Blinded by the light

by Joe Kipling

In the near future, when the world's population has been decimated by disease, the fortunate few live inside the Boundary, while the unlucky ones are left to die on the Outside. MaryAnn is one of the privileged. It doesn't matter that her friends can sometimes be cruel or that the boy she likes just threw up on her shoes, it's all about being noticed at the right parties. But it takes a single event to rip her life apart.

Struggling with physical and psychological scars, MaryAnn must face up to the truth about the foundations of the Neighbourhood and the legacy of her family. Once she learns the truth she can never go back, but can she really put her faith in the Union?

"Blinded by the Light" is about death and coming to terms with loss, the abuse of power, discrimination and the fear of the unknown. It is the first book in The Union Trilogy.


This dystopian young adult fiction book set in the near future critiques aspects of society such as a preoccupation with celebrity, materialism and privilege. It shows that in real life good and evil are never clear cut and we all have to decide what it means to 'do the right thing'. Told from the point of view of a girl from a privileged background, it follows the course of MaryAnn's awakening as she learns the truth about her life and the lies she has been told by her family and by her government, leading her to question everything she believes in. But whilst things may seem black or white to some, MaryAnn learns that there are grey areas too - nothing is as clear cut as it might seem. In real life people are not always good or bad, sometimes they just are.


* * *

About the Author:

Joe Kipling is a Hull born, West Yorkshire based young adult fiction writer with a lifelong passion for Sci-Fi, particularly the post apocalyptic variety. She currently lives in Holmfirth UK, with her dog Rosie and is a full time consultant and part time writer. A lifetime of travelling and avoiding near catastrophe has provided endless inspiration for her debut novel "Blinded by the Light."

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

With a surname like Kipling, Joes' future
as a writer might have been predetermined at
birth. . . . . well at least it assured her a good place
on the bookshelves.


An avid traveller she has spent many years backpacking around the world and by pure luck managed to avoid catastrophe, although she has been known to miss a flight or two.

She now lives in West Yorkshire and if she's not at home she’ll be found hiking in the hills around her house with her dog Rosie.

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT is her debut novel

Reviews

[La La · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars on my blog. After reading the first chapter I thought it was going to be just another "cookie cutter" YA Dystopian novel, but I couldn't have been more wrong! Ms. Kipling imagines a fresh and thought provoking dystopian setting for her characters. I became so emotionally invested I didn't want the book to end. Fabulous reading entertainment with a message. A must read for every YA Dystopian genre fan.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review also posted here on TotalTeenFiction.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blinded by the Light follows MaryAnn, daughter of an influential politician working for the Light and an upper class member of the Neighbourhood. But not all is as it seems. MaryAnn soon discovers there is more to the Light than meets the eye, and that life outside the Boundary may not be all that it seems.

Now I love a good post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel and Blinded by the Light satisfied that craving! Plus it's set in the UK which is always exciting to see. The premise of the book is based around the society living in safe Neighbourhoods after a virus attacked huge parts of the population. There's a constant fear of becoming unwell and wealthy houses are fitted with isolation chambers in the event of anyone catching a mere cold. Society is broken up into the wealthy Alphas, down to the Deltas who do tasks such as cleaning and maintenance, then the Echos who are known as Ferals and live outside the Boudary. I loved reading about all the divisions of the society and how they came to be. Of course beyond all this on the surface is a lot of government conspiracies and propaganda. I adored the premise and the world building was superb.

The story is told in first person from the view of MaryAnn, and I can see her being a very Marmite character. She's been brainwashed by her father into the government's way of thinking, and growing up wealthy has made her incredibly spoilt. She's very much a daddy's girl (she refers to her parents as mummy and daddy throughout) and is used to getting what she wants. Despite all this, I was still very much able to warm to MaryAnn. She goes on a real journey throughout the book as she starts to discover the truth about those around her, and it was heartbreaking to see this image of her perfect world start to crumble around her. There's a very vulnerable side to her character and throughout the book she goes through some extremely traumatic times. By the end of Blinded by the Light I had garnered a huge amount of respect for her. She makes some incredibly brave and intelligent decisions along the way.

Alongside MaryAnn, Peter was one of my favourite characters. As a member of the resistance, he first comes across quite brash, but once I got to know him I found myself really drawn to him. There's some really warm and humourous moments between the resistance members that were a nice balance to some of the more horrible things happening, and I liked the subtle relationship between Peter and MaryAnn that builds throughout the book.

Blinded by the Light does have some pretty dark moments, dealing with terrorism and torture in ways that are often quite gruesome, but I thought the ideas in the book were really well handled. It started to make me question what was happening and towards the end of the book I was placing myself in MaryAnn's shoes and asking just what I would have done in her situation. The whole book was gripping and tense.

The only downside for me was the pacing in places. There were scenes that were glossed over that I would like to have known more about, and others that lingered on that I thought could have been over more quickly. Overall though I really enjoyed the writing style. I got swept away with MaryAnn and the trials she faces, felt the emotions she went through and loved the intricate world building.

The climax to Blinded by the Light was probably my favourite part. I was already addicted to the story but it just made me crave so much more. This is the first book in a trilogy so I'd definitely be excited to read the rest of the books. If you're looking for a new dystopian fix then this is for you.

Find more books like this at TotalTeenFiction

[Xyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. (If you read my reviews you know that I am forthright and open about my likes and dislikes.) I will try not to give anything away.

This is a great read. If I hadn't read chapter 1 when the book arrived and had just a little more time to read on Thursday, I would have started and finished in the same day. Joe Kipling's writing and characters swept me away on an interesting dystopian journey. In many of the dystopian YA novels out there I read as it is another world without seeing any correlation to our own. However, this one gave me great pause - The Neighborhood puts a lot of focus on celebrity, cleanliness, status, and absolutes.

The last is most distressing as their world and ours is rarely black and white. Joe Kipling's main character, MaryAnn may not see everything right away, but she is bright and thoughtful and understanding. She sees that change is necessary, but wants a better way to cause change.

MaryAnn lives in the Neighborhood, the daughter of a high ranking official. She lives a life of luxury, but even among the other Alphas she is not typical. We see this in the reaction her "friends" have to her date with Reese who is supposed to be a great catch. They get upset with her because they want to get connected to him and his entertainment celebrity connections as they are more fun that political ones. They end up ditching her. Not very good friends.

We learn that MaryAnn is normal. She enjoys her life of luxury and and believes everything she has been taught. For all intents and purposes, she has no reason to question anything except for the fact that she misses her brother. When her brother returns everything changes and we get to see how MaryAnn adapts, changes, and grows throughout. She is strong and sometimes whines...it makes her believable.

In fact, all the characters are well written. The annoying ones were believably annoying; the despicable plotting and horrific; and the good ones seemed honest and caring. The characters contributing the least stayed flat and those in the center of all the action are well rounded and continue to grow.

Joe Kipling introduces a new society - one laced with underlying lies where evil happens unknown to much of the neighborhood. When MaryAnn discovers the truth she tries to remain in her Alpha world, but with one change and adaptation comes another and each and every page has us watching as MaryAnn blossoms from semi-mindless to thoughtful and conscientious. Like the characters, the action and reactions are well written and flow quickly. I am very much looking forward to what happens next with MaryAnn and her rediscovered as well as her new found family. Not once was I tired or bored or left wanting. Well, at the end I was, but it book one of a trilogy, so...

As I mentioned before I am really looking forward to reading what happens to MaryAnn as well and her brother and Peter and Uncle Patrick. Maud is quite creepy and disturbing, but all because of her dad. I highly suggest this book and will recommend it to my friends.

One additional note - most of the time I feel as if these characters and the setting are in the US, then a phrase or word or spelling reminds me that this is UK instead. Not a big deal at all, just made me chuckle a little at my own absorption into the story.

[Safie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Kipling's Blinded by the Light is a very worthy addition to the pantheon of great young adult dystopian novels. The first book in the Union Trilogy, this is one of the most political young adult dystopias I have come across, a fact that makes it more engaging than some books in this subgenre. Joe Kipling is clearly interested in the finer details of how her imagined society is structured. After a catastrophic event, people have congregated in an area known as the Neighbourhood, protected ostensibly by the Boundary. In this society, people are divided into social stratas: with the Alphas living in luxury and the Deltas doing all the hard work. There are parallels with our own society, with the privileged Alphas living in luxurious gated communities, threatened by acts of terrorism and the supposedly feral Echos, who live in the world beyond the Neighborhood. Blinded by the Light tells the story of MaryAnn, a teenage alpha, whose supposedly idyllic world is thrown into disarray after an act of terrorism. This book is intelligent, entertaining and original, and I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.

[D M Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I found myself shouting at the main character for not seeing certain things, which to me is key. Unless I'm completely involved I find it hard to really like a book. I'm extremely glad this is a trilogy and I can't wait for the next instalment in October. The author has left a multitude of possibilities for the direction of the story. I found myself warming to some of the smaller characters, such as the Directors daughter. I found myself wondering how she would turn out in the end and if we would be hearing a little more about her past.
Overall a fantastic read, I would recommend this to anyone of any age, although it is YA I think Joe Kipling has managed to hit the cross over target bang on.

BRING ON BOOK 2

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Blinded by the Light as a newcomer to the dystopian genre, and loved it! The story follows MaryAnn as the central character who grows up fast through the discovery of painful truths about the society within which she lives.

The story is fresh and doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the reality of a dystopian society and the activities and people that operate in the shadows. The story had me hooked left me wanting more, can't wait for the next instalment.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a future where the population has been decimated by the Sandman Virus and the elite live in Neighbourhoods run by The Light Foundation. This was an enjoyable read, told from MaryAnn’s point of view.

MaryAnn’s father is an important man The Light Foundation and at the start of the book MaryAnn has a perfect life, she’s a spoilt rich kid who has everything she wants.

After meeting her estranged brother, Daryl, at a party, disaster strikes and MaryAnn has to live with the Director of the Foundation. Although still rich and spoilt, she becomes isolated with only the Director’s daughter, Maud, for company.

When her brother contacts her again, she discovers he is a Unionist. The Unionists live outside of Neighbourhoods and know the truth behind The Light Foundation. As MaryAnn is introduced to other Unionist members, including her Uncle Patrick and Daryl’s friend, Peter, her beliefs are challenged, and her world changes from the ‘them and us’ attitude that she was brought up with.

The characters were well written and multi-dimensional, my favourites being MaryAnn and Peter. I loved seeing MaryAnn adapt and mature as the story went on, and the developing friendship between her and Peter, though it was heartbreaking watching the life she knew collapse around her.

The Author has done an amazing job of world building and how her society is structured, and it’s easy to imagine living there, either as one the elite or one of ‘outsiders’

Overall, a topnotch and imaginative start to a trilogy for young adults, and older adults also. I’ve already started Book 2, Light the Way.

[Rose English · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Blinded by the Light ~ The Union Trilogy Book 1’ by Joe Kipling

Aimed at teen readers & young adults, this story follows the life of a fifteen year old girl, an Alpha, a spoilt little rich girl whose life couldn’t be easier. She has everything she wants until disaster strikes and her world is ripped open and exposed. Being cossetted within the privileged ‘Neighbourhood’ there is a naivety surrounding her that she must overcome in order to survive.

The story is set in the UK in the near future. The ‘Sandman Virus’ has greatly diminished the population, which is now very much divided, a sort of ‘Us’ & ‘Them’ scenario. The country is split into three ‘Select Neighbourhood Projects’ London, Edinburgh & Manchester run by ‘The Light Foundation’. Living in these areas are the rich & social elite, the ‘Alphas’ & higher orders.

Anything other than the ‘Neighbourhood’ is classed as over the ‘Boundary’ and called simply ‘The Outside’. Here is a place where the ‘Echo's’ live, they are the diseased and under privileged, scavengers who forage for themselves a very meagre living. Many of these low life’s or ‘Ferals’ as they are called in the Neighbourhood have banded together, to form ‘The Union’.

Characters

MaryAnn Hunter is the main character; she is the spoilt little rich girl, born to Alpha parents whom she still refers to as Daddy & Mummy. MaryAnn’s father is a politician ‘The Legislator’ no less and although the family are rich she strives to fit in with the social elite. The top of the ‘Neighbourhood’ food chain so to speak. Her eye is set on nabbing herself a boyfriend, the most popular boy in the school Reese, whose mother is a model and father a famous singer.

The man who rules all is ‘The Director’, leader of 'The Light Foundation'. MaryAnn knows him because of the important job her father does. The rich all attend top social gatherings on a regular basis, flaunting their wealth & status, so it cannot be helped that you would get to know the rich & powerful. It is after a major disaster occurs that MaryAnn finds herself living in the home of the Director. Here is a little description of the man taken from the book:-

‘The Director was a tall, board shouldered man; his face rugged and worn, but attractive in a way that screamed of good health and fitness. . .’

There is just something about him that MaryAnn cannot comprehend.

‘. . . He bent and startled me by suddenly grasping my hands in his as he stared intently into my eyes. Momentarily I was astonished at how forward he was. It was unusual for anyone but exceptionally close friends and family to engage in such intimate contact. Once I’d gotten over the initial shock I was repulsed to find that even through the material of our gloves his hands felt cold and slimy. I cringed away from him slightly. . .’

The Director lives with his daughter Maud, a pale and sickly looking girl who seems to be afraid of her own shadow. However, Maud does her best to make MaryAnn welcome in her new home.

Shrouded in mystery is MaryAnn’s older brother Daryl, her parents never talk about him; the subject is always changed or she is told to “hush” if his name comes up. MaryAnn knows little about his leaving when she was aged 11yrs. There are rumours of him, living on the ‘Outside’ with the ‘Ferals’.

As the story progresses MaryAnn’s beliefs are challenged, she is very surprised to be introduced to her Uncle Patrick, brother to her father, and very important amongst the Unionists. He has a strong influence and helps her to see the true nature of The Light Foundation but she also becomes very aware of her own growing principles.

Finally to Peter Mallory, for me he is a principle character and the one I found most likeable. Peter is someone with whom I could very easily associate. He is very sincere and caring, the most helpful and level headed, even after all he has endured. Caring for a pet dog called ‘Flash Gordon’ you cannot help but warm to him. In contrast MaryAnn is often very rude and arrogant, typical spoilt brat, she was very difficult for me to like.

Conclusion

It took me a while to get into this book but other reviews had been very favourable so I persevered. As I got deeper into the story, beyond the spoilt rich kids and their brattish, elitist ways I began to enjoy it. I loved the idea of a map revealing mysterious panels in the library, opening to allow access to the labyrinth of tunnels below the Directors house.

Peter & MaryAnn travelling across the ‘Boundary’ and into the ‘Outside’ hooked me in, it was good also to learn of the Unionist and how they were living, settled into homes made below the ground a whole community built within a cavern system.

What stands out for me most is the author’s ability to create this story without the inclusion of excessive violence and bad language. Although there is violence, it has been incorporated in such as way as to make the reader think and imagine it for themselves without it being spelt out upon the pages, Brilliant.

I do recommend this book, even though I only give it a 4*. It was the blurb that drew my attention rather than the cover. The title is very apt though, with MaryAnn being ‘Blinded by the Light’ a self-obsessed, very privileged, rude and arrogant little rich girl. Who before the disaster has a real naivety, nothing else existed for her but the Neighbourhood & ‘The Light’

VERY ENJOYABLE

Don't just take my word for it, grab a copy and read it for yourself.

Happy Reading :-)

[Julia Molloy · Rating 2 out of 5]

From Lancaster alumna Joe Kipling comes her debut novel Blinded by the Light, a dystopian fiction for young adults set in the near future when the world’s population has been ravaged by disease. MaryAnn, a naïve and spoilt girl of 15, lives in the Neighbourhood, where the rich and powerful follow the ruling of the Light and live in constant fear of infection and the Feral Echo outside the Boundary, those who have been driven mad by disease. When she attends a party with her do-good parents, however, her life will be irrevocably changed forever.

Blinded by the Light is certainly highly imaginative. The setting is well thought out and, despite some overloading of information at the beginning to aid us in navigating our way through this world, it is easy to follow too. Dystopian fiction is something that has increased in popularity in recent years across all media with zombie apocalypses and the worry over increasingly anti-biotic resistant bacteria. What Kipling has done in her novel is not only to deal with this post-apocalyptic issue but also to make her novel realistic and current by taking ideological power relations into consideration as well. Speaking to SCAN on her choice of genre, Kipling exposed what has interested her about dystopian fiction, saying: “I am a long-time fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. In this story I wanted to focus on discrimination and I thought that looking at how wealth impacted on the fate of people affected by a flu virus would be an interesting idea to explore.”

Indeed, this is the most successful aspect of Kipling’s debut. MaryAnn is confronted with the endless battle between good and evil but also the issue of power relations and prejudice very close to home. Despite being the first in a trilogy, Blinded by the Light leaves us hopeful that such prejudices can be overcome no matter how ingrained something is in society – a message which is educational for the young audience this novel is aimed at.

The biggest issue with this book, however, is the main character. Perhaps this is just because I am slightly older than the age group this novel is aimed at, but despite the extremities that MaryAnn faces during the story she still remains an immature girl who is obsessively infatuated with every good-looking guy she meets. For me this undermines the very serious subject matter that Blinded by the Light deals with and I hope that over the course of the next two books in the series MaryAnn loses some of these irritating characteristics, particularly as she is the first person narrator. Whilst we can never know how we would react in such situations as MaryAnn faces, surely it is highly unlikely that we would consider how beautiful the man sat next to you is whilst in the midst of peril.

Blinded by the Light, however, fits easily and well into the dystopian fiction genre. It is a quick read for any dystopian fiction fans, but is definitely suited to younger teenagers. The novel is available to pre-order now, and for further discussion on this novel, see: https://www.facebook.com/theuniontrilogy

[Ericka Katwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I was sent the free book by the author in exchange for an honest review)

In blinded by the light, we see MaryAnn as the daughter of a very influential legislator. The story's setting is surrounded by society living in safe neighborhoods after a virus had broken out and is separated into the Alphas who were your rich and powerful. The Deltas typically in today's world were your middle class working for the Alphas and the Echos who were on the outside and considered Ferals.

We have the Union which is made up of Echos and Deltas. They are the rebellions of the group. They had most of everything that they loved or own taken away from them. Having had enough of the abasement, they band together to take down all of those withing the Light.

Throughout the story we see how MaryAnn had to transition from having everything to having it all taken away from her. Everything that she has known was nothing but a huge lie. She has face the truth and make some hard choices.

I started to warm to MaryAnn's character towards the middle of the story. At first she was very spoiled and got everything that she wanted. Later on, I could understand her rebellion against the Union because her whole life she has been brainwashed into thinking one thing when it has been nothing but a lie. We do see towards the end how much she has matured to a certain point is more accepting of things.

Daryl is MaryAnn's brother. Once he found out what was really happening he ran away from the life that he knew. He was gone for four years and had not had any direct contact with MaryAnn. While he was gone, he made sure that she was protected. Daryl and MaryAnn's relation is strained at sometime but they do love one another very much. I do wish that I could have seen more one on one time with Daryl and MaryAnn's relationship.

Finally we have Peter. He is Daryl's best friend and MaryAnn's pain in the butt and vise versa LOL. Whenever they are not bickering at each other, Peter treats her like his own family and risks his life to protect her.

Although I did enjoy the climax I felt that it could have been more action with it but it was just enough to get you ready for the next book in the trilogy.

Overall I did enjoy reading this book and I can't wait to read the next in the trilogy.

Rating 4Stars
Recommend? Yes

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Blinded by the Light' is a dystopian young-adult novel, written by a British author. The first book in the Union trilogy it paints a bleak portrait of a future society which has been decimated by disease, leading to the formation of the Boundary. The latter has been set up to protect the people within it from the Echo who are feared by all.

The main character MaryAnn lives inside the Boundary with her parents. She's an Alpha - safe, well looked after and privileged. She always has enough synthetic food to eat, she's free from disease and is luckier than many of the Delta who hold menial jobs in society. At the start of the book I really wasn't sure about whether it was going to be for me because so many of the characters came across as quite unlikeable. As I read on, I was sucked in by the story but sadly never really became a big fan of MaryAnn and her friends and family.

Everything changes for MaryAnn when her parents are killed by a bomb. Trying to cope with her devastating loss, she goes to live with the Director but only begins to discover the truth about events when she comes into contact with her brother Daryl. I thought the plot was great. I'm a big fan of dystopian fiction and I enjoyed the idea for 'Blinded by the Light'. The world building in the book was excellent and it was interesting to read about a world where the residents live within a protected barrier, believing they are being kept safe from outsiders. The truth is something altogether different and I thought the way that Joe Kipling gradually revealed this was done brilliantly.

I felt like the book was let down slightly by some of the dialogue and by the fact that it was hard to feel real sympathy and understanding for some of the characters. There are hints of romance between MaryAnn and Peter but I suspect that this is going to be developed more in later instalments of the series.

There are some interesting questions raised in the book and it puts forward ideas about good and evil which show that this isn't always completely clear cut. I enjoyed the opening instalment, even though not everything came together completely for me and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Emily Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, the dystopian genre has been one of my favourites recently. There have been excellent ones, terrible ones and ones that just seem like they’re trying too hard. Unfortunately the excellent ones are becoming rarer and you have to read 200 of the others to find a diamond. Now, I’ve done all the hard work and the searching for you, and I bring to you the diamond in the rough that is ‘Blinded by the Light’!

It’s a classic dystopian, with everything I love about the genre without seeming like it’s trying too hard. It’s scary in the way that something like that could actually happen and the world that appears perfect has so many layers of flaws that as the main character MaryAnn realised about these it left her and me wondering how we could have missed it in the first place. And like any good dystopian it highlights the problems in our world today at the same time.

I’m on a roll with books that have main characters that I like recently. MaryAnn was no exception. Although her attitude was annoying and abit snobbish at first you could see how this was a product of her society rather than a personal flaw. Then later on as she realises the truth her true character comes to light and she is so brilliant! She’s not gullible or weak and she doesn’t just accept everything she is told, by either side. She is her own person and it’s fab!

As for romance, this book was the perfect break from those ridiculous love at first sight, too quick romances and love triangles. There was a hint of romance, but it was more realistic and didn’t take over the story. It looks to me like a slow burning meaningful love rather than one of the typical ‘omg my world is falling apart but hey! He’s fit, I think I’m in love he’s my whole world, I should go say hi’ kind of loves.

I may have accidentally fangirled over this book, I really loved it. And oh my, I NEED the second one like now now now.

★★★★☆

[Bette Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and particularly enjoyed the fact it was by a home grown author and therefore not full of American words. It left me wanting more and I look forward to the next one being published (in October I believe). The book is set in the future and is about a society after a cataclysmic virus has reduced and changed the population. The division of society between the Alphas who live a very privileged existence and the Delta who are the menials is totally believable and I can imagine how this could happen. The governing Alphas have induced a fear among the population about the people (the Echos) living outside the Neighbourhood who are supposedly totally uncivilised and feral. After a terrorist attack which kills her parents MaryAnn begins to discover the truth about her advantaged existence.

MaryAnn who at first appears to be spoilt and shallow begins to develop her character as she starts to understand the evil that exists in the Neighbourhood and the people she thought she knew. As she meets people from the Outside she also questions their methods of rebellion. I look forward to seeing how the characters develop in the next instalment.

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full of self indulgent, nasty and vicious characters. Can't face having to read more about them.