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The Laws of Motion #1
External Forces
FINALIST-Science Fiction ForeWord Reviews Book Of The Year 2013
It’s 100 years since the Genetic Integrity Act was passed and America closed its borders to prevent genetic contamination. Now only the enemy, dysgenic Deviants, remain beyond the heavily guarded border. The Department of Evolution carefully guides the creation of each generation and deviations from the divine plan are not permitted.
When 16-year-old Jess begins to show signs of deviance she enlists in the Special Forces, with her best friend Jay, in a desperate bid to evade detection by the Devotees. Jess is good with data, not so good with a knife. So when the handsome and secretive Sergeant Matt Anderson selects her for his Black Ops squad, Jess is determined to figure out why.
As her deviance continues to change her, Jess is forced to decide who to trust with her deadly secret. Jess needs to know what’s really out there, in the Deviant wasteland over the border, if she has any hope of making it to her 17th birthday. Because if the enemy doesn’t kill her first, the Department of Evolution probably will.
It’s 100 years since the Genetic Integrity Act was passed and America closed its borders to prevent genetic contamination. Now only the enemy, dysgenic Deviants, remain beyond the heavily guarded border. The Department of Evolution carefully guides the creation of each generation and deviations from the divine plan are not permitted.
When 16-year-old Jess begins to show signs of deviance she enlists in the Special Forces, with her best friend Jay, in a desperate bid to evade detection by the Devotees. Jess is good with data, not so good with a knife. So when the handsome and secretive Sergeant Matt Anderson selects her for his Black Ops squad, Jess is determined to figure out why.
As her deviance continues to change her, Jess is forced to decide who to trust with her deadly secret. Jess needs to know what’s really out there, in the Deviant wasteland over the border, if she has any hope of making it to her 17th birthday. Because if the enemy doesn’t kill her first, the Department of Evolution probably will.
268 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
764 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Rix
5 books57 followersDeborah Rix has had a successful career in entertainment publicity, live music promotion, corporate communications and event management. She lives with her family in Toronto, Canada, where she is the proprietor of The Lucky Penny, a corner store and take-out joint in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood.
External Forces is her first novel.
External Forces is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
May 21, 2015
3.5 stars
Not sure this one will be for everyone, but it held my attention well enough to be enjoyable. It has a lot of the same components as several of the dystopians I've read lately, but with a few tweaks to keep it from being a carbon copy.
This seems fairly familiar to me...
In the United States people are now genetically engineered from birth to be perfect, and anyone who shows any imperfection is called a Deviant. If a child is born with a deviation, it is taken from it's parents and killed. However, occasionally babies slip though the cracks, so everyone is re-tested during adolescence just to make sure.
Here's a little tweak to keep things interesting...
At some point in the past, the government of the United States totally closed it's borders. Evidently, it was due to some sort of warning from the gods. Almost immediately following the shut-down, a bunch of natural disasters devastated the rest of the world. And this left the good ol' U.S. of A. the last functioning government that had any resources left. This transmission from a higher power is what America is now founded on, and the reason the Department of Evolution is in charge of everyone's lives. The DOE is a quasi-religious group that is a mixture of science, faith, and politics.
Goodbye separation of church and state...
The main character, Jess, has a small splotch that has recently appeared on her stomach, which makes her a target for the Devotees. She knows once her birthday rolls around she'll be tested and found out.
Devotees are the folks who ferret out the Deviants, by the way.
Jess also seems to have an affinity for technology, and is a bit of a small-time hacker. She plans to use her skill to get herself and her BFF into the military early. Hopefully, this should buy her some time to figure out what to do about the mole on her tummy. While she wants to avoid being inspected by the Devotees, her friend Jay wants to join to get away from his mother...who doesn't know he's gay. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem like being gay is considered a deviation, because other than his mamma everyone else seems to know about Jay's sexual preference.
Marks on your stomach will get you killed, but the religious fanatics in charge are ok with homosexuality?
Suuuure. That sounds reasonable.
Jess' mark isn't just sitting there, though. Nope. It's growing in direct correlation to strange adrenaline fueled moments, where it appears (to Jess) that she can slow time down.
M'kay.
Here's a mild spoiler, but I don't think it will surprise anyone. Even I knew as I was reading it that she wasn't slowing down time. She was just able to move faster than the average bear when she was in a stressful situation.
Duh.
I'm not sure why the author thought it was a good idea to have Jess thinking she was a Time Lord for a large portion of the book. I'm really freakin' fast! makes more sense than I've slowed down everyone else on earth!
Maybe it's just me...but I don't think so.
Anyway, once Jess and Jay get into the army training camp, Jess catches the eye of a young (handsome) sergeant from a Black Ops squad. He seems to be tampering with her test results, but not always in a bad way. In fact, his interference allows her to pass the tests for using a gun. Although, she suspects he also had a hand in one of her other test scores lower.
I had some flashbacks to the Divergent series during this part of the book...
I have to say, that the last half of the book goes off in a pretty interesting direction, but I don't want to spoil anything...so I'll shut up.
Like I said, this isn't going to one I would recommend for everyone. Not only is it a dystopian (not everybody's cuppa), but it has a lot of elements that are going to make hard-core fans of this genre compare it to other books they've already read. My personal opinion is that the author was not being a copy-cat. It's just...well, there are only so many ways society can rise and fall, and it's a subject that's been fairly plundered in the past few years. I think it's only natural that some plot points will start to seem a bit repetitive. This may not seem like a glowing review, but I really did have fun reading the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Not sure this one will be for everyone, but it held my attention well enough to be enjoyable. It has a lot of the same components as several of the dystopians I've read lately, but with a few tweaks to keep it from being a carbon copy.
This seems fairly familiar to me...
In the United States people are now genetically engineered from birth to be perfect, and anyone who shows any imperfection is called a Deviant. If a child is born with a deviation, it is taken from it's parents and killed. However, occasionally babies slip though the cracks, so everyone is re-tested during adolescence just to make sure.
Here's a little tweak to keep things interesting...
At some point in the past, the government of the United States totally closed it's borders. Evidently, it was due to some sort of warning from the gods. Almost immediately following the shut-down, a bunch of natural disasters devastated the rest of the world. And this left the good ol' U.S. of A. the last functioning government that had any resources left. This transmission from a higher power is what America is now founded on, and the reason the Department of Evolution is in charge of everyone's lives. The DOE is a quasi-religious group that is a mixture of science, faith, and politics.
Goodbye separation of church and state...
The main character, Jess, has a small splotch that has recently appeared on her stomach, which makes her a target for the Devotees. She knows once her birthday rolls around she'll be tested and found out.
Devotees are the folks who ferret out the Deviants, by the way.
Jess also seems to have an affinity for technology, and is a bit of a small-time hacker. She plans to use her skill to get herself and her BFF into the military early. Hopefully, this should buy her some time to figure out what to do about the mole on her tummy. While she wants to avoid being inspected by the Devotees, her friend Jay wants to join to get away from his mother...who doesn't know he's gay. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem like being gay is considered a deviation, because other than his mamma everyone else seems to know about Jay's sexual preference.
Marks on your stomach will get you killed, but the religious fanatics in charge are ok with homosexuality?
Suuuure. That sounds reasonable.
Jess' mark isn't just sitting there, though. Nope. It's growing in direct correlation to strange adrenaline fueled moments, where it appears (to Jess) that she can slow time down.
M'kay.
Here's a mild spoiler, but I don't think it will surprise anyone. Even I knew as I was reading it that she wasn't slowing down time. She was just able to move faster than the average bear when she was in a stressful situation.
Duh.
I'm not sure why the author thought it was a good idea to have Jess thinking she was a Time Lord for a large portion of the book. I'm really freakin' fast! makes more sense than I've slowed down everyone else on earth!
Maybe it's just me...but I don't think so.
Anyway, once Jess and Jay get into the army training camp, Jess catches the eye of a young (handsome) sergeant from a Black Ops squad. He seems to be tampering with her test results, but not always in a bad way. In fact, his interference allows her to pass the tests for using a gun. Although, she suspects he also had a hand in one of her other test scores lower.
I had some flashbacks to the Divergent series during this part of the book...
I have to say, that the last half of the book goes off in a pretty interesting direction, but I don't want to spoil anything...so I'll shut up.
Like I said, this isn't going to one I would recommend for everyone. Not only is it a dystopian (not everybody's cuppa), but it has a lot of elements that are going to make hard-core fans of this genre compare it to other books they've already read. My personal opinion is that the author was not being a copy-cat. It's just...well, there are only so many ways society can rise and fall, and it's a subject that's been fairly plundered in the past few years. I think it's only natural that some plot points will start to seem a bit repetitive. This may not seem like a glowing review, but I really did have fun reading the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.
October 7, 2013
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
I Loved it! Absolutely LOVED it!
This book reminded me a lot of divergent with the whole character romance thing (Jess and Matt vs. Tris and Tobias). New girl trained by the extremely attractive bad ass boy. But I have to say, I liked Jess and Matt more.
Jess is full of sarcasm and attitude, courage and bravery, life and love. She is the perfect main character for this book and it is written wonderfully through her point of view.
Jess begins to show some signs of being a deviant so she changes her age in the system and enlists in the military with her best friend Jay. The military is the only thing NOT controlled by the government or devotees. I personally HATE the Devotees, but then again you're supposed to.
Jay is a kick butt kinda best friend throughout the entire book. The perfect friend that you can always count on to be there.
“They are all invited to his party, except Jay isn’t interested in girls. We have a bet on who will kiss a boy first. Jay will win.” ---Pg. 42
This absolutely cracked me up when I first read the book. I've read it twice now...
Matt is a fairly young guy to be a Sargent. He grew up on the base because his parents were both military. And of course, he is very attractive. Can't leave that part out! I was all for him in the book until around page 530 (iBooks/ePub version). Don't worry though, he gets his act together and everything turns out ok where he is concerned.
Jess has some weird stuff going on with her body, hence her fear of being divergent. First it seems like she can slow down time and then she has this weird brown growing birthmark looking thing that shows up on her. Everyone wants her approval and to be around her. This is all explained in the book in a much better way than I can describe it obviously.
But bottom line. READ THE BOOK!!! It's amazing, thrilling, enthralling, jaw-dropping, laugh inducing, and butt-kicking.
I can't wait to get my hands on the sequal!
I Loved it! Absolutely LOVED it!
This book reminded me a lot of divergent with the whole character romance thing (Jess and Matt vs. Tris and Tobias). New girl trained by the extremely attractive bad ass boy. But I have to say, I liked Jess and Matt more.
Jess is full of sarcasm and attitude, courage and bravery, life and love. She is the perfect main character for this book and it is written wonderfully through her point of view.
Jess begins to show some signs of being a deviant so she changes her age in the system and enlists in the military with her best friend Jay. The military is the only thing NOT controlled by the government or devotees. I personally HATE the Devotees, but then again you're supposed to.
Jay is a kick butt kinda best friend throughout the entire book. The perfect friend that you can always count on to be there.
“They are all invited to his party, except Jay isn’t interested in girls. We have a bet on who will kiss a boy first. Jay will win.” ---Pg. 42
This absolutely cracked me up when I first read the book. I've read it twice now...
Matt is a fairly young guy to be a Sargent. He grew up on the base because his parents were both military. And of course, he is very attractive. Can't leave that part out! I was all for him in the book until around page 530 (iBooks/ePub version). Don't worry though, he gets his act together and everything turns out ok where he is concerned.
Jess has some weird stuff going on with her body, hence her fear of being divergent. First it seems like she can slow down time and then she has this weird brown growing birthmark looking thing that shows up on her. Everyone wants her approval and to be around her. This is all explained in the book in a much better way than I can describe it obviously.
But bottom line. READ THE BOOK!!! It's amazing, thrilling, enthralling, jaw-dropping, laugh inducing, and butt-kicking.
I can't wait to get my hands on the sequal!
September 22, 2013
External Forces, by Deborah Rix, is one of those books that is difficult to categorize because it has it all. Even though it was written primarily for the Young Adult audience, this middle aged woman LOVED it!
It is difficult to believe that this is the author's first novel. Her characters are fleshed out so much that the reader feels what they feel. I felt my adrenaline flow just as Jess' (our strong female protagonist) flowed. I felt the butterflies in my stomach, the fear, the anger....well, you get the picture. I was very invested in these characters.
What really impressed me about the characters in External Forces is there were so many with strong personalities. In general, when I read a novel it seems that I have to go back and check to see who the secondary characters are; I don't remember their names, or what their relationship to the plot is. That never happened to me as I read this book. Impressive.
And the science fiction? Very close to being non fiction, particularly the bio-engineering of crops. I won't mention the company by name, and don't want to write any spoilers, but pay attention to the news. Some of this is already happening. Just ask any farmer. It is very scary indeed. This author has done her homework!
I wish that I could be as imaginative as Ms Rix. The plot is so intricate that it completely immerses the reader into the world of Jess and the other members of the Special Forces Black Ops team. Finishing the book was exhilarating as well as disappointing, because I knew that the ride was over. I can only hope that this author is as fast as she is good, because I can't wait until the next book in this series!!
It is difficult to believe that this is the author's first novel. Her characters are fleshed out so much that the reader feels what they feel. I felt my adrenaline flow just as Jess' (our strong female protagonist) flowed. I felt the butterflies in my stomach, the fear, the anger....well, you get the picture. I was very invested in these characters.
What really impressed me about the characters in External Forces is there were so many with strong personalities. In general, when I read a novel it seems that I have to go back and check to see who the secondary characters are; I don't remember their names, or what their relationship to the plot is. That never happened to me as I read this book. Impressive.
And the science fiction? Very close to being non fiction, particularly the bio-engineering of crops. I won't mention the company by name, and don't want to write any spoilers, but pay attention to the news. Some of this is already happening. Just ask any farmer. It is very scary indeed. This author has done her homework!
I wish that I could be as imaginative as Ms Rix. The plot is so intricate that it completely immerses the reader into the world of Jess and the other members of the Special Forces Black Ops team. Finishing the book was exhilarating as well as disappointing, because I knew that the ride was over. I can only hope that this author is as fast as she is good, because I can't wait until the next book in this series!!
November 7, 2015
I won this book in a giveaway on the Apocalypse Whenever group and the author was kind enough to send the book to Pakistan.
What I liked:
the characters- they were all fun to read about
Jess and her sense of humour made me chuckle a lot
the story kept me interested right up to the end, when it didn't
What I didn't like:
Jess wasn't confident about the abilities & at times, seemed to hate them but whenever the others needed saving, she did that easily...too easily
the queen bee bit was unnecessary and too similar to the prevalent fad of the MC suddenly being in demand, as soon as, the hottest boy starts dating them
the whole religion part needs to be stronger to ring true and sound serious enough to become a rallying cause
Even after, she was found out, Jess was still hiding the mark from her friends & I had no idea why. Another thing that irked me was that I couldn't imagine what the mark looked like, dunno why I kept wanting to see a picture of it!
An interesting book which I read through quite quickly.
Also reviewed at:
B&N
Shelfari
Amazon
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2013
The External Forces has everything a reader could ask for - action, comedy, romance, it has it all. The dialogue between characters is completely relatable and the science is realistic. Fans of the Divergent series will love this book, for the similarity of being a different type of human and overcoming the prejudice that comes with being different. I can’t wait for the next installment, and to find what happens to the characters I have come to know.
December 19, 2013
Wow....I have read a few books similar to this but nothing REALLY like this... it was crazy!
I had to read parts a few times to make sure i really understood it.. ONLY because i wanted to make sure i did not miss something. And i was blown away. I loved every black ops soldier in this book,..
I had to read parts a few times to make sure i really understood it.. ONLY because i wanted to make sure i did not miss something. And i was blown away. I loved every black ops soldier in this book,..
September 13, 2013
This book is amazing. It wraps adventure (like military adventure), romance (not too much, but not too little), and science (like genes and plants) into one. The book is very well written, and the characters are very well developed. Jess (the main character) is extremely relate-able and proves that the prejudice of her type is all false and that they can be loved. Thank you for letting me read this amazing book as a give-away, and I look forward to the series.
October 9, 2013
Well… this is very… strange.
I’m 99% sure that this is a rip off of Divergent.
But, the usual stuff first.
External Forces is about a girl called Jess. She lives in a dystopian society which is united against a special group of people known as the Deviant. She joins the army to fight against these Deviant people. She makes friends, and then becomes freakishly popular. She develops a crush on her instructor, Matt and they plot to escape the army.
The characters were pretty poor. I didn’t give a shit about any of them except Sheree. They were all pretty unremarkable. Matt was the typical mysterious person, Jess was average, and Jay was a bore. Sheree pretty much saved this book for me. She was badass and awesome, and I freaking loved her.
Honestly, the plot is pretty confusing. There’s some twisted religion stuff about God’s Fury and angel messages that aren’t well explained. There’s all this data and weird ways of retrieving it. There’s this grand escape, and I’m not entirely sure what they want to achieve.
The book isn’t very interesting. The start dumped a lot of info about the world and how it went. This was all fed through to the reader by Jess. It was pretty overwhelming and because of the information overload, I can’t remember a thing that Jess explained. After a bad start, my interest in the book plummeted.
This book isn’t exceptional in any way. However, it also isn’t horrible. I could definitely see people liking this.
However, there were so many similarities to Divergent by Veronica Roth that this book borders on being a mediocre rewrite.
These similarities include:
· Having a group of people who are considered dangerous and un-normal. These people are called Deviant in External forces and Divergent in Divergent. These differences lie in the brains of these people. However, they are quite different with the Deviant being much more extreme and well known.
· A gated society (okay, that’s a pretty insignificant one)
· A knife throwing scene where people STAND IN FRONT OF TARGETS. Seriously. One guy even gets his ear nicked. (The Divergent scene is much better and has better reasons. The Deviant one is pointless and ridiculous).
· Sim seats that act like the simulations in Divergent.
· A sim test that involves choices like the aptitude test in Divergent.
· Sim seats that are just like the simulations used in Divergent.
· The main characters of both books are deviant/divergent.
· Different sections of society. In External Forces, this involves the places that people choose to work. The sections in Divergent are more severe and are a way of life, not just a job.
· Both heroines choose to join the fighting/army/fearless sector.
· Both main characters have to go through a tough selection process, which involves fighting, psych tests, sim tests, and people dying.
· The sim tests (or psych tests; I can’t remember) document the fears of a person, just like the fear landscape in Divergent.
· Both heroines fall in love with their instructors.
· Both heroines get sexually harassed by people jealous of them (and then proceed to have very similar conversations with their instructors about it).
· Both main characters have many people jealous of them.
· Both main characters get their hair cut short right after people they love get killed by the army/Dauntless.
These similarities aren’t just minor. They’re pretty major. The knife scene was probably the most copied one. It was just way too similar to be a coincidence. This combined with all the other similarities give this book a real “rip off” vibe.
Even though the foundations of the society are very similar to Divergent, the last half of the book changes and becomes quite different to Divergent. It looks like this series will head down a very different path. However, IMO this is not enough to make up for the suspicious similarities throughout the book.
This book reads like an inferior rewrite of Divergent. It isn’t completely horrible, but it barely has any redeeming qualities. I would not recommend this book; the similarity of this book to Divergent was a deal-breaker for me.
An ARC was received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m 99% sure that this is a rip off of Divergent.
But, the usual stuff first.
External Forces is about a girl called Jess. She lives in a dystopian society which is united against a special group of people known as the Deviant. She joins the army to fight against these Deviant people. She makes friends, and then becomes freakishly popular. She develops a crush on her instructor, Matt and they plot to escape the army.
The characters were pretty poor. I didn’t give a shit about any of them except Sheree. They were all pretty unremarkable. Matt was the typical mysterious person, Jess was average, and Jay was a bore. Sheree pretty much saved this book for me. She was badass and awesome, and I freaking loved her.
Honestly, the plot is pretty confusing. There’s some twisted religion stuff about God’s Fury and angel messages that aren’t well explained. There’s all this data and weird ways of retrieving it. There’s this grand escape, and I’m not entirely sure what they want to achieve.
The book isn’t very interesting. The start dumped a lot of info about the world and how it went. This was all fed through to the reader by Jess. It was pretty overwhelming and because of the information overload, I can’t remember a thing that Jess explained. After a bad start, my interest in the book plummeted.
This book isn’t exceptional in any way. However, it also isn’t horrible. I could definitely see people liking this.
However, there were so many similarities to Divergent by Veronica Roth that this book borders on being a mediocre rewrite.
These similarities include:
· Having a group of people who are considered dangerous and un-normal. These people are called Deviant in External forces and Divergent in Divergent. These differences lie in the brains of these people. However, they are quite different with the Deviant being much more extreme and well known.
· A gated society (okay, that’s a pretty insignificant one)
· A knife throwing scene where people STAND IN FRONT OF TARGETS. Seriously. One guy even gets his ear nicked. (The Divergent scene is much better and has better reasons. The Deviant one is pointless and ridiculous).
· Sim seats that act like the simulations in Divergent.
· A sim test that involves choices like the aptitude test in Divergent.
· Sim seats that are just like the simulations used in Divergent.
· The main characters of both books are deviant/divergent.
· Different sections of society. In External Forces, this involves the places that people choose to work. The sections in Divergent are more severe and are a way of life, not just a job.
· Both heroines choose to join the fighting/army/fearless sector.
· Both main characters have to go through a tough selection process, which involves fighting, psych tests, sim tests, and people dying.
· The sim tests (or psych tests; I can’t remember) document the fears of a person, just like the fear landscape in Divergent.
· Both heroines fall in love with their instructors.
· Both heroines get sexually harassed by people jealous of them (and then proceed to have very similar conversations with their instructors about it).
· Both main characters have many people jealous of them.
· Both main characters get their hair cut short right after people they love get killed by the army/Dauntless.
These similarities aren’t just minor. They’re pretty major. The knife scene was probably the most copied one. It was just way too similar to be a coincidence. This combined with all the other similarities give this book a real “rip off” vibe.
Even though the foundations of the society are very similar to Divergent, the last half of the book changes and becomes quite different to Divergent. It looks like this series will head down a very different path. However, IMO this is not enough to make up for the suspicious similarities throughout the book.
This book reads like an inferior rewrite of Divergent. It isn’t completely horrible, but it barely has any redeeming qualities. I would not recommend this book; the similarity of this book to Divergent was a deal-breaker for me.
An ARC was received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 22, 2021
After reading the blurb I was intrigued and drawn towards the premise of this story; filled with anticipation I was expecting something awesome and I wasn’t disappointed.
This story is enticing and thrilling. It grabs you from page one and it keeps going all the way to the end. It has the perfect mix of suspense, mystery, action and love, not leaving behind issues like real friendship and loyalty.
The most appealing thing though, is that the future that was devised by the author felt actually plausible, which is spooky. All the new technology that is developing to help us enhance experiences could fairly lead us into creating virtual realities, like the sim-seats described in the book. They were like being plugged into a computer. That part I thought was cool, but the bad part was this Genetic Integrity Act, which allowed the Department of Evolution to dispose of people who were “genetically deviated” in order to “cleanse” the species. It reminded me of the Nazis and their idea of the Arian race, which means that this dark piece of our history could repeat itself in a similar way; and this could be it. We are not so far away, if not there yet, from decrypting our DNA code and being able to make decisions in order to manipulate it. Therefore, this book actually raises a very delicate issue: how far are we ethically allowed to mess with this kind of information, of power and control over our genetic code?
The characters were good. My favorite was Sheree, I loved her confidence and personality. But the greatest thing about these characters is their relationships. How they learn to accept and most importantly depend on each other, so they can work as one. I loved them as a team and how they only needed a simple gesture to communicate to each other. I also liked how love was developing between Jess and Matt, you could feel every longing and anticipation.
The writing is excellent. The story is immediate and engaging, making you full part of the action. You see and experience everything.
I really enjoyed the way the story was being told actually. You could fell the intimate connection with the narrator who in this case was Jess, the main character.
So, to sum up, this book is great! One of the best books I’ve read this year, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a great read and am waiting anxiously for the next book in this series, because this books leaves you wanting more. I couldn’t believe it was over. Good job Deborah!
*Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, but my opinion was not biased in any way by this fact.
This story is enticing and thrilling. It grabs you from page one and it keeps going all the way to the end. It has the perfect mix of suspense, mystery, action and love, not leaving behind issues like real friendship and loyalty.
The most appealing thing though, is that the future that was devised by the author felt actually plausible, which is spooky. All the new technology that is developing to help us enhance experiences could fairly lead us into creating virtual realities, like the sim-seats described in the book. They were like being plugged into a computer. That part I thought was cool, but the bad part was this Genetic Integrity Act, which allowed the Department of Evolution to dispose of people who were “genetically deviated” in order to “cleanse” the species. It reminded me of the Nazis and their idea of the Arian race, which means that this dark piece of our history could repeat itself in a similar way; and this could be it. We are not so far away, if not there yet, from decrypting our DNA code and being able to make decisions in order to manipulate it. Therefore, this book actually raises a very delicate issue: how far are we ethically allowed to mess with this kind of information, of power and control over our genetic code?
The characters were good. My favorite was Sheree, I loved her confidence and personality. But the greatest thing about these characters is their relationships. How they learn to accept and most importantly depend on each other, so they can work as one. I loved them as a team and how they only needed a simple gesture to communicate to each other. I also liked how love was developing between Jess and Matt, you could feel every longing and anticipation.
The writing is excellent. The story is immediate and engaging, making you full part of the action. You see and experience everything.
I really enjoyed the way the story was being told actually. You could fell the intimate connection with the narrator who in this case was Jess, the main character.
So, to sum up, this book is great! One of the best books I’ve read this year, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a great read and am waiting anxiously for the next book in this series, because this books leaves you wanting more. I couldn’t believe it was over. Good job Deborah!
*Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, but my opinion was not biased in any way by this fact.
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October 15, 2013This is a review from Kirkus Reviews. It does not have a star rating here - D. Rix
KIRKUS REVIEWS
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/search/...
BOOK REVIEW
In this dystopian young-adult novel, a teenage girl with a secret genetic anomaly undergoes grueling military training—and also finds love.
In Rix’s debut, the first in a planned trilogy, America closed its borders after an asteroid known as “God's Fury” destroyed most of the world. Now, the Department of Evolution, or “Devo,” carefully culls people not deemed genetically acceptable and controls breeding to enhance or remove genetic traits. Devotees serve the Devo to ensure order and genetic purity—because beyond the borders, genetically imperfect Deviants are lurking, trying to get in.
Sixteen-year-old Jess Grant and her best friend, Jay, have only a few possible futures: They can become Devotees,become breeders or join the military. But Jess has a reason to avoid the Devotees—she has a genetic defect that has given her a brown mark on her stomach, and the ability to react at superspeed when attacked. The handsome, mysterious Sgt. Matt Anderson takes a special interest in her and picks her to be a part of his Black Ops squad. Soon, she’s learning to shoot guns and throw knives as part of her military training while also exploring a romance with Matt. Jess eventually finds out that people outside the borders may not be monsters; later, she learns that she may be a prophesied savior of the
world known as “The Navigator.” Although this dystopian novel doesn’t tread much new ground, it does provide a magnificently imagined world and intriguing characters.
Rix engagingly plays out Jess and Matt’s relationship with subtle touches, longing looks and playful banter. She also effectively challenges her young readers to face difficult questions—what does “human” mean, and who should decide?—while ably setting the stage for an upcoming sequel.
A complex, intriguing YA sci-fi adventure.
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BOOK REVIEW
In this dystopian young-adult novel, a teenage girl with a secret genetic anomaly undergoes grueling military training—and also finds love.
In Rix’s debut, the first in a planned trilogy, America closed its borders after an asteroid known as “God's Fury” destroyed most of the world. Now, the Department of Evolution, or “Devo,” carefully culls people not deemed genetically acceptable and controls breeding to enhance or remove genetic traits. Devotees serve the Devo to ensure order and genetic purity—because beyond the borders, genetically imperfect Deviants are lurking, trying to get in.
Sixteen-year-old Jess Grant and her best friend, Jay, have only a few possible futures: They can become Devotees,become breeders or join the military. But Jess has a reason to avoid the Devotees—she has a genetic defect that has given her a brown mark on her stomach, and the ability to react at superspeed when attacked. The handsome, mysterious Sgt. Matt Anderson takes a special interest in her and picks her to be a part of his Black Ops squad. Soon, she’s learning to shoot guns and throw knives as part of her military training while also exploring a romance with Matt. Jess eventually finds out that people outside the borders may not be monsters; later, she learns that she may be a prophesied savior of the
world known as “The Navigator.” Although this dystopian novel doesn’t tread much new ground, it does provide a magnificently imagined world and intriguing characters.
Rix engagingly plays out Jess and Matt’s relationship with subtle touches, longing looks and playful banter. She also effectively challenges her young readers to face difficult questions—what does “human” mean, and who should decide?—while ably setting the stage for an upcoming sequel.
A complex, intriguing YA sci-fi adventure.
December 14, 2013
This book kept me totally engaged and “in the zone” right from the beginning. There was plenty of action and a few surprises. I enjoyed the way in which the characters interacted. Even though I guessed the direction the book was going to take, I was entertained with the planning and the way in which events played out.
This dystopian world easily appealed to me because the foundation for the world-building was as believable as it was horrifying. I loved watching Jess’s progression and growth and Matt is mysterious enough that I was always eager to get back into the story whenever I was forced to set it down in order to get “real life” activities done. I honestly resented those times and thought about the characters and their problems even while I was buzzing around folding laundry and cleaning the kitchen. For me the romantic elements were well-done without driving me crazy with character angst, anguish and commiseration - I like lots of action and letting characters interact together without overwhelming sexual ruminations is always welcome.
It ended at what I thought was a logical point so even though the story should be continuing in the next book I didn’t feel as though I was cheated out of a satisfying ending for this particular story arc. I am looking forward to what happens next, and I do plan on reading the next book so that I can learn more about the vast outside that is apparently contaminated by feared mutants who are eeking out an existence away from the so-called purists who are determined to destroy them.
This book was given to me by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
This dystopian world easily appealed to me because the foundation for the world-building was as believable as it was horrifying. I loved watching Jess’s progression and growth and Matt is mysterious enough that I was always eager to get back into the story whenever I was forced to set it down in order to get “real life” activities done. I honestly resented those times and thought about the characters and their problems even while I was buzzing around folding laundry and cleaning the kitchen. For me the romantic elements were well-done without driving me crazy with character angst, anguish and commiseration - I like lots of action and letting characters interact together without overwhelming sexual ruminations is always welcome.
It ended at what I thought was a logical point so even though the story should be continuing in the next book I didn’t feel as though I was cheated out of a satisfying ending for this particular story arc. I am looking forward to what happens next, and I do plan on reading the next book so that I can learn more about the vast outside that is apparently contaminated by feared mutants who are eeking out an existence away from the so-called purists who are determined to destroy them.
This book was given to me by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
May 10, 2014
Actual Rating:3.5 Stars
My Opinion Of This Book:It was good!
***I recieved a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.Thank you!***
Liked:
-The Writing
-The Plot/Storyline
-Jay
-Jess
-Sheree
-Ramón
Disliked:
-Matt (Well he was eh)
-Some parts
Favorite Quote:
The knife stops, pointed at Sheree, and Ramón looks at her suggestively. She stares right back at him. “Sweetheart,” she drawls, “you'll have to do better than that.”
“Sweetheart,” Jay says to Ramón, but points at Sheree, “you can do better than that."
The Characters
Jess is a great protagonist!She's funny, very smart, caring, and really amazing!
Jay is hilarious, smart, caring, and just great!
^^Yep those are my thoughts on Jay
Sheree is fantastic and bad***!Ramón was pretty funny!
Sergeant Matt was eh...I mean he was kinda boring.
The Writing and the Plot/Storyline
The writing was great.The plot/storyline was action-packed but was similar to that of Divergent.
The Ending
Wow! It was great and so crazy!
Overall
Some parts weren't that great and I didn't really like Matt but overall this is an enjoyable pretty short read.I'm looking forward to reading the next book!!
My Opinion Of This Book:It was good!
***I recieved a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.Thank you!***
Liked:
-The Writing
-The Plot/Storyline
-Jay
-Jess
-Sheree
-Ramón
Disliked:
-Matt (Well he was eh)
-Some parts
Favorite Quote:
The knife stops, pointed at Sheree, and Ramón looks at her suggestively. She stares right back at him. “Sweetheart,” she drawls, “you'll have to do better than that.”
“Sweetheart,” Jay says to Ramón, but points at Sheree, “you can do better than that."
The Characters
Jess is a great protagonist!She's funny, very smart, caring, and really amazing!
Jay is hilarious, smart, caring, and just great!
^^Yep those are my thoughts on Jay
Sheree is fantastic and bad***!Ramón was pretty funny!
Sergeant Matt was eh...I mean he was kinda boring.
The Writing and the Plot/Storyline
The writing was great.The plot/storyline was action-packed but was similar to that of Divergent.
The Ending
Wow! It was great and so crazy!
Overall
Some parts weren't that great and I didn't really like Matt but overall this is an enjoyable pretty short read.I'm looking forward to reading the next book!!
September 9, 2013
External Forces is both a thrilling romance and a disturbing dystopian vision. The internal dialogue of the main character grounds the story in believable relationships while the science backed creations of the author take you off into an intriguing imagined future. The novel touches themes of self-identity, bullying, fitting in, choosing your career path, first love, violence in society and rebellion. The young characters are put into challenging situations where they are asked to make difficult choices. Things are not always as they seem and decisions in life, love and death are complicated. Its a great read and I am looking forward to following these characters further into book two!
September 15, 2013
Fantastic characters who you truly believe in. Jess is a strong, smart protagonist who is believable. You can't help but root for her. It is a page turner, I had a hard time putting it down. Great action and clever humour make it a captivating read. I can hardly wait for the next instalment.
September 19, 2013
Excellent debut. A good balance of action, tension and humour but the best part is how the story unexpectedly unfolds from a claustrophobic distopian society to a larger world.
October 1, 2013
First - I enjoy dystopian YA quite a bit. I like the sorts of issues YA fiction deals with generally – thinking through identity, coming to terms with desire, fighting the man – but dystopian YA is a special kind of awesome because I think it’s able to play with genre in a way adult fiction generally isn’t.
So Rix’s “External Forces” was right up my alley. I’ll say from the start that I enjoyed reading “External Forces” a lot and, despite some of my reservations about the book, want to continue reading the series. I think Rix’s writing is really clear and evocative, and I think she’s a pretty good storyteller. I mostly enjoyed Jess as a narrator – I did want to bop her over the head, but I think it’s because she’s actually accurately representing what it’s like to be a teenager. Which is to say, sometimes Jess doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings, because she hasn’t learned to, because she’s only sixteen. And this is the age when you assume that, upon having discovered your super secret abilities (that also mark you as a social/biological deviant), your crush and all your friends hate you FOREVER. It would be easy to dislike Jess – reading about a protagonist who’s super special can sometimes make them totally intolerable, but it’s to Rix’s credit that Jess is instead an interesting narrator whose super special-ness gives her some real emotional baggage. If you want to continue, prepare for some spoilers!
Did I like the book? Yes. Were there still things that confused and troubled me? Yes. I do want people to read it so we can talk about it, though, which is always a good sign.
Anyway. I should also note that I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and am grateful to have been able to read and review it.
So Rix’s “External Forces” was right up my alley. I’ll say from the start that I enjoyed reading “External Forces” a lot and, despite some of my reservations about the book, want to continue reading the series. I think Rix’s writing is really clear and evocative, and I think she’s a pretty good storyteller. I mostly enjoyed Jess as a narrator – I did want to bop her over the head, but I think it’s because she’s actually accurately representing what it’s like to be a teenager. Which is to say, sometimes Jess doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings, because she hasn’t learned to, because she’s only sixteen. And this is the age when you assume that, upon having discovered your super secret abilities (that also mark you as a social/biological deviant), your crush and all your friends hate you FOREVER. It would be easy to dislike Jess – reading about a protagonist who’s super special can sometimes make them totally intolerable, but it’s to Rix’s credit that Jess is instead an interesting narrator whose super special-ness gives her some real emotional baggage. If you want to continue, prepare for some spoilers!
Did I like the book? Yes. Were there still things that confused and troubled me? Yes. I do want people to read it so we can talk about it, though, which is always a good sign.
Anyway. I should also note that I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and am grateful to have been able to read and review it.
January 1, 2015
ARC provided by Dime Store Books through Netgalley
A hundred years ago a half-mile chunk of ice fell from the sky into the Arabian Sea. The devastation that followed plunged the world into chaos, and caused the US to close their borders - seeing this cataclysm as an act of God - God's Fury.
Secretary Galton swiftly implemented the Genetic Integrity Act and headed the Department of Evolution (Devo). Devo's workers, the Devotees, assess babies for signs of deviation.
Only those deemed genetically appropriate are allowed to live, to reproduce.
Jess is a Fifth Generation, born during an eclipse, in the current stage of evolution, Regenesis (read: eugenics).
Her mother blames her for the Devotees taking her sister from the family, because she believes Jess is the true Deviant - and what's more, she's right. There is a mark in Jess' body which is spreading, a mark tied to unusual traits she possesses.
Before she's called in for assessment at age 17, and has her life forfeit, she hacks the system and, together with her best friend Jay, joins the military - the only organization free of Devo's control.
Jess want to be part of the Intelligence branch, but Sergeant Matt Anderson manipulates her scores to get her into his Black Ops team.
What follows is Jess' struggle to hide who she truly is, while trying to remain alive in the most dangerous branch of the military.
I have a few quibbles with this book, so I'm going to start with those - that's not to mean I didn't enjoy it, because I really did.
Secretary Galton, the woman who started the whole thing 100 years ago, is still alive and well. What? This isn't seen as normal in the book either, but there isn't a ready explanation for it, so it's frustrating.
I really, really, REALLY, hate it when relationships start with a power imbalance.
In this case Matt was Jess' superior - he was in a clear position of power, he manipulated her scores to get her into his team, risking her life and the lives she would, in turn, be responsible for in a position for which she wasn't the best candidate. Yes, he had a reason for it, a valid one at that, but it's icky that, along with that reason, he was also trying to get into her pants.
But there were a lot of great things about this book!
Jay! Jess' bff. He's an awesome big brother figure, he looks out for her, their friendship feels real! And I loved it!
The other secondary characters were also well developed - actually all characters were fully developed, so hurray for that!
SCIENCE! This book got it right! It's so rare! I have no words... I'm actually getting emotional here... Rix really did the research on social darwinism and eugenics, epigenetics, the dangers of genetically modified crops - which result in a lack of genetic diversity in seeds that could prove catastrophic in the event of a disease or calamity - how can there be survival of the fittest if all the crops are the same? What would we do if a disease turns up and none of our crops were fit to fight it?
The science was A+
Jess was awkward, but likable. She ended up having more and more powers, but never really turned into a Mary-Sue.
The matter of sexual consent was correctly approached, as were all related interactions between characters. Yes, even though Matt was her superior... I personally didn't like it, but he didn't abuse his position for non-professional reasons.
It was a fast-paced book and a quick read, and I'm really curious as to what is going to happen in the next one!
October 16, 2013
In the year 2125, the division of church and state is a long gone memory. After God sent a destructive meteor that wiped out a huge portion of the population, the Devotees took over. They created The Department of Evolution. Working with God, they stop genetic contamination, claiming that God demands perfect pedigrees and anything less is considered a Deviant and excommunicated from the safety of America. Since the Deviant gene is expressed in adolescence, all teenagers are required to be tested to learn their fate.
Jess is a sixteen-year-old-girl whose world is crumbling around her. Her best friend, Jay, is joining the military, her mother treats her like a Deviant and now she has been requested for early assessment to find out if she actually is one. Unwilling to risk being kicked out of the country or losing Jay, she manipulates her records so that they think she is old enough to join the military. Now, she’s being conditioned to despise the Deviants and to follow orders to kill without a second thought. Struggling with both of these initiatives, she finds an unlikely ally in her Special Forces sergeant, Matt Anderson. With his help and her new friends in their platoon, she will learn to master the skills of being a soldier all while hiding a deep dark secret that is trying to force its way out of her.
External Forces is a brutal and honest look at a post-apocalyptic dystopia where being different is a sin that could cost you your life. Author Deborah Rix doesn’t hold any punches as the reader is immersed in this scary and at times beautiful world. Rix expertly crafts characters that you instantly cling to and hope are able to rise above the oppressive hate that seems to be a part of everyday life. She has taken a ragtag team of kids and turned them into the only hope that this world has for a brighter future.
Within the first few pages of the book I was hooked and literally could not put it down. I didn’t want to leave Jess alone with her confusion and fears. I didn’t want to walk away from Matt as he fought for Jess and the idea of a better world. I couldn’t leave this world until I knew that there really was a chance for hope. All of these emotions that Rix has created are a true testament to her skills as a world builder, character crafter and intense storyteller.
My biggest complaint about this book, and it’s a big one, is that I have to wait for the next book in the series. Otherwise, I would have bought it immediately and then skipped work to stay with my new friends. If you are a fan of dystopias, then I would strongly encourage you to grab this book and get reading.
(This book was provided to Compulsion Reads for review by the author.)
Jess is a sixteen-year-old-girl whose world is crumbling around her. Her best friend, Jay, is joining the military, her mother treats her like a Deviant and now she has been requested for early assessment to find out if she actually is one. Unwilling to risk being kicked out of the country or losing Jay, she manipulates her records so that they think she is old enough to join the military. Now, she’s being conditioned to despise the Deviants and to follow orders to kill without a second thought. Struggling with both of these initiatives, she finds an unlikely ally in her Special Forces sergeant, Matt Anderson. With his help and her new friends in their platoon, she will learn to master the skills of being a soldier all while hiding a deep dark secret that is trying to force its way out of her.
External Forces is a brutal and honest look at a post-apocalyptic dystopia where being different is a sin that could cost you your life. Author Deborah Rix doesn’t hold any punches as the reader is immersed in this scary and at times beautiful world. Rix expertly crafts characters that you instantly cling to and hope are able to rise above the oppressive hate that seems to be a part of everyday life. She has taken a ragtag team of kids and turned them into the only hope that this world has for a brighter future.
Within the first few pages of the book I was hooked and literally could not put it down. I didn’t want to leave Jess alone with her confusion and fears. I didn’t want to walk away from Matt as he fought for Jess and the idea of a better world. I couldn’t leave this world until I knew that there really was a chance for hope. All of these emotions that Rix has created are a true testament to her skills as a world builder, character crafter and intense storyteller.
My biggest complaint about this book, and it’s a big one, is that I have to wait for the next book in the series. Otherwise, I would have bought it immediately and then skipped work to stay with my new friends. If you are a fan of dystopias, then I would strongly encourage you to grab this book and get reading.
(This book was provided to Compulsion Reads for review by the author.)
November 4, 2013
I received this book free of charge in exchange for my review. If you’re looking for a book packed with action and suspense then this book definitely fits the bill. The pace moves quickly but still allows you to feel deeply immersed in Jess’ world. And Jess, the main character, as the narrator really works, keeping you hooked into the plot, letting you view the other characters and the world she grew up in convincingly through her eyes.
I won’t summarise the plot here as other reviews have already done that really well. For me primarily the book was about friendship and comradeship. How strong friendships made when we’re young are important and last. How shared experience can build very strong bonds between people very quickly. Of all the characters the one that really stood out for me was the best friend, Jay, and his relationship with Jess. It's well drawn and developed. It is because of Jay – as well as knowing that she is deviant �� that Jess fakes her age and joins the military. And Jay is always there when Jess needs him.
Because of these things I really wish I could give this book more than 2-stars. But there were three major problems for me that really held it back. Firstly, although I enjoyed reading most of it, there wasn’t anything in this book that made me think ‘Oh, that’s original, I hadn’t thought about it like that before’. Even though linking genetic manipulation with religion was an original storyline. However, there are lots of great books out there that have rehashed old ideas (Gone and Animal Farm, The Hunger Games and The Running Man) so it could still have been up there. And if it had been properly edited I’d have given it at least 3-stars. But, particularly in chapters 3 to 9, there’s a lot of stuff that should have just been cut, stuff that either felt unnecessary or repetitive. And on p107 – and in a couple of other places - there was a sentence that just didn’t make sense at all. Finally, and this is a problem in quite a few dystopian and paranormal YA books I’ve read recently, it felt clichéd too often, for example the ‘somehow super-attractive to others due to no fault of her own’ storyline (Twilight), the romance itself (which was the same as in Divergent), I can’t help feeling the book would have been better without these things.
So all in all a fun read, but it really feels like it needs another edit to get it up to 3-stars. Perhaps there could be a second edition?
I won’t summarise the plot here as other reviews have already done that really well. For me primarily the book was about friendship and comradeship. How strong friendships made when we’re young are important and last. How shared experience can build very strong bonds between people very quickly. Of all the characters the one that really stood out for me was the best friend, Jay, and his relationship with Jess. It's well drawn and developed. It is because of Jay – as well as knowing that she is deviant �� that Jess fakes her age and joins the military. And Jay is always there when Jess needs him.
Because of these things I really wish I could give this book more than 2-stars. But there were three major problems for me that really held it back. Firstly, although I enjoyed reading most of it, there wasn’t anything in this book that made me think ‘Oh, that’s original, I hadn’t thought about it like that before’. Even though linking genetic manipulation with religion was an original storyline. However, there are lots of great books out there that have rehashed old ideas (Gone and Animal Farm, The Hunger Games and The Running Man) so it could still have been up there. And if it had been properly edited I’d have given it at least 3-stars. But, particularly in chapters 3 to 9, there’s a lot of stuff that should have just been cut, stuff that either felt unnecessary or repetitive. And on p107 – and in a couple of other places - there was a sentence that just didn’t make sense at all. Finally, and this is a problem in quite a few dystopian and paranormal YA books I’ve read recently, it felt clichéd too often, for example the ‘somehow super-attractive to others due to no fault of her own’ storyline (Twilight), the romance itself (which was the same as in Divergent), I can’t help feeling the book would have been better without these things.
So all in all a fun read, but it really feels like it needs another edit to get it up to 3-stars. Perhaps there could be a second edition?
October 17, 2013
Jess wakes up one more with a mark on her stomach. At her prom she gets angry at a jock from her school and breaks his nose badly with time slowing down while she does it. That could only mean one thing; she is a deviant. To be one in this post-apocalyptic society is very dangerous. After a meteor crashed into the sea 100 years ago American closed it borders and set itself on a course for genetic superiority. A deviant is someone with a mutated gene and are considered dangerous, once found they are usually killed or pushed out of the gates into the unknown. Due to another member of her family being one, she is soon to be called up for review by the Devotees. (The ruling group of America) So, Jess uses her talent for computer hacking to change her age and enroll in the military along with her best friend Jay. The military is mostly disconnected from the Devotees and Jess hopes that this will make it easier for her to keep her deviance a secret.
They go to a basic training of sorts where they are put through many tests to help officers decide in what group they should belong. Jess hopes to be placed in intelligence because hacking and other digital espionage is what she is good at. She passes the challenges with flying colors, but she ends up getting put in Black Ops rather than where she wanted. Jess is confused by this, but makes the best of it by beginning to get to know her fellow officers. Matt, their sergeant is most confusing to Jess. He always seems to be extra tough on her. She often feels him staring intently at her during training sessions or even in the mess hall. She also has another problem. She is thrown into a rage by another officer, Luke who daily goes out of his way to try and prove his superiority. One day she sees him hassling Sheree a fellow member of her team and again time slows and he too is severely injured causing her mark to grow.
I enjoyed this book a lot! It had and interesting in depth story that was well paced and explained. Jess is the main character and very likable but other characters also have a considerable amount of depth to them as well creating a full story. I cannot wait for the sequel!
They go to a basic training of sorts where they are put through many tests to help officers decide in what group they should belong. Jess hopes to be placed in intelligence because hacking and other digital espionage is what she is good at. She passes the challenges with flying colors, but she ends up getting put in Black Ops rather than where she wanted. Jess is confused by this, but makes the best of it by beginning to get to know her fellow officers. Matt, their sergeant is most confusing to Jess. He always seems to be extra tough on her. She often feels him staring intently at her during training sessions or even in the mess hall. She also has another problem. She is thrown into a rage by another officer, Luke who daily goes out of his way to try and prove his superiority. One day she sees him hassling Sheree a fellow member of her team and again time slows and he too is severely injured causing her mark to grow.
I enjoyed this book a lot! It had and interesting in depth story that was well paced and explained. Jess is the main character and very likable but other characters also have a considerable amount of depth to them as well creating a full story. I cannot wait for the sequel!
September 26, 2013
(I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I found this book to be a really interesting read, one that drew me quite thoroughly into the world and enabled me to empathise with the characters quite quickly.
The whole concept behind this idea was a really interesting one. This isn't the first time I've seen books, films, etc. about genetic manipulation and there being 'outsiders' (or Deviants, in this case), but I thought that this was still quite an interesting take on the whole thing.
I really liked the character of Jess and I liked her relationships and interactions with the other characters. I also really liked her and Matt together, though I did think that Matt was a bit of a jerk to begin with towards her.
Probably my actual favourite character was Sheree. There were a couple of comments she made that actually made me laugh and I liked her growing relationship with Ramon. (I did notice a couple of occasions where the accent wasn't in Ramon's name).
I liked the fact that Jay formed a relationship with Hendrick. Their interaction made me smile and I thought they both worked really well together. I was a bit surprised to find myself eventually liking Charlie, despite how rough around the edges she was at first.
Despite the fact that Jess had certain special abilities, I was happy to see there were still things she couldn't do. I was a little hesitant about the pheromone things and still am, if I'm honest. It comes across as too much like a Mary Sue (perfect character) thing that Jess became so popular due to something not within her control but that was a major part of her.
There were some moments in the book that made me sad. It really did affect my emotions. There was one thing I saw coming and that I was pretty amazed none of the other characters realised, despite being relatively intelligent.
I'd definitely be interesting in reading the next books in this series. I think this book is definitely worth giving a try for anyone interested in this sort of genre.
(This review may contain spoilers).
I found this book to be a really interesting read, one that drew me quite thoroughly into the world and enabled me to empathise with the characters quite quickly.
The whole concept behind this idea was a really interesting one. This isn't the first time I've seen books, films, etc. about genetic manipulation and there being 'outsiders' (or Deviants, in this case), but I thought that this was still quite an interesting take on the whole thing.
I really liked the character of Jess and I liked her relationships and interactions with the other characters. I also really liked her and Matt together, though I did think that Matt was a bit of a jerk to begin with towards her.
Probably my actual favourite character was Sheree. There were a couple of comments she made that actually made me laugh and I liked her growing relationship with Ramon. (I did notice a couple of occasions where the accent wasn't in Ramon's name).
I liked the fact that Jay formed a relationship with Hendrick. Their interaction made me smile and I thought they both worked really well together. I was a bit surprised to find myself eventually liking Charlie, despite how rough around the edges she was at first.
Despite the fact that Jess had certain special abilities, I was happy to see there were still things she couldn't do. I was a little hesitant about the pheromone things and still am, if I'm honest. It comes across as too much like a Mary Sue (perfect character) thing that Jess became so popular due to something not within her control but that was a major part of her.
There were some moments in the book that made me sad. It really did affect my emotions. There was one thing I saw coming and that I was pretty amazed none of the other characters realised, despite being relatively intelligent.
I'd definitely be interesting in reading the next books in this series. I think this book is definitely worth giving a try for anyone interested in this sort of genre.
September 20, 2013
****SPOILERS in this review****
This was a terrific debut novel.
If 'Divergent' and 'Partials' got together External Forces would be the result. It manages to combine the best of both books into one great read.
This is the story of Jess who believes (and is later proven) she is a Deviant - someone who isn't genetically perfect. It was missed when she was born - Devotees check each new born for signs and those that exhibit Deviant anomalies are taken away from the mother. However her sister wasn't so lucky. In order to miss detection she forges her birth date so that she can enlist in the military who escape the Devotee scrutiny. Along with her best friend Jay, she goes through the all the training and ends up getting help along the way when she catches the eye of Matt - a Sargent involved in Black Ops. The books details her training, trying to cover up her differences, and her selection into the Black Ops squad and beyond.
Although this started slowly, once Jess was into her military training and after she met Matt and Sheree (her future roommate) the book really picked up it's pace. Towards the end I couldn't put it down as I needed to find out what was going to happen next. There isn't a huge cliffhanger at the end like some series of this genre, but it leaves you with enough unanswered questions that you need to read the next book to see where everything is leading.
What I loved about this book was the character of Jess. Sometimes in these genre of books the main hero/heroine can be a little too perfect. In the case of Jess you can see her insecurities, shyness and her fear of detection interwoven with all the typical teenage traits which really make you root for her. She's a wonderfully written character and is the real selling point of this book in my opinion.
I was more than happy to read this and post a review - thank you to Deborah Rix for giving me the opportunity.
This was a terrific debut novel.
If 'Divergent' and 'Partials' got together External Forces would be the result. It manages to combine the best of both books into one great read.
This is the story of Jess who believes (and is later proven) she is a Deviant - someone who isn't genetically perfect. It was missed when she was born - Devotees check each new born for signs and those that exhibit Deviant anomalies are taken away from the mother. However her sister wasn't so lucky. In order to miss detection she forges her birth date so that she can enlist in the military who escape the Devotee scrutiny. Along with her best friend Jay, she goes through the all the training and ends up getting help along the way when she catches the eye of Matt - a Sargent involved in Black Ops. The books details her training, trying to cover up her differences, and her selection into the Black Ops squad and beyond.
Although this started slowly, once Jess was into her military training and after she met Matt and Sheree (her future roommate) the book really picked up it's pace. Towards the end I couldn't put it down as I needed to find out what was going to happen next. There isn't a huge cliffhanger at the end like some series of this genre, but it leaves you with enough unanswered questions that you need to read the next book to see where everything is leading.
What I loved about this book was the character of Jess. Sometimes in these genre of books the main hero/heroine can be a little too perfect. In the case of Jess you can see her insecurities, shyness and her fear of detection interwoven with all the typical teenage traits which really make you root for her. She's a wonderfully written character and is the real selling point of this book in my opinion.
I was more than happy to read this and post a review - thank you to Deborah Rix for giving me the opportunity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2014
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review*
External Forces follows the story of a young girl cursed with being different. In a world where genetic optimization is a key priority, Jess is deviant. The government make the deviant out to be monsters, out of control. Jess does the only thing she can, she hides her deviance. She wants to be a part of Intelligence, where she can work with data, decipher information and uncover secrets. But then she's selected by Sergeant Matt Anderson, and joins the Black Ops. Within she finds more secrets than she can imagine.
I loved the plot of this story. It was detailed and moved at a great pace, I wasn't bored or overly confused at any time. Perhaps scientifically it did not make much sense, especially in regards to the Deviant, but this is fiction after all so it didn't bother me too much.
The characters were also well-developed, little hints to complex pasts popping up all over the place. I loved the dynamics between Jess and Jay, and Jay's protectiveness over Jess. I wasn't too keen on the romance in this story. At times, I felt that it was a little over the top. It progressed way too quickly and it seemed to me that Matt was taking advantage of Jess's low self-esteem, infatuation or not.
To be honest, this book reminded me of Divergence. I found the overall themes and main characters very similar. But considering what a great book Divergence was, I didn't mind this. It gave External Forces a sense of familiarity, as if it was an old friend I was revisiting after a long time away.
This was an amazing book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I hated the cliffhanger. I'm now itching to get my hands on the second book. I want to know what it beyond the borders, what secrets are being hidden, and I want to watch Jess grow and accept her deviance.
4 out of 5 stars.
External Forces follows the story of a young girl cursed with being different. In a world where genetic optimization is a key priority, Jess is deviant. The government make the deviant out to be monsters, out of control. Jess does the only thing she can, she hides her deviance. She wants to be a part of Intelligence, where she can work with data, decipher information and uncover secrets. But then she's selected by Sergeant Matt Anderson, and joins the Black Ops. Within she finds more secrets than she can imagine.
I loved the plot of this story. It was detailed and moved at a great pace, I wasn't bored or overly confused at any time. Perhaps scientifically it did not make much sense, especially in regards to the Deviant, but this is fiction after all so it didn't bother me too much.
The characters were also well-developed, little hints to complex pasts popping up all over the place. I loved the dynamics between Jess and Jay, and Jay's protectiveness over Jess. I wasn't too keen on the romance in this story. At times, I felt that it was a little over the top. It progressed way too quickly and it seemed to me that Matt was taking advantage of Jess's low self-esteem, infatuation or not.
To be honest, this book reminded me of Divergence. I found the overall themes and main characters very similar. But considering what a great book Divergence was, I didn't mind this. It gave External Forces a sense of familiarity, as if it was an old friend I was revisiting after a long time away.
This was an amazing book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I hated the cliffhanger. I'm now itching to get my hands on the second book. I want to know what it beyond the borders, what secrets are being hidden, and I want to watch Jess grow and accept her deviance.
4 out of 5 stars.
March 22, 2014
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review*
Wow what can I say.
Ok so the romance of this book had the perfect balance. It wasn't overpowering and mushy gushy. I must say Matt is very attractive *cough cough*. He's so tough yet sensitive when it comes to Jess, and I LOVE IT. So thank you to Deborah for creating a trilogy with a fantastic lead male character.
And that brings me to Jess as a character. At the beginning I thought Jess was going to be one of those characters that acts really tough and is extremely annoying. I am very pleased to say I loved Jess's character. She was reluctant to pick up a weapon and had greater skill with data, which surprisingly made the book a lot better than it would have been if she were the "tough girl" I was talking about. I love Jess's down to earth character and would definitely love to read more about her.
Now of course I'm going to talk about the "world". You completely do not have to worry about this book being a cliché. In fact, it is the obvious. This book is so unique, with the Devotee's, God's Fury, Genetic Integrity Act, Deviants, and so on. It was tough to get the hang of the phrases at first, but as in every other book you eventually catch on and I found myself immersed in this complex, unique story. The world has so much background and I can tell a lot of though went into this book.
And lastly we have the action. The action in this book had me on the edge of my seat. Lets just say there were weapons and blood was shed.
I have so many good things to say about this book and would recommend it to a lot of people because it involves a lot of concepts. I loved this book and I think a reread is definitely in the future. I cant wait for the next book!
P.S. Thank you so much to Deborah for giving me the chance to review this book and I hope this review will help get this book out there because it is honestly an amazing book!
Wow what can I say.
Ok so the romance of this book had the perfect balance. It wasn't overpowering and mushy gushy. I must say Matt is very attractive *cough cough*. He's so tough yet sensitive when it comes to Jess, and I LOVE IT. So thank you to Deborah for creating a trilogy with a fantastic lead male character.
And that brings me to Jess as a character. At the beginning I thought Jess was going to be one of those characters that acts really tough and is extremely annoying. I am very pleased to say I loved Jess's character. She was reluctant to pick up a weapon and had greater skill with data, which surprisingly made the book a lot better than it would have been if she were the "tough girl" I was talking about. I love Jess's down to earth character and would definitely love to read more about her.
Now of course I'm going to talk about the "world". You completely do not have to worry about this book being a cliché. In fact, it is the obvious. This book is so unique, with the Devotee's, God's Fury, Genetic Integrity Act, Deviants, and so on. It was tough to get the hang of the phrases at first, but as in every other book you eventually catch on and I found myself immersed in this complex, unique story. The world has so much background and I can tell a lot of though went into this book.
And lastly we have the action. The action in this book had me on the edge of my seat. Lets just say there were weapons and blood was shed.
I have so many good things to say about this book and would recommend it to a lot of people because it involves a lot of concepts. I loved this book and I think a reread is definitely in the future. I cant wait for the next book!
P.S. Thank you so much to Deborah for giving me the chance to review this book and I hope this review will help get this book out there because it is honestly an amazing book!
March 17, 2014
Goodreads Synopsis: It’s 100 years since the Genetic Integrity Act was passed and America closed its borders to prevent genetic contamination. Now only the enemy, dysgenic Deviants, remain beyond the heavily guarded border. The Department of Evolution carefully guides the creation of each generation and deviations from the divine plan are not permitted.
When 16-year-old Jess begins to show signs of deviance she enlists in the Special Forces, with her best friend Jay, in a desperate bid to evade detection by the Devotees. Jess is good with data, not so good with a knife. So when the handsome and secretive Sergeant Matt Anderson selects her for his Black Ops squad, Jess is determined to figure out why.
As her deviance continues to change her, Jess is forced to decide who to trust with her deadly secret. Jess needs to know what’s really out there, in the Deviant wasteland over the border, if she has any hope of making it to her 17th birthday. Because if the enemy doesn’t kill her first, the Department of Evolution probably will.
My Review: I'm still not too sure about my feelings with this book. I liked it in some parts, but I really thought it was kind of just like all the other future dystopia books. It was a little too fast for my taste, I was reading and then I'd zone out for a second and all of the sudden It'd be a whole different thing. How did Jess hack into the army base? Why was she put in Black ops, when obviously she was made for Special forces? I mean, I get that that's the whole point of the story, but really? It doesn't make any sense. Does 'God' in this book really mean an almighty being, or is it a corporation? I was confused by that. I don't really have many good things to say about this book. It just wasn't for me. Too much like all the others.
Thanks for reading, here's a link to my blog! Click it if you dare, (;
radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com
When 16-year-old Jess begins to show signs of deviance she enlists in the Special Forces, with her best friend Jay, in a desperate bid to evade detection by the Devotees. Jess is good with data, not so good with a knife. So when the handsome and secretive Sergeant Matt Anderson selects her for his Black Ops squad, Jess is determined to figure out why.
As her deviance continues to change her, Jess is forced to decide who to trust with her deadly secret. Jess needs to know what’s really out there, in the Deviant wasteland over the border, if she has any hope of making it to her 17th birthday. Because if the enemy doesn’t kill her first, the Department of Evolution probably will.
My Review: I'm still not too sure about my feelings with this book. I liked it in some parts, but I really thought it was kind of just like all the other future dystopia books. It was a little too fast for my taste, I was reading and then I'd zone out for a second and all of the sudden It'd be a whole different thing. How did Jess hack into the army base? Why was she put in Black ops, when obviously she was made for Special forces? I mean, I get that that's the whole point of the story, but really? It doesn't make any sense. Does 'God' in this book really mean an almighty being, or is it a corporation? I was confused by that. I don't really have many good things to say about this book. It just wasn't for me. Too much like all the others.
Thanks for reading, here's a link to my blog! Click it if you dare, (;
radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com
October 3, 2013
Desperate to avoid being ousted as a Deviant sixteen-year-old Jess joins the army together with her friend Jay. The Devotees share God’s work to secure genetically acceptable humans in a future America where the undesirables - the Deviants - disappear conveniently. But not everybody is happy with the way society is run and there are rumours about a group of people, The Red Hand, who oppose the authorities. Jess witnesses first hand the high price you have to pay for even asking questions and when she finds friendship and love in the shape of her Sergeant, Matt Anderson, she has to make up her mind whose side she is on.
I found the idea of a future society, where insight into genetic engineering marries religion to form ideology intriguing and believable. There is a mix of violence and romance in the book but also a huge part about friendship and the fear of not fitting in. The story is well developed and the characters are multi-layered to allow them come alive to tell their story in their own voices. Despite Jess being the main character - a shy girl who is suddenly exhibiting skills that single her out from all the other recruits - there are several others that leap out from the pages: Sheree, the strong and outspoken girl who takes Jess under her wing, remains my favourite.
This book felt like an inspiration among the flood of dystopian novels that have been published these last few years and it made for compulsive reading and I am looking forward to the sequel. To anyone who complains about sequels I want to add that as External Forces does not end on a cliffhanger it can be read on its own.
I found the idea of a future society, where insight into genetic engineering marries religion to form ideology intriguing and believable. There is a mix of violence and romance in the book but also a huge part about friendship and the fear of not fitting in. The story is well developed and the characters are multi-layered to allow them come alive to tell their story in their own voices. Despite Jess being the main character - a shy girl who is suddenly exhibiting skills that single her out from all the other recruits - there are several others that leap out from the pages: Sheree, the strong and outspoken girl who takes Jess under her wing, remains my favourite.
This book felt like an inspiration among the flood of dystopian novels that have been published these last few years and it made for compulsive reading and I am looking forward to the sequel. To anyone who complains about sequels I want to add that as External Forces does not end on a cliffhanger it can be read on its own.
January 6, 2014
Jess is a 16 year old girl living at home with two parents who are basically absentee. Her father works all the time and her mom would rather live in the virtual world than the real. To get away from her home situation, Jess hacks her way into the gov't files and modifies her age so that she can join her best friend, Jay, in signing up for the military. It turns out Jess is not your typical teenager. She has the ability to 'see' her way through computer files and decrypt encrypted items. She also has another hidden talent that makes her very different from her peers. She can bend time. She joins up with the military and finds herself placed in 'black ops'. Unsure as to why she would be picked for such a mission, as she was sure she would be chosen for 'Intelligence'. There is some romance in this book between her leader and herself which is why it reminds me so much of Divergent. She and Matt have quite the relationship and it adds a layer of fun to the story. The characters are nicely laid out and are lovable.
While this book reminded me a lot of the Divergent series but had it's own twist on things. It is packed with action and suspense. It has a lot of twists and turns and holy cow!! The freaking cliffhanger at the end. This is a series I will enjoy to read. I can't wait to see how it ends.
While this book reminded me a lot of the Divergent series but had it's own twist on things. It is packed with action and suspense. It has a lot of twists and turns and holy cow!! The freaking cliffhanger at the end. This is a series I will enjoy to read. I can't wait to see how it ends.
October 12, 2013
In the future what's left of America has closed its borders to everyone in favor of genetic preservation. They dispose of anyone who opposes the order as well as their biggest fear...the deviant. After overhearing her mother Jess learns she is deviant and will be discovered and killed. To avoid that fate she enlist in the Special Forces with her bestfriend Jay. But Jess quickly start to uncover secrets in their camp and cling to the hope of getting outside the borders to escape what may happen to her.
This book is beyond amazing and a very refreshing and original YA/Dystopian novel. The only predictable thing about this novel is the awkward love interest that seems to be mandatory in this genre. But even that takes a course that doesn't follow the norm. It's definitely a page turner and a highly recommend book.
This book is beyond amazing and a very refreshing and original YA/Dystopian novel. The only predictable thing about this novel is the awkward love interest that seems to be mandatory in this genre. But even that takes a course that doesn't follow the norm. It's definitely a page turner and a highly recommend book.
October 1, 2013
External Forces is excellent. A fast read - I was so compelled to keep on going that I read it right through the first time. I was so interested in the story, and I just slid into the book. Couldn't wait to see what would happen next to the characters I was slowly falling in love with. Realistic people, loved the dialogue, the situations and the story itself. I can't wait for book number two! Wowsers! Highly recommend.
February 27, 2016
Read through netgalley.com
External Forces is an interesting novel, it's definitely flowing and engaging story; a great idea that have resulted in an intriguing world. I really enjoyed reading it: the characters were really well developed, with continuous character development throughout the novel.
External Forces is an interesting novel, it's definitely flowing and engaging story; a great idea that have resulted in an intriguing world. I really enjoyed reading it: the characters were really well developed, with continuous character development throughout the novel.
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