City 1: Siblings Fight Bots and Ruthless Rebels for Freedom―A Young Adult Dystopian Thriller

Revolution 19 #3

by Gregg Rosenblum

From the creators of Homeland and American Horror Story comes City 1 , the chilling finale to the Revolution 19 trilogy. The time has come to win the cities back from the bots—or die trying. After finally reuniting at a rebel camp, siblings Nick, Kevin, and Cass are willing to do anything to stay together—and free their parents from bot rule. But the leader of the rebel camp has her own ideas. Cruel and determined, General Clay won't let anything stand in the way of her plan to destroy the robots and all the brainwashed humans. This means their parents' lives are at stake, but Nick, Kevin, and Cass can't desert the rebels when they're so close to freedom. How far will they go to save the world they believe in?

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Robots, Fiction, Adventure

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2015

About the author

Gregg Rosenblum works at Harvard, where he wages epic battles against technology as an editor/webmaster/communications/quasi-IT guy. He graduated from UC San Diego and has an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. He lives in Boston with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
*Rating* 3.0

*My Thoughts*

City 1 is the final installment in the REVOLUTION 19 trilogy by author Gregg Rosenblum. This is a trilogy that has revolved around a post-robot-apocalypse society that is trying to fight back and regain control of the cities that are now centers for pro-robot, brainwashed humans including Kevin, Nick, and Cass's parents. City 1 picks up right where Fugitive X left off, so, if you haven't yet read either of the previous books, stop now, or go forward at your own risk of being spoiled.

*Full Review being Posted @ Gizmos Reviews*

http://www.gizmosreviews.blogspot.com...

Published: January 6th 2015 by HarperTeen

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"City 1", the exciting and gripping conclusion to the "Revolution 19" trilogy begins after the island's destroyed and Dr. Miles Winston's murdered. Fleeing to a rebel encampment Kevin is reunited with his sister Cass and brother Nick only to have their lives threatened by the cruel and single-minded General Clay if he doesn't use the stolen wall unit to perfect a cloaking device that can be used in a surprise raid against the bots in City 73. Knowing that the lives of all True Believers in the city are in peril Nick and Kevin plan to join the attack to save their parents while Cass with her injured protector Farryn scheme to help her biological family escape to settle in one of the Freeposts in the woods.

The plot is fast-paced and heats up quickly when the three siblings are forced to separate during the rebel assault. Threads of the story follow Cass and her family's escape from the city while Nick is faced with a dilemma when the traitor Erica gives him intel on a prison outside the bot city where Kevin has been taken to assist in eliminating the replication code that hinders the bots reproduction. With every new alliance, betrayal and twist in the story Gregg Rosenblum builds tension and suspense as the action escalates in a battle between bots and humans that takes a startling turn.

The characters in this well-developed plotline are memorable with all their doubts, anxieties and faults that add passion and depth to the unfolding drama. Kevin Winston the smart tech whiz masks his fear, uncertainties and vulnerability behind a false and sometimes rash bravado, while his brother Nick continues to be defiant and daring, his accurate marksmanship taking him into every battle. Cass who's haunted by guilt after Farryn's injured saving her life is tough, bold and compassionate, yearning to save her biological parents and sister Penny, True Believers who have never stepped outside their city. Yet it's the dangerous, intense and overly confident General Clay with her demanding need for respect and obedience as well as the heartless, unemotional Senior Advisor in City 1 who add a chill to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed " City 1" and can't wait to see what Gregg Rosenblum has in store next for his fans.

[Frank Chillura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my blog at UtopiaNeverComes.blogspot.com

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After I read the ending of Fugitive X, I was itching to find out what happened next. I don't read many books about Robot Armageddon, so I was very interested in the Revolution 19 series. It was a release from my usual reads. Needless to say, I was and am a fan of it. I enjoy the omnipresent writing style that Rosenblum adopts for the story. We get to know many different characters thoughts, because every chapter is in a different person's point of view.

I have been reading a lot of series conclusions lately, so I know that in my head I keep comparing one to the other, which is doing a huge disservice to the authors of each book, because each book is different. Every author has a different idea that they grow their stories on and no 2 books are exactly alike. So, even though I finished a book yesterday that I was super happy with, it is hard to be as happy with this book's ending.

Yes, the story is (for the most part) resolved. There was a definitive ending, but then there is an extra chapter where you think maybe this isn't the end. I hope it isn't the end, because even though there were no major character deaths (Many people died, this is war! Just not the main characters I loved), I just didn't feel there was enough surprising dramatic portions. I found myself getting a little bored in a few parts which really depresses me, seeing as how I loved the first 2 books.

Don't let my review make you think that this series is not worth picking up, because I hope everyone makes their own decisions on what they think about it. It is definitely worth reading. Let me know what you thought & how you felt about the ending.

Thanks for checking out my blog and stay tuned for my next great read!

[Justine Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this it? Come on!
I felt the story was rushed. A lot of blanks left to ponder on.

What about the other major cities around the globe?
This catastrophy involving bots turning hostile to humans was stated to be worldwide not just centered and contained on a group of kids trying to save their family.

What else? With the help of a bunch of undermanned and ill-equipped rebels, they were able to take down a tyranny who vanquished every military might.
And the effin' replication code was bypassed just like that?

How about Clay? I'll put it in Cass's words, "It didn't seem possible that Clay was dead; the woman was too damned tough to die."

And Kevin's actions were really irritating and downright moronic.
He went alone inside the city to rescue their parents with Nick pleading not to. Yet his plan failed as soon as his masterpiece got incinerated.
Seriously? He could have just listened to Nick and made a better plan.
My point being, Nick was able to accomplish half of Kevin's objective without getting caught by the bots.

Don't mistake me, I was thrilled with the main plot which revolved around Nick and Co. Plenty of action and character development.
But what about what's left of the human civilization around the world? Are there any form of resistance in other places, in other countries or continents?

I should've given this book 4 stars but what if you were handed more questions than answers in a book supposed to be a conclusion?
GR could have dragged the series a bit and made a fourth book to address these issues and loops.

[Austin Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

City 1 was a great post apocalypse, revolution book in my opinion. The use of bots taking over the world is a great idea and I have not really seen any other book that uses this. The feel the book gives is really good, I have always been a big fan of post apocalypse books and this one gave me that survivalist feeling. I think this stems from the description of the group living in the wilderness. Along with living in the wilderness the group stockpiling weapons, technology from the bots and taking back cities just had a really good survival feel. Not to mention how the camps had a lot of things going on instead of them just living there, this consisted of working on technology and even problems within the camp.
When it comes to description the battles for the cities is where it shined. Every little detail is in there like the bots reaction to the fighting. Along with the bots being effected the people in the cities show how they are effected by the war, showing signs of shock and confusion. The wars even describe little things like the destroyed buildings, bodies left behind and what is left of the bots. While the wars are pretty exciting there is some build up to the wars like working on tech to fight the bots and getting weapons. All of this is also explained with in the book and played out. But I believe that I started a little later into the serious of books as events have happened before that I did not know and it may have been because I thought this was the first book in the series.
There are points in the book where you don't know what is next. This is really seen during the last battle as what happens is not what you think will happen. Speaking of the end I really liked how the book ended and I've never seen it in any book, movie or game that has bots in it and it's really worth reading up to it. Much like the battles before, the last battle is described into much detail and was a great way to end the book. Reading up to the end is also pretty exciting and not boring at all. Between all the wars there is also events in the camps and little things that still add action to the story and keep it from being boring. Every event that happens no matter how big or small is full of detail and gives you a clear image of what's going on. I would say this book was very full of action and adventure even from the beginning to the end.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this series was an easy read and had a clear understanding of everything which I appreciated. It was an interesting story and brought up some intriguing points about things. I loved the relationships between the siblings throughout the trilogy, and how relationship with family in general was addressed. I also like the general question throughout the series of what does it mean to be alive. This series brought those interesting questions and dynamics to life in an easy read trilogy.

[Nicole Houser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the ending was rushed, but it wasn't a terrible series.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending to the trilogy. Quick read. Good story

[Katelyn Rurka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book and the third book in one day.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm conflicted.......and there may never be an absolution.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd book in the series, continued to hold my interest. I think this was the best book in the series, more intensity in the plot and characters. The ending was a interesting reversal of positions.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not a fan of the ending of the series.
It upset me that Farryn lost his leg, and a lot of his character seemed to go away and he just became flat. He was my favorite in the other two books 😐
It didn't feel like a full victory at the end, it only felt like a postponing of more robotic uprisings, and I didn't feel that the conflicts had good resolution.
I really loved Revolution 19, what happened?

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 3rd and final book in the Revolution 19 series about a post-robot-apocalypse society. This series has not resembled Terminator or even I, Robot in the least. It’s written for teens and feel like it’s specifically for those 13 to 15, maybe younger even because the lower reading level. It’s an okay series overall, but it’s not exciting as I had hoped. All the books are pretty short, which is fine, but I feel like not much happens in then, so there’s not much to review.

I did enjoy some of the humor between characters. The dialogue was probably the best part of the book. The third person narration was dull, though. Some of the character relationships developed or were tested. Kevin learns about his and Nick’s grandfather, the designer of the bots. Cass and Farryn become a couple. Nick and Erica still like each other.

The rebels have issues with betrayal and want to kill Erica, but Nick want to use her to help. Kevin makes camo-suits, and decided to use one to enter the city unseen. Nick, Erica, and Cass also go into the city. They all have their own mission. The rebels are taking down the bots inside this city at the same time. Cass want to save her biological parents, who are brainwashed, so she goes to their building and convinces them to leave. Kevin is caught in the city and taken to meet someone important. Nick helps the rebels in their fight.

The different kinds of robots were interesting. The cities that robots put brainwashed people in seemed interesting, but kind of illogical. If robots are logical being and they want to be rid of humans, then why put them in cities? My only guess is that they need human creativity and engineering. I recommend this if you liked BZRK by Michael Grant, Cinder, or any other books that feature either robots or nano-bots. If you’re looking for teen Terminator, this is not it.

Cover Art Review: Cover similar to previous book. Not much to say.

~Haley G

My blog:
http://breathlessbookreviews.blogspot...

[Vi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I Loved: I really liked getting to know Nick, Kevin, and Cass more. They each have a certain quality that sets them apart from everyone else and it was interesting seeing them handle this bot war. I enjoyed the fledgling romance between Cass and Farryn and I liked seeing her fight to save her family. Kevin was probably my favorite. I liked his techie personality and I felt his role was more critical to the actual story than his siblings.

What Didn’t Work for Me: I didn’t like how slow-paced it was and how there were barely any action/fight scenes. While the story itself does progress, there isn’t much that really happens until the last third of the book. It always bugs me when that happens. Why can’t you keep the momentum going?! Why save it all until the end, leaving things to feel rushed?! Also, the ending was pretty lackluster. I was hoping for an epic bot-human battle and what actually happened left a lot to be desired.

Final Verdict: If you’ve read the rest of the series, you’ll want to know how it all ends. I’ve enjoyed watching these characters grow and change. City 1 isn’t as action-packed or exciting as the other books, but it was still okay.

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since the robot revolution began, humans have been on the run, planning to take the cities that where theirs. The time has come to win it all back or they can die trying.
After finally reuniting at the rebel camp Nick, Cass and Kevin. They must fight to stay together and then free their parents from the bots. Kevin makes dangerous technology that might be the key to defeating the bots but one mistake can end his life. And he only does it for the loyalty of the scary rebel leader. Nick must guard Erica, beautiful traitor, or else he’ll have to pay the price. Cass tries to help city boy Farryn piece his life back together again.
When the teens learn that the rebels plan to destroy both robots and humans in their attack, they fear for their parents. A re-educated citizen is as dangerous as a bot, but Nick, Kevin, and Cass are desperate to free their families. How much are the children willing to sacrifice.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The siblings have been reunited in the rebel camp but Nick, Kevin and Cass have to fight to stay together. Kevin has to figure out the tech from the wall at the island and see if he can make it portable for a person. Nick has to guard Erica who has been labeled a traitor and still deal with Lexi's jealousy while trying to defend them from the bot attacks, and Cass is helping Farryn deal with the aftermath of amputation.

When rebel leader Clay makes it known that she plans to attack the cities, killing not only bots but any humans who've been brainwashed, the siblings worry about saving their parents. Will they be able to save their parents and stop the robots from destroying mankind? Guess you'll have to read to find out.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

City 1 was a book with not much action and also not much resolution. I enjoyed the drama, sure, but the end didn't go into as much depth as I would have liked. I realize that sometimes that ambiguity makes a great book, but I wish I could have read so much of what had happened in those two years of rebuild.
Father Winston's explanation of Grandfather Winston with Nick, Cass, and Kevin
Mother's conquer over her re-education
Penny's adjustment to non-robotic life
What eventually happened to the surviving bots?
Who actually was Fugitive X? I know it doesn't matter now, but I still wasn't sure.
Do we ever get to meet Erica's brother? Did he have a name?
Doc and his family?
Who exactly is Grennel?

It's a good eye candy book, but be ready for open ends.

[star_fire13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So of course, all's well that ends well. The good guys won, the bots are defeated, everyone lived happily ever after.

I would've been interested in hearing a bit more about life with the rebuilding. Specifically, did their mom ever recover from the re-education? But overall, it was pretty good.

I like that the ending sets it up to be a role-reversal, with bots now in hiding. If the author was really desperate, he could do another trilogy set 15 years into the future, or maybe 50 years, with the bots now as the protagonists, trying to get back into the cities.

[Karrie Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way the series ended. It was almost poetic. I hope to see more books from Gregg Rosenblum in the future.

As a whole, the revolution 19 series was a fresh take on young adult fiction. I love anything post apocolytpic or dystopian and robots was a fun read. Its a very possible future for us on earth.

I will admit that the pace of the book was rather quickly and a little sloppy to tie everything together but it was still a fun read and a great conclusion that left just enough open there in the final pages.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly this would have been better if I had read the first two books in the trilogy. However, while there were definitely bits of plot threads I missed the significance of and a few spots where the story lagged, for the most part this was a fast-paced wrap up of a war between human rebels and robot overlords that felt like it would be a mostly satisfying end to the series.

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Brandi Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Island has been destroyed, Dr. Winston has been murdered, and Kevin has been forced to runaway with Winston's murderers. Kevin is distraught - he's lost his brother and sister and now his grandfather. Upon arriving at the rebel camp, Kevin is shocked to find Nick, Cass, and their friends alive. What none of them realize is how they all will be forced to help General Clay take down the bot cities and risk their lives in the process.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad, but with each book the quality of each novel decreased...





Now with new plan and hope, the revelation are going to take over City 1 the base of the droids.
Cass wants to get her birth family out of City 1.


With new alliance and betrayals and surprized, there are so many twists you can barely keep track!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high expectations for this novel. I really liked the first two books in the series. The writing was not as tight and the plotting plodded at the end. The ending of the book was terrible. I won't get into detail because I hate reviews with spoilers. It felt tacked on and not believable at all. I had come to expect better writing and I was sorely disappointed.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion to the series.
Protagonists Nick, Kevin, and Cass are reunited in the rebel camp. Their mission is to continue to fight the bots and to rescue their parents.
Fast-paced, lots of action, and a little bit of romance. The conclusion seems a bit abrupt, but enjoyable overall.

[Asher Cypress · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good book, i liked how the story and characters developed, though, (SPOILER) The end was a little too fast, there was something happening, and at the next moment, "the end"

[Mansour2323]

i thought this books main people was very interesting and i hope they make more books someday$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series. My kids ages 15 & 12 loved it.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really awesome ending for this series! I enjoyed it so much, and how things wrapped up, just awesome!

[Chuck Ledger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the other books in the series.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Martin, their grandfather, reprogramed the bots and most everyone lives happily ever after.