The First Singers

by Kat Doughty

THIS BOOK IS (HOPEFULLY) TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. PLEASE, BEAR WITH ME WHILE I'M LOOKING FOR A NEW PUBLISHER.

In the far future, Teena is ready to celebrate her eighteenth birthday by running for her life. Up to this day she lived in a former military base in the middle of an old, desolated city. Today will decide if she will join the fabled Survivor Island or if she will be killed by her former friends.

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2016

About the author

Kat is a mom to four active boys and a baby girl, which is why she needs a fantasy world or two to escape to on a regular basis. When she's not busy writing or trying to keep her children alive, she is probably hiding in the pantry.

Reviews

[Amanda M. Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Singers is a very well-written dystopian sci-fi novel which tells the story of Teena, a young woman who goes out on the single most important day of her life not knowing if she will make it. In Teena's world turning 18 means making a dangerous trek over the landscape of an old and long abandoned city. If you make it, you live and are presented with life on the Island if not....Teena's life is in for some major changes, many of them completely outside of our own societal understanding and this makes for some very fun aha moments as you go through this new world with her. I enjoyed that aspect so much in fact that I won't ruin any of those things here. It also features a pretty powerful premise featuring beings called Caretakers, the beings that raised Teena and the other children like her. If you enjoyed books like The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games Trilogy or YA dystopia in general this will definitely be your cup of tea!

[M.Y.Riestra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want to start by saying that this book is great!

I recently joined a new book club and this is the first book that they picked. I was excited since it was a genre I was interested in so I went ahead and bought it.

Now...the book:

The first few pages had me a little confused of who, what and where. At the same time this made me want to find out more. The story started progressing, and as it did, it kept getting more interesting. It really shows a different perspective of a post war world.

I was intrigued by the main character when she kept learning new things. Especially, since the author was able to capture the essence of someone actually experiencing stuff for the first time while keeping the character from sounding anything but dumb. A really smart and resourceful protagonist! Yes, some misguided decisions, but still always some good reason.

I laughed several times and also shouted at the characters to not do something at one point or other (yes, my husband looked at me weirdly for a second). At the end I got frustrated cause I wanted to keep reading. I can't wait for the next one!

Kat Doughty you are a great author and I wish you all the best!

[Brit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First Singers by Kat Doughty introduces us to the rapidly changing world of Teena, who on her 18th birthday receives a piece of cake, a watch and opportunity to implement a survival strategy since it’s a tradition to be hunted by the other children in the orphanage-style base she has lived on her whole life. She just has to survive for 12 hours-if she does, she gets to return to the base and ultimately go to The Island with the other survivors. But during the hunt, she encounters a boy, a Feral, and everything she has learned about people who live outside (and even inside) the base gets turned upside down. With the assistance of her new friend, she learns that beneath the facade of her peaceful upbringing, a bigger plan much darker and more sinister than she could ever imagine is unfolding. By accident, she makes a discovery that could thwart the twisted plan, but the odds are strongly against her implementing it.

The First Singers was an incredibly creative story, with otherworldly characters and traits, and believable and captivating human characters. This story really sets the stage and builds the wild world that our main character must learn to navigate if she is to survive with her friends. The stakes are high, the villains truly sinister and the obstacles to overcome are difficult. The romance was not my favorite aspect. Normally I like a good balance of adventure plot and romance plot but the dystopian survival aspect of this novel won me over way more than the romantic sub-plots did.

[S.K. Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teena lives in a world where on a person's eighteenth birthday, they are sent out on a Hunt. If they survive, they are sent to the Island, a mysterious place where they get to live their lives in peace. The only problem is - everything Teena has been told is a lie.
I thought that Teena was a good character. She is tough and worked hard to survive outside, but there is a naivety to her too. She has no idea about relationships and has led a very sheltered life. The lizard creatures, the Asin, are a suitably formidable enemy. I enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to fans of dystopian fiction like the Hunger Games.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hunting We Will Go ...

Question everything you think you know ... everything you've been taught. Brilliant writing and well-developed characters will keep this page-turner in your hands until the last. Perfectly ended ... to keep us all waiting for Doughty's next offering.