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Amaranth: A Novel
A devastating virus. A nation-wide quarantine. A ruthless government at war with the world. And it’s all seventeen-year-old Lyra Harmon’s fault.
Lyra is the only person known to have “phoenix cells,” which regenerate no matter the injury or illness. If she had just let the doctors clone her cells when Hecate’s Plague was first discovered, she could have stopped the pandemic—and the war. But her parents knew the government would also use her cells to clone an undefeatable army and wanted to protect Lyra from being a pawn in anyone’s game. So they kept her hidden and have now been on the run for years. It’s a lonely, isolating existence and Lyra hates it.
When she secretly befriends a young girl orphaned by the plague, Lyra takes a stand. She won’t run again. But her impulsive decision has devastating her parents contract the deadly virus, leaving them only three days to live—unless Lyra can save them. But as she’s sucked into a dangerous political game, she no longer knows the right thing to do. With time running out, she must finally decide what—or who—she’s willing to sacrifice in order to find a cure.
Lyra is the only person known to have “phoenix cells,” which regenerate no matter the injury or illness. If she had just let the doctors clone her cells when Hecate’s Plague was first discovered, she could have stopped the pandemic—and the war. But her parents knew the government would also use her cells to clone an undefeatable army and wanted to protect Lyra from being a pawn in anyone’s game. So they kept her hidden and have now been on the run for years. It’s a lonely, isolating existence and Lyra hates it.
When she secretly befriends a young girl orphaned by the plague, Lyra takes a stand. She won’t run again. But her impulsive decision has devastating her parents contract the deadly virus, leaving them only three days to live—unless Lyra can save them. But as she’s sucked into a dangerous political game, she no longer knows the right thing to do. With time running out, she must finally decide what—or who—she’s willing to sacrifice in order to find a cure.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2024
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 23, 2024
First of all, thank you to Jen Braaksma, SparkPress and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before release.
Amaranth is super fast paced from the first page on, it really made me turn those pages, though at times I felt ut was a little too fast, too disjointed and a little all over the place. So it took me quite a while to get used to the writing and the pace of the story.
In the beginning of the book I found the protagonist Lyra to be a little annoying, too immature and selfish, but after reminding myself how she had to grow up, isolated and sheltered, and that she's still only a teenager, Lyra really grew on me and I actually started to kind of like the way she questioned everything, including herself. Throught the book you can literally see how she grows, how she realizes what life is about and what purpose she has in life. Which, to me, sends a message to all those who feel lost in their life, trying to figure out how the future can look like.
For all the other characters in the book I really missed the character- and relationshipbuilding. They were there, but you did not really have a reason to care about them.
All in all, I enjoyed the dystopian feeling of the book and I think there's great potential (I could see Amaranth being a duology had it been written a little more slow paced), given it's only Jen Braaksmas second book.
Amaranth is super fast paced from the first page on, it really made me turn those pages, though at times I felt ut was a little too fast, too disjointed and a little all over the place. So it took me quite a while to get used to the writing and the pace of the story.
In the beginning of the book I found the protagonist Lyra to be a little annoying, too immature and selfish, but after reminding myself how she had to grow up, isolated and sheltered, and that she's still only a teenager, Lyra really grew on me and I actually started to kind of like the way she questioned everything, including herself. Throught the book you can literally see how she grows, how she realizes what life is about and what purpose she has in life. Which, to me, sends a message to all those who feel lost in their life, trying to figure out how the future can look like.
For all the other characters in the book I really missed the character- and relationshipbuilding. They were there, but you did not really have a reason to care about them.
All in all, I enjoyed the dystopian feeling of the book and I think there's great potential (I could see Amaranth being a duology had it been written a little more slow paced), given it's only Jen Braaksmas second book.
March 18, 2024
Originally, I thought that the premise of Amaranth would be better suited to a series, akin to Roth's Divergent. Having read Braaksma's piece now, I think it to be a perfect standalone work that is so much more than a dyatopian/post-apocolyptic piece of fiction.
The introspection of the protagonist is so vivid and real, and I feel that her struggles with feeling trapped, powerless, voiceless, and useless are universal and will resonate with many readers.
It wasn't until the last quarter (or so) of the book that I felt satisfied with the pace of the plot, but I now realize that this story is meant for more than just entertainment. That being said, it was an enjoyable read that had me tapping to the next page quite furiously at several points.
It isn't often that I come across a character who goes through the gamut of emotions that come with growing up (akin to the stages of grief), so now that I've finished this book, I feel grateful to have met Lyra and am thankful to have gotten the chance to receive this ARC.
The introspection of the protagonist is so vivid and real, and I feel that her struggles with feeling trapped, powerless, voiceless, and useless are universal and will resonate with many readers.
It wasn't until the last quarter (or so) of the book that I felt satisfied with the pace of the plot, but I now realize that this story is meant for more than just entertainment. That being said, it was an enjoyable read that had me tapping to the next page quite furiously at several points.
It isn't often that I come across a character who goes through the gamut of emotions that come with growing up (akin to the stages of grief), so now that I've finished this book, I feel grateful to have met Lyra and am thankful to have gotten the chance to receive this ARC.
April 17, 2024
Amaranth is a thrilling and scarily topical adventure featuring that classic journey of a young protagonist having an incredible power and not knowing how best to use it for good. Lyra is a teen girl living in a world wracked by the devastating Hecate's Plague and is seemingly the only one endowed with "phoenix cells" that are able to regenerate and fight off any infection. But fearful of her being exploited, her parents have kept her on the run and away from the hands of government scientists who want to manipulate her cells to create an invulnerable army of super soldiers. When a series of fateful events leave her on her own, she finds she has agency for the first time and starts questioning whether her parents made the right choices. Can she help rid the world of the scourge of the pandemic?
Of course, things aren't quite as straightforward as that and the book ends on ambiguous note, leaving the way open for a sequel. But I do appreciate how the book reflects there aren't any easy answers in life. We also get to know Lyra inside and out. This is my only quibble; I like a good dose of character interiority, but here we get to hear every last strand of what she's thinking at all times, and it can get too much. Sometimes you wonder how someone can go through such an exhaustive thought process while keeping up a conversation. But the character is sympathetic and likeable, I was rooting for her to do the right thing, so it's not too much of an issue. There is still enough action and twists and turns to keep this an exciting read, and I constantly found myself wanting to know what was coming next. Overall, well recommended for fans of YA, dystopian, and thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
Of course, things aren't quite as straightforward as that and the book ends on ambiguous note, leaving the way open for a sequel. But I do appreciate how the book reflects there aren't any easy answers in life. We also get to know Lyra inside and out. This is my only quibble; I like a good dose of character interiority, but here we get to hear every last strand of what she's thinking at all times, and it can get too much. Sometimes you wonder how someone can go through such an exhaustive thought process while keeping up a conversation. But the character is sympathetic and likeable, I was rooting for her to do the right thing, so it's not too much of an issue. There is still enough action and twists and turns to keep this an exciting read, and I constantly found myself wanting to know what was coming next. Overall, well recommended for fans of YA, dystopian, and thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
May 22, 2024
This book had a lot of interesting concepts that pulled me into the story. I loved the idea of Lyra’s regenerating phoenix cells that essentially make her immortal, and COVID-19 appears tame compared to Hecate’s Plague, which kills its victims in three days. I enjoyed reading about a girl with special abilities on the run from government agents, reminding me of one of my favorite Stephen King novels, Firestarter.
While I loved the premise of this novel, there were some aspects that fell short for me.
I struggled to connect with the main character, Lyra, because she came off as such a negative person. It felt like she spent more time complaining about the position she was in than trying to find a solution to get out of it. I also wasn’t a fan of the insta-love between her and David or the way they verbally attacked each other, which I thought was too harsh to be considered little fights. The characters seemed to jump to conclusions and decisions that didn’t always make sense to me, and I wish things would have been a little more thought-out.
Some of the characters I did love included Jaz, with her will to fight despite being sick, Holly because of her carefree innocence, and Mama Jua because of her motherly care and kindness. I only wish that I’d been able to connect with the main characters as well as I did with these side characters.
Thank you to SparkPress for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
While I loved the premise of this novel, there were some aspects that fell short for me.
I struggled to connect with the main character, Lyra, because she came off as such a negative person. It felt like she spent more time complaining about the position she was in than trying to find a solution to get out of it. I also wasn’t a fan of the insta-love between her and David or the way they verbally attacked each other, which I thought was too harsh to be considered little fights. The characters seemed to jump to conclusions and decisions that didn’t always make sense to me, and I wish things would have been a little more thought-out.
Some of the characters I did love included Jaz, with her will to fight despite being sick, Holly because of her carefree innocence, and Mama Jua because of her motherly care and kindness. I only wish that I’d been able to connect with the main characters as well as I did with these side characters.
Thank you to SparkPress for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
April 22, 2024
I felt this was well written, and it felt real since we've lived through COVID. The idea that the government would hunt down someone and use them for experimentation is an unsettling, but not unrealistic theme to add into a novel. The fact that it was a child is upsetting. I can understand the internal struggle for Lyra being a child trying to navigate this complex, dystopian world.
This was a quick read because it was so easy to become invested in Lyra's story.
I'd love to read about what happens after the events of this story.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my review.
This was a quick read because it was so easy to become invested in Lyra's story.
I'd love to read about what happens after the events of this story.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my review.
May 16, 2024
What to say about Amaranth.
I liked the idea of the book, the plot was okay, but I did find myself skimming more than reading which is one of the reasons for the three stars.
I did not like Lyra. All she did was whine and start arguments with people for no reason. For example when she accused David of not trusting her, all because he never told her that he could speak Arabic. I'm putting it down to me being 37, and her 17, but I kept rolling my eyes at her. If I rolled them anymore, they would have fallen out of my head.
I'm sure people will like this, maybe people a lot younger than me, but for me it just didn't make the mark.
I liked the idea of the book, the plot was okay, but I did find myself skimming more than reading which is one of the reasons for the three stars.
I did not like Lyra. All she did was whine and start arguments with people for no reason. For example when she accused David of not trusting her, all because he never told her that he could speak Arabic. I'm putting it down to me being 37, and her 17, but I kept rolling my eyes at her. If I rolled them anymore, they would have fallen out of my head.
I'm sure people will like this, maybe people a lot younger than me, but for me it just didn't make the mark.
June 9, 2024
We are solidly in the time where we are getting books about pandemics from actual experiences, and for some, that might be too soon or too difficult to read.
Lyra is a teen living with her family that is constantly being sought after by the government because of her unique blood cells during a plague.
Lyra comes across as unlikable quite often, but she is a character dealing with heavy trauma, situations beyond her control, and all of this on top of being a teenager. This is a great addition to the YA dystopian genre.
Thank you to #netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lyra is a teen living with her family that is constantly being sought after by the government because of her unique blood cells during a plague.
Lyra comes across as unlikable quite often, but she is a character dealing with heavy trauma, situations beyond her control, and all of this on top of being a teenager. This is a great addition to the YA dystopian genre.
Thank you to #netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2025
3/5⭐
This had potential but....
Characters - I couldn't connect to the main ones. Lyra was awful, whiny teenager and I honestly disliked her. I know that there is a reason for her being like this but Gods, she really pissed me off on more than one occasion.
I didn't like the insta love - it was a bit too much according to me. They would have been great friends.
I really liked some of the side characters - Holly and Mama Jud. They were great.
Maybe being 40 also add a bit to dropping the stars. I assume a teenager will like it better.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This had potential but....
Characters - I couldn't connect to the main ones. Lyra was awful, whiny teenager and I honestly disliked her. I know that there is a reason for her being like this but Gods, she really pissed me off on more than one occasion.
I didn't like the insta love - it was a bit too much according to me. They would have been great friends.
I really liked some of the side characters - Holly and Mama Jud. They were great.
Maybe being 40 also add a bit to dropping the stars. I assume a teenager will like it better.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 21, 2024
Perfect for fans of YA dystopian novels with strong FMCs. I was sucked in from the start—Lyra's journey is a thrilling and thought-provoking ride. Crossing my fingers for a sequel!
December 8, 2024
“Amaranth,” by Jen Braaksma
A virus has swept the nation and caused a quarantine as people die left and right. Lyra has “phoenix cells” which regenerate her body no matter the injury. If she had let the doctors clone her cells when the Hecate’s Plague first started the plague could have been stopped. Her parents knew that the government would use those cells not only for good but to create an unstoppable army, so she ran.
The entire plague dystopian story was super relatable to our current world. The moral dilemma of wanting to save potentially millions from a plague but probably causing millions of people’s deaths when the government missuses her blood was super interesting. 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.
A virus has swept the nation and caused a quarantine as people die left and right. Lyra has “phoenix cells” which regenerate her body no matter the injury. If she had let the doctors clone her cells when the Hecate’s Plague first started the plague could have been stopped. Her parents knew that the government would use those cells not only for good but to create an unstoppable army, so she ran.
The entire plague dystopian story was super relatable to our current world. The moral dilemma of wanting to save potentially millions from a plague but probably causing millions of people’s deaths when the government missuses her blood was super interesting. 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.
January 31, 2024
A remarkably presentient story, filled with surprising twists and turns that keep you reading, Amaranth delivers a powerful message about what it means to live with purpose.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews