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Worlds Apart #1
Ruination
What if everything came down to a single test? If your life was defined at seventeen, could you handle it? Could you accept your fate leaving the ones you love, or would you risk it all and stay?
One test stands between Vanessa and Central. One chance to make the leap across the walls to a better life. At seventeen, Central considers Vanessa an adult. Her labor role, marriage, and housing divisions will be dictated by her performance on the leap.
Dedication and unfaltering friendship has bonded Vanessa to Garrett as they fight for their chance to leap into Central. But what happens when love overtakes reason? When defiance in the name of love creates an unintentional fracture in their nation.
Without warning Vanessa is at the mercy of the nation that’s supposed to protect her. Exiled and abandoned she must fight but she find’s she’s not alone. With her heart divided she seeks her revenge, but will her stand be enough?
One test stands between Vanessa and Central. One chance to make the leap across the walls to a better life. At seventeen, Central considers Vanessa an adult. Her labor role, marriage, and housing divisions will be dictated by her performance on the leap.
Dedication and unfaltering friendship has bonded Vanessa to Garrett as they fight for their chance to leap into Central. But what happens when love overtakes reason? When defiance in the name of love creates an unintentional fracture in their nation.
Without warning Vanessa is at the mercy of the nation that’s supposed to protect her. Exiled and abandoned she must fight but she find’s she’s not alone. With her heart divided she seeks her revenge, but will her stand be enough?
338 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2014
8 people are currently reading
806 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Thome
4 books55 followersAmanda Thome is the Author of the Worlds Apart series, including Ruination, Resignation, and the finale Reparation. Amanda grew up in Maine and later moved to Pennsylvania where she obtained her bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College. She later received her doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 15, 2016
Fans of Dystopian novels-here is a new book to check out. Fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent will be able to quickly relate to parts of this new series.
Nessa is a teen girl in a harsh world. The book starts off with her as a young girl and entails one of the saddest first chapters I have ever read. With her mother gone, she is forced to grow up quickly to protect her younger sister. She lives in s survivalist world where school lessons include things like how to make snares and track animals.
Everyone's future is set and decided by a one day test. The top male and female student gets the opportunity to move to Central (she lives in Inner and their is also Outer which is even harsher)and live a better life. It is the dream of every teen. Nessa hopes to make it with her best friend, and romantic interest, Garrett. They have trained hard for years for this day. However the unexpected arrival of Ty could change everything for everyone.
Things are not as they seem and Nessa has a lot of life changes in this book. One big annoyance I have with her is her easy flips. From her thoughts on Garrett, her attitude toward her government and her belief of the foreigners. I felt she was a bit naive and accepts many things too easily without question (even to herself). It sometimes made it hard to appreciate her.
Garrett's perspective was brief, compared to Nessa or Ty, and I wish I could have gotten a better feel fro him. Ty I didn't care for at first and his behavior seems to be selfish on one level yet utterly selfless on another leaving me with very mixed emotions.
The romantic aspects of this book are light for the majority of the book and then at the end it was over the top and shoved in my face to the point I felt it took away from the pace of the story. So until the last few chapters it was ideal. Although I am getting a bit burnt out of the love triangles.
The story is nicely written with and overall good pace. The chapters are short and can be nice for easy pause breaks in reading for those that hate stopping mid-chapter. The world leaves me curious to learn more. I am eager to read the next book, especially after the cliffhanger ending this one has. Final rating: 3.5 stars
*I was given a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair/honest review.*
Nessa is a teen girl in a harsh world. The book starts off with her as a young girl and entails one of the saddest first chapters I have ever read. With her mother gone, she is forced to grow up quickly to protect her younger sister. She lives in s survivalist world where school lessons include things like how to make snares and track animals.
Everyone's future is set and decided by a one day test. The top male and female student gets the opportunity to move to Central (she lives in Inner and their is also Outer which is even harsher)and live a better life. It is the dream of every teen. Nessa hopes to make it with her best friend, and romantic interest, Garrett. They have trained hard for years for this day. However the unexpected arrival of Ty could change everything for everyone.
Things are not as they seem and Nessa has a lot of life changes in this book. One big annoyance I have with her is her easy flips. From her thoughts on Garrett, her attitude toward her government and her belief of the foreigners. I felt she was a bit naive and accepts many things too easily without question (even to herself). It sometimes made it hard to appreciate her.
Garrett's perspective was brief, compared to Nessa or Ty, and I wish I could have gotten a better feel fro him. Ty I didn't care for at first and his behavior seems to be selfish on one level yet utterly selfless on another leaving me with very mixed emotions.
The romantic aspects of this book are light for the majority of the book and then at the end it was over the top and shoved in my face to the point I felt it took away from the pace of the story. So until the last few chapters it was ideal. Although I am getting a bit burnt out of the love triangles.
The story is nicely written with and overall good pace. The chapters are short and can be nice for easy pause breaks in reading for those that hate stopping mid-chapter. The world leaves me curious to learn more. I am eager to read the next book, especially after the cliffhanger ending this one has. Final rating: 3.5 stars
*I was given a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair/honest review.*
November 1, 2014
(Read using Kindle Unlimited. I also received a digital copy of this book for free from the author. Thanks to Amanda Thome.)
This was a YA dystopian with a surprising plot twist.
Nessa had had quite a hard life, especially because she had to raise her younger sister. I found Ty and his motives a little confusing at first, but they became clearer as the story went on.
The storyline in this reminded me of several other books, there were elements that reminded me of ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Divergent’, and ‘Matched’. There was a very surprising plot twist in this book though, which was the best part of the book for me. After the sadness of the first chapter, I did lose interest a bit, and I needed that plot twists to keep me interested really.
There was romance, but not a lot of it, and we also got a bit of a puzzling love triangle.
The ending to this was a big cliff-hanger, so I need to read the second book now to find out what happens next!
Overall; okay dystopian story, with a plot twist mid-way,
6.25 out of 10
This was a YA dystopian with a surprising plot twist.
Nessa had had quite a hard life, especially because she had to raise her younger sister. I found Ty and his motives a little confusing at first, but they became clearer as the story went on.
The storyline in this reminded me of several other books, there were elements that reminded me of ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Divergent’, and ‘Matched’. There was a very surprising plot twist in this book though, which was the best part of the book for me. After the sadness of the first chapter, I did lose interest a bit, and I needed that plot twists to keep me interested really.
There was romance, but not a lot of it, and we also got a bit of a puzzling love triangle.
The ending to this was a big cliff-hanger, so I need to read the second book now to find out what happens next!
Overall; okay dystopian story, with a plot twist mid-way,
6.25 out of 10
May 12, 2016
This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 Stars
MY THOUGHTS
This book is very unique, but at the same time similar to numerous other dystopians. I was reminded of Matched, The Testing, Nil, The Jewel and various other books. Even though this book is so similar to many other books, it still felt unique.
From the get-go, the book grabbed my attention. I was immediately curious about this society and with the characters. We get a point-of-view from Nessa, Ty, and, very rarely, Garrett
Nessa is the main character. She wishes to do well on her test and make the leap into Central (which is basically the rich area). She's a strong character, but not at first. She grows so much in this book.
Garrett was a great character. Although, we didn't see as much as him as I wanted. He's Nessa's childhood friend and, eventually, love interest. I loved their relationship!
I didn't like Ty at first. He seemed a bit too obsessed with the lep and Nessa. Eventually, he grew on me. and I ended up kind of upset when Garrett was back in the picture.
As you might be able to tell, there is a bit of a love triangle, though it's not overwhelming. I get the feeling there will be more in the next book. I did have a few issues with the romance, with that I felt like it was going to quickly. Though, a year does go by, so I don't know why I feel that way.
The pacing was very odd in this book. At times, the pacing is very quick. Othertimes, very slow with little to nothing happening. The beginning is very intriguing, then the middle drags. The end? Yeah, there's a cliffhanger.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I did enjoy this book. The story, while has been done before, was still very interesting. The characters are all great and I did root for the romances, even though it did feel a bit fast at times.
I will definitely be continuing this series!
I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 Stars
MY THOUGHTS
This book is very unique, but at the same time similar to numerous other dystopians. I was reminded of Matched, The Testing, Nil, The Jewel and various other books. Even though this book is so similar to many other books, it still felt unique.
From the get-go, the book grabbed my attention. I was immediately curious about this society and with the characters. We get a point-of-view from Nessa, Ty, and, very rarely, Garrett
Nessa is the main character. She wishes to do well on her test and make the leap into Central (which is basically the rich area). She's a strong character, but not at first. She grows so much in this book.
Garrett was a great character. Although, we didn't see as much as him as I wanted. He's Nessa's childhood friend and, eventually, love interest. I loved their relationship!
I didn't like Ty at first. He seemed a bit too obsessed with the lep and Nessa. Eventually, he grew on me. and I ended up kind of upset when Garrett was back in the picture.
As you might be able to tell, there is a bit of a love triangle, though it's not overwhelming. I get the feeling there will be more in the next book. I did have a few issues with the romance, with that I felt like it was going to quickly. Though, a year does go by, so I don't know why I feel that way.
The pacing was very odd in this book. At times, the pacing is very quick. Othertimes, very slow with little to nothing happening. The beginning is very intriguing, then the middle drags. The end? Yeah, there's a cliffhanger.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I did enjoy this book. The story, while has been done before, was still very interesting. The characters are all great and I did root for the romances, even though it did feel a bit fast at times.
I will definitely be continuing this series!
June 4, 2015
This review can originally be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/20...
I haven’t read a dystopian book in a pretty long time, and that is simply because I got a bit sick and tired of them. I do believe it can be hard to find originality in the series. So when I started this one, I wasn’t too sure what it would be like. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it well enough, but it wasn’t all good points.
Like when I read Dark Secrets by Shea Berkley, this book and I didn’t get off to a good start. It came down to the fact that we are introduced to two main characters – Nessa and Garrett. Garrett is in love with Nessa and Nessa is pretty sure she is in love with him. But she refuses him every time, because she doesn’t know how much time she might be able to have with him. That frustrated me because I didn’t want her to regret doing nothing with him when she had the time, instead of putting it off. So it bothered me quite a lot to see her constantly refusing him with such a petty reason.
And the second thing was something dumb she did. Nessa’s mum died when she was younger, so she hated death. So what does she do? For the sake of a game she gets Garrett to swallow some poison and he has to ‘play’ to find the cure. I mean, how dumb could that be? She starts panicking as he starts to die because of the poison and just wanted to shake her because she had done the dumbest thing someone could do >.>
But steadily this book did get better. I actually realised I missed reading dystopian books and I liked the feel of this one. The book managed to play a few tricks on me (I can’t elaborate without spoilers) but I fell for them and then it made me appreciate the skill of the author.
There is a bit of a love triangle in this one, but at the same time there isn’t. Nessa is never torn between the two guys. She loves one, moves on, and then loves the other. But what happens is she has both in her mind – her first love and her current love, and her emotions are getting twisted between the two. So I am not sure what to call that? Anyway, I am #TeamTy.
The world building in my opinion was pretty weak. I spent the better half of the book not sure how the world worked in general and though there was enough basic understanding for us to know how things functioned, I felt like everything could’ve been explored a lot more. But it was okay.
I also felt like at times this book had a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games and Divergent in a way, and then Matched when they had the banquet. But maybe that is simply dystopians being similar because they are the same genre? I’m not sure.
I enjoyed this one enough to want to read the sequel. Especially as this one ended on a cliffhanger!
I haven’t read a dystopian book in a pretty long time, and that is simply because I got a bit sick and tired of them. I do believe it can be hard to find originality in the series. So when I started this one, I wasn’t too sure what it would be like. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it well enough, but it wasn’t all good points.
Like when I read Dark Secrets by Shea Berkley, this book and I didn’t get off to a good start. It came down to the fact that we are introduced to two main characters – Nessa and Garrett. Garrett is in love with Nessa and Nessa is pretty sure she is in love with him. But she refuses him every time, because she doesn’t know how much time she might be able to have with him. That frustrated me because I didn’t want her to regret doing nothing with him when she had the time, instead of putting it off. So it bothered me quite a lot to see her constantly refusing him with such a petty reason.
And the second thing was something dumb she did. Nessa’s mum died when she was younger, so she hated death. So what does she do? For the sake of a game she gets Garrett to swallow some poison and he has to ‘play’ to find the cure. I mean, how dumb could that be? She starts panicking as he starts to die because of the poison and just wanted to shake her because she had done the dumbest thing someone could do >.>
But steadily this book did get better. I actually realised I missed reading dystopian books and I liked the feel of this one. The book managed to play a few tricks on me (I can’t elaborate without spoilers) but I fell for them and then it made me appreciate the skill of the author.
There is a bit of a love triangle in this one, but at the same time there isn’t. Nessa is never torn between the two guys. She loves one, moves on, and then loves the other. But what happens is she has both in her mind – her first love and her current love, and her emotions are getting twisted between the two. So I am not sure what to call that? Anyway, I am #TeamTy.
The world building in my opinion was pretty weak. I spent the better half of the book not sure how the world worked in general and though there was enough basic understanding for us to know how things functioned, I felt like everything could’ve been explored a lot more. But it was okay.
I also felt like at times this book had a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games and Divergent in a way, and then Matched when they had the banquet. But maybe that is simply dystopians being similar because they are the same genre? I’m not sure.
I enjoyed this one enough to want to read the sequel. Especially as this one ended on a cliffhanger!
November 1, 2014
I enjoyed the first half of the book even if there were some things that reminded me of other books in the same genre. I liked reading about Nessa and Garrett together, they were bestfriends since they were five and now they have to pass this test that will change everything. They'll either leap into Central to have a 'better life' or stay in Inner. They promised each other not to be separated . It was surprising but also sad. I liked Ty, but I didn't liked him as much as Garrett and that's one of the reasons why I was a little disappointed by the second half of the book.
Overall, I liked reading this book but I wish some things would have turned differently. I wasn't bored and I hope that we'll see Garrett again in the next book.
***I received a copy in exchange of an honest review, thanks to the author***
Overall, I liked reading this book but I wish some things would have turned differently. I wasn't bored and I hope that we'll see Garrett again in the next book.
***I received a copy in exchange of an honest review, thanks to the author***
November 1, 2014
(I received a copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review.)
Ruination was an okay read, but it took a while to get going.
I felt really sorry for Nessa throughout the book. The first chapter was heartbreaking, and the twist in the middle was a real kick in the face.
The first 40% of this was pretty slow, and i started to feel bored. The twist in the middle made things exciting though, and really bought the book back to life.
My interest dipped slightly near the end, but the cliffhanger ending bought it back. I want to see what happens in book two now!
Overall, An okay Dystopian read.
Ruination was an okay read, but it took a while to get going.
I felt really sorry for Nessa throughout the book. The first chapter was heartbreaking, and the twist in the middle was a real kick in the face.
The first 40% of this was pretty slow, and i started to feel bored. The twist in the middle made things exciting though, and really bought the book back to life.
My interest dipped slightly near the end, but the cliffhanger ending bought it back. I want to see what happens in book two now!
Overall, An okay Dystopian read.
December 2, 2014
Ruination was a entertaining dystopian read; however, some of its elements reminded me of other popular books in this genre like Divergent and Hunger Games, especially in the beginning of the story.
I did not particularly like the main character, Nessa. She did not think before doing and as a result some of her decisions were questionable. Like, why would you even think about giving your crush the equivalent of death berries just for a more thrilling scavenger hunt? Garrett was equally foolish for accepting the dare, but geez.
However, I did like Tyler. He was the voice of reason a couple times, which is good. And, while the romance between him and Nessa happened quickly, it was explained well, so it never felt like insta-love. Plus, he didn't act like a lovesick puppy about it; it's clear that he loves Nessa, but he isn't annoying about it.
Garrett I think I would have liked if we had seen more of him. It seems like he will be a main character in the rest of the series, but not necessarily in this book. (Kind of like Gale Hawthorne was in Hunger Games, if that makes it any clearer) Though at times he seemed like a bit of a cliche, I still thought that he and Nessa were cute together at the beginning. I honestly haven't picked a team in this love triangle because they both seem like good guys.
The plot, near the beginning, bares some resemblance to Divergent, and there are some Hunger Games elements to it as well. For example, they have to take a test that kind of resembles what Tris had to go through in Divergent. Hunger Games wise, there's a corrupt capitol with a bit of an eerie resemblance to Panem, churn berries that are basically death berries, and Nessa's weapon of choice seems to be the bow. Plus, the Leap was reminiscent of the Reaping. So I was a bit wary that this would be a bit too similar to those stories at first. However, it ended up branching off from those nearer to the end. Still a bit formulaic for Dystopian--girl is different/free thinking in her bleak community, realizes that the government sucks, tries to take it down, love triangle--but it never entered ripoff territory, and really, who am I to complain about Dystopian being formulaic? I love it even when it is. Dystopian is my bookish chocolate.
The science fiction aspect of the book was certainly a unique concept; I liked that it didn't completely overtake the storyline, either, but still played a pretty important role in the story. I prefer action to paranormal-y stuff, so that's probably why.
There were a lot of run-on sentences in this book. I have been getting a lot better at tuning those out lately, but they still bothered me. Some readers will be bothered by this, and some won't. It really depends on how strict you are about grammar, I suppose.
The ending was a nice resolution with a little cliff hanger. I think I would have been more excited about the cliffhanger if, well, it wasn't so apparent that there would be a cliffhanger, and what it would be. You can just kind of tell by the direction the book ended up taking with the romance. Still, not a bad ending.
I might go forward with this series because I do want to know where the story goes from here. I think it has the potential to be quite good; Ruination is, in my opinion, more of a warmup for the rest of the series, but I still enjoyed it.
I did not particularly like the main character, Nessa. She did not think before doing and as a result some of her decisions were questionable. Like, why would you even think about giving your crush the equivalent of death berries just for a more thrilling scavenger hunt? Garrett was equally foolish for accepting the dare, but geez.
However, I did like Tyler. He was the voice of reason a couple times, which is good. And, while the romance between him and Nessa happened quickly, it was explained well, so it never felt like insta-love. Plus, he didn't act like a lovesick puppy about it; it's clear that he loves Nessa, but he isn't annoying about it.
Garrett I think I would have liked if we had seen more of him. It seems like he will be a main character in the rest of the series, but not necessarily in this book. (Kind of like Gale Hawthorne was in Hunger Games, if that makes it any clearer) Though at times he seemed like a bit of a cliche, I still thought that he and Nessa were cute together at the beginning. I honestly haven't picked a team in this love triangle because they both seem like good guys.
The plot, near the beginning, bares some resemblance to Divergent, and there are some Hunger Games elements to it as well. For example, they have to take a test that kind of resembles what Tris had to go through in Divergent. Hunger Games wise, there's a corrupt capitol with a bit of an eerie resemblance to Panem, churn berries that are basically death berries, and Nessa's weapon of choice seems to be the bow. Plus, the Leap was reminiscent of the Reaping. So I was a bit wary that this would be a bit too similar to those stories at first. However, it ended up branching off from those nearer to the end. Still a bit formulaic for Dystopian--girl is different/free thinking in her bleak community, realizes that the government sucks, tries to take it down, love triangle--but it never entered ripoff territory, and really, who am I to complain about Dystopian being formulaic? I love it even when it is. Dystopian is my bookish chocolate.
The science fiction aspect of the book was certainly a unique concept; I liked that it didn't completely overtake the storyline, either, but still played a pretty important role in the story. I prefer action to paranormal-y stuff, so that's probably why.
There were a lot of run-on sentences in this book. I have been getting a lot better at tuning those out lately, but they still bothered me. Some readers will be bothered by this, and some won't. It really depends on how strict you are about grammar, I suppose.
The ending was a nice resolution with a little cliff hanger. I think I would have been more excited about the cliffhanger if, well, it wasn't so apparent that there would be a cliffhanger, and what it would be. You can just kind of tell by the direction the book ended up taking with the romance. Still, not a bad ending.
I might go forward with this series because I do want to know where the story goes from here. I think it has the potential to be quite good; Ruination is, in my opinion, more of a warmup for the rest of the series, but I still enjoyed it.
November 10, 2014
Are you a fan of the dystopian world of teen literature ? Been following the likes of books similar to Mockingjay , Legend and The Registry ?
Ruination is another dystopian set teen novel, that in alot of ways reminded me of the books Eve by Anna Carey and The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. In Ruination , the first part of the book was difficult for me personally to read as the main character Nessa's mother has just passed and it made me think of my mum and how since she is gone, I miss her every day and that she won't be there to help me celebrate special events. What I gathered from the book was that Nessa was five-six years old when her mother died and that at six years old, the children start what is called "Education" which continues for ten years . This is sort-of like school but where the students learn all sorts of skills for survival in the world and for their future. They also prepare for the "test". The test will decide which region they live in and what their lives will turn out like. There are three regions - the outer which is the poorer neighbourhoods, the inner - middle class and the central which is the Capital and the rich upper class society. Each year ,four students with the highest scores are chosen and two ( a boy and girl) will go forth to the Central. The novel skips to the testing and it is Nessa and her best friend Gabe's year. Also testing is Aria and Tyler. Nessa, Gabe and Aria are from the "Inner" whereas Tyler is from the "Outer" . Not to give the story away, but we learn that Tyler and Nessa are somehow connected and that they are our heroes of the book and that without them , this story would collapse. They are Ruination's version of Tris and Four.
So if you are still on the Dystopian Buzz Train and have yet to step off , then check out Amanda Thome's new series "Worlds Apart" with Book #1 Ruination.
Ruination is another dystopian set teen novel, that in alot of ways reminded me of the books Eve by Anna Carey and The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. In Ruination , the first part of the book was difficult for me personally to read as the main character Nessa's mother has just passed and it made me think of my mum and how since she is gone, I miss her every day and that she won't be there to help me celebrate special events. What I gathered from the book was that Nessa was five-six years old when her mother died and that at six years old, the children start what is called "Education" which continues for ten years . This is sort-of like school but where the students learn all sorts of skills for survival in the world and for their future. They also prepare for the "test". The test will decide which region they live in and what their lives will turn out like. There are three regions - the outer which is the poorer neighbourhoods, the inner - middle class and the central which is the Capital and the rich upper class society. Each year ,four students with the highest scores are chosen and two ( a boy and girl) will go forth to the Central. The novel skips to the testing and it is Nessa and her best friend Gabe's year. Also testing is Aria and Tyler. Nessa, Gabe and Aria are from the "Inner" whereas Tyler is from the "Outer" . Not to give the story away, but we learn that Tyler and Nessa are somehow connected and that they are our heroes of the book and that without them , this story would collapse. They are Ruination's version of Tris and Four.
So if you are still on the Dystopian Buzz Train and have yet to step off , then check out Amanda Thome's new series "Worlds Apart" with Book #1 Ruination.
June 24, 2014
**See this full review and more at http://bookbriefs.net**
Ruination is a fast paced, action packed book that is the first in a young adult dystopian series. Parts of it reminded me of Divergent and The Hunger Games, but there was enough difference in the plot that the author made this book her own. I think it will become even more unique in the next installment. I loved the characters and I liked the world building, although I felt the latter was lacking a bit. I eventually got a more complete picture of the world, but it took awhile to get there. More on that later, first let's talk characters.
I found Nessa and Ty to both be compelling and lovable. Nessa is a bit closed off and harder to read. She guards her heart and her feelings fiercely. Ty seemed like an open book. Both of them have visions of the future, although neither of them know that the other has this gift. Ty is from the "outer" sector and one day he has a vision of Nessa and he knows that they are meant to be together. He sees something awful happen to her and right then and there he decides that he will be the one to help her. I loved how loyal he was to Nessa the whole story. He is an admirable guy.
The world is set up with an outer sector, which is the poorest, an inner sector, and central, which is like the capitol. Everyone wants to get to Central so they can have the best life possible. The bet jobs, the best food and clothes. The best everything. But the only way someone can move up from outer, to inner, and from inner to central is to be the top scoring guy or girl on their "leap" test. Ty is determined to leap into inner and then leap again with Nessa. I am not going to go too much into more of the plot because it really was a fun ride discovering everything for myself. The set up of the world is really very interesting, but it was 61% into the book before I found out the actual layout of their world. The citizens themselves don't even really know.
The book is told in multiple point of views, all from first person. I do wish that the chapters were labeled because sometimes it took a page or two for me to figure out whose point of view I was reading. There is Nessa, Ty and Garrett- Nessa's childhood crush. There is a hint at a love triangle but Garrett was out of most of this book so I guess we will have to wait until the next one to see what exactly is going to happen with the three of them. I really love Ty so I am not sure that I really even want a triangle. I would prefer Garrett to just bow out, but I doubt that will happen.
So much happened in this first book. We went from meeting the characters to the start of a war all in one book. It was alot. And I certainly could not have predicted all of the twists and turns when I started the book. It was an intense and gripping ride. While the leap test reminded me of divergent and some aspects of world seemed hunger games esque it really had the feel of a classic dystopian. I like how thought out the plot seemed to be and I can't wait to see what the author is going to do next. There was quite the ending on this one, so I know I will be excited to get my hands on the next book and see what happens.
Ruination is a fast paced, action packed book that is the first in a young adult dystopian series. Parts of it reminded me of Divergent and The Hunger Games, but there was enough difference in the plot that the author made this book her own. I think it will become even more unique in the next installment. I loved the characters and I liked the world building, although I felt the latter was lacking a bit. I eventually got a more complete picture of the world, but it took awhile to get there. More on that later, first let's talk characters.
I found Nessa and Ty to both be compelling and lovable. Nessa is a bit closed off and harder to read. She guards her heart and her feelings fiercely. Ty seemed like an open book. Both of them have visions of the future, although neither of them know that the other has this gift. Ty is from the "outer" sector and one day he has a vision of Nessa and he knows that they are meant to be together. He sees something awful happen to her and right then and there he decides that he will be the one to help her. I loved how loyal he was to Nessa the whole story. He is an admirable guy.
The world is set up with an outer sector, which is the poorest, an inner sector, and central, which is like the capitol. Everyone wants to get to Central so they can have the best life possible. The bet jobs, the best food and clothes. The best everything. But the only way someone can move up from outer, to inner, and from inner to central is to be the top scoring guy or girl on their "leap" test. Ty is determined to leap into inner and then leap again with Nessa. I am not going to go too much into more of the plot because it really was a fun ride discovering everything for myself. The set up of the world is really very interesting, but it was 61% into the book before I found out the actual layout of their world. The citizens themselves don't even really know.
The book is told in multiple point of views, all from first person. I do wish that the chapters were labeled because sometimes it took a page or two for me to figure out whose point of view I was reading. There is Nessa, Ty and Garrett- Nessa's childhood crush. There is a hint at a love triangle but Garrett was out of most of this book so I guess we will have to wait until the next one to see what exactly is going to happen with the three of them. I really love Ty so I am not sure that I really even want a triangle. I would prefer Garrett to just bow out, but I doubt that will happen.
So much happened in this first book. We went from meeting the characters to the start of a war all in one book. It was alot. And I certainly could not have predicted all of the twists and turns when I started the book. It was an intense and gripping ride. While the leap test reminded me of divergent and some aspects of world seemed hunger games esque it really had the feel of a classic dystopian. I like how thought out the plot seemed to be and I can't wait to see what the author is going to do next. There was quite the ending on this one, so I know I will be excited to get my hands on the next book and see what happens.
February 19, 2016
Did you enjoy Divergent and The Hunger Games? Do you enjoy dystopian books with romance, mysterious powers, and action scenes? If you answered yes to those questions, chances are good that you’ll enjoy this book. Ruination is about Emma, a 16 year old girl who is about to take a test that will determine her fate for the rest of her life. If she is the top female test taker, she will be allowed to “leap” into Central, the place where people are rich and have the best quality items. If she isn’t the top test taker, she will have to stay in Inner, with no hopes of ever moving into Central.
We, the readers, learn that Emma’s best friend is Garrett, a blonde boy who apparently has all of the girls swooning over him. Of course, why wouldn’t he? Aren’t most guy best friend characters swoon-worthy? Well, maybe not all of the girls. After all, Emma hasn’t succumbed to his charms…yet. She would rather focus on preparing for the test instead of getting into a relationship. But, a couple of days before the test happens, Emma finally decides to let go of her hesitation and kiss Garrett. The sparks fly between them, of course, and Emma wishes that she hadn’t waited such a long time to kiss him. Garrett then promises Emma that no matter what happens, he will stay with her. If she leaps into Central, he will leap with her. If she doesn’t leap into Central, he won’t either. It’s a very touching moment, but of course, there has to be some sort of twist to the story.
The twist comes at the ceremony when everyone finds out who is supposed to make the leap. It turns out that Emma and some random guy, Tyler are supposed to leap. Emma’s heart feels as though it is breaking, and she decides not to leap, so that she can stay with Garrett. A couple of seconds later, Tyler decides not to leap, causing Garrett to be forced to leap without Emma.
While the above three paragraphs may sound like a spoiler, I promise you, I didn’t reveal anything too important. The majority of the book takes place after the ceremony and…well I can’t tell you that part! All that I will say is that Emma has a long, tumultuous road ahead of her.
One of the reasons that I liked this book was the fact that I was able to relate to the characters fairly easily, especially Emma. I could feel her heart breaking at certain moments, yet I could also feel her resolve and determination. I loved the fact that she wasn’t a crybaby, and instead tried to muster up her courage in order to save…I can’t finish that sentence. Sorry, I don’t want to give you a spoiler! ;) I also liked Amanda Thorne’s writing style and was able to visualize all of the settings. Her words flowed well and allowed me to feel as though I was inside of the story. I will say that there were many parallels to The Hunger Games and Divergent, which did annoy me slightly, but then again, I’m just one of those book snobs who loves seeing completely unique ideas with no parallels anywhere…which is pretty unrealistic.
Overall I liked this book; I just wish it contained a bit less parallels. I give it 3/5stars.
We, the readers, learn that Emma’s best friend is Garrett, a blonde boy who apparently has all of the girls swooning over him. Of course, why wouldn’t he? Aren’t most guy best friend characters swoon-worthy? Well, maybe not all of the girls. After all, Emma hasn’t succumbed to his charms…yet. She would rather focus on preparing for the test instead of getting into a relationship. But, a couple of days before the test happens, Emma finally decides to let go of her hesitation and kiss Garrett. The sparks fly between them, of course, and Emma wishes that she hadn’t waited such a long time to kiss him. Garrett then promises Emma that no matter what happens, he will stay with her. If she leaps into Central, he will leap with her. If she doesn’t leap into Central, he won’t either. It’s a very touching moment, but of course, there has to be some sort of twist to the story.
The twist comes at the ceremony when everyone finds out who is supposed to make the leap. It turns out that Emma and some random guy, Tyler are supposed to leap. Emma’s heart feels as though it is breaking, and she decides not to leap, so that she can stay with Garrett. A couple of seconds later, Tyler decides not to leap, causing Garrett to be forced to leap without Emma.
While the above three paragraphs may sound like a spoiler, I promise you, I didn’t reveal anything too important. The majority of the book takes place after the ceremony and…well I can’t tell you that part! All that I will say is that Emma has a long, tumultuous road ahead of her.
One of the reasons that I liked this book was the fact that I was able to relate to the characters fairly easily, especially Emma. I could feel her heart breaking at certain moments, yet I could also feel her resolve and determination. I loved the fact that she wasn’t a crybaby, and instead tried to muster up her courage in order to save…I can’t finish that sentence. Sorry, I don’t want to give you a spoiler! ;) I also liked Amanda Thorne’s writing style and was able to visualize all of the settings. Her words flowed well and allowed me to feel as though I was inside of the story. I will say that there were many parallels to The Hunger Games and Divergent, which did annoy me slightly, but then again, I’m just one of those book snobs who loves seeing completely unique ideas with no parallels anywhere…which is pretty unrealistic.
Overall I liked this book; I just wish it contained a bit less parallels. I give it 3/5stars.
December 31, 2014
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Ruination by Amanda Thome
If you are interested, you can visit our website:
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The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:
Rate: 3 stars
Review:
Ruination was a good read to get back into the Young Adult Dystopian genre once again.
Having a story that brings the best of Divergent and the Hunger Games must be a great read, so I didn't think it twice when I was offered the chance to read this book.
To sum up a bit, Vanessa needs to take a test when she's seventeen so she can be assigned a role in society. However, nobody knows that Vanessa is different: she has seen things before they happened. Like her mother's death or an attack to her city. But when her test goes wrong, she finds herself fighting against the nation that was supposed to protect her.
I really liked the setting, the action and the plot idea the author thought about for this book. I found myself intrigued by the love triangle and wanting to learn more about what would happen to the main character.
However, I think the story left some things unanswered. I didn't quite understand the reason why the Central are the bad guys or why they do what we learn in the book to their citizens. It's kind of in the open to the readers to find their own assumptions and I didn't like to not know all the details.
I enjoyed the story because I got excited about Ruination being similar to Divergent or the Hunger Games, but I think this what made me judge more the book from the very first page. I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games and Divergent and I don't like to compare books from one another, but the resemblance was way too much to Suzanne's trilogy and Veronica's. It's what you would expect from a Hunger Games-Divergent mash up. I enjoyed it, but was not surprised to know what would happen next in the story as I kept reading.
The plot was okay, but I found myself kind of bored at the beginning 'cause it was a bit slow and that made it difficult to get me attached to the story. However, the story progressed and the whole action came in a rush and I was left breathless and wanting that action more spread throughout the whole story.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't as excited as I thought I would be once I finished the book. Despite this, if you have a break and you want a YA dystopian novel to read, Ruination is a good one.
Ruination by Amanda Thome
If you are interested, you can visit our website:
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:
Rate: 3 stars
Review:
Ruination was a good read to get back into the Young Adult Dystopian genre once again.
Having a story that brings the best of Divergent and the Hunger Games must be a great read, so I didn't think it twice when I was offered the chance to read this book.
To sum up a bit, Vanessa needs to take a test when she's seventeen so she can be assigned a role in society. However, nobody knows that Vanessa is different: she has seen things before they happened. Like her mother's death or an attack to her city. But when her test goes wrong, she finds herself fighting against the nation that was supposed to protect her.
I really liked the setting, the action and the plot idea the author thought about for this book. I found myself intrigued by the love triangle and wanting to learn more about what would happen to the main character.
However, I think the story left some things unanswered. I didn't quite understand the reason why the Central are the bad guys or why they do what we learn in the book to their citizens. It's kind of in the open to the readers to find their own assumptions and I didn't like to not know all the details.
I enjoyed the story because I got excited about Ruination being similar to Divergent or the Hunger Games, but I think this what made me judge more the book from the very first page. I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games and Divergent and I don't like to compare books from one another, but the resemblance was way too much to Suzanne's trilogy and Veronica's. It's what you would expect from a Hunger Games-Divergent mash up. I enjoyed it, but was not surprised to know what would happen next in the story as I kept reading.
The plot was okay, but I found myself kind of bored at the beginning 'cause it was a bit slow and that made it difficult to get me attached to the story. However, the story progressed and the whole action came in a rush and I was left breathless and wanting that action more spread throughout the whole story.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't as excited as I thought I would be once I finished the book. Despite this, if you have a break and you want a YA dystopian novel to read, Ruination is a good one.
October 28, 2014
I received this copy for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
3.5 stars
From the synopsis and sample chapters of this book I was completely engrossed. It was very intriguing; I wanted to know more about their world and I wanted to know what would happen to Nessa and Garrett. This is one thing that this book is extremely good at: making you want to read on. It's a complete page turner with so much happening throughout the book. The middle was slightly slower but still very interesting and then the ending made me want to immediately pick up the next in the series.
At first it had quite a few similarities to other dystopian books, particularly The Hunger Games. Not only similarities with the society but also trivial things, the the braiding of Nessa's younger sister's hair. However, as I read on this book revealed that it was definitely not just copying other successful books, but was unique and interesting on its own. The last half of the book was particularly different to other young adult dystopian books.
The characters were nice but could have had more depth, though I expect there will be more character development in the later books in the series. Garrett was sweet and charming, Nessa was strong and independent and Ky was mysterious and then interesting. I look forward to seeing how these characters change in the later books.
What was slightly annoying about the book were the few typos and spelling or grammatical errors. It doesn't effect the reading experience that much but every time I spotted something it distracted me from the story. With some more editing and the addition of a few semi-colons this would not be a problem. If you don't notice these things then book will still be very enjoyable though.
Overall a good addition to the young adult dystopian genre. Well worth a read. I definitely want to continue with this series.
3.5 stars
From the synopsis and sample chapters of this book I was completely engrossed. It was very intriguing; I wanted to know more about their world and I wanted to know what would happen to Nessa and Garrett. This is one thing that this book is extremely good at: making you want to read on. It's a complete page turner with so much happening throughout the book. The middle was slightly slower but still very interesting and then the ending made me want to immediately pick up the next in the series.
At first it had quite a few similarities to other dystopian books, particularly The Hunger Games. Not only similarities with the society but also trivial things, the the braiding of Nessa's younger sister's hair. However, as I read on this book revealed that it was definitely not just copying other successful books, but was unique and interesting on its own. The last half of the book was particularly different to other young adult dystopian books.
The characters were nice but could have had more depth, though I expect there will be more character development in the later books in the series. Garrett was sweet and charming, Nessa was strong and independent and Ky was mysterious and then interesting. I look forward to seeing how these characters change in the later books.
What was slightly annoying about the book were the few typos and spelling or grammatical errors. It doesn't effect the reading experience that much but every time I spotted something it distracted me from the story. With some more editing and the addition of a few semi-colons this would not be a problem. If you don't notice these things then book will still be very enjoyable though.
Overall a good addition to the young adult dystopian genre. Well worth a read. I definitely want to continue with this series.
December 31, 2019
I received this copy for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own
This book was pretty dang awesome! The plot was fast-paced and the characters were intriguing although I felt like parts were skimmed over.
Plot
The plot was my huge problem with the book. The beginning was extremely intriguing and I was instantly pulled in. The concept was slightly part of the repetitive dystopia style, but it was still unique and interesting. The ending was also great and made me super excited to read the next book. However, the middle was quite appalling. It was really skimmed over and I felt like it was only included so that the ending could take place. I found myself quite irritated by how the middle went since it just seemed like it was a plot stimulator rather than an actual section of a novel. Despite this, the plot was still intriguing and entertaining.
Characters
I really liked the main character of Nessa. She was strong, had lots sides to her perspective, and was a perfect main character. I also really liked Garrett and totally fell for him quite quickly. I dislike how he pretty much disappeared from the book after the beginning, although I understand this and can't wait to read more about him in the next book. I also thought Tyler was an interesting character, especially in the beginning where he was more mysterious. However, I still wish that there had been more examination of his character since I believe he has more potential as an intense character than was shown. The other supporting characters were also great!
Overall this was quite an awesome read, and I can't wait to continue the series.
This book was pretty dang awesome! The plot was fast-paced and the characters were intriguing although I felt like parts were skimmed over.
Plot
The plot was my huge problem with the book. The beginning was extremely intriguing and I was instantly pulled in. The concept was slightly part of the repetitive dystopia style, but it was still unique and interesting. The ending was also great and made me super excited to read the next book. However, the middle was quite appalling. It was really skimmed over and I felt like it was only included so that the ending could take place. I found myself quite irritated by how the middle went since it just seemed like it was a plot stimulator rather than an actual section of a novel. Despite this, the plot was still intriguing and entertaining.
Characters
I really liked the main character of Nessa. She was strong, had lots sides to her perspective, and was a perfect main character. I also really liked Garrett and totally fell for him quite quickly. I dislike how he pretty much disappeared from the book after the beginning, although I understand this and can't wait to read more about him in the next book. I also thought Tyler was an interesting character, especially in the beginning where he was more mysterious. However, I still wish that there had been more examination of his character since I believe he has more potential as an intense character than was shown. The other supporting characters were also great!
Overall this was quite an awesome read, and I can't wait to continue the series.
February 10, 2015
I love that cover.
Vanessa and Garret have been friends forever, Garrett has confessed his love for Vanessa multiple times. All teens at 17 have to take a test, one boy and one girl get to chance to leap and get a chance at a better life. What happens when you turn down the offer?
The government is not happy with Vanessa, Garrett and Ty instead of starting a new life Vanessa is thrown out of town and left for dead.
Ty is doing what he thinks is right, he didn't mean for Vanessa to get in trouble or to hurt her. Destiny brought them here and now revenge will force them to work together and maybe, just maybe they will get a chance at love if the government doesn't kill them first.
This book has a feel of Hunger games and Matched I liked it, the pace and world building are good, the book ends with a cliffy I can't wait to read the sequel.
*The book had some minor sentences that were missing words.
Vanessa and Garret have been friends forever, Garrett has confessed his love for Vanessa multiple times. All teens at 17 have to take a test, one boy and one girl get to chance to leap and get a chance at a better life. What happens when you turn down the offer?
The government is not happy with Vanessa, Garrett and Ty instead of starting a new life Vanessa is thrown out of town and left for dead.
Ty is doing what he thinks is right, he didn't mean for Vanessa to get in trouble or to hurt her. Destiny brought them here and now revenge will force them to work together and maybe, just maybe they will get a chance at love if the government doesn't kill them first.
This book has a feel of Hunger games and Matched I liked it, the pace and world building are good, the book ends with a cliffy I can't wait to read the sequel.
*The book had some minor sentences that were missing words.
February 7, 2015
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed Ruination. It is similar to Hunger Games and Divergent, but different enough to keep my interest. The characters were interesting. I enjoyed the plot and was relieved that the "love triangle" wasn't the center of the story.
There were a few chapters that were told in the guy's voices, which was nice, but I would have liked to see it more consistently throughout the book (ex. Nessa ch. 1, Ty ch. 2, Garrett ch. 3, etc.).
Overall I really liked the book and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
I enjoyed Ruination. It is similar to Hunger Games and Divergent, but different enough to keep my interest. The characters were interesting. I enjoyed the plot and was relieved that the "love triangle" wasn't the center of the story.
There were a few chapters that were told in the guy's voices, which was nice, but I would have liked to see it more consistently throughout the book (ex. Nessa ch. 1, Ty ch. 2, Garrett ch. 3, etc.).
Overall I really liked the book and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
January 12, 2015
Those who enjoy Divergent or Hunger Games will love this beginning as well. Enjoyed the play between characters and the ability of all main characters to be self sustained as they effect one another.
March 4, 2015
23197010
Amazon / Goodreads
What if everything came down to a single test? If your life was defined at seventeen, could you handle it? Could you accept your fate leaving the ones you love, or would you risk it all and stay?
One test stands between Vanessa and Central. One chance to make the leap across the walls to a better life. At seventeen, Central considers Vanessa an adult. Her labor role, marriage, and housing divisions will be dictated by her performance on the leap.
Dedication and unfaltering friendship has bonded Vanessa to Garrett as they fight for their chance to leap into Central. But what happens when love overtakes reason? When defiance in the name of love creates an unintentional fracture in their nation.
Without warning Vanessa is at the mercy of the nation that’s supposed to protect her. Exiled and abandoned she must fight but she find’s she’s not alone. With her heart divided she seeks her revenge, but will her stand be enough?
I didn't really like this book. It could have been a lot better.
The action wasn't bad. It got better as we neared the ending. We didn't get in depth fight scenes. But guns always win in these sort of situations. I wanted hand-to-hand combat. I wanted Ty versus Natalie or something. That would be quite amazing, though. I wanted to see Ty fight. He seems like a great fighter. He seems more rough-n-tumble than Nessa. (And Nessa had to practice survival skills as well. Remember? She knows snares!) But Ty seems more experienced and tougher. And more of a fighter.
I was happy when Nessa womaned up and used a gun. Gosh. She was kinda wimpy for a majority of the book. She didn't really woman up. Then she got a gun. And pow! Fight fight! What I mean is that she didn't really act like this tough person trying for the leap. Once she was set free, she didn't really...fight it. She just took the blows and settled down. Not what I expected this 'tough' heroine to be doing.
The action wasn't bad. It just could have been better.
The characters were sort of interesting. I didn't particularly like Ty or Nessa. Neither interested me enough. They weren't that interesting. They didn't have a lot of depth or backstory.
Nessa...I actually liked her family-girl attitude. She didn't want to leave her family. And she cared for them. That's good. Great, even. It shows she cared, that she has a heart. But the person who was preparing for the leap? No. She trained so hard. And she tested. And went to her job. And lost all her training? That's what it seems. I know she built a shelter and made traps. But while she was in denial, she didn't try to find civilization. I know it would be hard. Nessa said she loved her family, though. Why didn't she try? Why didn't she think about it? She's not that tough either. She's tougher than me, I know that. But she took the blows. She didn't fight back. I know it's bad to bring up Ty because he knew what would happen to Nessa if he didn't go...but Ty at least was trying to go beyond living.
Ty is actually kinda creepy. Put aside the front of 'looking for his love'...and you find a stalker. He follows a girl he's seen in his dreams to her sector. He doesn't know who she is. Or what's she's doing. Or if she'll hate him. He just goes. I think that's too impulsive. Lots of people will say that he was doing it for love. For a girl he's never met. I don't think so...
Also...how can you leap twice? That's a thing? I feel like Ty was the rare, once-in-a-lifetime person. In this book, the world doesn't seem to enjoy having people leap twice. It seems like Outer sector can only go into Inner sector and not to Central.
There were grammar problems. Things I typically would let slide... But not with this book. There were many times when Mama and mama were interchanged. The same for Papa and papa. I know they're talking about the same person. But still. Choose your mind. I know you're talking about the same person. Just choose. Mama is one thing. Another is mama. Capitalization matters.
Other the that, minor grammar errors I let slide.
I didn't like the romance. A love triangle. Geez. Where have I seen that? It wasn't even a good love triangle. Garrett wasn't the greatest character. He was strong and brave. That's a given. Plus a bit impulsive. (Eating dangerous berries? Nice...)
And Nessa must really have had feelings for Garrett. But she never accepted those feelings. For years. And Garrett wasn't shy about his feelings for her. He asked her out almost every day. And she denied him. For how long? Probably since he learned how to say 'wanna go out' and since she learned how to say 'no'. I feel like they went on a date once. Or twice. To try it, you know? Then, one of them realized it wouldn't work and broke it off. Then old love sprung forth with the upcoming leap test. That would make more sense. Definitely. I would believe that. But him liking you for so long? Nessa girl, go get him. Seriously. You said he was one of the hottest guys. And he had eyes only for you. Go get him.
How did that work anyways? Why did she just up and admit feelings for him? What changed?
Then the third part of this love triangle. Well well well. Why did Nessa fall for him? I see no reason. And did he ever tell her his stalkerish ways? I think he did. Isn't that just a bit weird? Pursuing this girl you've never met, I mean. I want to say creepy with a capital C right now.
Also. Did anyone else notice the author wrote an orgasm in? It's first time I've read an orgasm. And I am sort of...disturbed. I know that things like sex are expected. And I know it's not explicit. But still. I never asked for an orgasm.
The ending! Oh my goodness. What an ending. But I didn't like it. We have many things happening all at once. Rescue rescue. Boom! Reunion. And the promise of happiness...then Garrett. (Since when did he try to get out? Since when did he become that guy?)
The cliffhanger. What will they do? What will they say? Nessa? Ty? Will Ty be jealous when or if Garrett comes back? What will Garrett do? Many questions...
Admittedly, it does make me want to get the next part. Which is a good thing for the author. A bad for me.
Weather:
Cloudy with a 40% chance of rain
2/5
Amazon / Goodreads
What if everything came down to a single test? If your life was defined at seventeen, could you handle it? Could you accept your fate leaving the ones you love, or would you risk it all and stay?
One test stands between Vanessa and Central. One chance to make the leap across the walls to a better life. At seventeen, Central considers Vanessa an adult. Her labor role, marriage, and housing divisions will be dictated by her performance on the leap.
Dedication and unfaltering friendship has bonded Vanessa to Garrett as they fight for their chance to leap into Central. But what happens when love overtakes reason? When defiance in the name of love creates an unintentional fracture in their nation.
Without warning Vanessa is at the mercy of the nation that’s supposed to protect her. Exiled and abandoned she must fight but she find’s she’s not alone. With her heart divided she seeks her revenge, but will her stand be enough?
I didn't really like this book. It could have been a lot better.
The action wasn't bad. It got better as we neared the ending. We didn't get in depth fight scenes. But guns always win in these sort of situations. I wanted hand-to-hand combat. I wanted Ty versus Natalie or something. That would be quite amazing, though. I wanted to see Ty fight. He seems like a great fighter. He seems more rough-n-tumble than Nessa. (And Nessa had to practice survival skills as well. Remember? She knows snares!) But Ty seems more experienced and tougher. And more of a fighter.
I was happy when Nessa womaned up and used a gun. Gosh. She was kinda wimpy for a majority of the book. She didn't really woman up. Then she got a gun. And pow! Fight fight! What I mean is that she didn't really act like this tough person trying for the leap. Once she was set free, she didn't really...fight it. She just took the blows and settled down. Not what I expected this 'tough' heroine to be doing.
The action wasn't bad. It just could have been better.
The characters were sort of interesting. I didn't particularly like Ty or Nessa. Neither interested me enough. They weren't that interesting. They didn't have a lot of depth or backstory.
Nessa...I actually liked her family-girl attitude. She didn't want to leave her family. And she cared for them. That's good. Great, even. It shows she cared, that she has a heart. But the person who was preparing for the leap? No. She trained so hard. And she tested. And went to her job. And lost all her training? That's what it seems. I know she built a shelter and made traps. But while she was in denial, she didn't try to find civilization. I know it would be hard. Nessa said she loved her family, though. Why didn't she try? Why didn't she think about it? She's not that tough either. She's tougher than me, I know that. But she took the blows. She didn't fight back. I know it's bad to bring up Ty because he knew what would happen to Nessa if he didn't go...but Ty at least was trying to go beyond living.
Ty is actually kinda creepy. Put aside the front of 'looking for his love'...and you find a stalker. He follows a girl he's seen in his dreams to her sector. He doesn't know who she is. Or what's she's doing. Or if she'll hate him. He just goes. I think that's too impulsive. Lots of people will say that he was doing it for love. For a girl he's never met. I don't think so...
Also...how can you leap twice? That's a thing? I feel like Ty was the rare, once-in-a-lifetime person. In this book, the world doesn't seem to enjoy having people leap twice. It seems like Outer sector can only go into Inner sector and not to Central.
There were grammar problems. Things I typically would let slide... But not with this book. There were many times when Mama and mama were interchanged. The same for Papa and papa. I know they're talking about the same person. But still. Choose your mind. I know you're talking about the same person. Just choose. Mama is one thing. Another is mama. Capitalization matters.
Other the that, minor grammar errors I let slide.
I didn't like the romance. A love triangle. Geez. Where have I seen that? It wasn't even a good love triangle. Garrett wasn't the greatest character. He was strong and brave. That's a given. Plus a bit impulsive. (Eating dangerous berries? Nice...)
And Nessa must really have had feelings for Garrett. But she never accepted those feelings. For years. And Garrett wasn't shy about his feelings for her. He asked her out almost every day. And she denied him. For how long? Probably since he learned how to say 'wanna go out' and since she learned how to say 'no'. I feel like they went on a date once. Or twice. To try it, you know? Then, one of them realized it wouldn't work and broke it off. Then old love sprung forth with the upcoming leap test. That would make more sense. Definitely. I would believe that. But him liking you for so long? Nessa girl, go get him. Seriously. You said he was one of the hottest guys. And he had eyes only for you. Go get him.
How did that work anyways? Why did she just up and admit feelings for him? What changed?
Then the third part of this love triangle. Well well well. Why did Nessa fall for him? I see no reason. And did he ever tell her his stalkerish ways? I think he did. Isn't that just a bit weird? Pursuing this girl you've never met, I mean. I want to say creepy with a capital C right now.
Also. Did anyone else notice the author wrote an orgasm in? It's first time I've read an orgasm. And I am sort of...disturbed. I know that things like sex are expected. And I know it's not explicit. But still. I never asked for an orgasm.
The ending! Oh my goodness. What an ending. But I didn't like it. We have many things happening all at once. Rescue rescue. Boom! Reunion. And the promise of happiness...then Garrett. (Since when did he try to get out? Since when did he become that guy?)
The cliffhanger. What will they do? What will they say? Nessa? Ty? Will Ty be jealous when or if Garrett comes back? What will Garrett do? Many questions...
Admittedly, it does make me want to get the next part. Which is a good thing for the author. A bad for me.
Weather:
Cloudy with a 40% chance of rain
2/5
June 23, 2021
Very enjoyable read
If you're a fan of Hunger Games, then you'll like this book because that's what I kept thinking of during the reading of this one. Not a bad thing of course as they are 2 different stories in their own right. Very enjoyable
If you're a fan of Hunger Games, then you'll like this book because that's what I kept thinking of during the reading of this one. Not a bad thing of course as they are 2 different stories in their own right. Very enjoyable
January 8, 2015
★ SPOILER FREE REVIEW ★
Vanessa Hollins' world under the post-devide government's ruling is perfect. There's no more war, famine, or rebellion, since nobody has got the purpose (or the time) to rebel any longer, or so it seems...
What happens when Nessa finds out that the people whom she's put a lifetime of trust and love into, suddenly turn against her, or that she's the only one to see their flaws? She's completely alone now, unattainable even from her own family. Will she choose to stand up against all odds, or will evil choose in her stead before she can even get a say?
Ruination will leave you speechless. This dystopian novel is fully packed with action and is engaging, to the point where you won't be able to put it down! The characters are credible and captivating, and the plot has fascinating twists that set it apart from the traditional dystopian blockbuster.
The love triangle in this story is heart-wrenching, Nessa's decision is not easy, even through the reader's eyes! Has she made the right decision? There's a turning point at the end that could sway her heart, but will she take initiative? It's all a guessing game, but through the multiple point of views that come into play at just the right time (exactly where you start asking yourself, "What on earth is going on now?!?"), questions get answered quickly, and Amanda Thome was able to skillfully paint us a clear picture.
Now, on to the hardest part of reviewing, what I didn't enjoy as much was: the grammar. There were so many missing commas, it made reading parts of the text quite difficult to dissect. The dialog between characters was hard to break up as well, it made me feel as though I was reading an amazingly extensive fanfiction. With text all throughout the book exactly as such: "'Nessa don't worry we'll be okay' he said." No breaks between conjunctions, and often no separation between subordinate and main clauses. I'm getting all grammar geeky now, pardon my French, but stuff like that pricks my brain!
In conclusion, I rated Ruination a fair 4 stars, withstanding a star only because of the confusing grammar. Other than that, I completely fell in love with the story and its characters. The book is gripping, entertaining, and inspiring all at the same time. And with such a crucial cliffhanger at the end, I cannot wait for book two!
And as always, I love listening to music while reading, and I always seem to find this one song that describes the main character perfectly. In this case, it's Elastic Heart by Sia. If you've read the book, you'll understand what I mean!
Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,
But your blade it might be too sharp
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,
I may snap and I move fast
But you won't see me fall apart
'Cause I've got an elastic heart
12.31.2014
December 4, 2014
As many of you know, I am a fan of dystopian novels, so this one was right up my alley. The setting/premise of the book is an interesting one. There are three sections that make up their country: Outer, Inner and Central. The standard of life significantly improves from Outer to Inner to Central. The idea is that you study from the age of 6 to the age of 16. When you are 17 you take your test. The best scoring boy and girl are offered a chance to leap. You leap into the next best section. Their culture and country revolve on this. All your life you are prepped for it and everyone's main goal is to achieve the leap. You must leave your family and friends behind to never see again but you are promised a better job, a better life and a quality of life you've never had.
Ruination starts off with Nessa narrating and she's about five years old. After that point the story is told in a series of present time and flashbacks from her point of view, Garrett: her best friend and Ty: a boy who made the leap to inner and has more in common with Nessa than she can ever imagine. While the POV's do alternate, it is mostly told from Nessa's perspective. Nessa's smart and strong and has a profound love for her family. That being said, she's determined to make the leap and have a better life. But she has a bit of a secret that no one knows: she has a gift that allows her to see flashes of the future. It doesn't necessarily help nor hinder her progression in this novel, it is just a part of who she is.
There is a bit of Romance in this novel. First between Nessa and Garrett but then they are separated and with time something starts to develop between her and Ty. To me it is clear that some kind of love triangle is bound to happen at some point in the series... In this book the most there is, is that fact that she has feelings for them both. The romance was sweet and in both guys, you see why anyone would for them. They are both great.
For me, I found some similarities between this book and other dystopias I've read but it had more to do with their government and other factors in the premise of the book. But even with that Thome wrote a novel that was all her own. There were parts of the story that the pace slowed a bit and I was just waiting for the faster pace and excitement but Ruination still made for a good read.
The book is intriguing and it never went as I expected it to. There was always a plot twist waiting around the corner that made this book exciting. There were things that I sometimes expected to happen but somehow never went the way I thought it would... It was a good read that promises to be an interesting series. The book ended well, in a bit of a cliff hanger, that promises of things to come in the sequel. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys dystopias.
Ruination starts off with Nessa narrating and she's about five years old. After that point the story is told in a series of present time and flashbacks from her point of view, Garrett: her best friend and Ty: a boy who made the leap to inner and has more in common with Nessa than she can ever imagine. While the POV's do alternate, it is mostly told from Nessa's perspective. Nessa's smart and strong and has a profound love for her family. That being said, she's determined to make the leap and have a better life. But she has a bit of a secret that no one knows: she has a gift that allows her to see flashes of the future. It doesn't necessarily help nor hinder her progression in this novel, it is just a part of who she is.
There is a bit of Romance in this novel. First between Nessa and Garrett but then they are separated and with time something starts to develop between her and Ty. To me it is clear that some kind of love triangle is bound to happen at some point in the series... In this book the most there is, is that fact that she has feelings for them both. The romance was sweet and in both guys, you see why anyone would for them. They are both great.
For me, I found some similarities between this book and other dystopias I've read but it had more to do with their government and other factors in the premise of the book. But even with that Thome wrote a novel that was all her own. There were parts of the story that the pace slowed a bit and I was just waiting for the faster pace and excitement but Ruination still made for a good read.
The book is intriguing and it never went as I expected it to. There was always a plot twist waiting around the corner that made this book exciting. There were things that I sometimes expected to happen but somehow never went the way I thought it would... It was a good read that promises to be an interesting series. The book ended well, in a bit of a cliff hanger, that promises of things to come in the sequel. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys dystopias.
December 10, 2014
Ruination is a YA Dystopian book about a girl against the system. If she wants to secure her future she must train and become the best. Nessa is a relate-able girl who comes from nothing, and in a moment of weakness chooses the wrong path. Is it really wrong, or actually her destiny? Ruination’s is a thrilling story about a girl against the odds.
So right away, this book felt familiar. Some of the aspects of the story parallel Hunger Games, Paradigm, and Divergent. The worlds are similar in some ways and very different in others. The challenge for a youth at a pivotal age to be separated from family is not a new concept. The separation of classes is also very much like other books. The revelation of what lies beyond those walls is also something I have seen before. Ruination has some of the same conflicts and seems like a combination of those tales with a few twists that keep it fresh. Despite that, I enjoyed this book and devoured it in two days.
Nessa’s life is hard as she lost her mother at the age of six and cares for her younger sister. Nessa is a girl preparing for the test of her life. She lives in the inner portion of her world, in the hopes of making the leap to “central” which is the goal of every citizen. Central is the capital and where the rich live. The inner portion is where Nessa lives and it is middle class. The outer portion is for the poor. There are walls separating the classes. Children start at age six and train for ten years for a chance to become citizens of the next class. Garrett and Nessa train their days away and begin to fall in love. Only one boy and one girl get to make the leap to central. Garrett and Nessa have a good chance of being chosen to make the leap. Nessa is just beginning to wonder why everyone wants to go to central so badly and be separated from everyone and everything they have ever known. Maybe she and Garrett can have a good life here with their families. Ty comes out of nowhere and is also competing for the leap. Where did he come from and why is he here? Will she be good enough to be chosen to go? Will she even want to go if she is chosen?
I enjoyed this read. I just hope the follow-up shows more originalality. With the way this book twists, I am sure the author has a few surprises for us in the series. Although I hate love triangles, this one plays out really well. There really isn’t a clear choice for the reader. I was so torn on Garrett or Ty, I am still not sure who Nessa should want more. I liked the action in this book. There were a few nail biting scenes. I am looking forward to seeing how this series plays out.
So right away, this book felt familiar. Some of the aspects of the story parallel Hunger Games, Paradigm, and Divergent. The worlds are similar in some ways and very different in others. The challenge for a youth at a pivotal age to be separated from family is not a new concept. The separation of classes is also very much like other books. The revelation of what lies beyond those walls is also something I have seen before. Ruination has some of the same conflicts and seems like a combination of those tales with a few twists that keep it fresh. Despite that, I enjoyed this book and devoured it in two days.
Nessa’s life is hard as she lost her mother at the age of six and cares for her younger sister. Nessa is a girl preparing for the test of her life. She lives in the inner portion of her world, in the hopes of making the leap to “central” which is the goal of every citizen. Central is the capital and where the rich live. The inner portion is where Nessa lives and it is middle class. The outer portion is for the poor. There are walls separating the classes. Children start at age six and train for ten years for a chance to become citizens of the next class. Garrett and Nessa train their days away and begin to fall in love. Only one boy and one girl get to make the leap to central. Garrett and Nessa have a good chance of being chosen to make the leap. Nessa is just beginning to wonder why everyone wants to go to central so badly and be separated from everyone and everything they have ever known. Maybe she and Garrett can have a good life here with their families. Ty comes out of nowhere and is also competing for the leap. Where did he come from and why is he here? Will she be good enough to be chosen to go? Will she even want to go if she is chosen?
I enjoyed this read. I just hope the follow-up shows more originalality. With the way this book twists, I am sure the author has a few surprises for us in the series. Although I hate love triangles, this one plays out really well. There really isn’t a clear choice for the reader. I was so torn on Garrett or Ty, I am still not sure who Nessa should want more. I liked the action in this book. There were a few nail biting scenes. I am looking forward to seeing how this series plays out.
May 18, 2015
I received a free copy of the book for my honest opinion.
Vanessa Hollins who is known as and likes to be called Nessa lives in a world that is divide into sectors. Each sector has a wall around it to keep the people and the world’s separate from each other. Nessa's mother died when she was a little girl while giving birth to her little sister Emma. Nessa missed her mother very much. But it didn't cause her to dislike Emma in anyway. She took on the role of being Emma's mother. Nessa helped her Dad take care of Emma.
The world that Nessa lived in taught her how to survive on her own until she reached the age of seventeen. At the age of seventeen she became an adult and began living the life of an adult. When the children turned seventeen they all took a test to see who would get to leap to Central. Everyone that lived in Nessa's world of Inner was raised to want to take this leap into the next world. They were taught that it was better than their own. Getting to leap to Central was their whole life. No one thought about their families and friends or who they were leaving behind. Every child and parent wanted their sibling or child to be the top dog so that they could go to Central and have a better life.
Well that is what most of the people in Inner wanted. But Nessa cared more about her family and being with the guy that was her best friend for most of her life. Nessa wanted to be with him so she made the biggest mistake of her life. But she didn't know that she was making a mistake until it was too late.
Nessa was a very good hearted person who cared for other people more than she cared for herself. She would lay down her own life for someone she cared for. Nessa was one tough cookie who would not back down from anything or anyone.
I have loved reading Ruination with Nessa, Emma, Ty, Garrett and all of the other characters. I am glad that I got to know them and follow along with them on their journeys through life. I love the world that the author has built in Ruination. It is incredible. If you have not read it and you like dystopian then this is one book that you need to read. Oh and you might want to pick up a box of tissue before you start reading because you are going to need them. I can't wait for the next book in the series Resignation.
Vanessa Hollins who is known as and likes to be called Nessa lives in a world that is divide into sectors. Each sector has a wall around it to keep the people and the world’s separate from each other. Nessa's mother died when she was a little girl while giving birth to her little sister Emma. Nessa missed her mother very much. But it didn't cause her to dislike Emma in anyway. She took on the role of being Emma's mother. Nessa helped her Dad take care of Emma.
The world that Nessa lived in taught her how to survive on her own until she reached the age of seventeen. At the age of seventeen she became an adult and began living the life of an adult. When the children turned seventeen they all took a test to see who would get to leap to Central. Everyone that lived in Nessa's world of Inner was raised to want to take this leap into the next world. They were taught that it was better than their own. Getting to leap to Central was their whole life. No one thought about their families and friends or who they were leaving behind. Every child and parent wanted their sibling or child to be the top dog so that they could go to Central and have a better life.
Well that is what most of the people in Inner wanted. But Nessa cared more about her family and being with the guy that was her best friend for most of her life. Nessa wanted to be with him so she made the biggest mistake of her life. But she didn't know that she was making a mistake until it was too late.
Nessa was a very good hearted person who cared for other people more than she cared for herself. She would lay down her own life for someone she cared for. Nessa was one tough cookie who would not back down from anything or anyone.
I have loved reading Ruination with Nessa, Emma, Ty, Garrett and all of the other characters. I am glad that I got to know them and follow along with them on their journeys through life. I love the world that the author has built in Ruination. It is incredible. If you have not read it and you like dystopian then this is one book that you need to read. Oh and you might want to pick up a box of tissue before you start reading because you are going to need them. I can't wait for the next book in the series Resignation.
June 17, 2014
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions below are completely mine.
Ruination is a great book for fans of the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched trilogies, and has themes that are similar in nature. Right away, the world that Amanda Thome created reminded me of those three series, in a way that was familiar yet new. For example, the story takes place in a world that is divided into three sectors, Central, Inner and Outer, similar to The Hunger Games districts. Residents can move up from lower sectors to the higher sectors with the Leap testing, which also decides what jobs and marriages the citizens will have, similar to the matching process in Matched.
One thing that I loved about this book is that while the world felt very familiar, I never knew what was going to happen and was constantly being surprised. Just as I thought that things were going to happen one way, I would be completely surprised by a new plot point.
The characters were all pretty well developed, and the chapters primarily switched between the narrations of Nessa and Ty. There were one or two chapters in the middle narrated by Garrett that I found a bit out of place, as they neither moved the story along nor added any real insight. At first it was a bit difficult to tell who was narrating each chapter as there were no titles like there are in books like Allegiant by Veronica Roth, but after a while it became very easy to tell who was narrating each chapter.
I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story and found it to be a quick read throughout the whole story. I was kept on the edge the whole time I was reading and couldn't wait to finish because it was such a gripping story.
In general, there were a few punctuation errors, like random hyphens in the middle of words, but I just attribute that to it being an ebook, where I always seem to find minor formatting issues. Not that big of a deal, but I still found myself being slightly annoyed every time I came across such an error.
Ruination is a great book for fans of the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched trilogies, and has themes that are similar in nature. Right away, the world that Amanda Thome created reminded me of those three series, in a way that was familiar yet new. For example, the story takes place in a world that is divided into three sectors, Central, Inner and Outer, similar to The Hunger Games districts. Residents can move up from lower sectors to the higher sectors with the Leap testing, which also decides what jobs and marriages the citizens will have, similar to the matching process in Matched.
One thing that I loved about this book is that while the world felt very familiar, I never knew what was going to happen and was constantly being surprised. Just as I thought that things were going to happen one way, I would be completely surprised by a new plot point.
The characters were all pretty well developed, and the chapters primarily switched between the narrations of Nessa and Ty. There were one or two chapters in the middle narrated by Garrett that I found a bit out of place, as they neither moved the story along nor added any real insight. At first it was a bit difficult to tell who was narrating each chapter as there were no titles like there are in books like Allegiant by Veronica Roth, but after a while it became very easy to tell who was narrating each chapter.
I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story and found it to be a quick read throughout the whole story. I was kept on the edge the whole time I was reading and couldn't wait to finish because it was such a gripping story.
In general, there were a few punctuation errors, like random hyphens in the middle of words, but I just attribute that to it being an ebook, where I always seem to find minor formatting issues. Not that big of a deal, but I still found myself being slightly annoyed every time I came across such an error.
September 25, 2014
Sigh. This is another The Hunger Games/Divergent wannabe.
Okay, this review is going to be a bit shorter than I thought it would be. So it will be precise, and to the point. I hope.
Ruination started off weird enough. The POVs weren't clearly labeled, and I was confused by the number of narrators. I believe there to be two at first, but as the book goes on, I believe there to be three (Garrett, Tyler, and Vanessa). It is very terrible of Amanda Thome (or any other persons involved with this design) to not tell me who is speaking/narrating. I really hated that part. I always had to guess the difference, and sometimes I can tell, but Vanessa and Garrett sound very similar to each other. I can always tell Tyler's POV, because his POV always sounds so creepy. Like Agent Grant Ward talking to Skye about new beginnings creepy.
Then there is the plot. It is so slow. The action doesn't start until around the halfway point of the book, and the exposition is terrible long. It is more like Divergent at first (and then Hunger Games). Actually, it is utterly like Divergent. That is the truth, and it is heavily cliche and irritating to my eyes. At least, Divergent wasn't as slow as this book. Even speedreading could not make Ruination go faster.
Garrett is weird. That is all I'm going about on him. He is kind of like Peeta and all about that star-crossed lovers thing. Eh... Nothing I haven't seen before.
Tyler... Didn't I mention to you about Agent Grant Ward/Creepy Hydra Agent? Hmm... Maybe I need to mention it a few more times.
And Vanessa. There is something so dull about these characters. The only one who is perhaps remotely decent is Garrett. And that is the truth.
Overall, Ruination is a terrible book. It is... Well, go look at the first paragraph. I don't want to repeat myself again.
Rating: Two out of Five
Okay, this review is going to be a bit shorter than I thought it would be. So it will be precise, and to the point. I hope.
Ruination started off weird enough. The POVs weren't clearly labeled, and I was confused by the number of narrators. I believe there to be two at first, but as the book goes on, I believe there to be three (Garrett, Tyler, and Vanessa). It is very terrible of Amanda Thome (or any other persons involved with this design) to not tell me who is speaking/narrating. I really hated that part. I always had to guess the difference, and sometimes I can tell, but Vanessa and Garrett sound very similar to each other. I can always tell Tyler's POV, because his POV always sounds so creepy. Like Agent Grant Ward talking to Skye about new beginnings creepy.
Then there is the plot. It is so slow. The action doesn't start until around the halfway point of the book, and the exposition is terrible long. It is more like Divergent at first (and then Hunger Games). Actually, it is utterly like Divergent. That is the truth, and it is heavily cliche and irritating to my eyes. At least, Divergent wasn't as slow as this book. Even speedreading could not make Ruination go faster.
Garrett is weird. That is all I'm going about on him. He is kind of like Peeta and all about that star-crossed lovers thing. Eh... Nothing I haven't seen before.
Tyler... Didn't I mention to you about Agent Grant Ward/Creepy Hydra Agent? Hmm... Maybe I need to mention it a few more times.
And Vanessa. There is something so dull about these characters. The only one who is perhaps remotely decent is Garrett. And that is the truth.
Overall, Ruination is a terrible book. It is... Well, go look at the first paragraph. I don't want to repeat myself again.
Rating: Two out of Five
May 29, 2014
******* I received this book from the author for a honest review. All opinions are my own*******
At age 17, the Central considers everyone an adult. But that doesn't mean you just get to waltz right into Central. You have to pass the leap. Nessa lives in the Inner. She has a great life, other than her mother being dead. Life seemed perfect. She had her best friends always by her side. Garrett and Gwen. When someone else comes in the picture, she has a tough choice. Unfortunately, all choices have a cost to pay.
My rating: 4.5 stars
When Amanda messaged me asking if I would review this book, I read the synopsis and was intrigued. Nessa was a great protagonist. Garrett and Tyler are hard to choose between. Both have good reasons for me to choose who I ship her with..... The plot was never flat. There was always action going on.
Things that it could improve on:
While I did extremely enjoy the book, there was one minor thing that could be improved on.
- Titles. I'm not talking about naming chapters or the title of the book. I'm talking about stating which POV the chapter is in. It doesn't state who is narrating the chapter. After a while you tend to catch onto who is narrating.
At age 17, the Central considers everyone an adult. But that doesn't mean you just get to waltz right into Central. You have to pass the leap. Nessa lives in the Inner. She has a great life, other than her mother being dead. Life seemed perfect. She had her best friends always by her side. Garrett and Gwen. When someone else comes in the picture, she has a tough choice. Unfortunately, all choices have a cost to pay.
My rating: 4.5 stars
When Amanda messaged me asking if I would review this book, I read the synopsis and was intrigued. Nessa was a great protagonist. Garrett and Tyler are hard to choose between. Both have good reasons for me to choose who I ship her with..... The plot was never flat. There was always action going on.
Things that it could improve on:
While I did extremely enjoy the book, there was one minor thing that could be improved on.
- Titles. I'm not talking about naming chapters or the title of the book. I'm talking about stating which POV the chapter is in. It doesn't state who is narrating the chapter. After a while you tend to catch onto who is narrating.
July 8, 2015
Ruination is what you would expect from a dystopian novel. It is creative and unique in the world that is created by the author, Amanda Thome. You can see the influences from some of today's most popular dystopian novels such as, The Hunger Games and Divergent. Thome takes bits and pieces of those novels and is able to create a story that is still unique and intriguing.
The character development is fantastic and you are able to connect with each character. The struggles and internal conflicts that they face leaves you rooting for a happy outcome. Of course, this is a dystopian novel, and things never work out as you may hope. The writing is fantastic and Thome has created an action packed page turner.
As I stated, you will see some similarities to some popular dystopian novels, but the overall story is unique and contains action along with a love story (nothing sappy), and the all important idea of "Hope".
Ruination is the first of a series and I must say I am excited to read the next novel in this dystopian series. The ending has left me hanging on to the edge of my seat in anticipation.
http://novelideareviews.blogspot.com/...
The character development is fantastic and you are able to connect with each character. The struggles and internal conflicts that they face leaves you rooting for a happy outcome. Of course, this is a dystopian novel, and things never work out as you may hope. The writing is fantastic and Thome has created an action packed page turner.
As I stated, you will see some similarities to some popular dystopian novels, but the overall story is unique and contains action along with a love story (nothing sappy), and the all important idea of "Hope".
Ruination is the first of a series and I must say I am excited to read the next novel in this dystopian series. The ending has left me hanging on to the edge of my seat in anticipation.
http://novelideareviews.blogspot.com/...
November 1, 2014
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions below are completely mine.
When I started reading this book, it felt like it was setting up to be a Twilight/Hunger Games love triangle which would be the basis of the story. But I couldn't have been more wrong! There is certainly that aspect which I love but also a really strong female lead with equally as strong male characters, features that tend not to coexist in other stories. I cannot express quite how much I loved this book and struggled to put it down due to the twists in the storyline that I did not predict and the need to read on to see how the story ended. It is the first book in quite a while that has made me cry, slightly embarrassing while travelling on a crowded train!
The only flaw I found was it ended too soon, I really can't wait until the next book in the series is available. I'm hooked. And thank you Amanda for generously allowing me to read this book.
When I started reading this book, it felt like it was setting up to be a Twilight/Hunger Games love triangle which would be the basis of the story. But I couldn't have been more wrong! There is certainly that aspect which I love but also a really strong female lead with equally as strong male characters, features that tend not to coexist in other stories. I cannot express quite how much I loved this book and struggled to put it down due to the twists in the storyline that I did not predict and the need to read on to see how the story ended. It is the first book in quite a while that has made me cry, slightly embarrassing while travelling on a crowded train!
The only flaw I found was it ended too soon, I really can't wait until the next book in the series is available. I'm hooked. And thank you Amanda for generously allowing me to read this book.
November 12, 2014
Ruination is a great book. The further you get into the book the more it gets away from the style of other books and move into the direction it will of its own.
The threats, lies, secrets, terror, loss of rights and suppression of the people by the government, (sound familiar) is just one aspect I will share of the book.
Ruination is a rating of 5/5 and I cannot wait till the next part comes out to see what happens next.
This is the last review that I found that was not posted.
I was given this book to do a review.
The threats, lies, secrets, terror, loss of rights and suppression of the people by the government, (sound familiar) is just one aspect I will share of the book.
Ruination is a rating of 5/5 and I cannot wait till the next part comes out to see what happens next.
This is the last review that I found that was not posted.
I was given this book to do a review.
March 1, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.The story centers around a young woman named Nessa.The first chapters of the book were captivating and drew me into her world.The story continues with Nessa trying to find her place in this world.Her uniqueness & special gift lead her to the thresholds of improving her lot in society and finding love.While I did enjoy this book I felt that the rest of the book lost the beauty of the authors first few chapters.The story does end with a cliffhanger which is typical in a series.
September 23, 2014
"Don't turn around," he says.
"Huh?" I turn around. He's standing in his black briefs. I hadn't imagined he'd look so strong. I take far too long to turn away.
"Or you could turn around and stare." He shakes his head grinning at me.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." My cheeks flame.
"No problem Nessa. It was a warning for your own safety. I didn't want you gettin' one look at me and fallin' head over heels in love."
"Huh?" I turn around. He's standing in his black briefs. I hadn't imagined he'd look so strong. I take far too long to turn away.
"Or you could turn around and stare." He shakes his head grinning at me.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." My cheeks flame.
"No problem Nessa. It was a warning for your own safety. I didn't want you gettin' one look at me and fallin' head over heels in love."
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