Spark

Spark Trilogy #1

by T.J. Goetz

Ever since the Restorative Party took power of America following the Great Recession, Archibald Moore’s world has been anything but normal. She was just thirteen when the Party was created, and in it’s mission to right the past’s wrongs it’s clear the Party is failing. Unfortunately for her, now eighteen, there isn’t much she or the rest of the nation can do about it – the Party rules the nation like a street gang would rule a block, benefiting it’s elite supporters and using thugs like the Street Guard to oppress it’s citizens. There’s only one place in the nation, the forbidden Warehouse District of New York City, that’s not under the Party’s oppressive thumb.


When the Wall surrounding the Forbidden Borough first rose, the Party’s condemning response was immediate. So when Archie learns that Henry Parson, her close childhood friend, is speaking with someone connected to the District, she’s fraternizing with the enemy is punishable by going Missing, and just like the name suggests – no one knows what happens to them. That ‘someone,’ the mysterious Lewis Morgan, promises her friend Henry a life that Archie believes to be a fantasy – until dangerous circumstances land her within the Wall itself, with Lewis Morgan but without Henry Parson. Archie’s initial experience within the Borough is a mixture of love and hate, freedom and oppression, and, ultimately, a life-changing experience she would never have expected.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia

426 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[Tammy K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is more of a young adult romance novel than a true dystopian novel.
It is fairly lengthy with most of the attention going to the "young girl lost in mist of a revolution but manages to go to the ball and find love."
If that is what you look for in a book than your sure you to enjoy this story.
However if you were hoping for a serious dystopian story line, you (like I ) will be sorely disappointed.
The dystopian story did start off to be highly appealing but in order to make way for the Cinderella-like "coming out at the Ball" dramatics any and all of the "rebel struggles" evaporated to make room for tuxedos and ballroom dresses, socialites, reporters and flashing cameras.
This divergence away from the social statements of the true dystopian novel into the Walt Disney world of princesses with rosy cheeks was simply too much for me to enjoy the final 1\3 of the story. I did make it to the end of the book but not without fast forwarding my kindle reader.
While I own the other two books in this series, it is unlikely that I will read them.
Having said that, I will state that IF you are looking for a teen romance read with all the angst and frills of a high school prom, than this book/series might be a good read for you.

[Elizabeth Spath · Rating 1 out of 5]

Plot...plot...plot...hmmmm...where is the plot? *rummages around* Wait! Is that-no...no...GUH! I got 70 percent and got bored. The girl, who has a boys name (I'm sure that represents something) is supposed to be a hero of some kind, but I'm 70% done and she hasn't really done anything heroic. Or anything in general. It's the first part of a trilogy and obviously Goetz is setting up for something neat, but I don't know what it is. And I'll be like the main character and be indifferent to everything that has to do with everything.
Meh...

[Traci Hernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Female heroine, similar to the hunger games, with enough differences to make it an interesting read without feeling like it's a complete ripoff.

[Roxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spark 1st of 3

I am excited to start the second book. Great reading. If you enjoyed "Hunger Games" or "Maze Runner" this will be a good read too.