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When There's No Tomorrow
80 years ago the worst war in human history began. 10 years ago it ended. At least that's what the history books say. But everyone knows; history books lie. The war never ended. It's still going; there just aren’t enough people alive anymore to dispute it.
My name is Kalina. My father is chief of my people, the Forgotten. The rebel scum, you may know us as. Pirates and swindlers. But we're not. We're just people fighting together to make a stand against injustice. Making a stand for our freedom.
But it's not that simple though; freedom and justice. Who chooses what is and what isn't right? Who chooses who lives and who dies?
Someone once asked me, who are we to stop a war? I ask you, who are we not to?
My name is Kalina. My father is chief of my people, the Forgotten. The rebel scum, you may know us as. Pirates and swindlers. But we're not. We're just people fighting together to make a stand against injustice. Making a stand for our freedom.
But it's not that simple though; freedom and justice. Who chooses what is and what isn't right? Who chooses who lives and who dies?
Someone once asked me, who are we to stop a war? I ask you, who are we not to?
124 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2013
42 people want to read
About the author
H.J. Stephens
1 book13 followersH. J. Stephens is a freelance writer, researcher, artist and poet. The founder and chief editor of the electronic children’s magazine The Desert’s Hand from 2011 to 2014, she has a deep love of literature and art that inspires and educates.
Residing in Perth, Western Australia she has completed a BA in Professional Writing and Editing and a Grad Certificate in International Relations. When not writing or researching, she is often buried in a book, exploring a virtual world, or trying to make sense of the real one.
Residing in Perth, Western Australia she has completed a BA in Professional Writing and Editing and a Grad Certificate in International Relations. When not writing or researching, she is often buried in a book, exploring a virtual world, or trying to make sense of the real one.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 18, 2014
When There’s No Tomorrow by H.J Stephens is a dystopian novel set in a land in which society is divided into two factions: the Nationals and the Forgotten. During the story, the land is in the midst of a civil war between the two factions. The protagonist, fierce and opinionated Kalina, is a member of the Forgotten faction. After a bombing on the Forgotten base, Kalina gets taken away by the Nationals. As she is held by the people that she has grown up loathing, she struggles with the unveiling of shocking secrets, and trying to understand herself and her identity. When There’s No Tomorrow explores pain, loss, and the psychology of war through the eyes of an unlikely hero.
I was drawn to the story and the concept behind it right away- in the Author’s Note. Stephens beautifully expresses her purpose in writing and her desire to present the reader with a believable hero, and not one that is inhuman and invincible. Stephens definitely meets that goal with Kalina. The novel’s characters are exceptionally believable and human. Stephens is successful in adding to their dialogue conversations that may be a little off-topic, which adds to their realness and their credibility. Kalina’s reactions to the events are also very legitimate, as Stephens is not afraid to make her lose control or get frustrated. I also immediately connected with the aspects of war that Stephens discusses within the novel, as they are very relevant to the issues that many countries are facing today. There is a powerful portrayal of emotions and feelings, and the surprising plot-twist at the end of the novel left me in shock, and in impatient anticipation for the next book.
There were only a few things that I thought could have been improved. There were minor mistakes that I probably only noticed because I’m quite picky. I was a little disappointed that Kalina was almost always angry. I think that, if she had had fond thoughts every once in a while, or shared a few jokes with the friend she makes while with the Nationals, her range of emotions would have varied and it would have been a refreshing break from the predominantly stressed and upset feelings. Also, the author had brilliant ideas and things to say, but I feel like they were stated too plainly. Had she incorporated them into the story, or into the characters’ dialogues, these ideas would have been transmitted much more smoothly to the reader. Finally, I was waiting for Kalina to make an impact on the war, like I presumed would be happening. As that part was not reached in this book, it ended up feeling like a long prologue.
All in all, I greatly enjoyed the story and the ideas behind it, and, being passionate in current affairs, I connected with the story. The book works very well as the first in a series, and the ending hints very strongly at an upcoming continuation of the story. I am very looking forward to reading the second book in the series.
I was drawn to the story and the concept behind it right away- in the Author’s Note. Stephens beautifully expresses her purpose in writing and her desire to present the reader with a believable hero, and not one that is inhuman and invincible. Stephens definitely meets that goal with Kalina. The novel’s characters are exceptionally believable and human. Stephens is successful in adding to their dialogue conversations that may be a little off-topic, which adds to their realness and their credibility. Kalina’s reactions to the events are also very legitimate, as Stephens is not afraid to make her lose control or get frustrated. I also immediately connected with the aspects of war that Stephens discusses within the novel, as they are very relevant to the issues that many countries are facing today. There is a powerful portrayal of emotions and feelings, and the surprising plot-twist at the end of the novel left me in shock, and in impatient anticipation for the next book.
There were only a few things that I thought could have been improved. There were minor mistakes that I probably only noticed because I’m quite picky. I was a little disappointed that Kalina was almost always angry. I think that, if she had had fond thoughts every once in a while, or shared a few jokes with the friend she makes while with the Nationals, her range of emotions would have varied and it would have been a refreshing break from the predominantly stressed and upset feelings. Also, the author had brilliant ideas and things to say, but I feel like they were stated too plainly. Had she incorporated them into the story, or into the characters’ dialogues, these ideas would have been transmitted much more smoothly to the reader. Finally, I was waiting for Kalina to make an impact on the war, like I presumed would be happening. As that part was not reached in this book, it ended up feeling like a long prologue.
All in all, I greatly enjoyed the story and the ideas behind it, and, being passionate in current affairs, I connected with the story. The book works very well as the first in a series, and the ending hints very strongly at an upcoming continuation of the story. I am very looking forward to reading the second book in the series.
December 24, 2013
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A free copy was received in exchange for an honest review.
Kalina isn't a strong character, as in she can handle what gets thrown at her. While it would make it sound like a horrible book it was actually really good pulling the reader in.
She is the daughter of someone important but Kalina herself is unimportant to the war and she is more or less just there and its her story. She has to go through a lot and she can't really handle it well which makes her feel very real. As opposed to the character you read in other books who almost always are able to hold it together. Kalina talks a lot about people are like, and what is probably propelling them to do all this killing instead of actually trying to end the war. It's actually pretty interesting for being a type of book I'm just to with war and two sides and some girl wanting the war to end. Though it is done in such a different way then most of those other books!
The ending was a bit of a twist, even if I have read ending like it before. Also in the Author's notes I read that this is the first in a trilogy so it will be interesting to see where this goes and if the war they are in will end.
A free copy was received in exchange for an honest review.
Kalina isn't a strong character, as in she can handle what gets thrown at her. While it would make it sound like a horrible book it was actually really good pulling the reader in.
She is the daughter of someone important but Kalina herself is unimportant to the war and she is more or less just there and its her story. She has to go through a lot and she can't really handle it well which makes her feel very real. As opposed to the character you read in other books who almost always are able to hold it together. Kalina talks a lot about people are like, and what is probably propelling them to do all this killing instead of actually trying to end the war. It's actually pretty interesting for being a type of book I'm just to with war and two sides and some girl wanting the war to end. Though it is done in such a different way then most of those other books!
The ending was a bit of a twist, even if I have read ending like it before. Also in the Author's notes I read that this is the first in a trilogy so it will be interesting to see where this goes and if the war they are in will end.
November 14, 2015
This book is good, my friend. An excellent debut novel, though there were a few minor spelling mistakes, I was totally enthralled and read this (almost) in one sitting. I would definitely recommend this to everyone who loves dystopian novels. It's a good read!
Though... the ending was super intense. Argh, I need the second book! Damn you cliffhangers!
Though... the ending was super intense. Argh, I need the second book! Damn you cliffhangers!
October 9, 2013
Intense, timeless, heartbreaking.
For such a small book it's jam packed with emotion and raw honesty about humanity and war.
There's so much I want to quote from this that I have to go through it again, but will definitely post some up when I find them.
What I loved about this was the questions it raised about ourselves, about mankind and the very real aspect of a living in a warzone.
For such a small book it's jam packed with emotion and raw honesty about humanity and war.
There's so much I want to quote from this that I have to go through it again, but will definitely post some up when I find them.
What I loved about this was the questions it raised about ourselves, about mankind and the very real aspect of a living in a warzone.
May 25, 2014
I was given this book to read and review as part of a programme on Goodreads.
2.5 stars.
It was a good book in the sense that it developed clearly what war can do to people and how it can ruin their lives, but I think that even in that sense I wasn't really connected to the story.
I just didn't enjoy it. When I was reading it felt like I was just looking at a series of events from one person's perspective, and books like that do not inspire me. Also, I felt that the story line started to grate on me after a while
This is what the book was about:
A girl named Kalina, to may out may not live in the future, is a member of a rebel group called the Forgotten. The Forgotten are up against the government who call themselves the Nationals.
The war between these two groups (and there are only these two groups - there is no middle ground) started when the government, the Nationals, wanted everyone to fight in a way sharing other countries but the Forgotten declined, which led to a war anyway, or something along those lines.
Kalina's father is the leader of the Forgotten. Her mother and her brother died when Kalina was five, so she doesn't really remember them that much.
One day, the Nationals decide to bomb the Forgotten base, which leads to Kalina going on the run in search of a safe house with only one companion; a pretty, little mute girl named Gul. Gul becomes Kalina's best friend as Kalina sees herself in the little girl.
Eventually, the two get captured and thrown into a National prison, where they are tortured and eventually slowly absorbed into life there. However, Kalina realises that the Nationals may not be the monsters she always thought that were, that they could just be trying to survive like her Forgotten also, and that her own people may hold more secrets than she at first thought.
So that's the plot.
As you can see, Kalina is tortured and also gets into several fights with people a lot bigger and stronger than her, so I would say about 25% of the book is dedicated to describing pain and injuries. Also, Kalina ends up going slightly crazy, which also takes up a large amount of the book until the plot of practically consumed by it.
Unfortunately, I stopped liking this book just after the characters were captured by the Nationals as I could see exactly where it was going.
There were other things in the book that confused me as well. I know that the copy I received was probably not completed in the editing sense, but I would like to point out, for the author's sake, that even though the book was in the present tense, a few of the sentences were in the past. Also, there were many grammatical errors that got on my nerves to the point where I would sometimes have to take a break from reading as I wouldn't understand what was happening.
The book ended very openly, so I'm wondering if there will be a sequel. However, unless it promises me something that is not centered around Kalina's health, I will not be reading it for pleasure. I may read it for review.
2.5 stars.
It was a good book in the sense that it developed clearly what war can do to people and how it can ruin their lives, but I think that even in that sense I wasn't really connected to the story.
I just didn't enjoy it. When I was reading it felt like I was just looking at a series of events from one person's perspective, and books like that do not inspire me. Also, I felt that the story line started to grate on me after a while
This is what the book was about:
A girl named Kalina, to may out may not live in the future, is a member of a rebel group called the Forgotten. The Forgotten are up against the government who call themselves the Nationals.
The war between these two groups (and there are only these two groups - there is no middle ground) started when the government, the Nationals, wanted everyone to fight in a way sharing other countries but the Forgotten declined, which led to a war anyway, or something along those lines.
Kalina's father is the leader of the Forgotten. Her mother and her brother died when Kalina was five, so she doesn't really remember them that much.
One day, the Nationals decide to bomb the Forgotten base, which leads to Kalina going on the run in search of a safe house with only one companion; a pretty, little mute girl named Gul. Gul becomes Kalina's best friend as Kalina sees herself in the little girl.
Eventually, the two get captured and thrown into a National prison, where they are tortured and eventually slowly absorbed into life there. However, Kalina realises that the Nationals may not be the monsters she always thought that were, that they could just be trying to survive like her Forgotten also, and that her own people may hold more secrets than she at first thought.
So that's the plot.
As you can see, Kalina is tortured and also gets into several fights with people a lot bigger and stronger than her, so I would say about 25% of the book is dedicated to describing pain and injuries. Also, Kalina ends up going slightly crazy, which also takes up a large amount of the book until the plot of practically consumed by it.
Unfortunately, I stopped liking this book just after the characters were captured by the Nationals as I could see exactly where it was going.
There were other things in the book that confused me as well. I know that the copy I received was probably not completed in the editing sense, but I would like to point out, for the author's sake, that even though the book was in the present tense, a few of the sentences were in the past. Also, there were many grammatical errors that got on my nerves to the point where I would sometimes have to take a break from reading as I wouldn't understand what was happening.
The book ended very openly, so I'm wondering if there will be a sequel. However, unless it promises me something that is not centered around Kalina's health, I will not be reading it for pleasure. I may read it for review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews