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The First Twenty
Humanity was nearly wiped out when a series of global disasters struck, but pockets of survivors have managed to thrive and are starting to rebuild society. Peyton lives with others in what used to be a factory. When her adopted father is murdered by Scavengers, she is determined to bring justice to those who took him away from her. She didn’t count on meeting Nixie.
Nixie is one of the few people born with the ability to dowse for water with her body. In a world where safe water is hard to come by, she’s a valuable tool to her people. When she’s taken by Peyton, they’ll do anything to get her back. As the tension between the groups reaches critical max, Peyton is forced to make a decision: give up the girl she’s learned to love, or risk the lives of those she’s responsible for.
Nixie is one of the few people born with the ability to dowse for water with her body. In a world where safe water is hard to come by, she’s a valuable tool to her people. When she’s taken by Peyton, they’ll do anything to get her back. As the tension between the groups reaches critical max, Peyton is forced to make a decision: give up the girl she’s learned to love, or risk the lives of those she’s responsible for.
264 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2015
10 people are currently reading
461 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Lavoie
5 books69 followersJennifer Lavoie lives in Connecticut in the same city she grew up in. While growing up, she always wanted to be a writer or a teacher and briefly debated a career in marine biology. The only problem with that was she’s deathly afraid of deep water. Starting during a holiday season as temporary help, she worked in a bookstore for six years and made it all the way up to assistant manager before she left to take a job teaching. Jennifer has her bachelor’s degree in secondary English education and found a job in her town teaching middle school students. Along with another teacher and a handful of students, Jennifer started the first Gay-Straight Alliance at the school. She is also active in other student clubs and enjoys pairing students with books that make them love to read.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
June 22, 2015
The haunting cover and the intriguing blurb sold me. So fast I didn't notice it's one of genres I generally avoid--Y.A.
The story is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where scattered pockets of humanity struggle to survive everyday, and resources like water is scarce and often contaminated. In the book's limited worldview, civilization is divided into 'settlers' and 'scavengers'. That sort of translates to the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'. Not much different from the old world. Caught in that classic conflict is Peyton and Nixie, two teens from opposite sides of the fence.
The book tries hard to place these characters in a real world situation but it just feels contrived and unrealistic. 18-year-old Peyton being voted head guard of an entire human settlement, just because she is her father's daughter? 18-year-old Nixie, with zero fighting skills, but very needed water detecting skills, being forced to risk a dangerous mission when her talent is clearly not required for it? These two ladies need to meet somehow in certain pre-defined roles, so logic is sacrificed for expediency. :(
Things fare better when the author starts letting us into Nixie's psyche. She's probably the only well-rounded character here. Her motives, fears, and yearnings humanize the entire book. For someone who has suffered so much deprivation and emotional abuse, she's incredibly mature and practical when it comes to relationships. In the scene where Peyton says 'I didn't mean anything by it' when referring to 'The Kiss'--Nixie's reaction is refreshingly different (thankfully) and not the usual trope of self-denial and dragged-out angst typical of YA, and even adult lesfic.
Everything else about the book is pretty lightweight: the world-building, the plot, one-dimensional characters, the dialogue. This is not to say that it's bad. Just rather simplistic. Overall the pacing was good, though the subplot about the city jaunt could have been spiced up a bit with more excitement. In hindsight, it just seemed like a plot device to get the MCs more alone time.
Overall, I think teens and young adults will appreciate this book more. I'm just not the intended audience.
3.5 stars
The story is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where scattered pockets of humanity struggle to survive everyday, and resources like water is scarce and often contaminated. In the book's limited worldview, civilization is divided into 'settlers' and 'scavengers'. That sort of translates to the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'. Not much different from the old world. Caught in that classic conflict is Peyton and Nixie, two teens from opposite sides of the fence.
The book tries hard to place these characters in a real world situation but it just feels contrived and unrealistic. 18-year-old Peyton being voted head guard of an entire human settlement, just because she is her father's daughter? 18-year-old Nixie, with zero fighting skills, but very needed water detecting skills, being forced to risk a dangerous mission when her talent is clearly not required for it? These two ladies need to meet somehow in certain pre-defined roles, so logic is sacrificed for expediency. :(
Things fare better when the author starts letting us into Nixie's psyche. She's probably the only well-rounded character here. Her motives, fears, and yearnings humanize the entire book. For someone who has suffered so much deprivation and emotional abuse, she's incredibly mature and practical when it comes to relationships. In the scene where Peyton says 'I didn't mean anything by it' when referring to 'The Kiss'--Nixie's reaction is refreshingly different (thankfully) and not the usual trope of self-denial and dragged-out angst typical of YA, and even adult lesfic.
Everything else about the book is pretty lightweight: the world-building, the plot, one-dimensional characters, the dialogue. This is not to say that it's bad. Just rather simplistic. Overall the pacing was good, though the subplot about the city jaunt could have been spiced up a bit with more excitement. In hindsight, it just seemed like a plot device to get the MCs more alone time.
Overall, I think teens and young adults will appreciate this book more. I'm just not the intended audience.
3.5 stars
January 16, 2016
Read like it was written by a teenager. If I have to read another book where people hate each other but fall in love because they "felt a strange tingle" when looking at each other, and "experienced a curious warm sensation" when their hands accidentally brush, I'm gonna scream.
April 12, 2015
It's been twenty years since the world fell apart. For Peyton, the time "Before" is something she never experienced and doesn't have a whole lot of patience thinking about. She's eighteen, and has just become the leader of the guards at her home - a former factory that other survivors have turned into a functional shelter and community. More than a hundred people live there, and they count on her. She can't fall apart over the death of her adoptive father, no matter how much anger she feels at the scavengers who killed him.
Nixie is a scavenger - one of the many groups out in this ruined world who don't stay put, but move from place to place, finding what they need to get by. And if they can't find it, they might have to take it. Nixie also has a gift - she's a dowser - and in this period of drought, her gift might mean survival or extinction of her scavenging group.
In a desperate raid on the factory, Nixie is caught. Now these two very different young women are face-to-face with how reality doesn't support their preconceptions of the "enemy." As they inch toward trusting each other, something more than trust threatens to bloom between them. But in a world already so broken, building something new is a huge challenge. When they leave on a group mission to gather potentially vital supplies from one of the ruined cities, the truth about how they feel - and the lies that might ruin everything - turn out not to be buried all that deep.
I loved this dystopia YA for it's freshness - there was no informational core-dump of what went wrong, which makes so much more sense to me. If the world were to crumble - especially with diseases and dramatic climate issues - it seems to me that people would be focusing on survival, not on keeping proper records to let those who come after know what happened. Isolated groups like Peyton's wouldn't have the whole story, and survival trumps nostalgia.
More, the relationship isn't full of angst from the point of view of those around the two young women. This is a world that has clued in there are bigger worries. Two girls who fall in love? That's wonderful - but let's get the clean water flowing, shall we? Through the harsh lens of survival, things are definitely put into perspective. Even better, their relationship itself progresses without that pressure, and it just feels more realistic.
More, Nixie's power rocks. I love the description, and the evolution of her character.
There's sadness here, but also hope. There's some action, but it's not an action novel. It's got an exploratory, character-driven vibe, and I really appreciated that. Not every dystopian/re-building civilization story has to be all about the exploding and the running and the hail of bullets, and The First Twenty is an excellent example of how not to do that and still create an engrossing story.
Nixie is a scavenger - one of the many groups out in this ruined world who don't stay put, but move from place to place, finding what they need to get by. And if they can't find it, they might have to take it. Nixie also has a gift - she's a dowser - and in this period of drought, her gift might mean survival or extinction of her scavenging group.
In a desperate raid on the factory, Nixie is caught. Now these two very different young women are face-to-face with how reality doesn't support their preconceptions of the "enemy." As they inch toward trusting each other, something more than trust threatens to bloom between them. But in a world already so broken, building something new is a huge challenge. When they leave on a group mission to gather potentially vital supplies from one of the ruined cities, the truth about how they feel - and the lies that might ruin everything - turn out not to be buried all that deep.
I loved this dystopia YA for it's freshness - there was no informational core-dump of what went wrong, which makes so much more sense to me. If the world were to crumble - especially with diseases and dramatic climate issues - it seems to me that people would be focusing on survival, not on keeping proper records to let those who come after know what happened. Isolated groups like Peyton's wouldn't have the whole story, and survival trumps nostalgia.
More, the relationship isn't full of angst from the point of view of those around the two young women. This is a world that has clued in there are bigger worries. Two girls who fall in love? That's wonderful - but let's get the clean water flowing, shall we? Through the harsh lens of survival, things are definitely put into perspective. Even better, their relationship itself progresses without that pressure, and it just feels more realistic.
More, Nixie's power rocks. I love the description, and the evolution of her character.
There's sadness here, but also hope. There's some action, but it's not an action novel. It's got an exploratory, character-driven vibe, and I really appreciated that. Not every dystopian/re-building civilization story has to be all about the exploding and the running and the hail of bullets, and The First Twenty is an excellent example of how not to do that and still create an engrossing story.
August 17, 2015
The world has fallen apart. It is twenty years after the fall of civilisation, there’s only a few scattered remnants of humanity left who are trying to struggle to survive and, maybe, rebuild.
Peyton is the newly elected leader of her Settlement’s security, they’re trying to rebuild and keep themselves safe from raiding Scavenger looking to steal their resources. One raid recently killed her father
Nixie is a Scavanger, desperate, under-resourced and driven to scrape what living they can. The Settlers seem to live a life of high luxury in comparison and the resentment is strong.
This is a post-apocalyptic dystopian world – humanity has been driven to the brink of extinction, the cities are abandoned and the remaining people are desperately trying to struggle to survive in the ruins.
And I really like this dystopian world – I like how it focuses a lot on the practicality of surviving and the possibility of rebuilding. Not with lots of despair and angst and “are we living or surviving” (yes this genre is really getting over-stuffed) but simple practical matters like how they’re producing food and finding clean water and standing together. It’s a lot less militaristic than many, far less combative and far more about survival.
A lot of apocalypse fiction loves to realy make a huge point that it’s not the zombies/vampires/plague/hockey-stick-wielding-were-beavers that you need to worry about but other people who are evil murdering raping arseholes. Usually with all the subtlety of a chainsaw wielding guy wearing his last victim’s skin.
And that kind of savagery is certainly not an unrealistic message – but this book looks more at communities coming together. Sure, it’s not perfect but the community tries, it is genuinely coming together and supporting each other and collaborating in the face of this difficult new world. We have a community of people that doesn’t need one leader to keep everyone in line with the threat of violence. We have different communities working with each other, trading, co-operating and not trying to fight each other or scrabble for advantage.
That’s not unrealistic either. Time and again history has shown us that people have faced terrible conditions and rallied wonderfully together. When faced with adversity people ARE good at rallying and supporting each other – it’s how communities started. It’s nice to see a world where humanity isn’t 3 days without a wifi connection away from eating their neighbours brains (now, cut my wifi AND my coffee and your brains are fair game). Not everything has to be grim and gritty to pretend to be “realistic”.
The story covers these two characters from very different backgrounds both pushed together and on a fairly standard quest storyline. But the quest and the world is very much a vehicle in which to examine these characters. We have Peyton, a settler, struggling with her new responsibility of leadership while still recovering from the grief of her dad’s death. Nixie, a Scavenger, has a special ability to find water living under the total control of the dictatorial command of the perhaps unstable leader of her nomadic band desperately trying to scrape by. Together they learn different lessons – with Nixie realising there is a way to survive without being under the total command of someone, how not every part of your life needs to be controlled for survival as well as realising her leader’s lies were meant for control. While Peyton receives some hard lessons about class and possessions; even in this dystopian world. Her settlers have things that Nixie can’t even imagine, in fact her band of scavengers successfully raid Peyton’s settlers for supplies that Peyton’s settlers don’t miss. They can’t even figure out what has been stolen because they have that as a level of excess that the Scavengers can’t imagine.
This puts both Peyton and Nixie’s opinions through a radically different lenses which leads to a lot of very good character growth, conflict, examination of prejudices and preconceptions as they both learn to see their worlds very differently, understand each other and slowly fall in love
And while I do think the romance, in some ways, feels out of place, the way it is developed is very nice and natural and comes with a lot of real feeling and powerful connection between the two. Another element I like is that their love for each other and description of each other fits the setting. Peyton isn’t small and delicate with smooth skin – she has muscles and definition and calloused fingers and looks far older than her 18 years. And Nixie, though far more stereotypically beautiful, she is similarly small due to being undernourished from having to scrabble to get by. It’s a sweet romance and an excellent one between two women.
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Peyton is the newly elected leader of her Settlement’s security, they’re trying to rebuild and keep themselves safe from raiding Scavenger looking to steal their resources. One raid recently killed her father
Nixie is a Scavanger, desperate, under-resourced and driven to scrape what living they can. The Settlers seem to live a life of high luxury in comparison and the resentment is strong.
This is a post-apocalyptic dystopian world – humanity has been driven to the brink of extinction, the cities are abandoned and the remaining people are desperately trying to struggle to survive in the ruins.
And I really like this dystopian world – I like how it focuses a lot on the practicality of surviving and the possibility of rebuilding. Not with lots of despair and angst and “are we living or surviving” (yes this genre is really getting over-stuffed) but simple practical matters like how they’re producing food and finding clean water and standing together. It’s a lot less militaristic than many, far less combative and far more about survival.
A lot of apocalypse fiction loves to realy make a huge point that it’s not the zombies/vampires/plague/hockey-stick-wielding-were-beavers that you need to worry about but other people who are evil murdering raping arseholes. Usually with all the subtlety of a chainsaw wielding guy wearing his last victim’s skin.
And that kind of savagery is certainly not an unrealistic message – but this book looks more at communities coming together. Sure, it’s not perfect but the community tries, it is genuinely coming together and supporting each other and collaborating in the face of this difficult new world. We have a community of people that doesn’t need one leader to keep everyone in line with the threat of violence. We have different communities working with each other, trading, co-operating and not trying to fight each other or scrabble for advantage.
That’s not unrealistic either. Time and again history has shown us that people have faced terrible conditions and rallied wonderfully together. When faced with adversity people ARE good at rallying and supporting each other – it’s how communities started. It’s nice to see a world where humanity isn’t 3 days without a wifi connection away from eating their neighbours brains (now, cut my wifi AND my coffee and your brains are fair game). Not everything has to be grim and gritty to pretend to be “realistic”.
The story covers these two characters from very different backgrounds both pushed together and on a fairly standard quest storyline. But the quest and the world is very much a vehicle in which to examine these characters. We have Peyton, a settler, struggling with her new responsibility of leadership while still recovering from the grief of her dad’s death. Nixie, a Scavenger, has a special ability to find water living under the total control of the dictatorial command of the perhaps unstable leader of her nomadic band desperately trying to scrape by. Together they learn different lessons – with Nixie realising there is a way to survive without being under the total command of someone, how not every part of your life needs to be controlled for survival as well as realising her leader’s lies were meant for control. While Peyton receives some hard lessons about class and possessions; even in this dystopian world. Her settlers have things that Nixie can’t even imagine, in fact her band of scavengers successfully raid Peyton’s settlers for supplies that Peyton’s settlers don’t miss. They can’t even figure out what has been stolen because they have that as a level of excess that the Scavengers can’t imagine.
This puts both Peyton and Nixie’s opinions through a radically different lenses which leads to a lot of very good character growth, conflict, examination of prejudices and preconceptions as they both learn to see their worlds very differently, understand each other and slowly fall in love
And while I do think the romance, in some ways, feels out of place, the way it is developed is very nice and natural and comes with a lot of real feeling and powerful connection between the two. Another element I like is that their love for each other and description of each other fits the setting. Peyton isn’t small and delicate with smooth skin – she has muscles and definition and calloused fingers and looks far older than her 18 years. And Nixie, though far more stereotypically beautiful, she is similarly small due to being undernourished from having to scrabble to get by. It’s a sweet romance and an excellent one between two women.
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July 26, 2022
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
The First Twenty felt very constructed - everything set up to create a romance with complete disregard to logic or any kind of realistic situations. There wasn't an honest bone in the book. Compounding the lack of grounded worldbuilding, the story was devoid of any originality or interest; at one point I became so bored, I started eating yogurt. I hate yogurt.Story: In your typical post apocalyptic camp, the settled eke out a living and fend off the scavengers outside. Peyton's father is killed defending the camp; a scant two weeks later a scavenger girl, Nixie (because she's small like a pixie?), is caught attempting to steal from the camp's storeroom. Clean water is scarce and the scavenger group Nixie is with (run by evil despotic Faulkner) wants the camp's water filters. Nixie is taken in by Peyton's father's lover, and the two girls strike up a friendship. Cue tinglie feelings between the girls as the camp sends out a scout party to nearby Hartford to get some radio equipment.
So here's the problem - none of it made any sense. E.g.,:
-- If you are raided by scavengers often, even have people killed by them, do you a) keep all the guns/ammo locked in a safe where only one person can access them? b) Send out a small party out of the camp to a city with limited arms for some radio equipment you don't even need? c) Capture a scavenger prisoner and then let her stay with an overly nice older camp guy (who should have been grieving his lover but instead gets to cheerily take care of the girl) show her all around camp and all your secret areas (e.g., hey, scavenger girl, go ahead kill dotting old fool, escape and tell your group where the good stuff is, and how easy is it is to actually take it!)? In my mind, none of the above.
- Scavenger girl has special ability (we know since we get her POV). When you come to a stream, she yells, "don't drink it, it isn't safe!!" Do you assume from that sudden outburst that a) she has been there before and knows it is poisoned, b) she also smelled the bad smell coming off it and assumed it was rank, or c) you randomly assume she is a dowser who inexplicably also knows that the water is poisoned (even though NO ONE knows that a water witch can not only find water, but tell the quality of it). Our heroine immediately went to point C without a *clue* why.
If you kill off a beloved character in the beginning, is it because a) it can show the dangerous situation the camp is in; b) it can give the characters pathos as we see their grief and struggle to survive a harsh new world; c) use it to cause romance angst as one of the couple keeps the secret that she knows who did it? And clearly this is a c - since no one grieved very long or seemed rather sad. It became obvious that the death, along with the rest of the story, was just to create situations for the romance. A romance that was very bland and very choreographed.
I didn't like either Peyton or Nixie. The supporting characters were a bit too "my gay best friend' or my friend's 'great gay dad' cliches - they had no dimension or nuance whatsoever. Peyton was just stupid and Nixie so 'Hello Kitty sweet' as to make my teeth ache. The bad guys - militant Ryan in the camp ("KIll 'em all!!) and Faulkner in the scavenger group ("I am god!!!) were eye rollingly over the top. This wasn't a post apocalypse, it was Summer Camp in Detroit (or, in this case, Connecticut) and Yosemite Sam as the mean counselor.
In all, a disappointing and boring read. I had hoped for better. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
April 10, 2015
Okay so as of right now there are NO other ratings or reviews for this book, so I feel a kind of pressure to write a super awesome review. Gah. However there might be spoilers below, so read at your own peril.
First of all, I totally forgot that Bold Strokes were "the gay publisher" when I requested this galley, and the blurb in particular that I'd read didn't allude to any kind of romance at ALL. So that was a bit of a nice surprise, because it has been a while since I've read any f/f - and also I like that the romance wasn't by any stretch the main focus of the story. It just happened to be there, and there wasn't any drama around the idea of one girl falling for another, just like there wasn't any drama around two guys being together. Everyone just was.
So we're in America, in some kind of dystopian future where you've got some people who are "settlers" - working together, working the land, all that jazz - and some others who are "scavengers", aka the "bad guys". And then some travelers who are pretty self-explanatory and who don't feature much anyway. Peyton is one of the settlers, who is their group's new head of security since her father was killed by scavengers, and Nixie is a scavenger who is caught by the settlers when her gang try to steal some water filtration equipment.
I loved this story and the dystopian future it presented (I just read that back and omg it sounds so pretentious lol) but there were quite a few times when I'd pause for a moment and go "but WHY?" There's mention of a Before (which wasn't that long ago, it's still in some people's living memory) and disease and disaster and drought, but I would have liked a bit more explanation because I found it all super fascinating... like why did some people end up as scavengers, not settlers? And when a small group go on a quest for radio parts, we find that there are pockets of people elsewhere who have radios and stuff, which just made me wonder even more how these groups got separated from those, and so on.
Anyway. I loved watching Nixie learn how the settlers did everything, and begin to wonder why the hell her people didn't work together as they did, hadn't made the best of things, had ended up poor scavengers instead. It was believable that she would come around to their way of thinking and be on Peyton's side, instead of them being staunch enemies who grudgingly agree.
First of all, I totally forgot that Bold Strokes were "the gay publisher" when I requested this galley, and the blurb in particular that I'd read didn't allude to any kind of romance at ALL. So that was a bit of a nice surprise, because it has been a while since I've read any f/f - and also I like that the romance wasn't by any stretch the main focus of the story. It just happened to be there, and there wasn't any drama around the idea of one girl falling for another, just like there wasn't any drama around two guys being together. Everyone just was.
So we're in America, in some kind of dystopian future where you've got some people who are "settlers" - working together, working the land, all that jazz - and some others who are "scavengers", aka the "bad guys". And then some travelers who are pretty self-explanatory and who don't feature much anyway. Peyton is one of the settlers, who is their group's new head of security since her father was killed by scavengers, and Nixie is a scavenger who is caught by the settlers when her gang try to steal some water filtration equipment.
I loved this story and the dystopian future it presented (I just read that back and omg it sounds so pretentious lol) but there were quite a few times when I'd pause for a moment and go "but WHY?" There's mention of a Before (which wasn't that long ago, it's still in some people's living memory) and disease and disaster and drought, but I would have liked a bit more explanation because I found it all super fascinating... like why did some people end up as scavengers, not settlers? And when a small group go on a quest for radio parts, we find that there are pockets of people elsewhere who have radios and stuff, which just made me wonder even more how these groups got separated from those, and so on.
Anyway. I loved watching Nixie learn how the settlers did everything, and begin to wonder why the hell her people didn't work together as they did, hadn't made the best of things, had ended up poor scavengers instead. It was believable that she would come around to their way of thinking and be on Peyton's side, instead of them being staunch enemies who grudgingly agree.
June 14, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this, not a particularly original dystopian setting but great characters (although I felt we could've had a little more time spent developing them), but great connections between the characters and I really enjoyed the fact that all the relationships were treated as the norm, with attention not focused solely on the fact that the relationships were homosexual or heterosexual but focused on the fact that they are connections between people. I think this is an important thing to be integrated into public thinking and teaching of both teens and adults alike, that relationships are between people, no matter their gender, and something that is not all that common in literature which tends to separate and focus on the differences between types of relationship (even in a lot of lgbt books) rather than on the same love or connection that brought people together. Very refreshing.
Anyway ramble over and I apologise for the overuse of the words connection, relationships and focus.
Anyway ramble over and I apologise for the overuse of the words connection, relationships and focus.
May 3, 2015
* ARC received via NetGalley.
The First Twenty is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where groups of Scavengers and Settlers try to eke out an existence. The author does a good job of painting a picture of the world and people and sets the book up for many possibilities but in the end falls short.
The pace of the book feels off, it was too slow for my taste. The plot lags in the middle and the relationship takes a while to get off the ground. The relationship also felt forced, I didn't feel much chemistry between the two. The plot doesn't pick up until 70% in, which doesn't leave much of a window for the conflict, revelations, and conclusion and in the end feels condensed; everything wraps up a bit too quickly and neatly. The ending is a "things are looking up" type ending and leaves the door open for a possible sequel?
Fans of post-apocalypse books will probably enjoy this, but those looking for a deeper story will probably be left wanting.
The First Twenty is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where groups of Scavengers and Settlers try to eke out an existence. The author does a good job of painting a picture of the world and people and sets the book up for many possibilities but in the end falls short.
The pace of the book feels off, it was too slow for my taste. The plot lags in the middle and the relationship takes a while to get off the ground. The relationship also felt forced, I didn't feel much chemistry between the two. The plot doesn't pick up until 70% in, which doesn't leave much of a window for the conflict, revelations, and conclusion and in the end feels condensed; everything wraps up a bit too quickly and neatly. The ending is a "things are looking up" type ending and leaves the door open for a possible sequel?
Fans of post-apocalypse books will probably enjoy this, but those looking for a deeper story will probably be left wanting.
June 11, 2020
YES!
+Post-apocalyptic! Humanity has been mostly wiped out. Very fitting for right now, don't you think?
+Quest for RadioShack! No, I am not joking. They're looking for parts to fix their radios so they can possibly communication with rebuilt areas. Obviously, this means going to RadioShack.
+Cute F/F, enemies to lovers Romance! Peyton is the lead guard in her settlement, and Nixie is a Scavenger who broke in to steal some filtration equipment!
+Nixie is a human dowsing rod aka a water witch. Basically, she can find water in this drought ridden world and tell if it's safe to drink. And maybe more...
NO!
-This world is suppose to be harsh and dangerous, but all we got was sunburn and running through the rain? There's really not much danger or conflict at all.
+Post-apocalyptic! Humanity has been mostly wiped out. Very fitting for right now, don't you think?
+Quest for RadioShack! No, I am not joking. They're looking for parts to fix their radios so they can possibly communication with rebuilt areas. Obviously, this means going to RadioShack.
+Cute F/F, enemies to lovers Romance! Peyton is the lead guard in her settlement, and Nixie is a Scavenger who broke in to steal some filtration equipment!
+Nixie is a human dowsing rod aka a water witch. Basically, she can find water in this drought ridden world and tell if it's safe to drink. And maybe more...
NO!
-This world is suppose to be harsh and dangerous, but all we got was sunburn and running through the rain? There's really not much danger or conflict at all.
January 11, 2025
It was rather simple in a good sorta way but no being dull throughout pacing was perfect
Loved the story
Relationship was cute.
Loved the story
Relationship was cute.
May 4, 2015
Very lacking in world building and I just don't like how the story is executed. This could have been great if there was a purpose for these characters. Instead, the main drive was to get the 2 protagonists together. No plot development whatsoever. *sighs*
UPDATE: A book that has so much potential, but, sadly, fell flat. I really wanted to like this book; but by the time I got to chapter six, I saw how much the author’s lack of details – and the obvious agenda of the characters relationships coming to fruition – really dampened the key elements that make up a great dystopian world. This book has dual POV, but I don’t like it for the characters POV’s to be within the same chapter. And, that killed the whole book for me.
Peyton is dealing with the death of her “adoptive” father, at the hand of Scavengers. She wants revenge and someone will pay the ultimate price for taking him away from her. Now that he is dead, she has to take on the role as the leader of the Settlers. There’s tension amongst them, one being in the form of Ryan – whom I instantly disliked. He wants the job, and doesn’t think that Peyton is fit to lead anyone.
On the other side, there are the Scavengers. They are outsiders in a world that has been long turned upside down. Their leader Faulkner, is as crazy as they come. He makes stupid decisions and has been misleading them for years. I despise him as well. He and Ryan would have been perfect together – what, with their obvious yearning for power and control. Nixie is an asset to the Scavengers, because of her ability to sense water. Faulkner has a group of them to go back and raid the Settlers warehouse. Nixie is captured and that’s where I thought the story would pick up. So, so wrong.
I wanted this story to give me a great dystopian world – and let the romance fall in somewhere close to the back. Instead, it’s pushed forward – shoved right in your face. There was no mentioning of how the world came to be the way it is. There are little modern day things thrown in for good measure – Radioshack, swimming pools, refrigerators, ect… Something that Peyton asked Graham irked me; why did he and her dad never get married? Really? The world has gone kaboom and there are still marriages? Where will they go to achieve such a thing in this torn up world? The courthouse? I’m not even sure why it was even mentioned. And from the moment Peyton laid eyes on Nixie, her thoughts were overrun with how beautiful she is and whatnot. And then there’s Jasper, whom I really liked. It was no surprise when he met his match, even though there was no indication that the person he nabs is gay. I didn’t see that coming. There are other characters that I liked, but I wanted more from them and this so called Collapsed world.
I can’t recommend this book, but don’t just take my word for it. Give it a go, if you so dare.
UPDATE: A book that has so much potential, but, sadly, fell flat. I really wanted to like this book; but by the time I got to chapter six, I saw how much the author’s lack of details – and the obvious agenda of the characters relationships coming to fruition – really dampened the key elements that make up a great dystopian world. This book has dual POV, but I don’t like it for the characters POV’s to be within the same chapter. And, that killed the whole book for me.
Peyton is dealing with the death of her “adoptive” father, at the hand of Scavengers. She wants revenge and someone will pay the ultimate price for taking him away from her. Now that he is dead, she has to take on the role as the leader of the Settlers. There’s tension amongst them, one being in the form of Ryan – whom I instantly disliked. He wants the job, and doesn’t think that Peyton is fit to lead anyone.
On the other side, there are the Scavengers. They are outsiders in a world that has been long turned upside down. Their leader Faulkner, is as crazy as they come. He makes stupid decisions and has been misleading them for years. I despise him as well. He and Ryan would have been perfect together – what, with their obvious yearning for power and control. Nixie is an asset to the Scavengers, because of her ability to sense water. Faulkner has a group of them to go back and raid the Settlers warehouse. Nixie is captured and that’s where I thought the story would pick up. So, so wrong.
I wanted this story to give me a great dystopian world – and let the romance fall in somewhere close to the back. Instead, it’s pushed forward – shoved right in your face. There was no mentioning of how the world came to be the way it is. There are little modern day things thrown in for good measure – Radioshack, swimming pools, refrigerators, ect… Something that Peyton asked Graham irked me; why did he and her dad never get married? Really? The world has gone kaboom and there are still marriages? Where will they go to achieve such a thing in this torn up world? The courthouse? I’m not even sure why it was even mentioned. And from the moment Peyton laid eyes on Nixie, her thoughts were overrun with how beautiful she is and whatnot. And then there’s Jasper, whom I really liked. It was no surprise when he met his match, even though there was no indication that the person he nabs is gay. I didn’t see that coming. There are other characters that I liked, but I wanted more from them and this so called Collapsed world.
I can’t recommend this book, but don’t just take my word for it. Give it a go, if you so dare.
April 18, 2015
I received this copy for honest review from NetGalley.
I've gotta say, although an interesting premise, this story left a lot to be desired. The entire reading experience left me with question after question, many if not all of which went unanswered, moreso than a typical YA novel/ series would leave me with. For example, what caused the Collapse? What differentiates the settlers and scavengers? Why should I care about these characters?
I also felt that there was a lack of world building which is the bulk of a first novel in a series should be, especially a fantasy or dystopian. I was confused as to why we were in this world for the first two thirds of the book. BUT, it did redeem itself with a final fight scene. That actually had me hooked.
I didn't care for many of the characters. But, I did really like Nixie. Most of the reviews on here mention how she seems much less mature than an 18 year old, but we need to remember that she is only 18 and has only ever known one way of life which was dictated for her by Faulkner. It reminds me of a cult-like mentality (think Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). I also am interested in seeing what happens with Nixie's character and how her water witch powers develop.
Overall, I think it was an okay first novel in what we are hoping becomes a series. And I'm sure that Jennifer Lavoie will ensure that the books just get better and better.
I've gotta say, although an interesting premise, this story left a lot to be desired. The entire reading experience left me with question after question, many if not all of which went unanswered, moreso than a typical YA novel/ series would leave me with. For example, what caused the Collapse? What differentiates the settlers and scavengers? Why should I care about these characters?
I also felt that there was a lack of world building which is the bulk of a first novel in a series should be, especially a fantasy or dystopian. I was confused as to why we were in this world for the first two thirds of the book. BUT, it did redeem itself with a final fight scene. That actually had me hooked.
I didn't care for many of the characters. But, I did really like Nixie. Most of the reviews on here mention how she seems much less mature than an 18 year old, but we need to remember that she is only 18 and has only ever known one way of life which was dictated for her by Faulkner. It reminds me of a cult-like mentality (think Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). I also am interested in seeing what happens with Nixie's character and how her water witch powers develop.
Overall, I think it was an okay first novel in what we are hoping becomes a series. And I'm sure that Jennifer Lavoie will ensure that the books just get better and better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2015
This review is based on an eARC received through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I liked this book just fine. In fact, it was exactly what I was looking for: a dystopian novel with a f/f romance treated as completely normal. So there's that.
Aside from that, I couldn't really dig deep in this book. As other reviewers have said, the dystopian world is pretty simple. For example, it's said that the Scavengers would be turned away from the Settlers, but it's never really explained. It's only been twenty years - why have these two groups forgotten their shared experiences? It seems a bit contrived to establish the "in-group" and "out-group" in such a way.
However, I really liked all of the characters and their relationships. The characterization is consistent. I love how Nixie feels some much responsibility for her water-finding skills and how Peyton struggles with a desire for revenge, even though her father would have prompted her towards forgiveness.
The pacing was spot-on, but I would have liked to see more from the plot. The whole radio thing seemed to get thrown away in the third quarter and early fourth, so that was disappointing.
Overall, I would definitely read more from this author.
I liked this book just fine. In fact, it was exactly what I was looking for: a dystopian novel with a f/f romance treated as completely normal. So there's that.
Aside from that, I couldn't really dig deep in this book. As other reviewers have said, the dystopian world is pretty simple. For example, it's said that the Scavengers would be turned away from the Settlers, but it's never really explained. It's only been twenty years - why have these two groups forgotten their shared experiences? It seems a bit contrived to establish the "in-group" and "out-group" in such a way.
However, I really liked all of the characters and their relationships. The characterization is consistent. I love how Nixie feels some much responsibility for her water-finding skills and how Peyton struggles with a desire for revenge, even though her father would have prompted her towards forgiveness.
The pacing was spot-on, but I would have liked to see more from the plot. The whole radio thing seemed to get thrown away in the third quarter and early fourth, so that was disappointing.
Overall, I would definitely read more from this author.
January 5, 2016
There it is, folks. My first LGBT+ book of 2016.
I really liked this one. To be honest, it would probably be 5 stars if it hadn't taken me a couple of chapters to really get into it. As well as that, it was a little short - but I think that's my subconscious telling me to stop reading short books, because I've been thinking every book was too short lately.
One thing I really liked about this was the romantic aspect. It was adorable, even though it was a little rushed - and there was the fact that there were less straight couples than LGBT+ couples, which was cool. And like I said, the multiple different couples were adorable, both straight and otherwise.
As well as that, the characters were cute. I liked the main characters, and the side characters, like Jasper and Cooper and Ranger - though TBH, I totally
Overall, it was fun, though I do wish that there were more pages, or that this was a series, or something, because I came away feeling like there could have been so much more to this world.
I really liked this one. To be honest, it would probably be 5 stars if it hadn't taken me a couple of chapters to really get into it. As well as that, it was a little short - but I think that's my subconscious telling me to stop reading short books, because I've been thinking every book was too short lately.
One thing I really liked about this was the romantic aspect. It was adorable, even though it was a little rushed - and there was the fact that there were less straight couples than LGBT+ couples, which was cool. And like I said, the multiple different couples were adorable, both straight and otherwise.
As well as that, the characters were cute. I liked the main characters, and the side characters, like Jasper and Cooper and Ranger - though TBH, I totally
Overall, it was fun, though I do wish that there were more pages, or that this was a series, or something, because I came away feeling like there could have been so much more to this world.
June 11, 2015
This was a fast paced read. It started out moving and never stopped.
It does have LBGTQ relationships. May not be someone's cup of tea. I read it for the "dystopian" side of the story, which was much more prevalent.
Peyton, generally the main character of the story, lives in a community of "Settlers," when he father is murdered by "Scavengers. She is thrust into his role of head of security and becomes responsible for protecting the community. Nix, who is part of the "Scavengers," attempts to steal the water purification system from the Settlers, when she is captured. We are then told the story both from Peyton and Nix's POV, learning that Nix has a very unique secret and while Peyton is a very strong, determined leader, she has a lot to learn and deeply loved her father, but can lead in her own way.
It was a great read and had some great characters (Graham was a great character, as was Static!) to add some depth to the story. It also was a great way to tell a story of growing a community, adding to the future.
ARC received via NetGalley for an honest review.
It does have LBGTQ relationships. May not be someone's cup of tea. I read it for the "dystopian" side of the story, which was much more prevalent.
Peyton, generally the main character of the story, lives in a community of "Settlers," when he father is murdered by "Scavengers. She is thrust into his role of head of security and becomes responsible for protecting the community. Nix, who is part of the "Scavengers," attempts to steal the water purification system from the Settlers, when she is captured. We are then told the story both from Peyton and Nix's POV, learning that Nix has a very unique secret and while Peyton is a very strong, determined leader, she has a lot to learn and deeply loved her father, but can lead in her own way.
It was a great read and had some great characters (Graham was a great character, as was Static!) to add some depth to the story. It also was a great way to tell a story of growing a community, adding to the future.
ARC received via NetGalley for an honest review.
May 17, 2015
My full review is on my blog: http://bookamania.blogspot.com/2015/0...
"The First Twenty" is a unique dystopian novel for many reasons. It isn't about death games or twisted plots of evil rulers, it's simply about survival, which a lot of dystopian novels overlook to some degree. It also has a very sweet romance between Nixie and Peyton.
Also, for anyone who is worried about yet another lesbian couple with an unhappy ending, don't worry, things work out for these two. Thank god.
"The First Twenty" is a unique dystopian novel for many reasons. It isn't about death games or twisted plots of evil rulers, it's simply about survival, which a lot of dystopian novels overlook to some degree. It also has a very sweet romance between Nixie and Peyton.
Also, for anyone who is worried about yet another lesbian couple with an unhappy ending, don't worry, things work out for these two. Thank god.
August 8, 2016
2.5 stars. I almost feel compelled to give this more stars than it deserves because it's lesbian fiction that for once doesn't focus on the fact that there are lesbians!!!! More coherent review to come. I have to stop finishing books at 12:30 AM, my reviewing skills are severely impaired at this late hour...
October 13, 2015
The fast-moving plot in a dystopic future distracts from the amateurish writing and unrealistic scenarios, making it a compelling read despite these flaws. Another annoyance was the way Peyton constantly compares herself as a leader to her to her father. Try to step out of his shadow for a second!
September 3, 2015
"There's no future without trust in a world where you can't survive on your own."
Title: The First Twenty
Author: Jennifer Lavoie
Series: Standalone
Publication: May 12, 2015 by Bold Strokes Books
Pages: 264
Source: Netgalley
Summary:
Humanity was nearly wiped out when a series of global disasters struck, but pockets of survivors have managed to thrive and are starting to rebuild society. Peyton lives with others in what used to be a factory. When her adopted father is murdered by Scavengers, she is determined to bring justice to those who took him away from her. She didn’t count on meeting Nixie.
Nixie is one of the few people born with the ability to dowse for water with her body. In a world where safe water is hard to come by, she’s a valuable tool to her people. When she’s taken by Peyton, they’ll do anything to get her back. As the tension between the groups reaches critical max, Peyton is forced to make a decision: give up the girl she’s learned to love, or risk the lives of those she’s responsible for.
My Thoughts:
At the start of this book, it has been twenty years since the world "fell apart". For one of the two main characters, Peyton, the time "Before" is something she has never experienced - only learned about from stories. Freshly eighteen, she becomes the leader of The Mill, her home. The Mill is home to a group called the Settlers, which Peyton's father was in charge of before his death.
The other main character is Nixie, a tiny female who belongs to the group called The Scavengers. The Scavenger, unlike the Settlers, move from place to place and are not afraid to do whatever it takes to get the supplies they need to survive: lie, steal, kill. Everything is fair game. Nixie has a special gift, though, which makes her invaluable to her people. She is a dowser, someone who can sense and find water with her body.
The world we step into is one full of hatred, hard work, and suffering. There is a drought, the water is running low for all parties which begins to make life increasingly difficult and cause tensions to rise higher within the groups. Our two main characters meet for the first time in a desperate raid upon the Mill, Nixie's group is after a water purification system and Peyton is trying to defend it. Low and behold, Nixie gets captured and the story really begins.
I loved this story and I hated it at the same time. In all honesty, I don't know which emotion takes precedence. I have a certain soft spot for Dystopian novels, and on that factor this book did not disappoint - but there were also some big issues I had with the plot. Usually, I wouldn't mind if there was no explanation as to why the world has become such a wasteland - but throughout The First Twenty, there is no explanation of anything. It is simply actions, consequences (more often poorly executed ones), and more description of the two main characters than anything else. There is no background. We are thrust into this decaying world, and not even those from the Before say anything about what happened. Was it a nuclear war? Did the government collapse? There were too many open ends that left for misunderstandings. This Before couldn't have been that long ago, there are still plenty of people alive who remember what it was like and even still follow through with the same practices like using last names. If it was so recent, why don't we know anything about it?
The second problem I had was the two main characters. It's not that I didn't like them, I really enjoyed their personalities, I just hate them together. As soon as Peyton sees Nixie for the first time, she instantly has thoughts of how beautiful the other girl is. Their entire relationship felt forced, it went from Peyton hating Nixie because of what she was to suddenly the two of them kissing and craving being in each other's arms. Nixie constantly describes Peyton's beauty, and visa versa. There was no natural chemistry between the two of them, and for that reason - despite how much I love the idea of pushing the boundaries with the two girls falling in love - I couldn't enjoy their relationship. I felt no burning need for them to win and be together in the end, in fact, I sort of enjoyed it when Peyton momentarily hated Nixie again for, like, two pages.
The last issue I had was the length. The book started off at a wonderful pace and actually kept it for most of the book, but at the end, the final conflict and conclusion came about in around a total of thirty or so pages. It was way too condensed and completely rushed. There was a sudden problem, and then it was over almost as quickly as it had started. Peyton forgave Nixie almost instantly, as well as another Scavenger, it was almost sickening to read. Where are the consequences? Where was the distrust that would happen in any real relationship? Especially in that sort of society, you would think it would take even longer to get over someone lying to you like that.
Besides these things, I did actually enjoy the novel. I absolutely love the cover, I found it to be beautiful and intriguing - though I have no idea who is actually on it. Both of the main characters are blonde. Overall, it was not a bad read. Yes, there are some issues that I believe should be fixed - but otherwise, I really liked it. The premise behind the novel was amazing, I love the idea of a dystopian world where it isn't actually all futuristic. This world is in the future, but the people still survive using the basic methods - I really enjoyed that aspect of reality. One of my other favorite parts was Graham, he was my favorite character simply because of his kindness. I feel that in a world like that, people like him are rare, therefore I found myself loving him even more. He isn't even a main character, but he was still my favorite.
The First Twenty by Jennifer Lavoie is a fun, very fast read perfect for fans of Divergent and Uglies. I believe that this will be a trilogy, though I am not exactly sure - but I still cannot wait to see what happens next. I would recommend this for ages fourteen and up due to the mild sexuality and the amount of violence. I would also advise you to avoid this book if same-sex relationships make you uncomfortable, there are three of them present in this story.
Title: The First Twenty
Author: Jennifer Lavoie
Series: Standalone
Publication: May 12, 2015 by Bold Strokes Books
Pages: 264
Source: Netgalley
Summary:
Humanity was nearly wiped out when a series of global disasters struck, but pockets of survivors have managed to thrive and are starting to rebuild society. Peyton lives with others in what used to be a factory. When her adopted father is murdered by Scavengers, she is determined to bring justice to those who took him away from her. She didn’t count on meeting Nixie.
Nixie is one of the few people born with the ability to dowse for water with her body. In a world where safe water is hard to come by, she’s a valuable tool to her people. When she’s taken by Peyton, they’ll do anything to get her back. As the tension between the groups reaches critical max, Peyton is forced to make a decision: give up the girl she’s learned to love, or risk the lives of those she’s responsible for.
My Thoughts:
At the start of this book, it has been twenty years since the world "fell apart". For one of the two main characters, Peyton, the time "Before" is something she has never experienced - only learned about from stories. Freshly eighteen, she becomes the leader of The Mill, her home. The Mill is home to a group called the Settlers, which Peyton's father was in charge of before his death.
The other main character is Nixie, a tiny female who belongs to the group called The Scavengers. The Scavenger, unlike the Settlers, move from place to place and are not afraid to do whatever it takes to get the supplies they need to survive: lie, steal, kill. Everything is fair game. Nixie has a special gift, though, which makes her invaluable to her people. She is a dowser, someone who can sense and find water with her body.
The world we step into is one full of hatred, hard work, and suffering. There is a drought, the water is running low for all parties which begins to make life increasingly difficult and cause tensions to rise higher within the groups. Our two main characters meet for the first time in a desperate raid upon the Mill, Nixie's group is after a water purification system and Peyton is trying to defend it. Low and behold, Nixie gets captured and the story really begins.
I loved this story and I hated it at the same time. In all honesty, I don't know which emotion takes precedence. I have a certain soft spot for Dystopian novels, and on that factor this book did not disappoint - but there were also some big issues I had with the plot. Usually, I wouldn't mind if there was no explanation as to why the world has become such a wasteland - but throughout The First Twenty, there is no explanation of anything. It is simply actions, consequences (more often poorly executed ones), and more description of the two main characters than anything else. There is no background. We are thrust into this decaying world, and not even those from the Before say anything about what happened. Was it a nuclear war? Did the government collapse? There were too many open ends that left for misunderstandings. This Before couldn't have been that long ago, there are still plenty of people alive who remember what it was like and even still follow through with the same practices like using last names. If it was so recent, why don't we know anything about it?
The second problem I had was the two main characters. It's not that I didn't like them, I really enjoyed their personalities, I just hate them together. As soon as Peyton sees Nixie for the first time, she instantly has thoughts of how beautiful the other girl is. Their entire relationship felt forced, it went from Peyton hating Nixie because of what she was to suddenly the two of them kissing and craving being in each other's arms. Nixie constantly describes Peyton's beauty, and visa versa. There was no natural chemistry between the two of them, and for that reason - despite how much I love the idea of pushing the boundaries with the two girls falling in love - I couldn't enjoy their relationship. I felt no burning need for them to win and be together in the end, in fact, I sort of enjoyed it when Peyton momentarily hated Nixie again for, like, two pages.
The last issue I had was the length. The book started off at a wonderful pace and actually kept it for most of the book, but at the end, the final conflict and conclusion came about in around a total of thirty or so pages. It was way too condensed and completely rushed. There was a sudden problem, and then it was over almost as quickly as it had started. Peyton forgave Nixie almost instantly, as well as another Scavenger, it was almost sickening to read. Where are the consequences? Where was the distrust that would happen in any real relationship? Especially in that sort of society, you would think it would take even longer to get over someone lying to you like that.
Besides these things, I did actually enjoy the novel. I absolutely love the cover, I found it to be beautiful and intriguing - though I have no idea who is actually on it. Both of the main characters are blonde. Overall, it was not a bad read. Yes, there are some issues that I believe should be fixed - but otherwise, I really liked it. The premise behind the novel was amazing, I love the idea of a dystopian world where it isn't actually all futuristic. This world is in the future, but the people still survive using the basic methods - I really enjoyed that aspect of reality. One of my other favorite parts was Graham, he was my favorite character simply because of his kindness. I feel that in a world like that, people like him are rare, therefore I found myself loving him even more. He isn't even a main character, but he was still my favorite.
The First Twenty by Jennifer Lavoie is a fun, very fast read perfect for fans of Divergent and Uglies. I believe that this will be a trilogy, though I am not exactly sure - but I still cannot wait to see what happens next. I would recommend this for ages fourteen and up due to the mild sexuality and the amount of violence. I would also advise you to avoid this book if same-sex relationships make you uncomfortable, there are three of them present in this story.
January 4, 2018
The apocalypse came. Remaining was but a few of humanity. Water was scarce, and friendly neighbors even scarcer. Peyton is the adopted daughter of the Settler’s leader, but when he dies, that title falls on Peyton who doubts her experience. She is worried for their future and knows they need to find other survivors to live.
Nixie is a Scavenger. They wander the land like nomads but are behind in technology and other things needed to live so they attack the Settlers. Unfortunately, or fortunately Nixie is captured. She sees how the Settlers live and realizes that Scavengers could have an easier life if only they would combine forces with the Settlers. And, she could have an easier life if she would only give in to Peyton.
This soft and utterly feminine story brings Peyton and Nixie together in life and love. Ms. Lavoie has created a quiet, unassuming, and tender moment between two girls who seem to be reaching for the stars. They both know that there is something else out there and finally claims it. I fell in love with the characters and their individual personalities as well as other sub-characters who help fill in the story. I would love to see a Part 2 just so I can see how Peyton and Nixie’s love blossoms. Again, Ms. Lavoie has told truly a wonderful love story.
Nixie is a Scavenger. They wander the land like nomads but are behind in technology and other things needed to live so they attack the Settlers. Unfortunately, or fortunately Nixie is captured. She sees how the Settlers live and realizes that Scavengers could have an easier life if only they would combine forces with the Settlers. And, she could have an easier life if she would only give in to Peyton.
This soft and utterly feminine story brings Peyton and Nixie together in life and love. Ms. Lavoie has created a quiet, unassuming, and tender moment between two girls who seem to be reaching for the stars. They both know that there is something else out there and finally claims it. I fell in love with the characters and their individual personalities as well as other sub-characters who help fill in the story. I would love to see a Part 2 just so I can see how Peyton and Nixie’s love blossoms. Again, Ms. Lavoie has told truly a wonderful love story.
July 19, 2022
The only thing keeping this from being a one-star was that it wasn't a DNF.
I finished the book, but I didn't enjoy it if that makes sense.
There was absolutely no world-building when it came to why the world ended, no possible explanations or theories for why Nixie has powers.
Society has been collapsed long enough for last names to become extinct (yet there are middle-aged people in the book who remember civilization before it ended?).
Faulkner, the villain in the book is not developed at all it is alluded that he has some cult like practices going on in the scavengers but we don't actually see him in many scenes, or see him interact with the main characters. Sooooo, he is barely a villain.
Oh yeah - and the biggest struggle/quest in the book is making the journey to a Radioshack.
I wanted to enjoy this book based on the premise, but the story wasn't good, the chemistry between Nixie and Peyton was non existent, and there was no lore/backstory/explanation for how entire cities collapsed and millions of people died.
I finished the book, but I didn't enjoy it if that makes sense.
There was absolutely no world-building when it came to why the world ended, no possible explanations or theories for why Nixie has powers.
Society has been collapsed long enough for last names to become extinct (yet there are middle-aged people in the book who remember civilization before it ended?).
Faulkner, the villain in the book is not developed at all it is alluded that he has some cult like practices going on in the scavengers but we don't actually see him in many scenes, or see him interact with the main characters. Sooooo, he is barely a villain.
Oh yeah - and the biggest struggle/quest in the book is making the journey to a Radioshack.
I wanted to enjoy this book based on the premise, but the story wasn't good, the chemistry between Nixie and Peyton was non existent, and there was no lore/backstory/explanation for how entire cities collapsed and millions of people died.
December 11, 2017
I think what I enjoyed most about this read was probably the characters, and i wish we'd gotten to know the secondary characters better than we did. I also quite liked the premise of it, and the dystopian setting.
I found the world building to be a bit lacking? It didn't really contribute to an interesting backdrop for the story. I would've liked to know a bit more about what happened and how they got to be where they are when we meet them in this story. Also most of the book was pretty slow paced, which in my opinion clashed with the quick ending. The relationship development and the main conflict was dragged out trough most of the story and then wrapped up nicely in the end.
All in all I liked this one just fine, and the ending was easily the most entertaining part.
March 27, 2020
I didn't realise this was a YA book until after i'd finished reading it, which explains the relative tameness of the story in all aspects.
However, that aside i really enjoyed the actual plotline. It was well written and believable.
The main characters Peyton and Nixie are developed throughout the story and the supporting characters such as Graham, Jasper, Static etc add their own worthwhile value.
The dystopian genre is well done and is something which i could engage with - it was an interesting take on a future world whilst still being realistic as to where humanity might find itself.
However, that aside i really enjoyed the actual plotline. It was well written and believable.
The main characters Peyton and Nixie are developed throughout the story and the supporting characters such as Graham, Jasper, Static etc add their own worthwhile value.
The dystopian genre is well done and is something which i could engage with - it was an interesting take on a future world whilst still being realistic as to where humanity might find itself.
November 18, 2017
3-3.5 on the 'young' side of young adult and on the 'meh' side of dystopian novels for me
November 11, 2020
2.5 stars, only because it is a little too "young" for me. I Probably would have loved it when I was 15.
June 17, 2022
3.5 stars
June 21, 2015
I’m not sure what the title alludes to in the book. I imagine the first twenty years of post-apocalypse? I don’t know what else it would be referencing. There are old people still alive in this world that remember what it was like before the world ended and Peyton and Nixie are about 18 so it fits.
I felt okay about THE FIRST TWENTY. It didn’t blow me away but it was an okay story nonetheless. Toward the end the structure started slipping a bit and it got a little inconsistent but it was slight, if not serving for the plot.
Peyton’s left on her own after her father dies and is voted in to lead the security detail for their compound. She’s definitely a child of a post-apocalyptic world. She’s hardened, rough, and doesn’t take any crap. She has humanity in her but dealing with her grief unraveled that a little bit. She’s an easy enough character to like but she doesn’t really jump off the page at me. Like most of the book, she’s just okay. I liked her well enough to keep reading.
When Nixie comes into it she’s this afraid girl that, while hardened, knows what she does and doesn’t offer the world and tries to maneuver herself into a position where she ends up alive. I can’t blame her. She’s merely trying to survive a group of people whom she’s been told her whole life hate her, and vise versa. I like her a little more as a character than Peyton, a little softer around the edges, but again, not really grabbing me like I like my characters to.
Their relationship develops in a way that I do like, slow and a little awkward and a little temperamental. It felt natural to me. But it quickly rockets toward love at the end of the book and for a month or two of knowing each other it does have me lifting my eyebrow a little. In the grander scheme of YA romance it’s fairly tame in that regard and considering the post-apocalyptic situation when lifespans are surely shortened I find it acceptable to have an accelerated romance but it caused me to go meh.
I did like the world although the catalyst of why it was the way it was was kind of glossed over. Granted it helped that the author set it in Connecticut so I could immediately picture everything. I bought into the world despite the lack of whys and it was alive in my head. It helped give life and depth to a story that was just okay. I also liked Nixie’s dowsing ability but it got a little story-serving toward the end where a new trait to the power unearthed itself. Considering the situation in which it happened I didn’t entirely buy how it came about and that Nixie didn’t know it was there. But there you go.
I felt like there was at least one statement trying to be made about class differentiation and people having to steal to survive and don’t hold it against them. Had this been a story where the systemic issues that actually make this kind of thing a reality were in place I could have bought into it. However, in this post-apocalyptic world where nearly everyone was dead and anyone left was reduced to the same level I just can’t buy it. Nixie was the one who mentioned it but well after she pointed out the wrongs of her Scavenger leader and how horrible of a leader he was for basically not forming a society like Peyton and her settlers and trying to better themselves instead of stealing from everyone. Nixie ended up walking back over that by throwing Peyton’s “privilege” in her face about how she had everything provided for her. Again, not true. Everyone in the Mill worked their butts off to get what they had. It was a communal effort to survive and thrive with everyone pulling their weight. To say Peyton had everything handed to her was fallacious. The Scavengers in this world are what they are due to crappy leadership and/or an unwillingness or inability to work well with others. That bothered me.
Graham, Peyton’s father’s lover, also made a comment that went against his character up until that point and it really jarred me out of the story. I felt it was there just to shove Peyton in a direction that she should be going in and it was just cruel and out of place for Graham to say, which was antithetical to his character.
Overall I’m just kind of eh about THE FIRST TWENTY. I enjoyed portions of it, namely the world and when the group was out trying to find radio parts so more of dead Connecticut was seen. But from a character perspective I think that was the weakest part of the book. Considering there wasn’t a whole ton of story movement in terms of action and this was a lot of character development it’s a definite ding against the story. I think it’s worth reading but it’s one of those books that might not leave too big of an impression when you’re done.
3
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I felt okay about THE FIRST TWENTY. It didn’t blow me away but it was an okay story nonetheless. Toward the end the structure started slipping a bit and it got a little inconsistent but it was slight, if not serving for the plot.
Peyton’s left on her own after her father dies and is voted in to lead the security detail for their compound. She’s definitely a child of a post-apocalyptic world. She’s hardened, rough, and doesn’t take any crap. She has humanity in her but dealing with her grief unraveled that a little bit. She’s an easy enough character to like but she doesn’t really jump off the page at me. Like most of the book, she’s just okay. I liked her well enough to keep reading.
When Nixie comes into it she’s this afraid girl that, while hardened, knows what she does and doesn’t offer the world and tries to maneuver herself into a position where she ends up alive. I can’t blame her. She’s merely trying to survive a group of people whom she’s been told her whole life hate her, and vise versa. I like her a little more as a character than Peyton, a little softer around the edges, but again, not really grabbing me like I like my characters to.
Their relationship develops in a way that I do like, slow and a little awkward and a little temperamental. It felt natural to me. But it quickly rockets toward love at the end of the book and for a month or two of knowing each other it does have me lifting my eyebrow a little. In the grander scheme of YA romance it’s fairly tame in that regard and considering the post-apocalyptic situation when lifespans are surely shortened I find it acceptable to have an accelerated romance but it caused me to go meh.
I did like the world although the catalyst of why it was the way it was was kind of glossed over. Granted it helped that the author set it in Connecticut so I could immediately picture everything. I bought into the world despite the lack of whys and it was alive in my head. It helped give life and depth to a story that was just okay. I also liked Nixie’s dowsing ability but it got a little story-serving toward the end where a new trait to the power unearthed itself. Considering the situation in which it happened I didn’t entirely buy how it came about and that Nixie didn’t know it was there. But there you go.
I felt like there was at least one statement trying to be made about class differentiation and people having to steal to survive and don’t hold it against them. Had this been a story where the systemic issues that actually make this kind of thing a reality were in place I could have bought into it. However, in this post-apocalyptic world where nearly everyone was dead and anyone left was reduced to the same level I just can’t buy it. Nixie was the one who mentioned it but well after she pointed out the wrongs of her Scavenger leader and how horrible of a leader he was for basically not forming a society like Peyton and her settlers and trying to better themselves instead of stealing from everyone. Nixie ended up walking back over that by throwing Peyton’s “privilege” in her face about how she had everything provided for her. Again, not true. Everyone in the Mill worked their butts off to get what they had. It was a communal effort to survive and thrive with everyone pulling their weight. To say Peyton had everything handed to her was fallacious. The Scavengers in this world are what they are due to crappy leadership and/or an unwillingness or inability to work well with others. That bothered me.
Graham, Peyton’s father’s lover, also made a comment that went against his character up until that point and it really jarred me out of the story. I felt it was there just to shove Peyton in a direction that she should be going in and it was just cruel and out of place for Graham to say, which was antithetical to his character.
Overall I’m just kind of eh about THE FIRST TWENTY. I enjoyed portions of it, namely the world and when the group was out trying to find radio parts so more of dead Connecticut was seen. But from a character perspective I think that was the weakest part of the book. Considering there wasn’t a whole ton of story movement in terms of action and this was a lot of character development it’s a definite ding against the story. I think it’s worth reading but it’s one of those books that might not leave too big of an impression when you’re done.
3
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2015
This review and more are published on my blog, The Reality of Books: https://therealityofbooks.wordpress.c...
I went to a discussion this past semester at my grad school about how to create diverse characters within books. The summary of that discussion was that diverse characters should not exist just to be that one character that waves their diverse flag above their head to help paint a realistic landscape; diverse characters should be characters just like any other character. As authors, we have a responsibility to portray the world on the page that we want to see in real life; a world where equality exists. What makes a person diverse should not necessarily be the most important thing about that person. Jennifer Lavoie does this incredibly well in her book The First Twenty.
The First Twenty is set in a post-apocalyptic world where water is a difficult resource to come by. Peyton lives with a group in an old factory, and is put in charge of security after her adopted father is murdered by the Scavengers. While trying to catch his murderer, Peyton meets Nixie. Nixie is a girl who can use her body to douse for water. Peyton captures Nixie, and the Scavengers fight to get back their valuable resource—forcing Peyton to choose between the girl she has fallen in love with and the lives of her people.
I also really loved the romance in this book, and not just for the LGBT aspect. I love it for the realism. Peyton and Nixie slowly fall in love, but the world is still moving forward. Fights are still raging between the groups of people. Water is still running short. The romance was, by no stretch of the imagination, the main focus of the story—and that was fantastic. It was just there. They just fell in love. And the best part? It didn’t even matter that they were two girls.
The world building in this book was okay. It was slow and sprinkled throughout, but it gave the book a foundation to work with. I did, however, find myself wanting to know how people ended up in one of the groups over the other, and how many groups there actually were. I wanted more all around. What exactly happened to the world and how did the groups we were focused on become those groups?
And that led me to other questions. It didn’t seem logical for Nixie to stay in the camp and be let in on all their secrets when she had not yet given any reason to be trusted. I also didn’t understand Nixie’s powers entirely, nor did I understand how Peyton suddenly understood them without being told. “Oh look, you’re a dowser, yay.” Peyton took a giant leap there that made absolutely no sense.
I also struggled with the characters in general. I didn’t really connect with any of them as none of them (with the exception of the doctor) seemed to act the way their character dictated they should. For example, Peyton was much too insecure to be as strong a leader as she is portrayed to be. Nixie does not speak or act her age at any point in the story. (She’s eighteen. Really??).
Plus, there’s a huge lack of conflict until the last, oh, third or so of the book.
So, all in all, I love this book for the strong way it tackles diverse characters. But I disliked it on most other things. 2.5 stars.
**I received The First Twenty from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The First Twenty was published May 5th, 2015, by Bold Strokes Books.
I went to a discussion this past semester at my grad school about how to create diverse characters within books. The summary of that discussion was that diverse characters should not exist just to be that one character that waves their diverse flag above their head to help paint a realistic landscape; diverse characters should be characters just like any other character. As authors, we have a responsibility to portray the world on the page that we want to see in real life; a world where equality exists. What makes a person diverse should not necessarily be the most important thing about that person. Jennifer Lavoie does this incredibly well in her book The First Twenty.
The First Twenty is set in a post-apocalyptic world where water is a difficult resource to come by. Peyton lives with a group in an old factory, and is put in charge of security after her adopted father is murdered by the Scavengers. While trying to catch his murderer, Peyton meets Nixie. Nixie is a girl who can use her body to douse for water. Peyton captures Nixie, and the Scavengers fight to get back their valuable resource—forcing Peyton to choose between the girl she has fallen in love with and the lives of her people.
I also really loved the romance in this book, and not just for the LGBT aspect. I love it for the realism. Peyton and Nixie slowly fall in love, but the world is still moving forward. Fights are still raging between the groups of people. Water is still running short. The romance was, by no stretch of the imagination, the main focus of the story—and that was fantastic. It was just there. They just fell in love. And the best part? It didn’t even matter that they were two girls.
The world building in this book was okay. It was slow and sprinkled throughout, but it gave the book a foundation to work with. I did, however, find myself wanting to know how people ended up in one of the groups over the other, and how many groups there actually were. I wanted more all around. What exactly happened to the world and how did the groups we were focused on become those groups?
And that led me to other questions. It didn’t seem logical for Nixie to stay in the camp and be let in on all their secrets when she had not yet given any reason to be trusted. I also didn’t understand Nixie’s powers entirely, nor did I understand how Peyton suddenly understood them without being told. “Oh look, you’re a dowser, yay.” Peyton took a giant leap there that made absolutely no sense.
I also struggled with the characters in general. I didn’t really connect with any of them as none of them (with the exception of the doctor) seemed to act the way their character dictated they should. For example, Peyton was much too insecure to be as strong a leader as she is portrayed to be. Nixie does not speak or act her age at any point in the story. (She’s eighteen. Really??).
Plus, there’s a huge lack of conflict until the last, oh, third or so of the book.
So, all in all, I love this book for the strong way it tackles diverse characters. But I disliked it on most other things. 2.5 stars.
**I received The First Twenty from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The First Twenty was published May 5th, 2015, by Bold Strokes Books.
August 25, 2015
There's no future without trust in a world where you can't survive on your own.
This ebook was a free sample from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Clickety click for more reviews
The story takes places in a Post-Apocalyptic world. Humanity is now mostly either trying to use what is left to settle down and try to build up new lifes or they try to survive as Scavengers. Groups of people who wander and steal the things they need.
Peyton lives in a rather well-off settlement. Her adopted father, the first in command gets killed by Scavengers and Peyton swears to take revenge on whoever is responsible for it. Soon after she is voted as successor of her father the Scavengers break into a hall, trying to steal something.
As they try to flee one of them gets hurt and captured.
The girl they capture, Nixie, has the ability to sense water, something everybody believes to be a story told by the few travellers that pass trough their settlement. Nixie keeps her ability a secret though, she wants to go back to her folks and letting the settlers know about her ability would be very much counterproductive.
The only problem for Nixie is that the people are too friendly to her, a captive scavenger who isn't treated as one, and that she starts to care for them way more than is good for her escape plan.
Peyton suffers from a similiar. She should be more wary of their pretty captive. Instead she finds herself drawn to Nixie and they both learn an important lesson from each other. That maybe Settlers and Scavengers have a wrong image from one another. That maybe they can have a different future than they believed to be possible up to that point.
The synopsis of the book was different but the picture it gave me was quite different from what I actually got. I expected much more action and suspence. Aside from that the world building wasn't very convincing. The reader barely gets any details, enough to know what happened but not enough to make you see the world.
This ebook was a free sample from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Clickety click for more reviews
The story takes places in a Post-Apocalyptic world. Humanity is now mostly either trying to use what is left to settle down and try to build up new lifes or they try to survive as Scavengers. Groups of people who wander and steal the things they need.
Peyton lives in a rather well-off settlement. Her adopted father, the first in command gets killed by Scavengers and Peyton swears to take revenge on whoever is responsible for it. Soon after she is voted as successor of her father the Scavengers break into a hall, trying to steal something.
As they try to flee one of them gets hurt and captured.
The girl they capture, Nixie, has the ability to sense water, something everybody believes to be a story told by the few travellers that pass trough their settlement. Nixie keeps her ability a secret though, she wants to go back to her folks and letting the settlers know about her ability would be very much counterproductive.
The only problem for Nixie is that the people are too friendly to her, a captive scavenger who isn't treated as one, and that she starts to care for them way more than is good for her escape plan.
Peyton suffers from a similiar. She should be more wary of their pretty captive. Instead she finds herself drawn to Nixie and they both learn an important lesson from each other. That maybe Settlers and Scavengers have a wrong image from one another. That maybe they can have a different future than they believed to be possible up to that point.
The synopsis of the book was different but the picture it gave me was quite different from what I actually got. I expected much more action and suspence. Aside from that the world building wasn't very convincing. The reader barely gets any details, enough to know what happened but not enough to make you see the world.
January 5, 2016
Although The First Twenty is set in a post-apocalyptic world, its organisation is eerily similar to our own modern society.
The two main groups exist each other; not peacefully but in hostility. The Settlers live symbiotically, whereas the Scavengers are a rebel force, stealing and killing to survive.
Peyton is on the side of the Settlers, who have claimed an abandoned mill as their home. She succeeds her murdered father as head of security; vengeful and grieving.
Nixie is a Scavenger, captured whilst raiding the mill. She is the calm to Peyton’s storm and despite the animosity which should exist between them, they are drawn to each other.
These two characters intrigue us, especially because we know how their stories are unfortunately woven together and wonder how this secret will emerge.
Peyton may be in a weakened emotional state, but she is physically strong and I don’t think we expect her to be overshadowed by Nixie’s character, though she is. Nixie is smart and caring – and she has her gift.
The relationship between Nixie and Peyton is definitely the focus of the story though the romance is subtle and sweet. Jennifer Lavoie ensures that The First Twenty has a character-driven plot, but this means that the story is slow in parts.
When I started the book I expected to be wowed as I was by Jennifer Lavoie’s Tristant and Elijah. Although this didn’t happen for me, I recognise that The First Twenty is a valuable contribution to the LGBT YA genre.
The two main groups exist each other; not peacefully but in hostility. The Settlers live symbiotically, whereas the Scavengers are a rebel force, stealing and killing to survive.
Peyton is on the side of the Settlers, who have claimed an abandoned mill as their home. She succeeds her murdered father as head of security; vengeful and grieving.
Nixie is a Scavenger, captured whilst raiding the mill. She is the calm to Peyton’s storm and despite the animosity which should exist between them, they are drawn to each other.
These two characters intrigue us, especially because we know how their stories are unfortunately woven together and wonder how this secret will emerge.
Peyton may be in a weakened emotional state, but she is physically strong and I don’t think we expect her to be overshadowed by Nixie’s character, though she is. Nixie is smart and caring – and she has her gift.
The relationship between Nixie and Peyton is definitely the focus of the story though the romance is subtle and sweet. Jennifer Lavoie ensures that The First Twenty has a character-driven plot, but this means that the story is slow in parts.
When I started the book I expected to be wowed as I was by Jennifer Lavoie’s Tristant and Elijah. Although this didn’t happen for me, I recognise that The First Twenty is a valuable contribution to the LGBT YA genre.
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