The War Inside

The Horizons Trilogy #1

by M. Kircher

The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone; a perfect embodiment of the sunless, cloud-covered Earth she inhabits. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of an injured girl, and despite her misgivings, Thea decides to rescue sixteen-year old Viviana. She soon learns that gentle Viv has a life-threatening infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv’s infection and the strange light on Thea’s hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden try to fight their mounting attraction and discover that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. What they don't know is that deadly shadows watch them, waiting for the chance to make sure that humans stay in the darkness forever.

Don't miss THE WAR INSIDE, an exciting young adult dystopian/fantasy novel by debut author M. Kircher.

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I believe that stories can change the world. I also believe that teens and young adults have eyes that are open and ears that are awake to the thrumming life hidden deep within great books. I write YA fiction because I'm in love with stories and because I want generations of young people to hold tight to the vastness of their potential—the potential that lies waiting in all of us. The world is ours for the making.

No matter who you are, you have the power to do great things.


Happy reading! — Melissa

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http://eepurl.com/LkGvL

Reviews

[Holly Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through the R2R program of the Goodreads group Lovers of Paranormal (LOP). The following is my honest review, unaffected by having received the book free of charge. (Incidentally, LOP is an awesome group with fantastic moderators, fun activities, a thriving R2R program, and really great members (both readers and authors) - so if you love reading paranormal fiction, I encourage you to join us!)

It has been a while since I've done a read-to-review for one of my Goodreads groups, but I saw that this book was an option and was intrigued by it. I read the synopsis and saw the great review average with high number of reviews on both Goodreads and Amazon and immediately signed up to participate. I am glad that I did, for I'm not sure if under normal circumstances I would have realized this book was out there! Although there were some issues I had with the book which I will explain, I now count myself as a fan of Ms. Kircher's writing, and I am looking forward to reading book 2.

The synopsis for the book does a good job of letting you know what the story is about, so I won't rehash it here in this review. Just know that I enjoyed the plot and, while the underlying structure - group of unlikely heroes going on a quest to rid the world of darkness and bring back the light - is not new, I think Ms. Kircher had a very unique and inventive way of exploring that traditional theme. One thing that makes this story stand out is that it is a cautionary tale about the perils of not respecting nature and the environment and relying too heavily on technology. Basically, our characters live under "the Canopy" because their ancestors became so dependent on interacting via technology, rather than face-to-face with one another, and neglected the environmental damage happening all around them. Trust me, Ms. Kircher does a MUCH better job of explaining that and making it make sense than I just did! It works, I promise! Here's a sample from the background info she gives us:

"People just stopped showing up for work, stopped spending time together, stopped living. They became lost in their fake worlds and fake lives, humankind burrowing deeper into the electronic haze of their own making, fueled only by blatant self-interest.

And then the power flickered. And then it died."

I especially enjoyed the first part of the book, where we find Thea in her village; the descriptions and depictions of life in the village, Thea's interactions with Caden and Miriam (her mom), and our first introduction to Viviana all just captivated me. I honestly felt the cold and damp grayness, the overarching hunger and desperate need for food, while reading (throughout the whole book, in fact), and I adored these interactions between the characters as we got to know each of them some. Despite the bleak landscape and apparent lack of hope for the future in Thea's world, there was a lot of humor in the book, and I found myself laughing out loud not infrequently! In this first third or so of the book, we also learn why the world is like it is, why parents and children don't live together, why people only worry about themselves and no one else. Ms. Kircher did a very good job of world-building, and I could definitely picture everything in my head.

I will also say that the editing was impeccable -- at least in the first approximately 30% of the book. After that point, I began seeing more careless errors, which definitely bothered me. However, I will stress that I was pretty well carried along with the story and eager to see what would happen next, so that I *didn't* stop to make note of errors like I usually do in such situations. That is a testament to Ms. Kircher's writing and her ability to tell a great story! I would just recommend that she have one or two more people take a critical eye to cleaning up any remaining errors in the book.

I had great fun following the characters along in their quest, finding out along with them why Viviana had a mysterious "glowing heart," encountering the rather terrifying Shadows, and meeting new people that they never knew were out there. I will admit that towards the end, when we find out more about the Shadows and the Ancient One, Enoch and his powers, and Viviana's mysterious glow and the prophecy about a savior, I began to feel it became a bit religious, which I was not really expecting. I am not a religious person and do not actively seek out books with a religious theme; while I wouldn't necessarily say this is a "religious book," it absolutely has an underlying message that is consistent with Christianity (and perhaps other religions), BUT which, to be fair, can also be seen in a secular light (eg, the Golden Rule, environmentalism, humanism, etc.). So, while I definitely noted the religious parallels and the feeling I had towards the end, it did not really bother me, if that makes sense. I just wanted to point it out because I feel it is worth noting.

All in all, I thought this was a very inventive fantasy, not really like any other book I've read, with some very unique elements. Ms. Kircher has a definite talent for writing characters and dialogue (even when it's "dialogue" inside a character's head), as well as a talent for descriptions that actually evoked feelings of coldness and dampness, etc, while reading. She is definitely a talented writer overall, and I look forward to reading book 2 in the series to find out what happens on the next leg of our characters' quest. I would give this book a very solid 3 stars, which means I really liked it but thought it did have some flaws. I considered 3.5 stars, but since I always round up when I can't give half stars, I wasn't really sure that this book merited a 4-star rating when compared with my other reviews. I guess what I'm saying is, 3 stars is a GOOD review from me! I enjoyed reading this book, would like to read book 2, and would absolutely recommend this book to folks who enjoy fantasy, dystopian, and quest-type reads.

Thanks again to Ms. Kircher and the Lovers of Paranormal group for allowing me to read and review this book!

[Mitsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautifully written story.

At the beginning, 18-year-old Thea's world is all about hunting for her food and living alone. This is the saddest, most alarming, world I've ever read.

When Thea decides to rescue a bloody and unconscious girl, Viv, her life changes. Viv is dying and needs medicine. They have no medicine and have to travel to the nearest city to get it.

Their journey is a dangerous one.

The climax blindsided me. What?! No!

Then the end. Oh. Wow.

Exquisite detail. I can imagine everything as if I'm seeing it. Unnerving.

There are very few authors who can make me want to be a better person with their stories. M. Kircher is one of them. :)

There is a whole chapter I have highlighted. I have never read a story quite like this. It's not really dystopia, romance, YA, NA, or fantasy. It's every genre and simply magnificent.

Love it.

I was given this book to review for the group LOP.

[Patricia Eddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As long as humans have walked the earth, there have been stories. While I'm on pace to read over 100 books this year and I've enjoyed almost all of them, very few have had what I think of as a totally unique take on the world or their characters. The War Inside is one of the most interesting and dare-I-say unique plots and world building that I've seen in quite some time.

The world is a cold, harsh, dark place now. Post-apocalyptic novels are common, but while many deal with the state of the earth, few have delved as deep into the state of the people. In this world, not only has the sun vanished and the earth been covered with a gray canopy that has killed the plants, many of the animals, and poisoned the waters, but the poeple have changed dramatically as well.

There's a little preaching going on here. The apocalypse in thsi world was a gradual phenomenon brought about by technology. People were obsessed with it, texting, emailing, playing games, and ceased caring about each other. They didn't notice until it was too late that they had done irrevocable harm to the earth and once they did realize it, they couldn't stop it. In this world, a child is kicked out of their home when they're no older than fourteen. They live alone, not in any groups or cities, and don't care to talk to another soul. They don't care about anything or anyone other than staying alive.

Thea is a young woman (well, still really a girl) who has a decent situation carved out for herself. She hunts well enough, has a roof over her head, and keeps a fire going all the time to boil water. Caden is a young man of the same age who annoys her but largely stays out of her way. The book opens when Thea has a dream. In it, she's told to save the girl and keep her alive. The girl, we eventually learn, is Viv. She's injured. Thea brings her back to her home and tries to treat her wounds. When she does, she discovers that Viv has this strange glowing patch of skin on her chest. Thea touches it and her own hands start to glow with the same light.

Now Thea is different. And in this world, being different is enough to get you killed. The War Inside deals with Thea, Caden, Viv, and eventually Rain, another boy they pick up along their journey to get Viv somewhere they believe she can find aid.

This is the first book in a trilogy and as such, it doesn't end well. There's a pretty substantial cliffhanger to be had, so if you're one who can't handle those things, consider yourself warned. But other than that, this is an excellent read. The imagery is fantastic, the dialog sharp and snappy, and the action well done. I loved the characters and how they interacted with each other. None of them, save for Viv, are at all used to caring about another person, so they go through very interesting transformations as they spend more and more time together.

I admit that it took me a few days to really get invested in the story. Oh, I enjoyed it from page one, but I needed to get about 30% through it before I made it to that stage of "I cannot get enough of this book. Why do I have to go to work today? Maybe I can take a vacation day and finish it? No. I must be responsible. I'll just sneak a chapter or two at lunch." But once I hit that 30% mark, I was pretty hooked. Well done.

[Shana Festa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have very high hopes for this series. M. Kircher creates an amazing setting for this story. It seems that most books I've read where we've come to end of civilization as we know it is all the same. World War III, robots or aliens coming to take us over... but not for this author. Mankind has brought about it's own demise with technology. And, in all honesty, it's not hard to imagine that the world could become this way. Think about it... no one ever leaves home without their cell phone and they are so advanced now that you can do just about everything you can do on your home PC. People walk the streets unaware of the world around them because they are so absorbed in technology. Whether they are tweeting to keep up with friends, emailing a business associate, looking over the latest reports from work, Skyping with a loved one, or texting their friends about their plans for later. Nobody writes a letter anymore...we send email... nobody picks up the phone to call... they send a text... nobody goes to the library to find out information... they just Google it! The premise of this book is not so far fetched. People became so caught up in their technology that they stopped communicating with each other; as a matter of fact, they couldn't stand to be around other people anymore. Everyone is a loner. And when the power goes out... the world becomes a dark, lonely place.

There seemed to be an underlying religious message in here. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; we all have our own beliefs and I am the last person to shake a finger... I'm just uncertain how far that message will go in the next two books. And it could be that I just fabricated it in my own head... the next person might not get that from this book at all. The light is going to save the world and the shadows are trying to destroy it (well, they've been trying to destroy and seems that they succeeded.... oh, just read the book already!). The light is good, the dark is evil... you get where I'm going with this. There is a lot of symbolism used, we've seen it done in a lot of fantasy books, but there is nothing "preachy" in this book. Even those who are not religious or shy away from books with any religious undertone will enjoy reading it.

As a "word nerd" (not sure that is technically a real classification, but my husband says it to me all the time), I absolutely LOVE Ms. Kircher's descriptions of the people, places and things. They will literally jump off the page and create a world for you. She's not using the same old, boring descriptors... but you won't need a thesaurus just to get through.

I would definitely recommend this book for teens through adults. The language is clean, nothing overtly sexual and our main characters are teenagers/young adults themselves. Easily 15+ would be able to enjoy this book. Possibly even younger if they are already reading some of the other series out there for teens/young adults. That is, of course, at the parent's discretion.

I give this book a solid 4 stars. I really do only see the next books getting better. I've already signed up for email alerts from the author for when the next one is released and I really can't wait!

[promosimple id="3d56"]

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading The War Inside was very enjoyable, but there were several minor issues that made the book seem amateur and in need of an editor.

Characters

I found the characters of the book to be three-dimensional, and I was glad to see that the writer made them stay true to their characteristics throughout the novel.

The protagonist Thea is a fierce, independent girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind. The author does a nice job of bringing out a soft side to her, without destroying her established character.

Caden was a love interest who I though was less well-characterized, but still likeable. He seemed to me too much like the swoon-worthy guy that always appears in YA romances, with his handsome face and muscular body (oh, and that's another thing... Thea mentions his muscles too much, his biceps especially, which was something I though was annoying.) He would occasionally blurt out sappy lines that made me want to facepalm sometimes, when he's with Thea, he would suddenly say "You're beautiful" or "You're hair's pretty".

World-Building

I found the dystopian/supernatural world fascinating, yet slightly confusing.

In the story, Earth has been ruined because of environmental abuse. Humans have become soulless scavengers who only care for their own survival, because their overuse of technology destroyed their minds. This dystopian aspect was actually quite believable, and I liked the gloomy, dark setting that the author set.

When the supernatural aspect entered the story, I feared that it was completely out of place in the harsh, realistic dystopian setting. After all, how could magical, glowing hands come about as a result of global warming or overuse of technology? Thankfully, it all cleared up in the end, and I was glad that the author actually had a reason to back up the plot details.

Writing

There were several instances where I thought the writing needed an editor. But they were little things, like the overuse of exclamation points in the narration, and the usage of the word "OK" instead of "Okay".

Still, the writing was undoubtedly my favorite part of the book. The author had a gift for manipulating words and sentences to produce beautiful descriptions of the scenery. The language stayed consistent throughout the novel, and I loved the author's tone.

Example:

"Creatures shifted back and forth in the gloom. Terrible slinking things, they crept through the dark gullies and crevices, snatching their prey from the shadowy depths, their teeth as sharp as razor blades and their beady eyes searching, always searching for the next meal. The place reeked of death."

Overall...

A good read with light romance and an interesting plot. Recommended for any fan of YA dystopian romances.

**A free copy of this book was kindly given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review**

[Eimear (BooksBitsNBobs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that contradicts the stereotype of self-published books being sub-par then step on up, folks! This book grabbed my attention from the first line and kept it for the entire duration of the book. Thea was born into a world that crumbled after the loss of technology and is just trying to survive like the rest of the humans still left. There is a sort of smog covering the entire planet and blocking out most of the sunlight so the world is in a constant dullness. People have reverted back to being hunter-gatherers and now lack any social skills - mothers don't even feel love for their children and kick them out as soon as they are old enough to fend for themselves. Thea is a product of this society and therefore believes in survival of the fittest and tries to keep herself to herself... that is until she has a dream that tells her she has to save the life of a young girl she has never met before. Though Thea tries to ignore her dreams she gives in and takes the injured girl into her home. While trying to bring Viv, the girl she saved, back to full health she realises that there is nothing that she can do for her without proper medicine. Thea finds a cloth wrapped around Viv's chest and discovers a light glowing from her skin. When she touches it she is shocked to find it has spread to her hands and there is nothing she can do to remove it. Caden, a local guy who has slept with half of the local girls and gets on Thea's nerves without fail, tells her that he has a map to a city that has long been thought deserted and that if she goes with him there may be medicine there. Desperate, Thea agrees to travel with him in the hopes of saving the young girl and ridding herself of the glowing skin that she could be killed for having. Little do any of them know that this glowing skin is not just a symptom of the polluted water they have been consuming but something that could put their lives in danger from forces they didn't even know existed. If what you just read sounds interesting in the least then please go ahead and pick this book up. The world building is so well done that you really feel immersed in it while reading. Thea, our main character, has such quirks that will make you smile and scold her at the same time. The amount of times you are going to roll your eyes and want to slap her are in the double digits but that makes you love her and understand the impact of the world so much more. Viv is such a sweetheart that you will be rooting for her the entire way through and Caden will make you want to smack him and kiss him on countless ocassions! Please give this self-published book a chance. It is by far one of my favourite I have come across and I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A-freaking-mazing. I love end-of-the-world, dystopian stories, and this one was spot on. It’s theme of what is causing the world to be in such a depressing condition, is easily believable, considering our world’s love of technology and the ever-increasing distance we seem to be putting between ourselves and others. Although the Internet and social networking seem to be doing the exact opposite, it’s easy to see that people (especially teenagers) rely on that screen to separate them emotionally. I often find myself preferring to type a quick message on Facebook than actually call and talk to a live person, let alone drive to see someone in person. It’s scary how easily I could see humanity devolving into a similar condition of no trust and constant avoidance of others. I don’t give 5’s very easily, but this one came very close. For a first-time novel, Kircher did an excellent job of characterization and world-building. Rain is my favorite so far, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. I’m glad Thea listened to the dreams and rescued Viviana in the beginning. I can’t imagine how scary going against all you’ve lived and been taught would have been in that situation. Kircher’s underlying themes of trust and kindness being the key to saving the world, come at a time when it seems a lot of humanity is forgetting that. I hope these books find a wide audience. They are easily as good as The Hunger Games, and I can’t wait to see the reception of this author and her future books, both for this series and any others she might dream up one day.

Rating: 4.5

HEAT Rating: None

Reviewed By: Daysie W.

Review Courtesy of: My Book Addictions and More

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author through Lovers of Paranormal in exchange for an honest review.

The opening is a little confusing. Because of this, I found the novel a little slow and hard to get into at first. I think that a slight change in the order of events and dreams in the first two chapters could have greatly improved this problem. I found Thea to be a little too closed off within her thoughts. I expected there to be a little more going on in her mind since I was watching the story unfold from her point of view. However, her character developed greatly over the course of the novel. Some of the other characters are a little underdeveloped, but there was progress and I'm looking forward to seeing how they are further developed.

I greatly enjoyed the creation of this world and how society slowly killed their planet. It was interesting to imagine the state of Thea's surroundings and how distant humanity had become. The descriptions are absolutely beautiful. The way that colors are described reminds me of black and white photos with a single object rendered with its natural coloring. It leaves a lasting impression. I think that the plot is fresh and has a lot of potential, so I am looking forward to the second installment of the series.

[Moniq28 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review for Lovers of Paranormal.

In this new, ugly and cruel world, someone will have to fight for better future for mankind - in my opinion this sums the plot. So nothing extremely new but with some interesting ideas.

The story was entertaining, but the pace was too slow for my liking, especially at the beginning - it's better in the second part of the novel.

The characters - I couldn't connect with them and didn't really care what will happen to them - and that's bad. I don't know why, really - maybe Caden was too much like any other male character from YA books, and I simply didn't like Thea - she was annoying most of the time. Viv and Rain were way better :)

Writing was good, perhaps in need for additional editing, but nothing heavy.

Overall it was ok. Nothing that would make me stay late at night to finish, but definitely ok.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free to read and review for the Wicked Reads review team

I am not a huge fan of dystopian books, I have read a few but I do not seek them out. With that being said, I found that I liked this book, The way the author took something that is starting to happen in society now and then went into the future to create her world I found to be very interesting. The more people got sucked into the internet and all of their stuff going on there and slowly stopped caring about other things led to a horrible place to live in the future.
Nobody cares, everyone is distant, survival of the fittest. Thea lived by those rules, only caring for herself, fending for herself that is until Viv comes along. She ends up helping the wounded girl which leads to a great adventure. There were a few places where I thought that story lagged but it did not last long, it always picked back up and caught my attention again.

I think I will continue with this trilogy to see where it goes.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational Dystopia

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review for LoP and I would purchase it and the next installment. The setting is in the future where evil, greed and technology have brought the earth to the near apocalypse. Small pockets of people have survived in their every man for himself, dog eat dog world. Then, like the Christ child, a new child comes forth to bring the light to this dark, evil, dying world. Can man and women rise again? Can they rebuild society and save the earth? The author paints a good picture and the storyline is easy to follow. Most of the action comes late in the story but you won’t be sorry if you stop to think of the inner message being given. Needs some minor editing. Keep up the good work M. Kircher.

[Jenna M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review - Lovers of Paranormal.
This depicts a dystopian future society, where it is survival of the fittest. The people are harsh, and without compassion. I really enjoyed this story. In the characters you are allowed to see, you are able to watch them grow into greater people. I was able to wrap myself into the world through the way the author has described it, and the writing pulled me through the story very fluidly. I found the paranormal aspect of this story to be very intriguing, but I can’t describe it without spoilers. This story leaves you wanting to know what happens next.

[Jess (The Cozy Reader) Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review available at:
The Cozy Reader

Procurement
Kindle edition from author M. Kircher.

My Grade
Plot: 4
Setting: 5
Writing: 4
Originality: 4
Characters: 4
Romance: 3
Overall: 24/30 = 80% B
Title/Cover Bonus: 4

Overall
A mysterious dystopian fantasy with hints of romance, action and supernatural. Heavily character and setting driven.


First Line

It was the blood that caught Thea’s attention.

Most Memorable Scene
The mountain side rumbling scene. I was so scared!

Plot
Thea’s world is dying. We don’t really learn why. The sun does not penetrate “the canopy”; thick, gray clouds. Thea has a dream of a dying girl and a strange voice that demands that she save the girl from dying.

For Thea to save the girl she must go on an adventure with Caden, a very muscular guy she finds attractive yet repelling.

I enjoyed the plot because of the adventure and the building of Thea and Caden’s relationship. The girl Thea needs to save is Viv. The characters made the plot better. I felt somewhat confused as to why the Earth was dying and why there were menacing shadows and “the Ancient One”. Who or what are these things? Some sort of supernatural element? The devil? I still have no clue but that didn’t deter me from reading the story.

The glowing chest of Viv and the glowing hands that Thea get were very cool. Loved this element of the story even if I don’t understand what’s going on with the glowing either.

Setting
As stated the Earth is dying and under a thick, gray canopy of clouds that the sun cannot penetrate. The landscape is barren with only moss and vines able to vegetate. Many of the people are forced to live with what they can scavenge up. I had a hard time visualizing Thea’s home though. I couldn’t figure out if she’d made a hut or if she was in an abandoned house from before. More details in this area would have been nice.

The outside adventure was handled great and I enjoyed that setting very much.

Writing
This is written in third-person omniscient or episodic third-person. Meaning we get the inside thoughts of all the characters told in third-person point-of-view. At first this point-of-view was strange to me. I’m used to first person or limited third-person. I had a difficult time determining what POV this was actually written in so I Googled and found this DELIGHTFUL rant on Chuck Wendig’s blog terribleminds “ 25 Things You Should Know About Narrative Point-of-View “.

While I enjoyed knowing the inner feelings and emotions of all the characters I think I would have preferred this POV in only Thea’s. Since there is a mystery element here I think the third-person was okay. Maybe an alternating first-person would have been a good option.

Originality
Dystopian novels are nothing new. Adding the fantasy element was awesome. Making this more of an epic fantasy was a nice touch too. I personally love adventurous fantasy with a touch of mystery, romance and epic battles. This book has all of these elements.

Characters
Thea is a bit rough. We get the feeling that her roughness is from the rough life she has been living in a world that is dying. Fending for herself from a young age. She is plagued with ridiculously beautiful curly, red hair and jade green eyes. Her roughness was a bit over done to the point that I had a little bit of hate for her. Once her barrier started to go down towards the end I did enjoy her more.

Caden is a nice hunk of hunk. He is portrayed as a well muscled, egotistical male. We don’t learn much about him personally, almost nothing at all actually. Only that he has stumbled upon a map that leads to the last standing city. His reasons for helping Thea and Viv on their journey is that they will make good bait should they encounter any dangers on their journey. I am happy to say that I found Caden one of the most intriguing characters of the book. I wanted to know more about him and was slightly disappointed to not learn much more that we are told from the beginning. His character really opens up emotionally towards the end and I loved that. I hope we learn more about him in the next book.

Viv is special but we have NO IDEA WHY!?! We learn what the light can do when it’s on the hands and we know that Viv is pure of heart but we don’t understand what that means!

We meet Rain on the journey. I enjoyed him and hope we learn more about him too.

Enoch is awesome. Naomi is strange.

Romance
There is some sexual tension between Thea and Caden. Since this is in third-person we learn how each of them feel and how they deal with those feelings. I would have enjoyed a tad bit more of the romance element but here’s to hoping that’s addressed more in the next book.

Title/Cover Bonus
The cover is gorgeous. The title is eh. I don’t get the series name “The Horizons” but maybe that gets reveled later?

Ending
I can’t say that I loved or hated the ending. It kind of just ended with Thea and party arriving at a new land, meeting new people and devising a plan for the next leg of their journey.

Series
The second book of this series is titled THE GRAY HORIZON per the author’s website.

[Ikrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

hello all i want to read this book. kindly guide me to read this book, honestly with the title every human have messup in his mind so i need to read and feel that really what is going on in each persons mind.

[Laura Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. I totally got sucked in. I couldn't put it down.

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid 4.5 star book (I rounded up to 5, b/c below, I do say "I love it."). Goodreads, you need to get on the "half star" thing. I think a lot of people would be happy about it. Anyway...

*some spoilers ahead*

I really liked this book. No, I actually love this book. So much so that upon finishing, I immediately hopped on here and recommended it to a friend of mine, who loves the same books I do. Like, I couldn't even wait to simply recommend it to her because I want her to read it so we can discuss it!

The story starts with Thea, who is essentially the main character. What I really like about this character is that I DIDN'T like her at first. She was selfish, snotty, even b*thcy. But the story, and her progression as a character, wouldn't have had as much impact if she was immediately likable. Her growth from a selfish b-word to someone who genuinely cares about others and, now, the world around her--enough to risk everything to save it--didn't seem forced. The story was written in a way that you sort of grow WITH Thea. Sure, she's not likable in the beginning, but hearing what she's lived with, how her life has been, you get it why she is the way she is. The more you read, the more time YOU spend with Viv, and her infectious positivity, the more you want these other characters to be affected by her and don't understand how they couldn't be.

Which brings me to the other characters. Viv, a young girl who Thea begrudgingly decides to save, is just as sweet as pie. In a world where no one is sweet, EVERYONE is selfish and mean and shady (just like Thea). It's weird, but it's supposed to be weird. We're supposed to wonder "why?" We get our answer late in the story. Next is Caden. He's also a jerk in the beginning, who isn't by the end. Same progression as Thea, but not in as much detail. The fourth (as you'll find out, these four are important, and while Thea is the main character, I wouldn't classify these 3 as secondary) is Rain. I liked him a LOT. He's annoying to Thea & Caden, but he was less closed off than they were and didn't take long at all to be a beacon of positivity as well. He was so happy to not be alone anymore and you really feel that.

Another positive to this story, in my opinion, is the fact that Ms. Kircher didn't let her characters jump head first into romance right away. Sometimes I hate that (most of the time, actually). That wouldn't have made sense to the story anyway, but I've read books where it made even LESS sense, but it was still done. The romance progressed as the characters progressed. And by the end of the book, we have only 1 kiss and some light flirtation, but we don't know where it's going. And I actually like that.

So, here's the BEST part of the story:
"But then people became greedy and absorbed in what they call technology. This technology ate up more and more of their time and hearts. Soon they forgot about each other. They forgot to care about their families. They even forgot there was a whole beautiful world outside that they were polluting to death with chemicals and trash."

This comes when another character, Enoch, is explaining why the world today (the story's world) is the way it is. And here I am, reading this book on MY NOOK, having learned about it on Goodreads, and received via email...technology, technology, technology. I almost put the book down right then. Not because I didn't like it, but it definitely made me think. And I thought, "oh my gosh she (Ms. Kircher) is right." Because, no one can deny, that's totally true of OUR world today. I finished the book, obviously, and I loved it. I loved it because it made me think, because it made me resolve to put the technology away more and just be. Be with my son, be outside, pick up and read a paper book now & then. Just take a break. We all rely on that stuff too much.

So, I would have given this book 5 stars except for one thing, and it's not even a huge thing. There were some points in the story where I couldn't tell WHO'S point of view it was supposed to be from. I thought the story was told from Thea's perspective. But sometimes, it seemed to switch and then switch back within a few paragraphs or a page. That didn't detract from the story too much, and it's just a personal opinion.

But seriously great book that makes you think. I've read a lot of books lately that I've liked, but none of them made me go "whoa, I've got to make a change." That's something really cool that I think is unique about this book.

I received this book from the LoP group, here on Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review. And man, I'm glad I did! Can't wait for the next one!

[Brianna bribookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5 stars**
Full Review on Brianna's Bookish Confessions.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review from the author. It does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This literally took me a month to read. I’m seriously the worst reviewer ever! I made it to where I would read in between my classes, but I only got about 25% done. It wasn’t that I hated the book, it was because I didn’t have time to read on my iPad. I usually don’t read from there, I’d rather read physical copies. So, while I’m on Spring Break, I decided to power through and finish the last 75% of the book. :)

Here’s the best way to describe her dystopian world:

“Before the blackout and before the canopy, the sun shone brightly. The earth was green and lush, and the sky was bright blue, just the color of your eyes, Rain. People were different then. They had families, married, and made children out of love. They grew old together. People sang and danced and created art. It was a wonderful time. But then people became greedy and absorbed in what they called technology. This technology ate up more and more of their time and hearts. Soon they forgot about each other. They forgot to care about their families. They even forgot that there was a whole beautiful world outside that they were polluting to death with chemicals and trash.”

Thea has been living by herself for some time now. Her mother isn’t in the picture anymore-she actually hates her mother. Her mother is constantly stealing from her and using her.

One day Thea has a very vivid dream about a girl getting attacked. She then wakes up and finds this girl. Her name is Vivana– or Viv–. Each day her infection from being cut is getting worse, so Thea has to find a way to cure her. They come across one person that Thea absolutely despises- Caden. He tells them that he knows where to take Viv. Thea doesn’t trust him, but she doesn’t have any other choice because if they don’t do something Viv will die.

Being curious, Thea was changing Viv’s banages and comes across a wrapping across her stomach.. Little did she know what she was getting into that Viv had a patch of glowing skin underneath.

I VERY much enjoyed this world! That was my favorite aspect of this book. This world is SO realistic and this could definitely happen someday! Our generation has become so obsessed with technology, that no one goes outside anymore! I remember when I was little, I LOVED playing outside! I would play outside all day! Now, I’d rather stay inside and read books and watch TV and be lazy! I know that I’m not the only one though. :)

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was the main character, Thea. For about 75% of this book, she was annoying and I couldn’t stand her. I’m really glad the last quarter of the book, she proved herself and her attitude changed. But, with how this world is set up, it’s “survival of the fittest” so I somewhat understand the reason as to why she was so annoying and rude. She has a very hard time trusting people because the one person that she shouldn’t have to worry about trusting is her own mother. Which, in the very first part of the book, you find that her mother is the reasoning as to why Thea doesn’t trust anyone.

My favorite character is probably Viv. She was such an awesome and strong character. Despite the fact that her infection is getting worse and worse by day, she always had a smile on her face. She always had a positive attitude and it helped cancel out Thea’s attitude.

My favorite thing, as I’ve mentioned previously, was the world building. This is definitely one of my top favorite dystopian worlds. It was very realistic and I really had a fun time with this world.

The only question I have, is where did the glow come from? How did Viv end up with this? I know the whole story (somewhat) as to WHY she has it, but how? How does this relate to the dystopian world? Was she born with this?

I’m really excited to see what happens next to these characters! I most definitely will be carrying on with this story! :)

[Marked By Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I really begin this review, I would like to pause for a minute and try to process the fact that The War Inside is M's debut novel. Either I didn't read that line in the blurb before I began this book, or it's just dawning on me now, but I really can't believe it! You guys, the writing is SO GOOD. Leaps and bounds beyond the capabilities of what I normally expect to find in an author's first novel, or even her second. The descriptions were absolutely beautiful, even when they were describing horribly dreary things. I'm pretty sure M. could write about grass growing and I would still read it.

Her world, though, it's so incredible. Talk about some high class world building. That's one thing that I normally find myself complaining about in the fantasy or dystopian novels I read because it's so dang important. A novel may have an incredible story, but sometimes the author is so caught up in telling it that she forgets to show me the culture. Reading a book that's set anywhere that isn't present day Earth requires some intense description, and if it's not there, it may not matter how good the story is because I just can't see it.

Luckily, I had absolutely no concern for that in The War Inside because M. Kircher kicks some serious butt when it comes to making me see things that aren't really there. As embarrassing as it is to admit this, for a few days after I finished reading the book, I kept on expecting to see the shadow creatures popping out at me everywhere. To be fair, Halloween had just been a month earlier. Not that it really soothes my bruised ego to say that. Wait a minute, why am I even telling you this?

The point is that I saw what Thea's home had become. I felt like I understood what it was like to live under the Canopy and in the world that the darkness had created. In my own life, the closest I've ever come to what Thea and her friends experienced is walking through the fog, but even then I know that I'll see the sun again soon. They never had and thought that they never would be able to do that, which is something I've never had to experience for myself. Yet somehow I did when reading this book. I knew what it was like to live under the Canopy because I was living it alongside everyone else in the novel.

Another thing that I was really impressed with was the development I saw in the characters, especially Thea. The type of person she was at the beginning of the novel was so incredibly different from who she turned out to be in the end, yet I believed it the whole time. Not once did I think that she was doing something completely wrong for her character because the transitions were utterly seamless.

Overall, I really only have one complaint. I really liked the characters (yes, even Caden), I obviously loved the setting, and I thought that the story was really interesting, but I did have one problem: the light. Now, don't get me wrong here because I did love that piece of the story, but some parts of it I just wasn't able to swallow. (Bear with me now because I'm about to get really vague for the sake of those who haven't read the novel yet.) I really liked everything that the light was able to do, but how it developed in people felt a little strange to me. The idea behind it is sweet and all, but I never seemed to find any real explanation for it. Yeah, it's got to do with the change inside the person, but why does that change translate into the light? And why did we never see it before the Canopy? What caused it to happen for the very first time in Viv?

This book is only the first in a series, so I have pretty strong hopes that some of those questions will be cleared up in later books. I haven't really heard much on the sequel front yet, but I certainly trust in M. to come up with something that's just as incredible as her first!

Taylor


For the original review and more, please visit Marked By Books.

[micah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love dystopian/sci-fi books and this book really drew me in with the its synopsis:

The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone; eking out her miserable life on the sunless, cloud-covered Earth she inhabits. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of an injured girl, and despite her misgivings, Thea decides to rescue sixteen-year-old Viviana. She soon learns that gentle Viv has a life-threatening infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, causing her palms to glow, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she utterly despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden discover, and try to fight, their mounting attraction to each other. Along the way they are joined by Rain, Naomi, and Enoch who explain that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. When the group learns that Viv is the key to this planet-wide redemption, and that there are deadly shadows who will do anything to keep humans in the darkness forever, they each must make the difficult decision to help Viv fulfill her destiny...and save the world.


▪PLOT▪
I feel that the plot of this book started off very slow and it took me a while to get into it. I picked it up and put it down for a more fast paced book. However, I did push myself to pick it up again and I'm glad that I did because the pace did pick up after a while.
I would have liked a lot more action and since the title is "The War Inside", I thought there was going to be some kind of physical war.
Also, the plot got a little confusing at times and the author contradicted a few facts that I tried to overlook because the writing was so beautifully done. There was so much description and it made me feel like I was looking at all these things in real life. Even the little things were described amazingly and I definitely credit the author for that.

▪CHARACTERS▪
The characters were a problem to me. They were really good characters, don't get me wrong. You could see that the author really spent time on these characters; developing and fine tuning them.
However, I didn't feel them. I did not feel close to them and I couldn't relate to anything. The characters to me were just people I read about and for a book to be really good, I have to feel for the characters and suffer with them. In this book I just couldn't do that.
The reason for that is there was nothing of the character that I could grab and hold on to. Nothing that stood out.
In a few month's time I will probably forget Thea and Caden. They are not the sort of character I would remember because of the lack of connection with the reader.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars. If the characters had more connection with the reader, I would have given it 4 stars. The writing was beautiful and overall a good read.

---- This is the first read and review I've ever done and found it really fun to do and definitely pushed me to read more books that aren't popular ---

[Melissa Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this book 5 of 5 stars because it was an imaginative, brilliantly descriptive read!!! I loved it!!! Seriously! I will say I was a little skeptical at first because of the “Dark Nature” of the authors writing, but once I realized that it was her intent to give off that “dark” feeling in her writing and was able to see what the outcome could be, with the hope and possibility of a brighter future that the author was trying to imply…. I FELL IN LOVE!!!

OK… so I have to state that this book is very different than anything I have read. I have read plenty of Dystopian novels but this one is a cold and dark dystopian novel which was a little hard for me to get into at first, maybe for the sheer fact that it is a scarier reality for me than other Dystopian Novels. Basically you can read the synopsis of this book from Goodreads or Amazon… but what drove the overall point of this authors writing home for me…. Was an excerpt from Enoch.

Here is the excerpt from Enoch… it describes the situation of this story beautifully….
“Our planet is dying as you all well know, but it wasn’t always like this!” Enoch Explained. “Before the blackout and before the canopy of pollution that blankets the earth, the sun shone brightly. The Earth was green and lush, and the sky was bright blue, just the color of your eyes, Rain. People were different then. They had families, married, and made children out of love. They grew old together. People sang and danced and created art. It was a wonderful time. But then people became greedy and absorbed in what they called technology. This technology ate up more and more of their time and hearts. Soon they forgot about each other. They forgot to care about their families. They even forgot that there was a whole beautiful world outside that they were polluting to death with chemicals and trash. Before the change ~ people tried to be good and do what is right. After ~ it was every man for himself ~ dark and tragic!!!”

When I read this passage… the whole novel totally clicked for me and I found myself unable to stop reading it!!! I am unable to wait for the sequel because the author left off with a cliff hanger ending…. But that is fine… it makes me await the next book even more. I found myself in love with Caden and Thea actually developing feelings for each other while venturing on their travels to the last know city on earth, The Stronghold. These feelings are what mark a change to the cold heartless world they live in… because they find themselves starting to feel and care about each other and their friends… and this is something that no one ever did in their world. It leaves us all with hope and that is all right with me! And I really like Caden’s bad boy character and Thea’s tough girl character! Throw in Rain and Viv, and Naomi and Enoch and you have a fabulous cast! Thanks so much to M. Kircher for writing such an amazingly imaginative, fabulously descriptive, Dystopian Novel.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an email from M. Kircher asking for a read/review in exchange for a free copy of her self-published book The War Inside. I was really excited because this was the first time that we have had an author request a review. Most of the reviews we do are just for fun unless otherwise noted. So I jumped at the chance to review it. The synopsis was really interesting because I have never heard anything like it. So with that said I want to thank Kircher for giving me this opportunity!
Alright I'll jump right in. With this book I blew through the first 30% in a day. As of recently I have been stuck in a rut trying to get a book to hold my attention. Kircher did that so well. I was so disappointed that I had to put my kindle down and not touch it for over a week and a half because of exams. I was dying to know what happens to Thea, Caden, Viv and Rain.
In this world (set in the post apocalyptic future) all of them are unloving and harsh human beings. Their world is dark with very little light due to the fact of the canopy that blocks out the sun from reaching the earth. I love the way Kircher describes things. You feel the hunger, the dreariness, and the hopelessness that the characters feel.
Also a note: I know I mentioned that M. Kircher is a indie(self-published author) and we support Indie authors big time!
Every Indie author starts from somewhere and I am glad to be part of her beginning because I know she is going places. I throughly enjoyed this book. I mean REALLY. I am looking forward to the second book. (hint hint Kircher, I would love an ARC)

Throughout the book, we watch Thea, Caden and Rain grow into people that love and care. Thea's starts with saving Viv. Viv has a freaky glowing patch of skin over her heart because she is the catalyst. She is what will bring the world back to the living in a way. When Thea saves Viv her heart is changed and it results in her glowing hands. She completely freaks out.
Caden's light doesn't appear til later when he has a change of heart and actually cares about the rest of the group. I loved seeing the change in all the characters. You can see them change from cruel and bitter characters fighting for survival into caring characters depending on each other to survive.
The smoky like darkness is the bad guys of the book. They want to take Viv to their master so the world will stay in darkness. I found them really creepy which I think that's what the author was going for. I honestly don't have a complaint about this book besides from the fact that it ended in a cliffhanger, but almost all books do now.

I do want to say I can't wait to get a physical copy of this book because it was AWESOME. Action packed and filled with emotion that pulls you into the book like you are there with Thea fighting to save Viv.
I am watching for the next book and again thank Kircher for the opportunity. I am waiting anxiously for the second book.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dystopia is one of my favorite genres and this one sounded intriguing. This time, the world is in darkness because humans became so involved in technology and their own self-interests that they ignored other people and the earth and are now selfish and living under a dark canopy or dense cloud cover (caused by pollution) all the time. At first, they tried to band together, but the damage had been done and people are now enemies. There is no love for parents, siblings or others.

Thea is 18 and has a dream about a young girl. She ignores the dream the first time and is told she needs to save the girl to save herself so she returns and rescues her. She learns her name is Viv and she's dying. She has a patch of glowing skin over her heart and when Thea touches it, her palms start to glow. Not wanting to be labeled a freak, she covers them up. Caden, a handsome boy who Thea doesn't like, tells her he has noticed her nursing Viv back to health and has a map to the Stronghold, which they believe will have medicine to help Viv and Thea (although Thea hasn't let on yet what's going on with her). Thea's plan is to help Viv get better and to get rid of her glowing skin so life can return to normal. Little does she realize that her life has already been changed forever.

I liked Thea. She starts out completely selfish but as she listens to the dreams and follows them, her heart starts to change. She doesn't trust anyone or want anything to do with them but realizes that she can't complete this mission alone. Thea, Caden and Viv come across two other people at different times who join them in their journey (Rain and Naomi). I enjoyed her relationship with each one of them. Caden is also a character that starts out extremely selfish, seems to change and then slips back into selfishness. I wanted to smack him at one point. He does redeem himself somewhat and I'm cheering for him to become even better as the series progresses.

As the story unfolds, there are many layers that are uncovered and I was interested the entire time but then I got to the point where I just couldn't put it down. The characters develop and grow throughout the book. They aren't perfect and as they learned more about what they were supposed to do, I felt overwhelmed with them. I liked how she showed the difference one person can make and the importance of second chances. I also enjoyed the light vs. dark and good vs. evil aspect and how the title fits in with the story. There's a lot to love about this book, so you need to pick it up and discover it yourself!

Content: Mild swearing; some kissing. Clean!

I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

Mel's Shelves

[Vonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book sure surprised me. I accepted to review this book a while ago and finally picked it up without remembering the premise. I was not sure what to expect. I was immediately captivated once I started reading.

Though this was a dystopian, post-apocalyptic tale, it was also a cautionary tale. In this future, Earth was dying because of humans' carelessness and obsession with technology. Humans were too observed with their devices that they lost the sense of communication with others. Humans have become cold and ruthless creatures with no sense of love or caring for others. They have allowed the world to die with all the chemicals they have put into it. With the neglect, electricity died out and a "canopy" emerged. All of this had me thinking about how we are changing as a population due to technology. This kind of world was very scary to think of because it all sounded true. I really hope we don't come to this conclusion.

As having a dying Earth as our setting, the story itself was very interesting. My mind boggled at how the characters reacted to one another, especially the mothers. The story became more interesting when the main character Thea picked up the young girl Viv. It soon became very fantasy like due to the "light" that the characters ended up showing. There was also a sense of religion hidden within the story's message. None of this deter me from the book; in fact, I was even more fascinated by it.

The characters were developed very well. I could really understand their feelings and their actions. I loved watching the characters grow and change throughout the story. It was like watching these people become more human in the sense of feelings. For example, the main character Thea was independent and very cautious. She did not trust anyone and preferred to be alone. She was also very bitter and uncaring. After meeting Viv, she began to grow feelings and her actions started to change. The other characters were great too, including the villains. The villains were actually scary to imagine, and these creatures had me on edge the whole time.

Overall, this was an exciting read! I enjoyed it tremendously. I loved the cautionary message that it had. The descriptions were very vivid to imagine which had me scared at a possible future for us. The plot was interesting, and the characters were fun as well. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book!

[Sabrina Olteanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
I haven’t read a lot of dystopian stories, but I loved when makes you think that this can happen to you, to us. This book has shown me how the world can change if we don’t pay attention and we let technology rule our world. People should care about their family and friends, not push them out of their life’s. In this story, you will get a glimpse of how the world my turn out to be, and what it means to be alone, even as a child.
Our main character Thea is a fierce, independent girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind. She even supports her mother, by often helping her around. She hunts and provides for herself, and nothing can’t stop her. Thea realizes that she is alone in the world, and can’t count on anybody, but she manages to survive.
Thea started having weird dreams that she needed to save a girl, it was like a premonition. After the dreams she started hearing a voice that kept telling her to save the girl. The problem is, she didn’t understood why she had to save her. The girl wasn’t her problem. But when she saw the girl and that the dreams came through, she saved her, even if in times like that you shouldn’t pay attention to anybody else. She took her home and made her a little better, but she saw that the little girl’s chest was glowing. Weird right? Thea found out that the girl name is Viv and the glowing faze she had it from when she was young, but didn’t know why. She felt ill again, and Thea touched her. She was drawn by the light, and the next thing she knew, her hands were glowing as well. Not a good thing in her situation.
As if problems weren’t enough, Caden saw them and he became interested. They know each other since they were kids, and Caden knew Thea didn’t help anybody. She liked being on her own two feet. But, she is forced to trust Caden, because he has a map to the last city on Earth that might have a cure for Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands.
The journey begins from there and a lot of things happen. I won’t giveaway any more spoilers, because you need to read the book. It’s great, and the author really did an amazing job with it. Her writing style makes you picture everything in your head. She described every single detail perfectly. Thank you M. Kircher for giving me the opportunity to read your book!

[Tonyalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

See this review and more on my blog Lilybloombooks

To be quite honest, I didn’t really have much availability to take on another book for review, but after reading the synopsis, I decided to go ahead a give it a go. Who can resist a dystopian amiright?! While I wasn’t blow away by The War Inside, I did enjoy it.

What I enjoyed most about this story wasn’t the focus on how or why the world is the way it is now. Sure, we get our back story and world building but I didn’t think this was the focus. Which was the point. It was about what one girl and a few others can/will do to change the world that they live in. The way to repair all the damage that had been done, is in their hands. Literally. I loved the ideas behind that. It had paranormal elements too, which was a plus.

The world M. Kircher creates is a pretty drab and lonely place. Where is sun doesn’t shine, the water is toxic and darkness is lurking in every corner. In every story, there is a moral yes? And I loved what she is trying to portray in the book. That goodness, true and pure goodness, can heal. It’s a beautiful thought.

I really liked Thea, although honestly, she wasn’t easy to like at first. She is tough, mean and wholly independent and you can’t help but admire that. It’s a dog eat dog world, where no one has your back and anyone–EVERYONE, would stab you in the back to save their own skin. Even your family. So, yeah. She’s tough. She grew tremendously though throughout the book. She goes from not caring about anyone but herself, to Viv and the other secondary characters. Once that good in her starts to shine, she shines brighter. (Pun intended ;) )

My Peeve- There was a prophecy. I don’t know why this bothered me in this book, but it did. I just felt like it didn’t fit, even though it does play a significant part in the story and it’s development. Weird, right? I also thought the pacing was pretty slow and I was having to take breaks because I was skimming.

Overall- I liked it. It’s a very different, interesting world that M. Kircher created. I really enjoyed joining the characters on their journey. I recommend for all dystopian fans.

A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

[Kimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on Geeky Chiquitas

The world is dying. Thea lives in an earth that is terribly polluted and neglected by the humans. She wishes only to survive and even that becomes hard for her when she decides to rescue a girl named Viviana. Viviana's chest glows and when she touches it her hands start glowing too. She is offered to go on a journey to the last city on earth by a boy named Caden and she agrees to go with him in hopes that she will find a cure for Viviana who is wounded and for the glowing skin. During the journey, she realizes a lot of things like the fact that the glowing will actually save the world.

This book is one of those books that you will think about long after you have finished reading it. I read this quickly which is a testament to how good this book is. I was hooked from the very start. It got me thinking about a future where the world hasn't actually improved. A future where we have actually became worse and have become our own downfall. I have always thought that the future would be a great place with advanced technology where everything is easier and better. After reading this book, I realized that the future may not be as perfect as I always thought it would be. That there was a possibility that we would just forget about the world and would be sent back to the times where people didn't even have electricity. That possibility would be even worse than those times because the world would become extremely polluted. The War Inside shows a future where survival of the fittest is the theme. If you're weak, you die. Don't get me wrong though. This isn't a depressing book at all. It shows that, though the future shown is hopeless and messed up, some good things will stay and that we will always have hope.


My only problem with this book is that I didn't seem to connect with the characters very well. I'm not sure if this is because the story is told in the third person POV. Maybe the book would have been better off told in Thea's POV.

I would like to thank the author for giving me a copy of this book. It was a great read and I will definitely read the sequel. I believe that this book will be perfect for anyone who is looking for an original and enlightening story.

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initial Thoughts

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one. Not for any particular reason, it just didn't seem like it was going to be a book for me. But then the author started describing the world and the adventures started and I got sucked in.

My New Best Friend

I really liked the main character Thea. It's a pretty typical answer but I really enjoyed how not perfect she was. She was also pretty funny and not the typical heroine you usually see. She's really independent and isn't used to having these people care about her and it was cool seeing her try and interact with people.

My Crush

There were only a couple of guys in this book and I really liked Caden the best. Another typical answer but I thought he was kind of funny, except when he ditched everyone. At least he had flaws, right? But it took him FOREVER to make a move. Come on man!

Writing Style

I thought the mechanics and everything about the writing was really well down. I especially liked how realistic this dystopian world was. Usually there's a big war that starts most dystopian worlds but in this one it was technology and pollution which I thought was a nice change. I like that everyone got so absorbed by their technology that pollution took over. It was a really cool concept.

Closing Thoughts

Even though at the start I was a little worried about being able to finish this book, I found myself really enjoying it about a third of the way in. It was like all of a sudden I couldn't put the book down. My only complaint was that it was too short and I wanted more. Now I have to wait for the next one.

Something I found really interesting was that the main character wasn't the "important" one in the story. Usually the main character ends up being the main leader or something really important and while she was important, she wasn't the world changing character. It was quite refreshing actually.

Bonus

I actually like the cover for this one. I'm finding it a lot harder lately to actually find covers that are nice, but this one is cool and actually relevant to the book.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a weak spot for YA Dystopian, especially stories with new, interesting twists. THE WAR INSIDE definitely fulfilled this wish and kept me hooked until the last page.

Unlike many dystopians, this one does not start with a suppressive, unjust government. There isn't a government at all. Humans have lost all regard for each other and simply try to survive, each for themselves. The main character, Thea, has no problem with this. Like all others, she's happy to be alone -- although a little more comfort in life wouldn't irritate her. Even when she's 'forced' to save a dying girl, she does it sheerly for her own benefit, not the girl's. The girl can die for all she cares.

Sounds harsh? It is. But despite this selfishness, there's something about Thea that makes her likable, a good inside, waiting to come out. And I think that's one thing that really hooked me. Although the story does expand into a fight against outer forces to save mankind (an adventurous one!), it also concentrates on the change within the characters. Each one learns, in a very realistic, subtle way, that there's more to themselves than they knew.

The world building itself was well-done, and I could feel myself trudging through the dead forest right along with them. Unlike other dystopian stories, this one also has a paranormal flair with ancient powers at work to keep the Earth dismal. I'm still not sure what I think of that side of the story (I've gotten hooked on more 'realistic' elements), but the evil creatures are creepy!

One of my favorite twists in this story is that the main character is not the all saving force. There is a prophecy, but it's not focused on her. Thank you, M. Kircher! This makes the story not only more believable but helped me cheer on Thea even more. I enjoyed reading about her journey and can't wait to see where Book 2 will take her next.

[Gabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

**A free copy of this book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review.**

I really enjoyed this story. I finished it in a day!

The War Inside is, in my opinion, a very original dystopian. I've never read anything similar to it. That is something that is becoming harder and harder to find now, and that is a huge reason I liked this book so much.

Also, the descriptions in this book were wonderful. I could picture everything very clearly! The author described things in an interesting way; she didn't just say something like, 'the leaf was green.' Instead it's: 'The leaf was green. Really green. Such a vibrant hue that it hurt her eyes to look at it.'

Another thing I loved was Thea's transformation throughout the book. She's the kind of character that you read about and desperately hope she'll get better as the story goes along. Well, Thea does, and it's very natural, not forced like I feared it might be.

There were a few things that I didn't totally like, though. The main one is that Viv doesn't seem to act her age. She's apparently sixteen, and I thought she acted more tween-ish. While I really liked Viv's character, I just didn't see her as a sixteen year old.

Also, this might just be me, but I think the blurb might give out a wee bit too much information. Naomi and Enoch did not make an appearance in the story until I was 55% into the book, but they're mentioned in the blurb.

Other than that, it was a great story that I really enjoyed. I will definitely be reading the second book when it comes out!

This review can also be found on: My Full Bookshelf Reviews

[Elizabeth (Stuffed Shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I learned that this was a dystopian book, I immediately jumped on it. A girl is left alone on what is left of Earth, which is very little, as the planet is dying itself. People have become detached completely from society and are no longer found in pairs or group situations, avoiding attachments to one another completely. The world has changed drastically, and the characters are in the dark when it comes to what is going on all over the Earth.

It was great how the author slowly killed off the planet and how much humanity, or lack there of, was changed drastically. I could vividly see the images the author was trying to portray, so all the writing was very expressive and the use of adjectives was amazing.

Since the book is from Thea's point a view, I thought we would be opened up to her mind much more than we were. She seemed like she had no thoughts or feelings about pretty much anything. Also, since we are watching her character develop along the way through the story, I would've liked to know more about how she felt about what was happening around her. What I did gather from her was that she seemed overly cheerful or happy considering her situation, which I found odd. Maybe it was from lack of getting to know her.

By the end of the book, I did find myself left with unanswered questions I wish would have been closed up, but maybe this is an indication of a sequel to come. Who knows.

There is so much more to this book, but I don't want to spoil the whole book for you. Pick it up, check it out. It's unique in the dystopian genre and I think you'll most likely enjoy this book assuming you like dystopian books. I would rate this book a 4/5. Can't wait for follow up books.