotective of Lucian, in that he seems to treat Lucian like he's weak and powerless, which is the case sometimes, when he's tired or injured, but not all the time. I liked that their romance didn't move too fast, and.... I can't say anything else about it without spoiling. >_<

I loved the other recruits, too. There's Cypress, who at first appears to be cold and distant and angry all the time, but we eventually get to see her walls come down. There's Gideon, the quiet boy who wears glasses that, well....is a lot more stronger than I thought he was gonna be, I'm just gonna leave it at that. And then there's Ophelia, who first appears to be the annoying, giddy and excited all the time, ditzy kind of girl, but she gets hella scary as the book goes on, and she pretty much just loses her marbles. I think I would too, if I were in her position.

The ending was...surprisingly merciful. But finishing the book still left me numb, because I just couldn't believe a book could be that action-packed and cruel and violent in the most crushing way. I'm pretty sure I'm scarred for life, now. I'd recommend it to you guys if you're looking for a book that just makes you feel all these feelings and then crush them repeatedly in the most violent way possible. And also if you're looking for a wild, explosive and action-packed ride with likable characters and a touching GLBT romance.

An ARC of this book was sent to me by NetGalley and Flux. Billions of thank you's!

[alittlelifeofmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I was looking at my favourite books and realized I didn't write a review for The Culling which is weird to me.
The Culling is a dystopian novel that follows a boy named Lucian "Lucky" Spark. He gets chosen to participate in these trials that the government has to pick one new military/government/army person a year.
This book is one of my favourite books in the world. It is a LGBT novel but it is done so without actually making it about that. In this world, no one bats an eyelash when you date someone of the same sex. No one questions it, no one makes it out to be a weird thing, it's just a thing that happens and no one cares. It's actually amazing to see a world like this and I would like to see the world like this.
Lucky is such a good and caring character who just wants to save his brother Cole and do his best to make it out of the trial. And lets not forget Digory, the love of my life Digory Tycho. It's been a while so I don't really remember specific moments, but Digory broke my heart from the moment I met him. I knew he would be so important to me and I love him and Lucky together.

Really though everyone needs to read this book. Truly. This book, and the second book, are both so amazing! They are well written and a great story. The author is a really great author and he is so passionate about his books and this story and I think everyone should read these books and support him!

But for real read the books. Just don't question. Do. It.

[Nicole Sweeney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review originally written for SnarkSquad.com
http://www.snarksquad.com/2013/01/the-culling-by-steven-dos-santos-disappointing.html



In a nutshell: The Hunger Games with a gay romance and a million times more contrivance!

Main Character: Lucky can apparently read all of your emotions in your eyes. Like, he can tell you entire paragraphs worth of your back story, because he saw you look at something. You were clearly looking longingly at that cupcake, but can never have it because of some deep traumatic past relationship, in which someone probably assaulted you with cupcakes and so your cupcake love can never be.

Yeah, this is going to be a snarktastic review, because I've got feelings.

I tried so hard to like this book. This book is basically a sloppy THG rip-off, which I would forgive because of my respect for the male-male romance, but it's so poorly written that I can't. But let's start with my complaints about Lucky. The other recruits (the other players in The Hunger Games) are all more interesting than Lucky. They are soap opera ridiculous, but at least more interesting.

Lucky is supposedly super interested in protecting his little brother (much like Katniss/Prim) but Cole (the brother) really just gets lip service from Lucky. He never seems to have any real, thoughtful reflections on Cole while he's off in The Hunger Games training, and most of his choices are motivated more by his love interests than by his supposed wish to protect Cole (more on this later). I just found it really hard to care about him, because he wasn't actually that interesting or well developed.

Love Interest? Can I just say again how excited I was that this was a dystopian YA with a gay romance? I was so pumped. This review is going to be incredibly redundant because each category is going to begin with a reiteration about how fully disappointing this book was.

Digory is oh-so-perfect. He's a charming golden boy who is also part of a resistance movement to overthrow the evil government AND he's totally self-sacrificing in every conceivable way. The trouble with all this perfection is that while it may be dreamy, it's also boring as shit. Although, still more interesting than Lucky.

Digory is contrasted by the only slightly more complex foil that is Cassius, Lucian's cray cray ex-boyfriend. Cassius is like the dystopian YA version of Christian Grey. He's mega powerful and mega controlling and basically condemns Lucky and his brother to certain death because Lucky "lied to him."

Negligent Parents? Lucky's parents are dead, as are several of the other main characters' parents, due to the early mortality brought on by Reaper's disease. The few recruits whose parents are alive seem to have abusive parents, though. Lucky has a Substitute Parent who could be halfway decent, except she's too insufficiently developed for me to issue a verdict.

Ho Suspension? Lucky's a ho fo sho, in the "thinking-with-your-genitals" sense of the great ho suspension tradition. Specifically, in spite of all the lip service that Lucky pays to his concern for his brother, his actions are almost always dictated by his feelings for his two love interests. Quite frankly, the incident that starts this story never made sense to me for Lucky's stated purpose. It was completely illogical and while it was fantastically blown out of proportion by the series of contrivance that followed that initial decision, the only reason to justify his choice to get himself in trouble and appeal to Cassius for help was that he wanted to see his (ex?) boyfriend again, not some bullshit about protecting Cole. Because that made negative sense.

A+: Nothing? I kid. Maybe. I did enjoy the fellow recruits, even if they were absurd. Cypress is awesome and was probably my favorite character, even though her story suffered, like the whole book, from outlandish plot twists. I did appreciate that homosexuality was a non-issue in this world. It was probably one of the few trite/easy choices that Steven Dos Santos didn't make, by letting the government's cruelty be a separate issue. I liked that the fact that several main characters were gay was never made into an issue.

Fail: The plot. The world-building. I never believed this world. It didn't make any sense. The government seemed to exist solely to create plot twists for Lucky. Everything that happened in this book happened so that Steven Dos Santos could have some new ludicrous plot device with his paper thin characters and universe. Nothing was fleshed out because if he had tried to do that, he would have seen how bullshit it all was. The very premise is ridiculous: The Hunger Games the recruitment and culling is how they create their military leadership? This is just a recipe for disaster for an evil government; you give the guns and power to the people with the most reason to hate you? Nobody saw this plan as a problem? Aside from the overarching plot/world, the whole bit with the fleshers in the middle of the book was also exceptionally nonsensical, and pointless. The balance between instilling absolute government loyalty and the underlying wish to escape is always weird and inconsistent.

The End: By the time you get to the end, you've been conditioned to accept bullshit. Within the larger framework of this bullshit, the very end wasn't so bad. The scene shortly before the end is the biggest #hosuspension of all for Lucky, because for the milliontieth time, he pays lip service to caring about his brother without actually making choices which reflect that priority. The final scene tries to be this beautiful moment for one of the other recruits but, as with the rest of this story, ends up being trite and ridiculous.

And so: The Goodreads folk who have already read this all seem to love it, and I don't understand. So maybe there's something I'm missing, but I did not enjoy this book. Just to make sure you absolutely get the point: this book was thoroughly disappointing.

For Traumateers who love: I don't know. If you just REALLY love dystopian novels and don't mind them being formulaic and ill-conceived, and are super stoked about the idea of a gay romance in a dystopian YA, then you might enjoy this. Or maybe for Traumateers who love to rant about shit? There are actually a lot of you in that category.

Final Grade: D

[Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5/5

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Join The Culling Official fan Forum
http://chaosreads.com/forum/69-the-to...

OH...MY...GOD...

This book was amazing and I am so annoyed that it is over with already. I have to read this again because my mind and my heart couldn't take it.

Here's my review

1. Plot & The Writing & Pacing: A plus
Let's get this out the way...Yes, the book is very hunger games like. The Whole Recruits(Tributes) thing is very similar. Except unlike in HG & even a book like divergent, the stakes are higher.

In HG, you have to make it to end of the games for yourself. With The Culling, you not only have to make it to the end FIRST....but if you come in last place, you have to choose between two people you love.

How could you choose whether to kill your mother or father....between your children....best friends...husband...wife? That alone gives the book a greater edge over The Hunger Games and you can already tell the book is going to be intense when Loving someone could very well be that person death.

Steven's way of writing grips you because he writes action scenes so well but there are so many touching and heartfelt moments in this book where he can pause the action and bring the emotion...the drama. Not melodrama...real drama.

The book isn't slow at all...it's fast paced from the get go and you don't ever get bored and there is so little time to catch your breath because you just know something is about to happen and your ready for it.


2. Characters: A Plus

This is one of the few books where I liked all of the characters from the main characters to minor characters. Lucky is the 1st person narrator and he is strong....compassionate but initially he is very naive and choose to ignore logic in favor of believing his heart which is what puts him and his loved ones in danger. Lucky is very well-written. He is someone you sympathize with but you never feel sorry for him. He's not pathetic nor is he whiny. He is strong but not OP strong. He conveys his thoughts and makes decisions for himself and most of all he is devoted to those he cares about and even those who have caused him harm.

Digory...Oh my god...FANBOY MOMENT....Digory is the type of character that Four from Divergent should have been. He is not brooding, He isn't rude and an ass for the sake of being an ass. He has a good heart and he is a rebel but not one of those rebels who just do reckless and stupid shit. He is smart...He's strong and most of all, he is someone who by the end of the book you'll fanboy/fangirl over. Even though the book was told through Lucky's POV, I actually preferred Digory simply because he is simply one of the best male POV i've ever read.

The Secondary characters consisted of Gideon, Ophelia and Cypress who were recruits with Lucky & Digory. Gideon is an easygoing character who is hiding a dark and deadly secret..that comes out in a shocking way during the trials. You sort of are able to put clues together throughout the book based on his actions but by the end of the book, you'll really be as shocked as I was.

Cypress is the type of female protag books need more of. You think she is this bitchy, don't give a fuck type of girl but then as you read on you'll discover why she is the way she is and the anger she harbors. It makes you relate to her and it makes you sympathize with her and her plight.

Ophelia is one of the main Villains...Think Cato only a giggling girl. She on the surface appeared to be this airhead girl but she is literally the most vicious in this book and when I say vicious...she is able to turn it off and on. She snaps and then she she comes back whole as if nothing happened.

BTW, Cassius is a total dick and asshole but he is by far one of the most compelling villains and he didn't even have a HUGE part in the story. It's just his manipulations and the way he basically controlled everything that makes me love Cassius.

3. The Gay Aspect: A Plus Plus

Going into this book I was worried...Oh God, it's either going to be some extremely effeminate gay lead character who spends his time whining OR they'll face homophobia.

Apparently, in this world homophobia doesn't exist as being gay didn't seem to be that big a deal. The fact of the matter is...Lucky is male and he is gay and Digory is also gay(or bi)....But after awhile, you really can't tell you're reading anything out of the norm for a book. The gay aspect was handled very well because while it is rare to find a lead character not only be MASCULINE & GAY....Steven handled the aspect of their relationship as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Straight people can read this without feeling uncomfortable.

This is a relationship that will pull at your heart by the end of the book because this very relationship puts both Lucky & Digory in grave danger......I don't want to give it away what happens but with Cassius' manipulations, something indeed does happen that very well changes the course of the book mid-way through and raises the stakes EVEN HIGHER. I

This is what Katniss/Peeta or Four & Tris should be like....the relationship should NEVER outweigh the story. And this relationship never once brought the story down...in fact it had you rooting for it.


4. Overall

Overall, this book was nearly perfection for me. I read it in about 12 hours(i kept getting distracted). It is something that is familiar but also new & fresh at the same time. It makes your heart race. It makes your mind race. It makes you scream "OH MY GOD! DO NOT DO THAT! NO! I CANT BELIEVE THAT HAPPENED."


This book easily has joined Gone series, Quarantine & Charlie Higson's The Enemy series as being my new favorite. I am so pissed though that since the book just came out, I likely will have to wait till 2014 for the sequel :/

The only thing I'd likely have changed is
1. I'd like to know a little more about the world they lived in...
2. This book was excellent as a 1st person novel but there are times when I wish I could've been in Digory's head or Cassius
3. More cassius...he is so awesome at being an ass.

Arguably the best book of the year that I hope will be challenged by Light by Michael Grant & Quarantine: The Saints by Lex Thomas

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this and other Reviews at InToriLex

Actual Rating 2.5 Stars

I tried my hardest to give this book a fair chance, considering there are a lot of critiques centered around how similar this was to hunger games. Unfortunately the writing and ideas involved seemed better on their own, then working together to give a compelling narrative. Lucky the protagonist who has to work to save his brother just did not connect with me in a meaningful way. I did appreciate the non-straight romance, but even that seemed underdeveloped.

The trials described in the book were challenging, gory and had too much going on. It's good to have world building to help immerse the reader but most of the book included too many elements that made it hard to suspend my disbelief about what was happening. The writing itself wasn't bad per se, but definitely included some sentences that were overly cheesy and eye roll worthy. For Example:


"I finally force myself to pull away. It literally hurts my flesh, as if somehow our skin's bonded together by the most powerful adhesive of all."

I did enjoy many of the action sequences that happened, and that the characters included strong and weak men and women. But overall the book could have used less ideas and more well developed elements that would have given the reader enough unique elements they could remember and separate it from other similar dystopian YA. Overall it was a ok read, that I wouldn't recommend because of the many other far superior dystopian and well written young adult novels. 


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

[Burak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okuduğum en iyi distopyalardan biriydi hatta en iyiyi zorlar bile. Uyumsuzdan kat kat iyi. Açlık oyunlarıyla kafa kafaya yarışır hatta. Fazla acımasız ve fazlasıyla gerçekçi. Asker olarak yetiştirilecek 5 genç var ve bu 5 gencin sevdiği iki kişi esir alınıyor. Daha sonra bunları önce eğitime daha sonrada testlere tabi tutuyorlar ve hata yapmaları halinde sevdikleri iki kişiden birini seçip ölümüne neden oluyorlar. Her hatanın sonucunda seçim yapmak zorunda bırakılmaları o kadar acımasız ki. Hele ana karakterin başına gelenler beni sinirden kudurttu. İkinci kitabı sabırsızlıkla bekliyorum ama siz okuyamayacaksınız bu kitabı çünkü ana karakter gay, bırakın ülkemizde çıkmasını Amerika'da bile çok duyulmamış. E zaten etrafta bu kadar homofobi dönerken gayet normal.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The salt air stings my eyes. "Not every story has a happy ending, but that doesn't mean it's not worth telling." I turn away. Concentrating on the brightest star I can find, I hope he won't notice I'm doing everything possible not to give in to the ache I feel for my brother.
"I wonder what it could be like, Lucian, to love someone so totally, so....you know, so powerfully, that even the stars can't contain themselves from proclaiming that love for everyone to see," he says softly. "It must be the grandest feeling in the world."-Digory
-The Culling by Steven dos Santos

Lucian "Lucky" Spark has lost almost everything and everyone he cares about...except for his younger brother, Cole. His parents tragically passed away at a young age, just like many others, and the only motherly figure he has is a middle-aged neighbor who's beginning to fall ill, and Lucky will do anything to protect the two people he cherishes most in his life, no matter what.

In this dystopian world, Recruitment Day is an annual event that looms like a heavy cloud over the heads of sixteen year olds across the board. On this day, five Recruits are chosen to compete for the chance to join the Imposer task force, a special and ruthless military branch. These poor souls are forced to participate in gruesome training procedures and final trials to produce one reigning champion. When a Recruit is chosen, they must pick two "Incentives." Incentives are people whom each of the five extremely cherish or love, usually family members, who are to be killed. After training, the assessment tests are dealt with in a terrible way. If you come in last, you must choose an Incentive to die. When both of them have been compromised, you are killed as well. This continues on until one final Recruit is left standing.

Lucky cannot afford to be named a Recruit, especially when it means the final end for Cole. However, with the confidence that he won't be chosen, his name just happens to be called...and the horrors begin. The unexpected shock, shakes Lucky to his very core. One wrong step and Cole is done for. He has no friends to use as Incentives and he knows that the odds of him becoming an Imposer are practically slim to nothing, but he's not willing to give up. He won't stop until he knows for sure that Cole is safe, even if it means letting his fellow competitors lose their Incentives in the process.

He has no attachment to the other four Recruits so damage should be minimal to his emotions when he is forced to sacrifice others for his own. That all changes, however, when he meets Digory. Digory is a Recruit whom Lucky spends time with over and over again, and the more they interact, the deeper their relationship grows. Lucky can't afford this right now, but he can't help himself from feeling attraction towards his peer. Any type of affection, endearment, or love is dangerous and can have deadly consequences...and Lucky is just on the verge of finding out how horrible they really are...

My review:
I loved this book to death for sooooooooooo many reasons. One month later, the story is still so vivid in my mind that I feel like I'm avidly rereading it over again just by writing my review on it. To begin with, I suppose that I should address the fact of how it does have similarities to the Hunger Games. No, I have not read the books up to this current point (yet), but from the movies, I would say that they do have come central elements in common. Mainly, they both involve teenagers fighting for their lives. The government forces them to do this and only one of the contestants is supposed to be left standing by the end of it all. Otherwise, I believe that this is where the connections end. Steven dos Santos puts his own twist to his own story. I feel that by no means should it be judged by the Hunger Games, but if you enjoyed that trilogy, this could be a perfect read for you!

Next, the writing style was absolutely phenomenal in The Culling. When I began this story, I wasn't sure how I would take to this dystopian world or any of the characters in it for that matter, but I absolutely fell in love with it. The relationship between Lucky and Cole was so tangible. While Cole was only four years old, I could easily see the relationship that was going on between them and how much they truly loved each other. The only way to describe it was that it was portrayed with expertise and the best of perfection there could be. I felt like they were real people, actual brothers that I was jealous of for their endearment towards one another. There was no doubt in my mind that they were just words on a page. I couldn't help but cheer for them, it was impossible not to. Lucky showed so much emotion towards Cole and it was so totally believable.

Each of the characters were so distinct when reading about them. When they were first introduced, I absolutely did not think that I would ever get attached, I could only cheer for one winner after all, but this was not how it turned out in the least. In the beginning, I thought I had them all figured out, but Steven added more and more depth to them and this was something that I never expected. I had no idea that I could care for any of the four the way that I did. Even when I hated them one moment, I was completely saddened for them the next and wanted them each to have their own happy endings. Alas, in this dystopian world, those are hard to come by. Each Recruit had a backstory worth reading and their history was rich and compelling, every last one of them.

To be clear, I'm not the type of girl who gets emotionally distraught when reading a book and cries over it. I just haven't...until I met this book. No, I didn't cry, but I felt close to doing so time and time again. All that happened to Lucky and what he was forced to go through, whether it was betrayal, loss, or injury (both physically and emotionally) I felt the pain of it all, too. I just can't praise this book enough.

And now we get down to the best aspect of The Culling, the fact that the male protagonist was gay. Maybe I've just been living under a rock (which I'm pretty sure I haven't), but I've yet to see a dystopian book with this type of individual as the main character. I loved it so much, and the best part of it was that it was not a big deal. It simply was just another part of Lucky. He was who he was, no questions asked or ridicule dumped on him. He and Digory were a great match, and their relationship was dealt with well. In fact, at one point in the book, someone mentioned that a man's husband was waiting for him. It was so casual and a slight detail in the conversation, like you would talk about the weather. Being gay was not ostracized or condemned. It was wonderfully ordinary. Thank you Steven dos Santos! Lucky's former boyfriend and current love interest were both extremely interesting to read and learn more about. (The character Cassius was so good at being bad that it was ridiculously awesome. Did that even make sense?)

Lastly, I believe that I should address the violence that is a prominent part of this novel. When reading other reviews from various other places, I have seen this brought up several times. I will say that there are some disturbing scenes and acts of horror bestowed upon individuals, and this is probably not for the weak at heart. Yet, this is still a young adult novel and is treated as such. So, it is still okay to read and I recommend it to everyone! You might just want to wait to read it if you are not an older teen, but everyone is at different reading levels and have varying preferences as to what they enjoy, so it is really at your discretion.

I'll leave by saying that I'm so proud of this novel and its author for all that it stands for. I couldn't have been happier with it. It just blew my mind, and I have made it my life's mission to obtain the next book in record time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go reread this book now…I'm slightly obsessed!

You can see reviews like this one and more at http://knightingalereviews.blogspot.com/.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the success of the Hunger Games young adult dystopian fiction is seeing an influx of similar storylines. The Culling is one of these. The plot and its evolution are remarkable similar. A teenage boy has to fight against other kids in a government sponsored contest in a post-apocalyptic world with his younger brother’s life in the balance.

Steven dos Santos does a credible job creating the world for the reader and providing some interesting characters and back stories. The main problem is that much of it feels very familiar. Granted, in this crowded genre it is hard to find something completely new to add, but this isn’t even a truly fresh take on the ideas.

The lead character, Lucian “Lucky” Sparks, is the typical teen quasi-hero who also happens to be gay. A large part of the plot deals with his former and current love interests. Unfortunately neither seems really plausible or believable. The first, who has already gone through this ritual and won, is now a part of the government. And although he hasn’t seen Lucky in 2 years supposedly is still so jealous and possessive that in a matter of a few hours he develops a plot to destroy his life. Then there is the new guy. Supposedly they never spoke at school, have never seen each other outside of school – ever and basically have had no interaction at all – ever. But, we are supposed to believe that he is so in love with Lucky that he would give his own life for him.

Interesting ideas but they are not realized. As a reader I do not believe any of these feelings or scenarios are real. In a real odd twist some of the supporting characters are much more sympathetic and believable. Gideon and Cypress are very complex characters that actually brought tears to my eyes in some scenes. I wish I had felt as much for the main character.

In this very dark world very bad things happen, sometimes without any real purpose. I was left with the feeling that some of the explicit horror was there only for shock value. In dystopian fiction it is quite natural to have brutal circumstances and extremes, however there has to be some logical through line and basis for us to buy into the way things are done. It just isn’t present in this book. While the history of some of the individual characters is fascinating it does not come together to create a cohesive larger story. More information on how society reached the state it is in might be helpful in creating the back drop for the tale.

There is an amazing creativity shown in the actual descriptions and scenarios. With a little guidance and work there is a lot of potential here. I would be interested to see Steven dos Santos’ next effort.

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a lot of books, so when people ask me what my favorite is, it is incredibly difficult for me to come up with a title. However, I think now I might finally be able to come up with an easy answer.

In The Culling by Steven dos Santos:

Lucian “Lucky” Spark has been recruited for training by the totalitarian government known as The Establishment. According to Establishment rules, if a recruit fails any level of the violent training competitions, a family member is brutally killed . . . and the recruit has to choose which one.

As the five recruits form uneasy alliances in the hellish wasteland that is the training ground, an undeniable attraction develops between Lucky and the rebellious Digory Tycho. But the rules of the training ensure that only one will survive—the strongest recruits receive accolades, wealth, and power while the weakest receive death.

With Cole—Lucky’s four-year-old brother—being held as “incentive,” Lucky must marshal all his skills and use his wits to keep himself alive, no matter what the cost.

The Culling portrays a bleak future after an apocalypse that has covered what seems to remain of the world in an Ash that causes many to die at an early age from a terrible coughing disease.

It is clear that Lucian cares very deeply for his little brother, Cole. After losing both parents, Cole is all he has left. When Cassius returns from his training, Lucian is eager to reconnect with his old friend in the hopes the he will help them.

Digory and Lucian are amazing characters who are strongly motivated for their own reasons. Their connection was deep and nearly instant, though it might not be clear to all readers what the connection might be until much later.

Though it is never stated implicitly, Lucian is indeed gay and has feelings for Digory. Their attraction towards each other grows throughout the novel, and despite the horror around them and the bleak outlook for their lives, there are moments of such heart breaking tenderness that I stopped and reread the scenes over to myself many times before moving on. Their shared moment under the stars, the dancing before their graduation ceremony… my heart still aches at the beautiful way the author portrayed these scenes.

I am glad this is the first book in a series, because I am in love. I want more from this author, and my only regret is that I can’t have more right now.

The Culling will be available for purchase on March 8, 2013, but it can be preordered now from Amazon.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

This is like The Hunger Games without the character, plot, or world development, and with writing that smacks of senior high school English. I was so excited for this book to come out, because it's dystopia, and it's YA; it's dystopian YA! What not to like, right? A lot, as it turns out.

My first clue was that the Kindle edition cost only $5; that is almost always a bad sign. dos Santos writes in the 1st person present, and the narrative is full of awkward, eye-roll-inducing metaphors.

Instead of the Capital, we have the Establishment (screams cliche, doesn't it?). Instead of the Games, we have the Trials. Instead of Tributes, we have Recruits. Lucky, the protagonist, would do anything to protect his little brother, Cole (sound familiar? That's right, it's Katniss protecting her little sister). And on and on, except with a weaker plot line (five recruits are selected, and as they lose trials, someone close to them dies - even that is a rip-off from Sophie's Choice).

This had such potential, but even the angle of Lucky being gay isn't at all explored, and his motivations don't feel real. At the very beginning of the story, he plans on being caught by the Establishment in the hopes of seeing his old friend/crush, Cassius, now one of the leaders, whom he hopes will make sure he doesn't get recruited. Of course, Cassius is the bad guy, as is everybody who works for the Establishment.

I'm surprised that this was published at all, considering it's completely derivative and not well written at that.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I marked this as to-read but had the ultimate pleasure of reading the original, pre-published draft already. I know this book is amazing. I absolutely recommend this book to EVERYONE. An awesome dystopian YA featuring gay characters - YAY!!!

[Wandering Librarians · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucian Sparks lives in a world ruled by the Establishment, a cruel, dictatorial government. Wanting to protect his four-year-old brother Cole, Lucian seeks out his childhood friend Cassius, who is now in a position of power, for help. But when Cassius thinks Lucian has chosen rebel Digory Tycho over him, he punishes Lucian by making both Digory and Lucian recruits, who are forced to compete against each other in a series of task. If a recruit fails, he is punished by choosing an incentive - a loved one - to be killed. For Lucian, it would be Cole.

It's The Hunger Games! Now with more flesh eating! Seriously, this didn't even try to pretend it wasn't completely ripping off The Hunger Games. Person only trying to protect a much younger sibling? Check. Person not interested in joining the rebellion, only trying to keep said younger sibling safe? Check. Young people forced to compete in Gladiator-type games at the hands of cruel dystopian government? Check. Young people forced to form alliances to survive, only to have to break those alliances and kill each other in order to protect their loved ones? Check.

So yeah, it was The Hunger Games, only this time with a male protagonist and a male-male romance. I did like that aspect of it, that falling in love with another man is not strange in this world. It was completely accepted as the norm. The Culling was also more graphically violent. I know, I know, The Hunger Games are all about kids killing kids, but honestly, the first two books are not especially graphically violent. The third one much more so. This was like the third one.

No, it wasn't completely the same. In The Culling, the reason for the competition is not punishment for rebellion. It is to find people to become part of the elite military. There are a series of task the recruits must complete. Each competitor has two incentives. If they come in last in a task, they must choose one of their incentives to be killed, in really, really nasty ways. Beheading, eaten alive by ROUS (rodents of unusual size), stung to death by bees, etc., etc. Once both a recruits incentives are dead, they are eliminated and sent to a work camp.

There were a lot of loose ends the confused me. The recruits get sent out to find out what happened to some other soldiers that disappeared, and almost get eaten by...something. The Fleshers. Don't know what they are. They kind of seemed like Reavers, but I don't actually have any idea. Also, the lost five recruits that were supposedly living out there in piles of bodies? What? They've been out there for ten years? How is that possible? I don't understand. I don't understand at all. And it was one chapter and then we go back to the competition and it's never mentioned again. It didn't even reappear at the end to entice me into reading the next book where All Will Be Explained. It just dropped and it seemed totally random. Why was it there at all?

The Establishment is all crazy and cruel and doesn't seem to be trying very hard to hide it. So why did lovely, beautiful, damaged Cypress get to die with her children by painless poisonous gas? All the other incentives and those that went against the Establishment die in horrible, painful way. You now expect me to believe that they'll let someone who didn't follow the rules die quietly from gas that makes you nod off to sleep? That was weird. So there were some inconsistencies in a world that wasn't very clear to begin with.

Digory, the love interest of Lucian's, is handsome and strong and loyal and selfless and ultimately sacrifices himself to save both Lucian and Cole. I don't believe for a minute he actually died. I'm sure he'll show up again. Digory is essentially perfect, and therefore not very interesting as a character. He's a foil to Cassius, whose love is cruel.

The world Lucian lives in is not very clear. We know it was once New York, but we don't know how it got the way it is or where the Establishment came from or how long things have been like they are. We don't know what's happening in other places in the former United States. We don't even know a whole lot about the Establishment and how it functions. Maybe that's coming in later books. I would have liked so more foundation right away.

If you have kids who are missing The Hunger Games, they'll probably be happy to give this a read (if they're still into dystopian societies and haven't moved on to the next thing yet). Nothing groundbreaking or special certainly.

The Culling comes out March 8, 2013.

[Sarah Kalaitzidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally Posted on: http://howlingbooksanddesign.blogspot...

This dystopian tale is plain crazy! I think it can best be described as as "Hunger Games" with a "Battle Royale" twist. I loved the book, but I found the ending a bit depressing. It leaves you wonder the fate of our main character, Lucky (Lucien). After the trails these characters go through I don’t know how they would come out sane. I think I would go crazy by what happen.


"The Culling" takes place in the town of Perish, which is under the control of something called 'The establishment.' It’s not the prettiest of places to live in. Picture the Victorian era, where to get rid of trash and human waste they dump it out windows. This is also a world were being 40-years-old is considered being really old. Oh, and they love putting small children in places to be bought and used. How I hate this hell whole of a society. It takes place in the future, after a great war that has devastated society. Interesting how war leads to dystopian civilizations that brutalize the young and innocent... What I do like about this world is that they don't bat a eyelash at the fact of gay lovers, which isn’t like our world at all.


The author knows how to write and create a gripping plot. Every moment of this book is intriguing, pulling you in, making you want to know what’s going to happen next. There is a lot of twists that leave you guessing, because nothing happens how you expect it to happen. The thing that’s similar to "Hunger Games" and "Battle Royale" is the thing called the 'Recruitment Day'. During this event, the Establishment chooses five people to be Recruited and compete against each other to be able to join the imposer Task force. During the competition, if they fail on of the trials then they have to choose which of their love ones die, as the name “The Culling” suggests. . This “Establishment” people are great people, aren’t they.


Our main character Lucian, or Lucky as his brother and a few others call him, is a really great guy and a good older brother. He would do anything to protect his brother, who is his only family left. He took risks to go meet his old friend, who is now called a Perfect (someone who is a high ranking member of society). Unfortunately, he learns the hard way that friendship has little value in this society. He becomes a stronger person for this.


This book is full of interesting characters. Some of them, you root for as they go through their trials. Others you want to throw off a cliff yourself. The names of the other Recruits are Cypress, Ophelia, Gideon and Digory. They each have their own distinct personality. They range from kind, to cold, to just plain crazy.


Digory is someone I really love in this book, and I could see how Lucky became attracted to him. He’s smart and loyal, but holds secrets that he doesn’t tell anyone till almost the very end. Digory is technically Lucky's rival in the trials, both fighting for the Recruitment spot and for the lives of their families. He should be looking after himself and his loved one, but he instead looks out for Lucky and protects him. I loved how he and Lucky slowly came closer together as the story went on. Their relationship grows and changes throughout the story. I can't wait to read future books and find out what happens to Digory, as his ending was left open to interpretation."

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucian’s little brother, Cole, calls him Lucky which is sort of ironic in the world they live in. But Lucian still does whatever is in his power to keep Cole happy, and innocent and believing in things like faery tales. Then, after a bad turn of fate, Lucian is betrayed and drafted to participate in The Recruitment. He will have to do everything in his power to win the trials that await him if he hopes to see his brother again. But winning the trials would mean eliminating all competition, including bad boy Digory Tycho. If only Lucian could deny his feelings for Digory.

Steven Dos Santo’s The Culling is gritty, scary, gory, and gruesome. Yet amid it all there's friendship and love and romance. I love it!

Lucian was a great character to meet. He starts out weak and naïve, and when the horrible stuff starts happening he doesn’t crumble, but rises to the challenge. He’s also a very kind and caring person. I think this is what attracted Digory from the start. Their romance is slow and shy, like a burning ember just waiting for the right wind to ignite it. I found myself sighing out loud in a couple of scenes, that’s how good the romance was.

However, the world they live in is horrible. It’s filthy, dangerous, the mortality rate is at forty, and the Establishment is cruel. Much like in the Hunger Games, The Establishment has The Recruitment in which they select a group of five people to undergo participate in a set of trials. But that’s where the similarities stop. The world of The Culling is vicious, and Steven Dos Santos pulls no punches when describing just how gruesome it is. It might be just me being squeamish, but I thought the horror was sometimes too much. The looser of each trial has to choose between his two Incentives (people the recruit loves) and kill him or her. And I’m not talking about a bullet through the brain. No, that would be too merciful. The horrors that happened every time one of the recruits lost truly made my skin shiver. Add insult to injury, and the winner of the trials has to continue on their training to become an Imposer (the elite guard), essentially working for the people who made him do all the horrible stuff in the trials.

I think part of what made this more shocking than The Hunger Games is the fact that we get to know the Recruits on a personal level. Ophelia the sweet and cheery but scary as hell girl. Cypress the thought girl with a soft heart. Gideon the guy with some deep issues who’s nice. And Digory whose kindnesses towards Lucky won me over from the minute he appeared on the page. We get to care about these people…And then we have to watch them kill their loved ones, and suffer, and ultimately die! When you have to think, “Well, at least they died in a gas chamber,” you know things are seriously f-up.

The ending was epic on so many levels. It was fast paced—well most of the book is anyways—it was full of action, deception, and heartbreak. Steven Dos Santos left a lot of things to work on for the next book, like what happened to Digory, and what are the Fleshers, and how will Lucian rebel. Seriously. There better be a next book.

*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*

[★MC's Corner★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Not every story has a happy ending, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth telling."

THE HUNGER GAMES MEETS DIVERGENT MEETS DARK EDEN with an awesome TWIST!
5 STARSI CAN'T EXPLAIN HOW I MUCH LOVE THIS BOOK!
ALMOST EVERYTHING I WANT TO FIND IN A BOOK IS IN HERE!

“What could be worse than having the person you love not want to have anything to do with you?”

THE ENDING LEAVES ME HANGING WITH THOUSANDS OF QUESTIONS... AND I HOPE THEY WILL BE ANSWERED ON THE SECOND BOOK!

"...But the moment you stop believing that it’s possible … well … that’s the moment that it’s not."

LUCKY AND DIGORY! HEART HEART HEART!
MY FIRST YA-M/M ROMANCE BOOK I READ! GREAT! LOOKING FORWARD TO READ THE SECOND BOOK! GOOD JOB!

“You don’t want whatever time you have left spent in regret.”

@gleekidMC

[Tammy K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an emotionally driven, action-packed, on the edge-of-your-seat intense read.
It is not for the Young Adult, 'fluff' readers of the Hunger Game. This story has a SERIOUS BITE! At times extremely violent. At times laden with gore. Set in a post apocalyptic world ran by a Brutal regime.
I loved the characters, all of them! The villains made my blood boil with anger. The protagonist, Lucian won my heart a few pages into the story.
One comment on the Gay romance, this is a tame romance. There are no sex scenes in this story.
I highly recommend this book to reader of dystopian and post apocalyptic fiction, but caution that there are some extremely violent, emotionally distressing scenes which may not be suitable for young and/or sensitive readers.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I literally cried multiple times throughout this book. It really disappoints me though when my friends refuse this book as a recommendation because they presume it is going to be exactly like the Hunger Games. Sure, there are many similarities between the two series' plots. However, in my opinion, The Culling makes more logical sense in regards to the plot line and setting, etc. In my attempts to not spoil the entire novel, this is definitely not another novel to wave away for its somewhat familiar plot. Each character is truly unique, able to win over readers with their personalities alone.

[Chris Horsefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, I find it hard to find an action YA book with a gay character, this book has everything, a great story, great characters and a good pace. I am an instant fan of Steven dos Santos.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book, it was similar to the hunger games when it comes to an apparent totalitarian society but that's where it ends. This book was so much more realistic and darker than the hunger games. The romance in this book is just too perfect for words. I can't wait for the next book.

[Elizabetta]

A gay YA dystopian novel out March 2013. I'm so there!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Not every story has a happy ending, but that doesn't mean it's not worth telling."

^EXTREMELY RELEVANT QUOTATION FROM THIS BOOK.

[★彡vee ://^o · Rating 5 out of 5]

What. Just. Happened?!
______________________________

Okay, with the freaking out over, let me just say this book is absolutely fantastic! As a dystopian lover, I thought I was prepared for anything. Haha, NOPE. I first picked up the book hearing it was a LGBT book, and come on, we really don't have enough of those in the world. But after looking at a few reviews and hearing it was dystopian as well, I was sorta standing there in awe like, "Wait. This book is LGBT /and/ dystopia?" JACKPOT.

And jackpot was right. We've got this kid named Lucian Spark, or Lucky for short. Set in a post apocalyptic world, Lucky's reached the age of sixteen which meant he was eligible for the Establishment to force him to participate in the Trials with four other kids. The Trials is a literal series of trials these kids have to pass through for one winner to become a part of the Imposers force, a type of police force.

But here's the catch: should you come in last place of any trial, you will have to choose between your two incentives (most loved people) to murder brutally. In Lucky's case, this was between his stand-in mother and his 4-year-old little brother, Cole. Reading through the deaths some of these kids have to witness literally tore me in two, page after page.

Knowing this is dystopian, we all know how jacked up the government was going to be. But this was jacked up to a whole new level! I don't want to spoil much, but let's just say you're going to be bawling in tears by the end of each trial.

I will mention that, yes, I did read the Hunger Games trilogy prior to The Culling. And while some aspects of the two were similar, not similar enough to call The Culling a total rip off of Hunger Games. My philosophy is to read every book with a clear conscience- I give every one a fair chance. And giving a bad rating to a book because it's similar to another... well, come on, that's not fair, is it?

So, no. The Culling stands alone on its originality and beautiful writing. The characters can't even be compared to those from Hunger Games. So, seriously. Stop. Comparing. Them. So. Much. Yeah, they're similar, but they're both dystopian books. Of course they're going to bare similarities!

The book was so fast paced, I literally felt sucked in from the get go. I had so much trouble putting the book down, I stayed up until 7 am reading the book, not sleeping until I had to cry myself to sleep! The book is action filled, so much so that you feel as if you're there, running along with the characters.

And, oh man, is it an emotional rollercoaster. I should also mention the book is, indeed, quite gorey. Those just getting into these type of books might be choking back a bit as it does get quite, quite descriptive.

Finally, the characters and romance.



I'm in love! I'm in love, but in so much pain!

I'll only list off the 5 recruits to avoid spoilers (and because they're my favorite!).

Lucky: His outside demeanor seems a bit unapproachable, as he'll do anything in his power to protect his younger brother. After some events, he doesn't trust people as easily anymore but quickly falls into Digory's charm. Truthfully, this regretful boy is a sweetie pie at heart. He doesn't outright claim it, but through his actions toward the other recruits, you can tell he's just naturally good hearted. Everything this boy did, the way things were described through his eyes- perfect protagonist. All in one.

Digory: Lucky's love interest, and handsome hunk of the group. Except that doesn't matter in the Trials, other than his kind heart and strength. In fact, the only one who probably beats Lucky in heart is Digory. This guy keeps secrets- lots of them. So much I wanted to tear him in two to tell me everything he knew. But, of course, he couldn't. He has too much at stake. But, oh my GOD, is he charming! I can't help it, if it weren't for him and Lucky being love birds, I'd attack him right at the start.

Cypress: At first, I rolled my eyes so many times at Cypress' attitude. She was exactly the type of character I loathed- cold, heartless, and plain bitchy at times. But, turns out, she was never any of that. Circumstances made it hard to get close to her, and as you get to know her better... just thinking about her will leave you in tears. She's lost so much, and gained so little. Easily making her my favorite female character for empathy and sympathy factors.

Gideon: Bullied and witty. Gideon's never had much friends, making him seem like a runt at first. But him being bullied added onto other factors gets you to grimace in pain. Everything about him made me want to hug him and tell him it'd be okay. Unfortunately, in the circumstances, despite all the hugs, not a single one could help any of them. I didn't feel he had as much personality at first, but it was simply he couldn't reveal his personality.

Orphelia: Oh, dear. This child. Two words: Split personality. And there you have Orphelia.

Characters out of the way, let's get down to romance. The romance in the book is slow and for reasonable things. Can't exactly get down and dirty when everyone around you is in the risk of death.

Now, at first, I was extremely skeptical of the romance. It seemed way too cheesy and corny. But, arguably, it could just be because the ones who show affection to Lucky are extremely protective.

As the book goes on, Lucky proves strong and swats away any sign of pity he finds. And that's when the love hit a place in my heart. As soon as our main characters, Lucky and Digory, sit together and bond. Smiling, laughing, telling each other stories. It becomes clear that their affection is that of one that goes beyond attraction.

Digory's actions resemble love. Love that can be seen present from early on in the book. And just when the book sucks you into their love, you better be prepared. Because Steven Dos Santos is one cruel man.

So. To be clear, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I had no idea what I was getting into. I mean I only cried like four times. No big deal.



STEVEN DOS SANTOS IF DIGORY DOESN'T MAGICALLY REAPPEAR IN THE NEXT BOOK I THINK I MIGHT CRY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE OKAY

[Jojobean · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I love loved loved this book. It was so amazing!It had everything a great dystopian book should have: a repressive government, family love, a love interest, friends, hardships, violence and success. It had characters you love and characters you hate. It makes you fell an array of emotions: love, hate, sadness, happiness, despair.

Basically the book is about the government called the Establishment, who rules the country with an iron fist. The police called imposers are able to do whatever they want to civilians with out consequences. The people live in poor, dirty, disgusting and crowded hovels. One each day of the year, all 16 year olds are subjected to the Recruitment, which is where 5 teenager are chose to compete in the violent trials, which will deem one recruit as the victor to train and serve as an imposer. The catch is that each recruit gets two incentives he has to fight for. These incentives are people they love like family and friends. During each trial the recruit who places last will have to decided which of their incentives will die, which is called The Culling. The trials go on until one recruit with at least one incentive intact wins.

The story is about Lucian, Lucky, Sparks who gets recruited in to the trials because the prefect Cassius Thorn wants revenge against him and Lucky's friend Digory. There is also of back story between Cassius and Lucian that I don't want to spoil. Basically Lucian meets Digory that day while he is on his way to meet Cassius. Digory reveals that he is part of the resistance against the establishment and both boys save each other from imposers. Lucian ends up with one of Digory's anti establishment posters that he has on him when he meets with Cassius. During the recruitment ceremony, Digory is chosen as one of the recruits. Cassius then rigs the last recruit spot by killing the selected recruit and naming Lucian as the new one. He does this because he thinks Lucian betrayed him and the establishment. Like I said, lot of back story with these two. From then on the book is about the recruit's (Lucian, Cypress, Gideon, Ophelia and Digory) life during the training for the Trials and then the actual trials themselves.

Lucian, aka Lucky, Sparks is the main character of the story. I loved him. He is loving, loyal, brave and determined. He is in no way a ordinary hero: he is not the strongest of the recruits. In fact he can be considered one of the weakest. Its his personality, his goodness that makes him a hero. Its his unwavering love for his brother that makes him a hero and what drives this book. Sure he and Digory fall for each other but every action that he takes, every injury he gets, every things he does is to save his brother. It's all about his brother. He is the one thing that drives Lucian and makes him able to endure the entire process. Many times during the trials, Lucian gets discouraged about his abilities to win the trials, but the though of his brother spurs him on. That and Digory's help.

I loved Digory Tycho as well. He is the strongest and biggest of the recruits but he has a huge soft spot for Lucian. Throughout the entire story, Digory is like Lucian's rock. He helps Lucian in anyway he can by watching out for him, giving him food, taking care of his injuries and standing up for him in front of the authorities. Digory loves Lucian from the very beginning (since they were in school together) and Lucian does as well. It takes about 3/4 of the book for them to admit it to each other but when they do, I was ecstatic. Digory is also part of the resistance that is opposed to the establishment and wants to take it down. His fate is unknown in the book but if he really dies then I am going to be one pissed off mother.

I liked the other recruits as well. Cypress comes off as a huge bitch but when you learn her story you realize why she is the way she is and why she does the things she does. She has had an extremely hard and unfair life which has hardened her. Gideon is a former classmate of Lucian and he has his own demons as well. More than once Lucian has glimpsed scars all along Gideon's back but you never find out much about him until the trials. He worries that he has darkness inside him that can make him a monster but in reality he is just a scarred lost good guy. Ophelia is motherf**Ken crazy. At first she seems like a huge ditz but she has an inner malice that she shows a lot during the training and the trials. She can go from sweet to evil in less than a second. Its extremely scary. I had to say that I was cheering for her death throughout the book. While I hated her, I also understood her. She, like Lucian, was willing to do anything to save her incentives. She was just much more brutal and evil about it.

While the book was action packed, which I loved, I wasn't prepared for was how gory and bloody it is. Yes there are many ew and yuck factors as well as unspeakable horrors and sadism that the government expresses. However the gore does not take away from the book, rather it adds to it. It shows how ruthless the government really is and it also helps you understand how the characters become who they are as well as how they are able to do what they have to to win. The sergeant in charge of the recruit's training is a sadistic bitch who I hope gets what's coming to her in future books. The horrific ways that the government executes the incentives is mind blowing. Instead of killing these incentives who are someones loved ones in a human manner they kill them in brutal ways such as with acid that melts them, killer bees, killer rats, starving canids (which I assume are dogs) and other ways. The imposers are a ruthless cruel police force who thinks nothing of killing innocent civilians is grisly way or raping boys/girls. Cassius who was exactly like Lucian before he was recruited was changed and twisted into the person who he is now, who exacts revenge in a horrible way and who now supports the establishment. Truly, the government makes people into monsters.

This book was incredible to say the least and I recommend it to everyone. I can't wait for the next book in this series The Sowing to come out!

This review is also posted on Spantalian's Book Reviews

[Lady*M · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

I was never an avid reader of YA fiction, not even when I was the 'right' age for it. Thematically, they rarely captured my interest and imagination. However, that doesn't mean there weren't any – Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers or Aterovis's Bleeding Hearts are just two of those I could mention. In the end, a good book is a good book – it captures your attention regardless of your age or interests. And The Culling is a good book and exceptional debut novel.

The civilization as we know it has ended in an event known as the Ash Wars and from the ashes – pun intended – emerged the Establishment, a totalitarian regime which redefines the terms cruel and bloodthirsty. The ordinary citizens live in inhuman conditions, with no plumbing or power, in polluted environment, slaving in factories or mines. The food is scant, diseases – especially Reaper's Cough – rampant. Any suspicion of dissension or, better said, any suspicion at all leads to arrest and disappearance. But, the worst is the isolation of people from one another, maintained by fear and further fueled by yearly Recruitment Day – when five young people are forced to go through the brutal training and Trials, where not only their lives will be at stake but also the lives of their loved ones. They are Incentives, sacrifices to be 'culled' every time a Recruit fails. Who would you choose to die first?

Our protagonist, Lucian "Lucky" Spark, lives in this world with a sole purpose – to protect his four-year-old brother Cole. When he is betrayed by a childhood friend to whom he turned for help, he is forced to become one of the Recruits and fight for everything he holds dear in life. His situation is complicated by his growing attachment to Digory Tycho, a rebel and one of the participants. If he wants to live and save his brother, Digory and everyone else must die.

It is easy to like Lucky. In a heartless world, he kept his soul. He starts as a bit naïve, a dreamer who makes up fairy tales of better world for his brother based on a stolen (and forbidden) book. He soon learns the extent of Establishment's cruelty though and has to learn to fight for himself, even if it's at the expense of others. As we are constantly in his head, we get to know the other Recruits together with him. Whether it's Cypress, tough, seemingly cold-hearted girl with disturbing past, or Gideon, smart, quiet boy who used to be bullied in school and suffers violence at home or Ophelia, in one moment giggling and naïve, in other vicious, there is much more to them than meets the eye. As we learn their stories together with Lucky, we are forced to feel everything he does towards them: sympathy, compassion, anger, fear. But, whatever they truly are, they are all used and abused by the Establishment and they will break your heart. Even Cassius, the villain of the novel, is a broken young man, trying to recapture part of his old self and failing miserably. Digory, a young rebel and Lucky's love interest, is steadfast, kind and loyal, protective of Lucky, but he remains a mystery until the end of the novel. There is a lot we don't know about his past, including how he got involved with the resistance. And I don't know if we will learn them at all, since his destiny is unknown at the end of the novel.

I liked author's writing a lot. He has an eye for the atmosphere and writes mean action scenes. But, be warned, he doesn't hold much back. The violence is heart-stopping, gore – graphic, action – adrenaline inducing. There was a particularly horrible scene during the Trials (although, frankly, they were all pretty horrible) which made me queasy and showed the reader what happens to many 'disappeared'. The readers should also enjoy the irony: as cruel as the Establishment is, it isn't homophobic. The same sex marriages are recognized, same sex relationships nothing special. Though, you can count on the fact that the Establishment can use and twist any relationship between the two people.

The novel is not without flaws. Part of them stems from the fact that this is the first novel in a planned trilogy. That means many of your questions won't be answered and, by the end of the novel, you'll have even more of them. Since the novel was focused on Lucky, the world at large was left somewhat vague. What are the Ash Wars? Who are horror-inducing Fleshers, when even the Establishment members are afraid of them? Like I said, questions, questions. The implied triangle between Lucian, Digory and Cassius was somewhat weak. Digory's statement that he was interested in Lucky even earlier, when they were in school, didn't ring quite true. I would have personally preferred if the author treated the connection between him and Lucky as a new thing.

I've seen some readers compare The Culling with The Hunger Games. I have no reason to disbelieve them, but I haven't read (I can already hear a collective gasp!) that book, so I can't really confirm or deny. What I can say is that The Culling is well-written, disturbing, gritty, heart-stopping and heart-breaking dystopian novel, with subtle romance and interesting characters. Since Lucky's (and hopefully Digory's) story isn't over, think of my rating as temporary. Depending on how the novel holds to the remaining two, the rating may go up, but it will certainly not be lowered.

The publishing of (yet unnamed) sequel of The Culling is planned for March 2014.

Highly recommended.

Written for Reviews by Jessewave.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I had wanted to read The Culling since Brodie of Eleusinian Mysteries mentioned it in a Waiting on Wednesday post. When I saw it available on NetGalley, I requested it straight away and was reminded that the protagonist is gay. I just knew I had to review it for LGBTQ YA Month, and I'm so glad I did! This book is AMAZING!

Lucian "Lucky" Spark lives in a dystopian police state, where, once teenagers reach the age of 16, they are entered into the ballot to become one of five recruits to take part in the trials to become an elite military Imposer. Only one makes it through. Those who fail at any of the trials have to choose which of their two Incentives - their loved ones - will die for their failure. On the day of Recruitment, Lucky's name is picked. Thrust into training he wants no part of, Lucky must do all he can to keep his four-year-old brother Cole and his surrogate mother Mrs. Bledsoe alive - knowing that means the other Recruits will have to have to die, along with their loved ones. Being a recruit becomes increasingly harder as he strikes up tentative friendships with his fellow Recruits, and finds he has feelings for one of them, Digory.

Oh my god, this book is incredible! I can't even begin to tell you how much! At times The Culling reminded me of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Divergent by Veronica Roth, but it's a very different story altogether. The Culling is probably the harshest on the characters of the three (if we're considering only the first book in the series) both physically and psychologically.

At first I worried that I wasn't going to be the biggest fan, as the weeks of training went by so quickly. I wanted to see more of what actually went into the training, rather than just be told about various parts of it in summary. The three missions they had while in training were the main focus, and were fascinating, but while I was reading, I wished there was more covering the training generally. I worried the Trials would be similarly glossed over, but fortunately I was wrong.

Having now read the whole book, I understand now why we weren't given as much when it came to the training, because the Trials are intense. Seriously, so much goes on in them, and they're absolutely horrific. The Trials themselves are bad enough; they're so dangerous, with a high probability that the Recruits may lose their lives, but it's not just their lives that are on the line. If you fail, not only do you have to chose which of your two Incentives die, but all Recruits have to watch. These aren't pretty merciful deaths either. The Hunger Games is kind of tame in comparison, in my opinion. Really. The deaths are violent and very descriptive. And it's not just reading about the deaths, but knowing the characters chose that person to die, and now have to watch it happen, and seeing how they react... oh my god, it's just awful! Imagine having to choose, choose, which of two people you fiercely love will die. Knowing that if you don't choose, all three of you will die. It's just horrendous. And sometimes, the Recruits have to choose how their Incentive dies. It's unbelievable. More than once I was rocked to my core because of just what the characters have to go through.

The one good thing that can be said about this dystopian world is that it doesn't bat an eyelid at homosexuality. Homosexuality nor the word "gay" are ever mentioned. It's a dystopian novel with a romantic subplot, and that's it. Just a romance. A romance that just so happens to be between two guys. This is also the first book I've read for the Month to include same-sex marriage. And no-one raises an eyebrow. It's just awesome! It's such a complete non-issue. How it really should be

However, I wasn't too keen on the romance. Almost everything else was perfect, but I couldn't quite get behind the romance. I loved both Lucky and Digory, but their relationship just felt a little cheesy to me, like it wanted to be an epic romance, but didn't quite make it. It just didn't work for me, but I still found the twists surrounding it really intriguing.

There were certain things within the story that were only touched on a little, and then not mentioned again, that I was surprised about - especially in the third training mission. Hopefully there will be more on those things in future books, but it seemed odd to me that there wasn't any discussion of certain things seen and experienced by the characters after the fact.

But overall, an incredible dystopian novel! I am so excited for the second novel in The Torch Keeper series when it comes out next year. This is one debut novel that will blow your mind and knock you for six over and over again. Absolutely amazing! Steven dos Santos is definitely one to watch!

Thank you to Flux via NetGalley for the eGalley.

[Berseker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't want to be unfair here, so I'll say right away that this book wasn't for me. It's too violent and too gorey and too... I don't know, slash-horror-ish for me.

That said, I... liked it, I guess? I read the whole thing. n the whole, the story was interesting. This kind of plot requires a lot of cruelty, and the author was pretty creative in that. All in all, this book was way more evil than the Hunger Games.

But the pace was a bit off, and I had some trouble with the setting and the characterization and, since I mentioned it anyway, with the similarity between the two series. And that highlighted a few things that THG did right that didn't work quite as well here.

Like the fact that Katniss is so, so incredibly smarter than poor Lucky.


The Setting:

I'm sorry, I just didn't buy it. I know a lot of people had trouble with THG, and the fact that the arena was both punishment and entertainment, but to me that worked, it made sense in my head, and it explained the logic behind the arbitrareness of the games. It made sense for the organizers to fight against the tributes and turn the arena into an enemy. I think one of the games ended with a random ass flood that killed everyone but Annie, right?

Here, the evil guys are training the kids to join this Elite group and become soldiers, and it just doesn't make sense.

The process goes like this: every year, they pick five random kids. Each one comes with two loved ones to be their Incentives, and the government (Establishment, as they call it) picks someone if they don't have any family or friend.

In the training, the kids must go through different phases. In the first one, there's a lot of mind games, but there's not really a competition going on. They train, they learn, they do a lot of push-ups, they get gorish missions, and when that's over, the real selection starts. There are tests they must pass, and the last one to finish must pick one of the two Incentives to die. When someone runs out of incentives, he or she gets shipped to labor camps. If they die during the tests, the Incentives are automatically killed.

The last one standing gets to join the Elite group.

I don't buy it. I don't think a system like that would last as long as it did, but even if I ignore that, I think this is a pretty dumb way to build your Elite killer group, because even the kids placed last are obviously pretty good. Why send them away? This way, you'll get only one super soldier a year. Unless this thing happens in every single city? And then I think a revolution would have happened by now, because there's no way in hell every single one of the kids who made it to the top would be loyal instead of, say, a vengeful wreck.

I don't know, maybe it's because all the gore made me distance myself from the whole thing, but it sounded just so implausible.

As for the rest of the world, think Hunger Games, but dirtier and poorer and with more weird diseases. You know, dystopia.


The Characters, and the weird things they do:

In a way, the characters work. They all have interesting backstories, interesting relationships, an intriguing dynamic, and different ways to react to the pain they go through. Lucky was a bit too dramatic in his narration, and a bit repetitive too, but he felt real. Same for Tycho, who was the sweetest boyfriend/parter-in-crime anyone could want.

But the book wavers between that and incredibly implausible moments. As in, a huge crazy fight followed by blind trust, a character tries to kill someone in one scene and he goes back to help her in the next, Lucky decides he can't trust anyone and then forgets it right away, and so on.

Remember how in THG, if you start reading it without any spoiler, you don't know if Katniss should trust Peeta, because of course he likes her of course but DOES HE? Here, if someone says OH I'M COMPLETELY RELIABLE RLY, everyone will fall for it. Especially Lucky. After a cruel betrayal in the first part of the book, he's willing to trust the same guy in the end, and only doesn't because doing so would involve abandoning Tycho and now they're in love. I'm sorry, but to me that wasn't a test of his loyalty as much as a test of his intelligence. And this happens over and over and over. I felt like I knew more about their universe than they did.



The Plot:


I already explained it. That's the plot. First phase with training and some sort of bonding, then second phase with the tests. There's a lot of foreshadowing for the next books (the creepy creatures they call the Fleshers, the uprising Tycho was trying to organize, the five kids who escaped the training ten years ago, etc). But most of the story is made of gruesome tests, to the point where I was getting a bit insensitive as we approached the ending (oh, piles of rotten half-dead people again, just climb that shit, dude). We have death by bees (not the bees!), acid, some sort of coughing plague, poisonous gas, wild rats, etc. I just- I won't even get into it. It horrified me into boredon.


All in all, it was an interesting, fast read, but I probably won't re-read it, or check out the rest of the series. So, 2 stars.

[Tyler Begnoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok y'all. I'm going to level you; this book is by no means a masterpiece, but it gets 5 stars from me because this was the first time I've ever been so invested in a book and had a REALLY hard time putting it down. I had so much fun reading this book, I read it in TWO DAYS. I know that might not be a big deal for some of you on here, but I'm not a big reader and it usually takes me months to finish a book (if i finish it at all).

Some things are contrived, yes, and the characters do things that will obviously blow up in their faces, but not always in the ways you'd expect. This book had so many intense action scenes and exciting twists, I had to keep reading to see what would happen next.

The other thing that really held my attention was the gay romance intertwined throughout. Being gay myself, I DESPERATELY wanted to read good fantasy and/or thriller that featured a gay romance, but where it wasn't the main point of the book. Corny or smutty romances aren't my thing and that's all i could find where gay romance was involved. I couldn't find one anywhere though and became disheartened...until I found this. It allowed me to invest in book like I've never had before. It was SO refreshing to finally be represented in a way that didn't make out being gay into a big taboo and as totally normal! (which is ironic considering how evil the government is, haha). I hope to find more books that follow this example because we really need them.

Thank you Steven for finally creating a thrilling story for all the gays in the world. It means a lot.

[Jeff Erno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although not exactly easy to categorize, The Culling by Steven Dos Santos is a remarkable book. The futuristic setting, within an environment that is desolate and bleak, under the iron-fisted rule of a totalitarian government, suggests the story is a dystopia. Yet it is not immediately clear on which world the story is set, be it real or imaginary. Though all the central characters are young adult, the story itself depicts intensely graphic and horrific scenes that are grotesque, gruesome, and far more vivid than you'd find in most horror novels. The main character is gay, but this fact is incidental to the story, and the love interest in the story is secondary. Therefore it is by no means a romance, and it does not have the typical ending of a romance.

So with all this being said, it doesn't make a lot of sense that I loved this book as much as I did. I think there are several reason why I had to rate this story so highly. First of all, the writing was extraordinary. From the world-building to the word-crafting, the pacing, the sentence structure, the expansive and impressive vocabulary, the impeccable editing, the multi-layered characterization--all of these combined factors gave the book the feel of a mainstream press publication. In a word, it was a professional. A class act, very well done.

Now, some on Good Reads have attacked the book by accusing the author of plagiarizing the Hunger Games. To this, I say simply that's ridiculous. About the only thing the story has in common with HG is that in both novels there is an elimination-style competition of state sponsored youthful contestants. That is where the similarities end, however.

The Culling is not about a reality TV show as in HG. It's a competition the government uses to select recruits for their military officers. And the selection process is not a lottery like in HG, based upon where the young people live. In fact, all of the contestants that competed in this story were in the same parish. And they do not fight one another to the death. In fact, in The Culling, deliberately killing another contestant is forbidden. They often are required to work together as a team.

The government, upon selecting a recruit, takes into custody two family members or loved ones to use as incentives. If the recruit fails in the trials, one of their Incentives is selected for "shelving". In other words, they have to choose which of their loved ones will die. If both Incentives are eliminated, the contestant is disqualified from the competition and sent to a work camp for the remainder of their life.

Some have stated that the story contains a love triangle. I didn't see this at all. The main character is a boy named Lucian. At one time he was in love Cassius, who was then selected for the Trials. Cassius succeeded and went on to become the Prefect of the parish. Upon his return, he's changed. He betrays Lucian. Then Lucian, or "Lucky" falls in love with another contestant in the Trials named Digory. There is absolutely no triangle here. The relationship between Cassius and Lucky is over at the beginning of the story. The reader's only knowledge of this former relationship is gleaned through flashback. Within this story, Cassius is not a love interest at all. He's the nemesis.

The one thing that is disturbing to me about the story was the sadism and cruelty that's depicted. As I was reading it, it moved me to tears, and I wondered what kind of mind would think up such horrors. Believe me, this is not a personal attack upon the author. I have never met him and have nothing against him. But I suppose it takes a certain type of talent to reach into that dark side of the psyche to even entertain such hideous ideas.

I do plan to read all the stories of this series. I've read a lot of different series books over the years, and very few were so compelling that I eagerly waited for the release day of the next book (e.g. Harry Potter). This series is going to be like this, I'm afraid. Even though the goriness was off-putting to me, the story itself is just spectacular. It is such a a work of creativity, and it's genuinely a page turner. Once I got past the first hundred pages in the book, the rest of the story flew by and I couldn't put it down.

It'll probably be one of the best books of the year, in my opinion.