Broken Lies

Broken #1

by Claire Vale

Scientists predicted it would take seventy years for the Arctic Shelf to completely melt. In the end, it took less than five. We lost thirty percent of our land to the oceans and a big chunk of our structure to panic and anarchy.
The Melt crippled us.
But it was the Arctic Virus at the bottom of The Melt, trapped for millennia in the darkest depths of ice strata, that broke us. The real flood was the Living Corpses. A population of billions turned to soulless, rabid shells within months. That’s what washed away the human race as we know it.

Born into a post-apocalyptic world, Lake has grown up in the last city standing. Governed by what used to be the Queen’s Cold Stream Guard, vaccinated against the threat, life in Windsor City is both harsh and fair. The rules are designed to strengthen the city and ensure survival.
Lake’s future is planned out with opportunities and unfair advantages and then there’s Ash—her best friend and hopefully more. Things could be worse, considering she’s living past the end of days. And, sometimes, she could definitely do with being a better person, which was what drafting into the Guard for two years of service was supposed to be about.
But she has no idea what she’s signed up for. The city is more vulnerable than she’d ever imagined, on its knees at the mercy of a megalomaniac organisation, and she’s just been chosen to pay the price.

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Zombies, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic

278 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Claire Vale lives in a small town outside London. When she's not thigh-deep in real life, you'll find her head-and-heart-deep in the tangled lives of her characters.

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Book Enthusiast Promotions and NetGalley.)

This was an okay story, but I lost interest.

I felt quite sorry for Lake, because growing up in the world she was in couldn’t have been easy, and worrying about your future career and knowing that you don’t have many options couldn’t have been easy either.

The storyline was about Lake enlisting, and also about her relationship with her boyfriend Ash. The pace was quite slow though, and I really lost interest in the story and what was going on, and struggled to finish the book. The ending was just a relief for me.



5 out of 10

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a copy from Netgalley, In exchange for an honest review.)

The characters could be quite annoying in this at times, so I didn't love them.

This wasn't a bad read, but I found the pacing to be a bit too slow. It dragged in areas because of it, and it didn't keep my interest all that well.

Overall, An okay read.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Book Enthusiast Promotions, via NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5

Okay, I'm just gonna say it at the start: this book has some similarities with the Hunger Games trilogy.

That being said, I won't spoil it any more for those who have not read it and wish to do so. :) The similarity to the Hunger Games was something I saw coming at about 50% through the novel, although I wasn't entirely sure how it was going to play out. And I'll also be honest -- the fact that there are similar aspects was the clincher that made this book go from a 4 star to a 3.5.

Anyway! Aside from that, I enjoyed this book. There were a few problems with UK/US adaptations, as other reviewers have mentioned, but the only one that really stuck out to me was when Lake was making a joke to herself about how a "gift from the Gods" and a "gift from the Guards" sounded exactly the same. As someone who speaks "American English," god and guard sound totally different. EDITED: Apparently this is confusing to British readers as well, since those two words don't necessarily sound the exact same in British English either.

But that's a small part of the book.

I normally don't go for zombipocalyptic novels, but I did enjoy Broken Lies. Lake was likable, although I felt like she was super consumed with guys (but at the same time, managed to be herself without having to "belong" either to Ash or Thomas). I didn't particularly like anyone except for Ava in terms of Lake's group, although I didn't super dislike anyone either.

Ending was quick and at about 30% I had predicted that it would be a cliffhanger-esque ending... but that's okay. I do want to read the next book in the series and granted, I do dislike it when authors use the cliffhanger endings to get readers to read their next novel... but... *sigh* What can ya do?

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Born into a post-apocalyptic world, Lake has grown up in the last city standing. Governed by what used to be the Queen’s Cold Stream Guard, vaccinated against the threat, life in Windsor City is both harsh and fair. The rules are designed to strengthen the city and ensure survival.
Lake’s future is planned out with opportunities and unfair advantages and then there’s Ash—her best friend and hopefully more. Things could be worse, considering she’s living past the end of days. And, sometimes, she could definitely do with being a better person, which was what drafting into the Guard for two years of service was supposed to be about.
But she has no idea what she’s signed up for. The city is more vulnerable than she’d ever imagined, on its knees at the mercy of a megalomaniac organisation, and she’s just been chosen to pay the price

What did I think of it:
4.5 stars
here's my list as to why I give it 4.5 stars:
1:engageing read. Full of action, romance and goverment lies, that just pulls you in and has you hooked so much that you have to keep reading to find out what happenes next.
2: even though I haven't read the books but only seen bits and pieces of the movies , it reminds me some what of the Hunger Games book series, so if you like or loved those books then you might like or love this series
3; the plot is interesting and unusual

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

For those wondering about the difference between post apocalyptic and dystopian, here's a book that start firmly in one genre but inexplicably jumps into another abruptly at the end. More introduction to a series than first book, Broken Lies was very underwhelming. Characters lacked development, spark, or chemistry, the worldbuilding implausible and unrealistic, and a plot that limps around a soppy love triangle and simplistic teens left me uninvested. Despite being bored with a lot of the book, I stuck with it hoping for something interesting to happen at the end; what I got was a very anticlimactic 'twist' prefacing a Hunger games Redux story (all at the last few pages).

Story: Global warming unleashes a virus from the arctic ice; it turns the world to zombies and everything falls apart fast. 30 years later, Lake is living in an enclave outside of London; they believe they are the last to survive in the world but Lake lives a fairly care-free life beyond the walls. She's madly in love with Ash, about to graduate, and has a great BFF Eva. Despite being great at fashion design and being offered an apprenticeship to do that trade, she instead decides to join the guards (after all, in British English, 'guard' and 'god' sound the same, as the book notes). What should have been a simple assignment with her buds instead spirals into discovering an ugly truth about vaccines and protection against the virus. Beware the Irish!

The teens in the book are pretty basic and generic. Sure, we don't have any annoying unique snowflakes; but at the same time, I would have liked to see some strength of character to justify the plot twist at the end in which they find themselves. The conclusions about character were ludicrous and once again we have government types who are so stupid, it's a wonder. All the government leaders' decisions and actions were so bizarre and clearly deus ex machina; at first I thought it was leading up to a great twist but in reality, it was just silly. But at least they weren't evil and greedy, which seems to be the trend in the genre.

I didn't really like any of the characters - from the painful lack of chemistry in a love triangle to the BFFs who felt like cardboard caricatures of real people. No one felt real or with any depth or nuances to flesh them out. After awhile, it was really easy to skim since nothing much was really happening and no one very interesting.

The plot jumps all over the place but there are some real head scratching moments. E.g., in a small post apocalyptic village, why in the world do they need not one but five apprenticeship spots for high end fashion designers? Where do they get the fabric? Where would they wear the fancy clothes? With the world falling apart, why would this be something they would foster? Why aren't the kids taught any survival skills beforehand? Why are the kids so carefree and happy-go-lucky in a world gone to hell? There are more problems that bothered me but they would reveal spoilers if a put them in this review; but they left me annoyed with the lack of a grounded world. And as for the zombies? You get one scene or so and then by the end realize that the series isn't about them or fighting them (read: it's Hunger Games!). The zombies felt pointless and that was a shame.

I do enjoy reading the YA dystopian and post apocalyptic genre. But I also want depth and nuance, tight worldbuilding, and believable characters. More so, it's hard to get into a heroine who is ineffectual, weak, and spends most of her time mooning over a boy who is cheating on her after telling her he loves her. That made her not only ineffectual but also kind of stalkerish and simple. Not great qualities for someone who supposedly is among the last survivors in a devastated world. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not one for zombie stories (they're Living Corpses here - not technically dead, but close enough) so the fact that I finished this and immediately started wanting the next one should tell you something.

It's set in England, so the Americanisations threw me somewhat. (English students are not "seniors", nor do they have a "Mom". And the things growing in brambles are "blackberries".) I'm putting that down to the publisher helpfully "fixing" things for Americans, who can't possibly be exposed to unfamiliar vocabulary or spellings. Except for words like "tosser", which thankfully remained unfixed... Okay, rant over. Back to the story.

Lake is a relatively normal teenager in a world devastated by climate change and then a terrible virus, making things we take for granted (like the internet) a relic of the past, available only for historical purposes. She lives safely within the city walls with her mother until she sees her safe option vanishing, and then her life begins to change.

I love Lake's realism. Her honest - though horrific - thoughts in times of crisis, her feelings of cowardice under stress and the raw emotions carried through the story. I loved the way she values her friendship with Ash. It's precious to her, and it should be. Friends who make you want to be a better person are worth keeping. I love that she doesn't rush into choosing a boyfriend, and her confusion when trying to separate herself and her history with friend-Ash from betraying-Ash-she-loves. I wasn't quite as keen on Yet Another Love Triangle, but it was handled well.

The ending was a little strange, and almost abrupt, but it sets the scene well for the next book. I'll be looking for it.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested a review copy from NetGalley, since the blurb sounded interesting. The wording was a mix of US English and UK English. I was able to discern what was going on with unfamiliar words and slang from context clues, but I did have to read more than a few sentences more than once to figure it out.
While the protagonist and her YA contemporaries were going through zombie-killing boot camp, I was reminded of some of my own experiences in NAVY Basic Training. We obviously didn’t train to kill zombies, but I was actually filled with a sliver of nostalgia for some of the good times in Basic Training.
The story did have some excellent themes of the young adult “finding their own way,” but much of the writing just seemed odd to me. It could be that my brain was trying to grapple with the US/UK English thing.
The story had just too much angst. The protagonist seemed to be too crippled by indecision and teenage angst to be a really likeable character. I felt more connected to her YA posse.
The last few chapters elicited a groan from me. It was as if the book didn’t know if it was a zombie story or what book two is obviously going to be. (I don’t want to spoil it.) It ended with a cheap cliffhanger, and obviously there will be at least another book. When this book is through, nothing of importance will be resolved – you gotta wait for book two or three for that.
I’m still awarding this three stars, because I suspect once the remaining books are written, it’ll be a fun read all the way through, despite the apparent change of genre in the last chapters.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Though it always bugs the hell out of me when something ends on such a cliffhanger. Good choice for anyone interested in dystopian fantasy or a post-apocalyptic love story.

*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got mixed feelings on this book. I didn't care much for the first half, and mostly enjoyed the remaining half. I liked it but didn't, such as to the point where it's difficult to decide if three or four starts is more fitting since I don't do half stars. In the end, I think three stars is the better fit.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this opener to the Broken Lies series. It has some good moments. It's a decent dystopian novel, it's just that for the first 40-or-so percent I didn't really care for the book. I felt like I didn't really know what direction the book was heading in for the overall plot/conflict. Luckily though, after the somewhat bland beginning, things picked up and got more exciting.

Yes, it's a dystopian novel, and yes, there are zombies. But it wouldn't be fair to say that zombies are the main part of this novel, as they aren't. I'd say this book is sort of like Attack On Titan meets The Walking Dead. There's a wall built around the city with creatures trying to get inside (Attack On Titan) and then there's the living zombies trying to infect you. (The Walking Dead). It's a good mix.

Let me backtrack a little bit and explain the plot: the Arctic Shelf melted due to global warming, with thirty percent of land being lost as a consequence. Nobody was prepared, as it took just five years to melt instead of the predicted seventy.

Stuck in the ice for millions of years was the Arctic Virus, a virus that makes you exactly what they're called: a Living Corpse. The virus spread across the globe, and Windsor City, where this book takes place, is the last standing city according to Lake. In Windsor City you are governed by a set of rules to ensure survival, and the Guard works to keep out intruding Living Corpses, or LCs for short.

Lake, who is the main character, is in love with her best friend Ash. Ash drafted into the Guard for two years to learn skills and keep his city safe. She longs for his return, waiting patiently...then decides to join the Guard herself, one year into Ash's draft. From there her world turns upside down. There's the expected teenage drama amongst Lake, Ash, and the rest of her friends. Some I expected. Some, especially at one turning point in the novel, I definitely did not.

I'd say that the book's main focus, once the basics are laid out in the first half, would be training and preparations for whatever future missions these soldiers in training are assigned to. If I said any more I'd spoil things, so I'll keep my mouth shut.

There's romance throughout plus a handful of twists, especially as it gets towards the end. I didn't know what to expect as I delved into the story, but I'm mostly happy with the outcome once the main conflict was revealed later in the book. Even though I have mixed feelings about the book, I am still looking forward to book two and will be reading it once it's out. Plus, I mean, with a cliffhanger ending there's no way I can't know what happens next!

If this book interests you, I'd also recommend the Legacy series by Ellery Kane, which is also a young adult dystopian/romance mix. You can find my review of book one here.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

[Ema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this is a GOOD one. Yes, it is a zombie book, but it is an AWESOME zombie book! Definitely more dystopian/post-apocolypic than zombie. (Yes, I have a prejudice against zombie books.) I'm just angry that the next book isn't out now, because I need to read it.

Though it doesn't focus very heavily on the post-apocalypic/dystopian elements, the premise of this story is strong and easy to read into. It didn't get overly into these parts, which I really enjoyed--even someone who doesn't enjoy books other than regular fiction (or even someone who doesn't enjoy zombie books!) would enjoy this due to the strong characters, relationships they form, and exciting events.

The second half of the book lead up to something rather dramatic and very intriguing that means I have to read the second book and that means that if you read this book, you, too, will have to read the second book because you will have to know what happens. (And to make sure it doesn't become too Hunger Games.) Why is the second book out now? Where can I find it? Why will Google not tell me the name of it? Sigh; my life is a struggle.

But anyway. I loved this book because of the characters and the fast pace it took. The first part of the book was mostly exposition, but it was really interesting to learn about Lake, her society, and how they lived their lives. Problems were slowly slipped in and it was fun to pick up on these and see them come to fruition.

Lake was such a fun character. As she was someone who had basically just graduated from high school and was figuring out her career path, I think a lot of young adults (AND adult adults) could really relate to her in this regard. Seeing the person she was around her family and certain friends was interesting to watch and there were so many points where I felt her so hard.

This had a great amount of romance thrown in, and good romance, too. Not smutty, and not the type of perfect relationships that are beginning to take over YA. I was very satisfied with the realism portrayed in these and though I disagree with some of Lake's actions I'm deathly curious to find out where they'll go.

I'll definitely remember to keep my eyes out for the second book in this series. I'm very invested in the characters and curious to see where the plot takes them and how much more dystopian it becomes.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think in this case I was misled by my own preconceptions. When I read a synopsis that’s talking about the end of the world, either by nuclear blast, meteor strike or a zombie virus, I’m expecting it to be dark. I mean, end of civilization as we know it, the death of billions… shouldn’t it at least be a little morose? But this book wasn’t, in the strictest sense.

I’m very much stuck on the fence with this book, feeling a push and pull between what I liked, and what I didn’t. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, complete with British slang. And barring a slow start, I felt like the story had a good pace to it. There were a few references to Twilight, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at any similarities.

The characters were mostly likable, but as a woman, I tend to prefer reading a book with a strong female protagonist. Lake, to me, feels like she has the potential to become a strong woman, but so far, seems quite content to allow the boys to help her. In the beginning, I had high hopes for Lake, expecting her to grow into her role as guardian, but then she seemed to take a few steps back. She joined the guardians, though seemed surprised when she was actually expected to guard something. She showed zero respect for rules, and by the end, was proving herself to be lazy and disrespectful. I could almost hear her whining “Ewww, I have to eat that to survive? But it’s grooooss!” On the plus side, there’s plenty of room for her character to grow throughout the series.

Fair warning: there is a potential love triangle in the works. At this point, I absolutely detest one of them, so it’s no contest in my mind, and if Lake spends more than two pages considering him, I will not forgive her.

Now there’s only one last thing to discuss… Zombies. Or in this case, the Living Corpses. I am really intrigued by them, and I wish there had been more about them. Are they legitimately dead? How is the virus contracted? They seem thoroughly terrifying, and have the potential to make the rest of the series more thrilling, and darker! It will be interesting to see how the series progresses.

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters: Lake, I feel resembles a true teenager when it comes to dealing with the dangers and threats of the world. I'm not saying that I think any book with characters who don't have their moments of shock and pain are unrealistic (because it could happen), I just feel that Lake is more realistic. She goes through a lot of growth throughout the book because of what she encounters during her time as a draftee guard. Ash, well, he's a complicated mess. Ava is like the ultimate best friend ever. And there are other amazing characters that are a part of this story that make the novel more enjoyable.

Plot/Content: Zombies... well in this case Living Corpses. I feel like this defers from a lot of post-apocalyptic "zombie" books that I've read, just in the sense that everyone is always looking for a cure (there's a vaccine in this book), but Lake realizes that a cure is not a likely possibility because nothing can change what has already been done. There are still issues that occur in the book that are relate-able to the issues that we have now.

Romance: I can't really get into detail about how I feel about the romance just because there are so many spoilers that go along with this and I don't really want to ruin the book for anyone. So, I'm going to stick with I have this love/hate feeling toward one guy because of what he did, and am in love with the other guy and hope that she chooses him. For some reason, I didn't like all of the drama that was associated with the romance because I felt like it took away from more that could have happened involving her drafting.

Setting: This post-apocalyptic world is like many worlds that have suffered from a crippling virus. It is well-written and believable. A small little part of the world, governed strictly and no where to go because leaving means facing the dangers of the outside world.

Other: The story is easily to get into, but has it's slow moments. There's a pretty interesting plot twist, and the ending is a complete cliffhanger. I cannot wait to get my hands onto the next book and continue this awesome series.

*Note: I received this book free from Xpresso Book Tours and Claire Vale in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel Tsoumbakos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I finished reading this book a while back but just haven't gotten around to reviewing it because I was hoping time would help me pick a rating for it. Unfortunately it hasn't really.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this book - not by a long shot at all. However, the end threw me more than I could ever imagine. And, I can't even really talk about it because I don't want to give away spoilers. But, let's just say, the ending was not what I expected and I'm not really sure I liked where it took the story.

However, even with not liking the end, I will be chasing down the next book in this series when it comes out.

At first, when I was reading the start of this book, I was ready to give it 5 stars. I loved the way the main character is not your typical in your face aggressive forthright and spunky girl who is taking on the dystopian universe. The main character in Broken Lies is more unsure of herself, ready to admit she doesn't know it all and worries constantly about whether or not she is making the right choices in life. In fact, I really enjoyed all the characters in this novel. The author writes them well and fills out their stories with great effect. All the way through this novel I found I was engrossed in the world and completely believed everything on the page.

Then the end happened.

At first I wanted to give it 2 or 3 stars. While I really didn't like the way the author was going (and had thought she was taking the story in a completely different way), I was still in love with the characters and was invested desperately in their story - regardless of how much I rolled my eyes at the cliche.

But, after putting the book down when the story was finally finished, I realised 2 or 3 stars would be an injustice. While the ending was not to my liking, the characters were. The prose in this novel is wonderful and I was constantly emerged in the story. So, instead, I settled on 4 stars because I really think readers should give this book a go. Not for the ending, but to fall in love with the amazing people telling the story.
Overall, I am giving Broken Lies by Claire Vale 4 out of 5 stars!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only world that Lake Devlin has ever known is one that is flooded by climate change. Only several cities remain in the waterlogged world. Locked deep in the melting ice sheets, the world received another surprise, a virus that turns people into rabid monsters or Living Corpses. Inside the city walls Lake, her family and friends are relatively safe, approved babies are vaccinated from the virus and The Guard patrols the walls. Upon graduation, Lake and her friends Ava and Ralley decide to carry out their voluntary term within The Guard. Lake thought she would take a cushy fashion apprenticeship, but when her best friend Ash returns on leave from The Guard and things heat up between the two, Lake decides to do her civic duty. The Guards may not be as easy as Lake thought and Ash may not be all that she thought either. When the four friends are chosen for a special assignment, they learn of dangerous secrets that their government has been holding from everyone.

I was really interested in the plot of this book,a dystopian world destroyed by global warming plus zombies, awesome. This book took a little while for me to get into, the first half was pretty much an average teen-aged girl's life in a very different world. I was very interested in the virus and how the world was handled the increasing water levels, unfortunately a lot of this wasn't explained. There were some glimpses of this at the very end with the reveal of the secrets. The plot picked up for me when Lake, Ava and Ralley entered The Guard. The Living Corpses were intriguing, but there wasn't much action with them until the end. I was a little disappointed in Lake's reaction to everything The Guard tried to teach her, it seemed that she was not even trying to learn anything in The Guard, especially after she meets up with Ash again, and even more so when a love triangle is revealed. I was also extremely disappointed with the fact that Lake and Ava are expected to be pawns, but we will see. Overall, an ok dystopian young adult novel with an interesting plot. not-so-strong female characters and a cliffhanger ending.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[Maghon Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was was such an interesting concept for a story. And it's something that could really happen, so it's great to see what someone else views as the action reaction response to what global warming could cause. And of course it's cool to see zombies. Oh wait, they are called living corpses-LC- here. And we're not on home soil, we're in England, kinda, which I caught on with some of the spellings and things that were described oddly LOL We start out several years after the flood, when everything started being covered by water from the polar ice caps melting. Things are different. The government built a wall for war protection but instead it helped saved people from drowning.

Lake is a teenager, in her last year of schooling, about to go into the world for her apprenticeship. There hasn't been too many sightings of LCs but they are still around. When the ice caps melted, it released things that turned normal people into raving lunatics who eat each other. So, Lake was originally supposed to go into the fashion world, but then something happens and her options begin wilting. Lake is a little naive, but at the same time so rational. She wants things to be by the book, black and why, cut and dry. You see, she thinks that if everyone follows the rules, things will be like they are supposed to. And her BFF Ava is hilarious, and I love her. And then there's Ash. At first, all you know is that he's her best friend, maybe love, but he's been drafted. And I'm still not sure how I feel about him yet. And there's another guy. I hope we get to pick the other guy LOL well, maybe that is how I feel about the first guy :) hahahaha

I liked the writing. Yes, it has a hunger games feel, but the writing style is different and the concept is different, but the dystopian feel matches. I actually really liked it. I am thinking I definitely want to read the next book. With that said, 4.5 Living Corpse PAWS :)

[Desiree · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS. LAST WARNING.

This is partially my fault. I did not know, despite reading tons of reviews, that this is somewhat of a prequel for a series being written. For some reason I thought this was about before the disaster and not just post-disaster. I thought that was an interesting and lesser done premise. It is very specifically post-apocalypse, so I'm not counting that against the book. That's my bad.

Pros:
Some interesting characters
Interesting premise at first.
It's really nice to see YA taking place outside of the USA

Cons:
1. WAY too many spoilers and foreshadowing in the book itself. Let us do some guessing. It makes it more interesting if we DON'T know something hugely bad is about to happen.

2. The end felt like a rip off of Hunger Games. The details are different, but the idea is pretty much the same.

3. The love triangle. Really?

4. While the main character as a girl mostly interested in fashion is definitely different than a lot of the "strong girl" YA dystopian types, it seems very out of place here. Really, the population is decimated, there are "Living Corpses" attacking, you're cut off from the rest of the world which let's face it, sucks, and you want to be a fashion designer and the government actually opens a job as fashion designer? Um, ok.

5. It's been 30 years since the big stuff first went down, right? And it looks like the society has very little problems and runs better than most governments today. Well, good for them. But it does take away from the believability. I guess maybe where and how they get all of this stuff will come up in later books, but even the vaccine origination seems really iffy. Where are you getting the power, the equipment, the specialized chemicals, and the know-how 30 years down the line?

I would have counted this a solid 3.5 star book until the end.

[Katy Sauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book took a little while to get me interested, once it did I had trouble putting it down. The biggest pull for me is how realistic I felt the ‘zombie’ aspect was. I’m able to appreciate the zombie genre in it’s many forms. I often find that many of the methods of becoming a zombie aren’t all that plausible. While it may not be scientifically sound (I’ve no clue) in my mind this method seemed the most likely to happen. I was also curious about the caste system in which Lack lives and wished there had been more information about this. It felt at best glossed over without much detail. I loved the story line but felt I ran into some contradictions in it as well. While Lake is often scared she’s also just as often nonchalant about the real danger going on around her. This may have been defense mechanism on her part but it put me off a bit. I also couldn’t quite wrap my head around the repetitiveness of how ‘safe’ and ‘well meaning’ the government was. I had trouble computing a wonderful government in with the other world building going on. I enjoyed the characters but also had trouble understanding and connecting to them at times. The love triangle that begins to unfold perplexed me because I ended up not being able to like either of the males involved. There were certain aspects of this romantic aspect to the story that just felt unnecessary to me. I am curious to see how it unfolds in the next book of the series because the ending did leave me with a bunch of questions. I do recommend this for fans of the zombie trend going on right now – it’s an interesting take on the genre and worth checking out.

This eGalley was provided free from the author through Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion and I was compensated in no other manner.

[Meedah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this copy by Xpresso Tours for a review and i'm glad, i love books where the world ends and from that a new world begins. It has bits of teen drama/romance also but it didn't overshadow the plot.
lake and most of her friends sign up for the draft because they have no idea what to do after their school days are over ( which i think is stupid), Her mother let her go without saying anything ( i mean realistically she wouldn't just stand by) anyway the draft is like drafting into an army, but from what i read it seemed like a regular campy for the summer. It didn't scream real base to me.

I Enjoyed Ash and lake's relationship until he went and cheated, and that's not what really pissed me off. The author didn't give us an explanation as to why, i mean he just told lake that he loved her few days before and now he does this? Doesn't make any sense and he never explained why.

To her credit lake doesn't just forgive him so easily and her best friend Ava has her back all the way through. i really liked Ava, she's loyal and feisty and a fighter, there are other characters but they really didn't stand out to me.

The ending could be called predictable, i mean reading it i knew the government wasn't telling them everything but still i was surprised about what they didn't tell them. They won't send the girls to war but use them as incentive and i really really am tired of damsel in distress stories and the way they will be used. Nope hate it but i will wait to see the next book to see if Ava and lake will fight back.

Besides those issues is till enjoyed it, i'm actually surprised i read the book all the way through. I Wouldn't recommend as a must read but if you're bored and need something to read then this is it.

Overall 4 stars

[Demi Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this novel in exchange for an honest review by netgally and romancebeat.

The Melt crippled us.

But it was the Arctic Virus at the bottom of The Melt, trapped for millennia in the darkest depths of ice strata, that broke us. The real flood was the Living Corpses. A population of billions turned to soulless, rabid shells within months. That’s what washed away the human race as we know it.

In all honesty I genuine loved this novel, normally I give praise to an author and the novel they have written but Clair Vale has honestly written a well throughout, creative, fantastic novel that I've gone out and bought. Apostolic novels don't usually involve people being separated by vast spaces of water created by the Arctic that also bring on a Virus that turns all of those who come into it into mutated creatures who want to kill or eat you. But for Lake she has grown up in one of the last cities standing without having to worry about turning into a monster yourself due to that vaccine they have all had but life is never the same for anyone. This new world is built of laws that are designed to strengthen the community and ensure survival for all but for some their lives are already planned out right in front of them with internships into safe careers that done involve military. But following her instincts she enrolls into a forces and is opens up to a worlds unlike anything she has ever imagined. Her love interests are now preoccupied by a once thought to be dead solider and Lark and her closest friends are forced to cooperate with a deadly corporation who are going to force this group of once friends into a game of life and death. Literally.

Who will come out on top?

Or will Lark and her friends die before they ever had the chance to live?

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Lately, we've had more than our share of power outages and, as I write this, we just had a brief one. The brevity of it makes me a bit unsettled and I foresee the outage coming back with a vengeance so this review will be shorter and more to the point than I had planned.

I very much like the concept of this story, the combination of natural disaster and pandemic with zombie-ish results, and I felt the author did a credible job with it. Readers should be aware that this is the first of a series so there are plot points and character development as well as worldbuilding that are lacking in Broken Lies. I assume we'll find out more about those missing details in future volumes.

Lake struck me as a typical teen but, perhaps more importantly, a typical person trying to deal with circumstances that are not always a walk on the beach. As you might expect, Lake is, in turn, reluctant, rebellious, unsure of herself, very sure of herself, unpleasant, someone you can like very much while acknowledging her shortcomings.

To my dismay, I'm pretty sure we're headed for a love triangle---I'm truly tired of this cliche---but it wasn't too "in your face" in Broken Lies so maybe Ms. Vale will surprise me. In the meantime, leaving the boys aside, Ava is my favorite character, even over Lake, because she's the kind of friend all teen girls should have.

Pacing is somewhat slow but continually builds and I kind of appreciated that as it gave me more time to get to know the characters. Still, that slow pacing leads up to a humdinger of a cliffhanger (which I love), practically guaranteeing I'll be reading the next book.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, June 2015.

[Angela Street · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ultimately enjoyed the book but had mixed feelings about it. It was a slow start for me but once I got into it I became interested. In some ways the book reminds me of a prequel in that it lays a lot of ground work for the next book but there was not as much actual action as many other books in this genre has. In some ways the slowness is more realistic because many books move the heroine from a clueless but normal girl when it comes to fighting to super-hero fighter in 100 pages which is not based on reality. However, this book showed how a "real" girl would likely handle being thrown in a survival situation without prior preparation. In some ways the realism interfered with character development in that I like female leads that are strong who can kick butt. Instead this character was a little whiney, depended on others to protect her, was bored with learning new survival skills etc. However, this means that there is plenty of room for character development in the next book. The ending had a twist that makes you want to learn more and read the next book although compared to the flow of the rest of the book the ending seemed abrupt. Overall, I suspect the next book will have more action and character development and it will be interesting. The ground work has been laid for that. However, I would have preferred a little more action and growth in the first book. I did get this book free for a honest review by Netgalley.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a YA novel about a dystopian future that involves Lake, a teenage girl, who lives in a world devastated by global warming & the polar ice melt. When the ice melted, it released a virus that transforms people into zombie-like creatures called Living Corpses. Through in a love triangle for Lake and her struggle to find her place in society and you have a lot of the standard parts of a YA book. This one is well done, though! I really liked Lake as a character, and I also really liked the love triangle. Throughout the book, Lake is trying to figure out what to do after high school and once she decides to go into an army training program, she gets pulled into something that is a lot bigger than herself. Eventually, she discovers that some of the truths that her society is built on are in fact lies. And she have been recruited (spoiler alert) to be part of a Hunger Games type showdown. The book is very entertaining, and while there is not a ton of action/fighting until the end of the book, I really liked it. I would recommend this book, and I want to read the next book in the series.

I won this copy from one of the Goodreads giveaways.

[Zoey Talbon]

Look, Broken Lies isn't all that bad. But I'm tired of wasting time on books I don't enjoy. The beginning is absolutely not gripping, and I didn't want to wait around for things to get exciting with Living Corpses. I got about 20% in and tried three separate times to get farther and it just never happened. The dialogue felt a little unrealistic to me at times, the world-building wasn't all that strong, and there's definitely way too much telling instead of showing. I LOVE the synopsis for this one, so I was expecting something really chilling and maybe a little scary. Instead, I was just bored. And then I came across this line and just rolled my eyes:

"I'm not a raving psycho. It's not like we kissed once and now I think we're soulmates and want to have his babies."

I just couldn't connect to anything in this story. I would DEFINITELY say you should check it out if it interests you; it just didn't personally work for me. I think if you're better than toughing it out than I am, maybe you can find some cool stuff here.

[A.M. Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

!BECAUSE OF THE GIRLS.......

What an engageing read. Full of action, romance and goverment lies. Lake sometime got on my nevers but By the end of the read I have a feeling (at least I hope) She'll bust out of her shell in the next book.

Lake goes through life as normal as possible considering her world living behind walls and fearing the LC. (living corpse) She decides to draft and joins up with the guard. Her and four others soon find themselves learing to survive off the land for a reason none of them expected.

Ash. I thought he was something special. Nope so wrong. Lake soon finds out the same when she see's him sucking face with another guard member. So there went my happy feeling about their maybe realtionship. But all is not lost. Another cmes into the picture. And i'm excitied to see what comes from that in the next book.

This was a very good read and it kept my attention. It just had that tone to it that keeps you engage in the stroy.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book -once I started reading I just had to gobble the story up as fast as I could. There’s the main story that touches on those underlying concerns that tap straight into the fears of any kid/parent living in today’s world – what will their future be, what kind of world we’re leaving them, school bullies, unplanned pregnancies (very dangerous in this book!) romance issues etc – and yet there’s also those sly little witticisms that creep into the narrative and make me laugh. Characterisations are so good – perhaps at time seem a bit adult for what I think kids should be. The story absolutely cracks along – it has that magic something that leads you page by page until the end in a way that you feel you just HAVE to know what the next page holds!! I can’t wait for Book 2 in the series to find out what happens to Lake and her friends, Ash, Ava and Ralley.

[Sage Knightly · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received the ebook version of this from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Broken Lies is full of strength, bravery, survival, growth, deceit, friendship (there's some seriously strong bonds), and even a dash of romance (perhaps a little too much for my taste, the way it was written, but even so it wasn't so bad). We mainly follow a group of four friends, also considered as two couples: Lake and Ash, and Ava and Ralley. All four are very important characters, and then add Thomas to spice things up a little, and suddenly you have more humour, a love triangle, and growth in a certain character.

See my full review here: Library of Books

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished Broken Lies by Claire Vale.
When I first started this book it took a little time to get into the story, but once the story picked up I actually really enjoyed it. Lake is a character I think a lot of teenagers will relate to as she is trying to find her place in a new world. She is an interesting character. Though this book was okay I am not sure I would pick up the 2nd book to read.
If you enjoy stories about 'zombies' in this case Living Corpses this is a good book to read and I would recommend it. There are parts that seem to be cut short and parts I feel could be elaborated in more detail but overall it was an interesting read.

*note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Dystopian #book for Young Adults, that I think we can all learn from in our regular lives. Broken lies covers issues like love, confidence, the coming of age and forgiveness while remaining an entertaining read. I was eager to learn what happened next so read it through in one sitting.

Everything was believable enough to make you look at your own life and how we did, do or will handle a variety of lifes complications. Lake shows us how to gain confidence, forgive and believe in ourselves.

Personally I'd add this to my teenagers reading list in a heartbeat. Adults will get a lot our of it too.

[Gel]

DNF at 14%

Copy provided by Xpresso Book Tours

I thought I would never get tired of too much world-building but I did. In this book, there's too much world-building that I felt like I didn't really know the main character. Or at least, have more information about her. The world just didn't intrigue me so I didn't have the motivation to finish it.

I'll still recommend this to hardcore zombie book fans though. You might like this one.

[Elaine Nicholas-VanPelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for a honest review.. honestly in the beginning I wasn't sure about this book it had a very slow start to it, however after it took off it turned out to be a good read...makes you think of the possibilities that could lie ahead of us...good read would recommend it to anyone !!!!