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Cage of Lies #1
Chained
Everything you know is a lie...
Terrified of the contamination and the creatures it has created, humanity hides behind The Wall. No one knows what lies beyond the wasteland. Maya has never thought much about what might still be out there, lurking in the forgotten places. But when she's thrust into the unknown, she is forced to question everything she has ever been told. Not everyone outside died, some of them became something...else. As her heart is torn in two, every choice she makes is harder than the last. What she discovers will change her forever. She knows she will probably die, but Maya has seen enough of death and she won't let it have her without a fight.
Terrified of the contamination and the creatures it has created, humanity hides behind The Wall. No one knows what lies beyond the wasteland. Maya has never thought much about what might still be out there, lurking in the forgotten places. But when she's thrust into the unknown, she is forced to question everything she has ever been told. Not everyone outside died, some of them became something...else. As her heart is torn in two, every choice she makes is harder than the last. What she discovers will change her forever. She knows she will probably die, but Maya has seen enough of death and she won't let it have her without a fight.
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First published October 1, 2015
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About the author
Susanne Valenti
110 books9,543 followersHey!
We are Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, sisters and best selling co-authors of all things dark romance - fantasy and contemporary, M/F and RHs, there’s something for everyone, as long as you love characters who will break your heart, stomp on it and laugh over the pieces before putting them all back together in the end. We live in the South East of England, kinda near London but far enough out to be able to look at fields all wistfully and shit if the mood takes us. We work together from our countryside office through the week, writing down most of the madness that exists in our heads on paper, so that you can come and escape to our imaginary worlds for a little bit too. We don’t shy away from twisted cliffhangers, and love an Alpha asshole, but our leading women are of the badass, take no shit lying down variety, so it’s always a rollercoaster of a ride. We can’t wait for you to buckle up with us!
We are Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, sisters and best selling co-authors of all things dark romance - fantasy and contemporary, M/F and RHs, there’s something for everyone, as long as you love characters who will break your heart, stomp on it and laugh over the pieces before putting them all back together in the end. We live in the South East of England, kinda near London but far enough out to be able to look at fields all wistfully and shit if the mood takes us. We work together from our countryside office through the week, writing down most of the madness that exists in our heads on paper, so that you can come and escape to our imaginary worlds for a little bit too. We don’t shy away from twisted cliffhangers, and love an Alpha asshole, but our leading women are of the badass, take no shit lying down variety, so it’s always a rollercoaster of a ride. We can’t wait for you to buckle up with us!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 20, 2015
3.5 stars
This review contains some minor spoilers
I really liked the story and setting of this book. The idea of The Wall and the city that lives inside it was truly interesting. There were just a few things that stopped me giving this 4 or 5 stars.
Before I get to those, I'm going to talk about what I did enjoy about this book. I already said it, but I absolutely loved the setting and society that was created. It was complex and constructed in a very thoughtful way. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, when Taylor and Maya got to explore outside The Wall. I loved reading their reactions to all the different things they found, things that are so common today. From there, I thought the whole SubWar thing was pretty good, though there were a few aspects surrounding it that bothered me (more on that later).
Similar to at the start of the book, I loved it when Maya got to experience the outside world after escaping SubWar. I do wish we got to see more of Kaloo (who was absolutely adorable), but that's just the major dog-lover in me talking. I thought the description of the Creepers was great, particularly how they came to be and again when they showed up in the final third of the book.
I found Maya to be a really good narrator. I didn't exactly love her, but I liked her well enough. I loved Alicia as a character, and her sisterly relationship with Coal. She was a really tough character, but not in a way that didn't make sense. She seemed very realistic for the setting, and how she had grown up. For the most part, I liked all the main characters in the book (or at least the ones that are meant to be liked), which is always a bonus.
Now, unfortunately, there were quite a few things that rubbed me the wrong way in this book. One of the main ones is the fact the Taylor was unconscious for half the book. It felt like lazy writing to me, to just conveniently put him to one side, allowing Coal and Maya to (predictably) get together. I think Maya and Taylor's relationship would have been really interesting to explore. And that's not even mentioning what could have happened with him and Laurie...
Earlier in the book, the whole thing with Grey during SubWar seemed quite forced. The way he was so interested in Maya felt important. It gave me the impression that there was some deeper reason for it (my guess was that he had known her parents or something like that). At the very least, I expected an explanation for it, but there was none.
The character of Coal also seemed a bit forced, particularly his relationship with Maya. When they first met and he was super interested in her and vice versa, I was a little disappointed. I had expected a little less cliché with this book, and was saddened to see it appear in this way. The whole "love at first sight" thing is not really something I like reading. Coal also seemed a bit aggressively protective of her, which bothered me a little.
I know I've just listed a whole lot of complaints, but at the end of the day, I did enjoy this story. I really enjoyed the world that was created, but some of the details surrounding the characters just weren't really my taste. I do recommend you check it out if you're into dystopias.
Huge thanks to Susanne for providing me with an ARC for her book :D
This review contains some minor spoilers
I really liked the story and setting of this book. The idea of The Wall and the city that lives inside it was truly interesting. There were just a few things that stopped me giving this 4 or 5 stars.
Before I get to those, I'm going to talk about what I did enjoy about this book. I already said it, but I absolutely loved the setting and society that was created. It was complex and constructed in a very thoughtful way. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, when Taylor and Maya got to explore outside The Wall. I loved reading their reactions to all the different things they found, things that are so common today. From there, I thought the whole SubWar thing was pretty good, though there were a few aspects surrounding it that bothered me (more on that later).
Similar to at the start of the book, I loved it when Maya got to experience the outside world after escaping SubWar. I do wish we got to see more of Kaloo (who was absolutely adorable), but that's just the major dog-lover in me talking. I thought the description of the Creepers was great, particularly how they came to be and again when they showed up in the final third of the book.
I found Maya to be a really good narrator. I didn't exactly love her, but I liked her well enough. I loved Alicia as a character, and her sisterly relationship with Coal. She was a really tough character, but not in a way that didn't make sense. She seemed very realistic for the setting, and how she had grown up. For the most part, I liked all the main characters in the book (or at least the ones that are meant to be liked), which is always a bonus.
Now, unfortunately, there were quite a few things that rubbed me the wrong way in this book. One of the main ones is the fact the Taylor was unconscious for half the book. It felt like lazy writing to me, to just conveniently put him to one side, allowing Coal and Maya to (predictably) get together. I think Maya and Taylor's relationship would have been really interesting to explore. And that's not even mentioning what could have happened with him and Laurie...
Earlier in the book, the whole thing with Grey during SubWar seemed quite forced. The way he was so interested in Maya felt important. It gave me the impression that there was some deeper reason for it (my guess was that he had known her parents or something like that). At the very least, I expected an explanation for it, but there was none.
The character of Coal also seemed a bit forced, particularly his relationship with Maya. When they first met and he was super interested in her and vice versa, I was a little disappointed. I had expected a little less cliché with this book, and was saddened to see it appear in this way. The whole "love at first sight" thing is not really something I like reading. Coal also seemed a bit aggressively protective of her, which bothered me a little.
I know I've just listed a whole lot of complaints, but at the end of the day, I did enjoy this story. I really enjoyed the world that was created, but some of the details surrounding the characters just weren't really my taste. I do recommend you check it out if you're into dystopias.
Huge thanks to Susanne for providing me with an ARC for her book :D
September 28, 2015
I'm going to just say this right away: I'm a hard reader to impress. When I'm provided with an ARC, I'm going to be reading with my editor's hat on. Yet because it's an ARC, I can forgive some typos and some formatting issues. What I'm less apt to forgive is the strength or weakness of the plot line, suspension of disbelief, character's motives, and overall writing style. Why? Because those things probably won't be fixed before publication.
To start off, let's give a short summary of the book: We start off in the MC's "ordinary world" which is behind literal Walls. Maya doesn't spend much time inside these Walls--just enough for us to get a glimpse of what it's like inside before she is elected to go with her best friend Taylor and some scientists leading an expedition outside The Walls in order to collect samples so that the city can expand. They're testing for "contamination." No one really knows what contamination is or what the symptoms are, but they all fear it with their lives. In fact, it's so fearsome that when a life-or-death situation occurs for Maya and Taylor, both of them (as well as Taylor's scientist dad in charge of the group) are punished. About a quarter of the way through the novel, they're sent to SubWar. Only criminals are sent to SubWar, and they fight the opposition--whoever they are. Taylor and Maya are sentenced to three months as messengers in SubWar, and after two weeks of training, they are put into the war to test their mettle. They make it through most of their first battle, but their side is losing. Good thing they've made a friend with a too-friendly Warden. What happens next is to be expected of a dystopian novel, and Maya finds herself outside the Walls in "contaminated" territory.
Let's start with the good. Chained kept my attention--at least for the first half of the novel. I was actively interested in the characters and their outcome. I could excuse a few issues I had with the situations the characters find themselves in, and even some of the convenient solutions they were handed--a bit deus ex machina at times for my taste. I did find the main characters Taylor and Maya believable and flawed, and I enjoyed reading about them. When Taylor got shunted aside, however, I lost some interest. Even though love triangles can be considered old and cliche, there was the potential for a great deal of conflict that never arose in this novel due to Taylor's incapacitation (I can only assume it'll rise in the next book).
This book has a lot going for it. It's different from many of the dystopians I've read, and the characters (most of them anyway) are flawed and likable. The strongest thing about this book is the sheer creativity, how the author took our world today and twisted it to what might conceivably be given a few (albeit highly exceptional) events. While this book avoided some of the main cliches of dystopian YA novels, there were far too many instances where I was skeptical of certain results for me to continue blindly enjoying the novel. In other words, my inner editor could not be silenced.
The greatness of the exceptional events mentioned did work to highlight the sheeplike nature of humanity, their willingness to avoid confrontation and to blindly accept the information fed to them from those in a higher position than themselves. However, the information believed by characters in this novel felt a little flimsy to me. It would have been more believable had the population also been subjected to some sort of medical treatment or something which kept them subdued and gullible.
Several other things bothered me throughout this book as well: 1. teenagers are chosen as part of the team to go outside the Walls and explore the ruins of the former world; 2. the MC is trained for two weeks. Count 'em: one, two. And after that, she's apparently a crack shot with guns and a great knife thrower, not to mention athletically fit (Yes, it's mentioned that she went to the gym a lot before, but we're talking she's supposed to be on par with soldiers here. Not likely after two weeks of basic, regardless how physically fit she is); 3. the MC's best friend is clearly in love with her, and seems to be the second boy in a love triangle, but is conveniently displaced from the novel for 75% of the book; 4. the inappropriate timing of romantic feelings throughout most of the book; 5. the lack of thought of Taylor for about 90% of the novel; 6. the lack of Maya's motivation...
I'm not trying to tear this book apart, nor do I want to, and while I have a list of things above, the fact is that I finished it and, if I didn't let myself think too much, I actually enjoyed the read. But with any amount of thought, the book really started to fall apart.
I found myself getting irritated with Maya, but not in a way that suggested I cared a lot about her. Because you know what? She didn't seem to care a whole lot about her best friend in the entire world. Taylor, the boy who clearly loves her, who would do anything for her--and who saved her life--is essentially forgotten while she runs off with another boy on some adventure. Sure, her motivation is supposed to be to save Taylor's life in response, but the reasoning is flimsy at best, and there are perhaps two lines about him after she leaves his bedside that even suggests she's thinking about him and not the hot boy she's running around the contaminated world in.
Okay. The reason I even care enough about the character's motivation is because the premise of this novel was actually decent. I liked it, but it seriously needs some work. Maya's motivation is far too weak for almost of the novel. If you deconstruct the novel and truly analyze it, you'll find that you don't know who the antagonist is supposed to be (the city? the inhabitants outside the city? the Creepers? Grey? the Guardians?), or what Maya's goal actually is. This is the main reason I began to lose interest about halfway through. Perhaps, as with other dystopians, the plot is merely meant to be survival, but even a survival plot needs a clearer antagonist. I really wanted Maya to have some tangible motivation much earlier in the novel. Instead, while there was plenty of action for this story (indeed, so much action all the time that it almost felt jarring), it didn't seem to point to anything. The strongest antagonist of the novel is dispatched at the quarter mark, and so Maya emerges triumphant, and SubWar is a shadow of the past, a mere tool to get her outside the Walls. The antagonist is not clearly defined until the climax of the novel, and by then, it's far too late for this novel. No, the antagonist is set up just in time to take on in book 2.
Overall I rate the premise of this book much higher than the execution. If you're looking for a mindless action romp through a dystopian world, this could be it for you. Clearly others enjoyed it (but I'm used to being a dissenter), and loved the characters. While I found myself entertained by the characters and their world at times, the execution of the plot fell short for me.
Honest rating: 2.5/5
*I was graciously provided a free review copy by the author in return for my honest opinion.
To start off, let's give a short summary of the book: We start off in the MC's "ordinary world" which is behind literal Walls. Maya doesn't spend much time inside these Walls--just enough for us to get a glimpse of what it's like inside before she is elected to go with her best friend Taylor and some scientists leading an expedition outside The Walls in order to collect samples so that the city can expand. They're testing for "contamination." No one really knows what contamination is or what the symptoms are, but they all fear it with their lives. In fact, it's so fearsome that when a life-or-death situation occurs for Maya and Taylor, both of them (as well as Taylor's scientist dad in charge of the group) are punished. About a quarter of the way through the novel, they're sent to SubWar. Only criminals are sent to SubWar, and they fight the opposition--whoever they are. Taylor and Maya are sentenced to three months as messengers in SubWar, and after two weeks of training, they are put into the war to test their mettle. They make it through most of their first battle, but their side is losing. Good thing they've made a friend with a too-friendly Warden. What happens next is to be expected of a dystopian novel, and Maya finds herself outside the Walls in "contaminated" territory.
Let's start with the good. Chained kept my attention--at least for the first half of the novel. I was actively interested in the characters and their outcome. I could excuse a few issues I had with the situations the characters find themselves in, and even some of the convenient solutions they were handed--a bit deus ex machina at times for my taste. I did find the main characters Taylor and Maya believable and flawed, and I enjoyed reading about them. When Taylor got shunted aside, however, I lost some interest. Even though love triangles can be considered old and cliche, there was the potential for a great deal of conflict that never arose in this novel due to Taylor's incapacitation (I can only assume it'll rise in the next book).
This book has a lot going for it. It's different from many of the dystopians I've read, and the characters (most of them anyway) are flawed and likable. The strongest thing about this book is the sheer creativity, how the author took our world today and twisted it to what might conceivably be given a few (albeit highly exceptional) events. While this book avoided some of the main cliches of dystopian YA novels, there were far too many instances where I was skeptical of certain results for me to continue blindly enjoying the novel. In other words, my inner editor could not be silenced.
The greatness of the exceptional events mentioned did work to highlight the sheeplike nature of humanity, their willingness to avoid confrontation and to blindly accept the information fed to them from those in a higher position than themselves. However, the information believed by characters in this novel felt a little flimsy to me. It would have been more believable had the population also been subjected to some sort of medical treatment or something which kept them subdued and gullible.
Several other things bothered me throughout this book as well: 1. teenagers are chosen as part of the team to go outside the Walls and explore the ruins of the former world; 2. the MC is trained for two weeks. Count 'em: one, two. And after that, she's apparently a crack shot with guns and a great knife thrower, not to mention athletically fit (Yes, it's mentioned that she went to the gym a lot before, but we're talking she's supposed to be on par with soldiers here. Not likely after two weeks of basic, regardless how physically fit she is); 3. the MC's best friend is clearly in love with her, and seems to be the second boy in a love triangle, but is conveniently displaced from the novel for 75% of the book; 4. the inappropriate timing of romantic feelings throughout most of the book; 5. the lack of thought of Taylor for about 90% of the novel; 6. the lack of Maya's motivation...
I'm not trying to tear this book apart, nor do I want to, and while I have a list of things above, the fact is that I finished it and, if I didn't let myself think too much, I actually enjoyed the read. But with any amount of thought, the book really started to fall apart.
I found myself getting irritated with Maya, but not in a way that suggested I cared a lot about her. Because you know what? She didn't seem to care a whole lot about her best friend in the entire world. Taylor, the boy who clearly loves her, who would do anything for her--and who saved her life--is essentially forgotten while she runs off with another boy on some adventure. Sure, her motivation is supposed to be to save Taylor's life in response, but the reasoning is flimsy at best, and there are perhaps two lines about him after she leaves his bedside that even suggests she's thinking about him and not the hot boy she's running around the contaminated world in.
Okay. The reason I even care enough about the character's motivation is because the premise of this novel was actually decent. I liked it, but it seriously needs some work. Maya's motivation is far too weak for almost of the novel. If you deconstruct the novel and truly analyze it, you'll find that you don't know who the antagonist is supposed to be (the city? the inhabitants outside the city? the Creepers? Grey? the Guardians?), or what Maya's goal actually is. This is the main reason I began to lose interest about halfway through. Perhaps, as with other dystopians, the plot is merely meant to be survival, but even a survival plot needs a clearer antagonist. I really wanted Maya to have some tangible motivation much earlier in the novel. Instead, while there was plenty of action for this story (indeed, so much action all the time that it almost felt jarring), it didn't seem to point to anything. The strongest antagonist of the novel is dispatched at the quarter mark, and so Maya emerges triumphant, and SubWar is a shadow of the past, a mere tool to get her outside the Walls. The antagonist is not clearly defined until the climax of the novel, and by then, it's far too late for this novel. No, the antagonist is set up just in time to take on in book 2.
Overall I rate the premise of this book much higher than the execution. If you're looking for a mindless action romp through a dystopian world, this could be it for you. Clearly others enjoyed it (but I'm used to being a dissenter), and loved the characters. While I found myself entertained by the characters and their world at times, the execution of the plot fell short for me.
Honest rating: 2.5/5
*I was graciously provided a free review copy by the author in return for my honest opinion.
October 15, 2015
Terrified of the contamination and the creatures it has created, humanity hides behind The Wall. No one knows what lies beyond the wasteland. Maya has never thought much about what might still be out there, lurking in the forgotten places. But when she's thrust into the unknown, she is forced to question everything she has ever been told. Not everyone outside died, some of them became something... else. As her heart is torn in two, every choice she makes is harder than the last. What she discovers will change her forever. She knows she will probably die, but Maya has seen enough of death and she won't let it have her without a fight.
- - - - -
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: interesting ideas and complex, wide-arcing plot points; realistic dialogue, relate-able characters, heart-turning action; sort of awkward POV shifts in random places; a sense of “flatness” to the writing overall
I received a copy of this book from the author for review! Many thanks to Susanne Valenti for this opportunity. (This in no way changed how I read or reviewed this novel.)
This is the first book in a new dystopian series. Due to this, there ARE parallels and similarities to other big-name reads such as Divergent, by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. However, these parallels are very minute, and aren't easily noticed unless you're actively seeking them out. Of course, all dystopians, as a formulaic genre, will share similar ideas and plot points, so this wasn't a big deal for me.
The characters are interesting and unique, with their own backstories and tie-ins to the world Susanne Valenti starts this novel off with: a walled-in city. When the opportunity arises for environmentalists/researchers to go outside the wall and collect earth samples, our main character and her best friend jump on the chance. But outside the wall, the world's not quite what it would seem...and with one small decision, things go very wrong. When they're banished from the city to a Subwar battlefield as criminals, expected to serve out their time relaying messages back and forth across the dangerous zone, they learn that maybe the city's been wrong this whole time.
I really enjoyed the interactions at the beginning between Maya and Taylor. They've got that “best friends since childhood” relationship on lock, and the dialogue between them is both realistic and entirely too entertaining. I found myself giggling as snark and insults crept back and forth across the pages. They sort of... “complete” each other in the special way that the best of friends do, and I had a ton of fun reading about it. The other characters that are introduced along the way bring their own emotions and personalities to the forefront, and mesh pretty well all-together. Some of these interactions are NOT so believable; I found it hard to believe that so many different people from two entirely separate walks of life would get along so easily, so quickly. There were moments I expected shouting matches, slurs, and even perhaps physical violence...which somehow all ended in laughter and “respect” instead? I don't know. I don't think there was enough dramatic tension to make this entirely realistic.
There were also some problems with world-building overall. Certain plot points were pretty predictable and easy to see coming, and I was confused about a lot of the “city” moments. For instance, I spent a great deal of the beginning half thinking the city was really just one huge underground settlement....when really there's much more to it, and it's not underground at all. I felt certain important facts or details the reader needed at the beginning of this venture were left out entirely or thrown in much, much later (like, after I'd already formed a picture of the scene in my head and been running with it for 50+ pages).
The writing is good—not poetic or lyrical, but also easy to read and to derive mental pictures from. While formulaic, the plot kept moving at a decent clip and while I was disappointed in Taylor's “coma” state for the second half (I feel he might have brought the dramatic tension I was seeking so desperately, especially given the blossoming relationship between Maya and Coal) I wasn't too disappointed in the story itself. It does sort of fall a bit flat overall, though. I didn't really feel that sense of “need to know” or “rushing headlong into chaos” that I love getting from books; I was invested, but not invested enough to actively seek out reading any spare second I could.
Overall, this was a great first book. I'll probably be seeking out the second once it's been published, as I wasn't entirely without hope for these characters. I'd recommend for lovers of dystopian worlds, action-packed fight scenes, and characters who find their way despite dark circumstances. My hat's off to Susanne Valenti for an entertaining read!
- - - - -
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: interesting ideas and complex, wide-arcing plot points; realistic dialogue, relate-able characters, heart-turning action; sort of awkward POV shifts in random places; a sense of “flatness” to the writing overall
I received a copy of this book from the author for review! Many thanks to Susanne Valenti for this opportunity. (This in no way changed how I read or reviewed this novel.)
This is the first book in a new dystopian series. Due to this, there ARE parallels and similarities to other big-name reads such as Divergent, by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. However, these parallels are very minute, and aren't easily noticed unless you're actively seeking them out. Of course, all dystopians, as a formulaic genre, will share similar ideas and plot points, so this wasn't a big deal for me.
The characters are interesting and unique, with their own backstories and tie-ins to the world Susanne Valenti starts this novel off with: a walled-in city. When the opportunity arises for environmentalists/researchers to go outside the wall and collect earth samples, our main character and her best friend jump on the chance. But outside the wall, the world's not quite what it would seem...and with one small decision, things go very wrong. When they're banished from the city to a Subwar battlefield as criminals, expected to serve out their time relaying messages back and forth across the dangerous zone, they learn that maybe the city's been wrong this whole time.
I really enjoyed the interactions at the beginning between Maya and Taylor. They've got that “best friends since childhood” relationship on lock, and the dialogue between them is both realistic and entirely too entertaining. I found myself giggling as snark and insults crept back and forth across the pages. They sort of... “complete” each other in the special way that the best of friends do, and I had a ton of fun reading about it. The other characters that are introduced along the way bring their own emotions and personalities to the forefront, and mesh pretty well all-together. Some of these interactions are NOT so believable; I found it hard to believe that so many different people from two entirely separate walks of life would get along so easily, so quickly. There were moments I expected shouting matches, slurs, and even perhaps physical violence...which somehow all ended in laughter and “respect” instead? I don't know. I don't think there was enough dramatic tension to make this entirely realistic.
There were also some problems with world-building overall. Certain plot points were pretty predictable and easy to see coming, and I was confused about a lot of the “city” moments. For instance, I spent a great deal of the beginning half thinking the city was really just one huge underground settlement....when really there's much more to it, and it's not underground at all. I felt certain important facts or details the reader needed at the beginning of this venture were left out entirely or thrown in much, much later (like, after I'd already formed a picture of the scene in my head and been running with it for 50+ pages).
The writing is good—not poetic or lyrical, but also easy to read and to derive mental pictures from. While formulaic, the plot kept moving at a decent clip and while I was disappointed in Taylor's “coma” state for the second half (I feel he might have brought the dramatic tension I was seeking so desperately, especially given the blossoming relationship between Maya and Coal) I wasn't too disappointed in the story itself. It does sort of fall a bit flat overall, though. I didn't really feel that sense of “need to know” or “rushing headlong into chaos” that I love getting from books; I was invested, but not invested enough to actively seek out reading any spare second I could.
Overall, this was a great first book. I'll probably be seeking out the second once it's been published, as I wasn't entirely without hope for these characters. I'd recommend for lovers of dystopian worlds, action-packed fight scenes, and characters who find their way despite dark circumstances. My hat's off to Susanne Valenti for an entertaining read!
October 3, 2015
Originally posted on Daydreaming Books.
**I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.**
I really liked this book. It was exiting and a thrilling adventure. I loved the plot, the characters and all the other elements that this book offered. When I read the blurb, I really wanted to read it and when the opportunity to read an ARC was given, I snatched the opportunity. I'm really glad I did so because this book was really enjoyable.
Maya is a resident of the new world, i.e. the world inside the wall. She has never known anything about the outside world nor she has questioned anything about of it. After an incident in a test mission, she and her best friend, Taylor are sentenced to serve in the SubWar for a time being. It is the city's prison in a protected barrier outside the wall where people usually fight and kill each other until there time is up there. They are sent as messengers but the task is as dangerous as fighting. After a near to death experience where Taylor becomes unconscious because a bullet grazed his skin, they are saved by a guy named Coal who came from outside the wall. Forced by the situation, they flee from the SubWar guided by Coal. What Maya discovers outside the wall stuns her and she knows nothing is going to be the same ever again.
The plot was really good. It was thrilling and exiting and I loved the world building. In this world, all the people live inside the wall after an epidemic took place. The outside world was not fit for living anymore, so the wall was built. Every action of the people were monitered and judged every second. It was intersting to learn about the condition of the people inside the wall, according to the work they did, the people were given different levels to live in a building. The concept of the SubWar was most intriguing. All the dwellers or the people who committed any kind of crime were put there where they had to fight one another for survival. I definitely enjoyed the action throughout the book and the plot twist was surprising as well.
The concept of the world outside the wall was intriguing as well. There were still people living there. There was a big reason why all of it happened and it's not hard to guess, it was because of the people who wanted power and control. Though it's only one of the reason and there's another major reason behind it as well. I'm not going to tell that, you have to read it to find out. Due to the epidemic, the world changed. Plants grew bigger, the animals grew intelligent and the people who were affected turned savage and inhuman. Those people were known as creepers, they were vile and deadly. Honestly, I imagined them to be sort of zombies, they were pretty gross and dangerous.
I liked all the characters in this book, they were pretty nice and relatable. Maya is a nice character, she is strong, smart and caring. It was hard for her to cope up after her parents' death but she had Taylor with her. He was a character I liked as well. He was there for her every single time. Maya handled everything maturely after stepping outside the wall, she was ready to do anything to save Taylor’s life. Though I have to agree, she loved falling down multiple times! :-P I definitely loved Coal. He was a bit mysterious and mostly kept to himelf. The attraction between him and Maya was instant though I'm glad nothing more serious happened between them because I don't like insta-love. I definitely look forward to their romance and I hope it's build up nicely. Though I did enjoy their kiss, it was pretty steamy and niceee.
I enjoyed Alicia's sisterly relationship with Coal, she was pretty badass and a strong character. She knew how to fend for herself. Laurie was another character I liked. She was a warden and Maya and Taylor's trainer at the SubWar. She also escaped with the group with Coal. She was a strong character as well, at first she was reluctant about trusting Coal and the others but eventually she gave into when she saw the truth.
The writing was simple and beautiful. This book was pretty great considering this is the author's debut novel. The writing was pretty smooth and I fell into the flow easily. I loved how the dialogues and everything else was executed. My only complain is that sometimes it felt there were more descriptions than necessary so it felt a bit slow at times. But mostly the pace was even throughout the book and I didn't feel bored for even a second.
Overall, Chained is a book that I definitely enjoyed. The plot was great, it was thrilling and exiting. I loved the world building, the concept of the wall and the outside world was definitely intriguing. The characters were nice and relatable. The writing style was smooth and gorgeous and the pace was even throughout the book. I only had a few minor complaints about this book but other than that it was pretty exiting and an entertaining read. I definitely want to continue with this series and I really, really want to read the next book.
Recommend it?
Definitely yes if you enjoy this genre and a little slow storyline.
**I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.**
I really liked this book. It was exiting and a thrilling adventure. I loved the plot, the characters and all the other elements that this book offered. When I read the blurb, I really wanted to read it and when the opportunity to read an ARC was given, I snatched the opportunity. I'm really glad I did so because this book was really enjoyable.
Maya is a resident of the new world, i.e. the world inside the wall. She has never known anything about the outside world nor she has questioned anything about of it. After an incident in a test mission, she and her best friend, Taylor are sentenced to serve in the SubWar for a time being. It is the city's prison in a protected barrier outside the wall where people usually fight and kill each other until there time is up there. They are sent as messengers but the task is as dangerous as fighting. After a near to death experience where Taylor becomes unconscious because a bullet grazed his skin, they are saved by a guy named Coal who came from outside the wall. Forced by the situation, they flee from the SubWar guided by Coal. What Maya discovers outside the wall stuns her and she knows nothing is going to be the same ever again.
The plot was really good. It was thrilling and exiting and I loved the world building. In this world, all the people live inside the wall after an epidemic took place. The outside world was not fit for living anymore, so the wall was built. Every action of the people were monitered and judged every second. It was intersting to learn about the condition of the people inside the wall, according to the work they did, the people were given different levels to live in a building. The concept of the SubWar was most intriguing. All the dwellers or the people who committed any kind of crime were put there where they had to fight one another for survival. I definitely enjoyed the action throughout the book and the plot twist was surprising as well.
The concept of the world outside the wall was intriguing as well. There were still people living there. There was a big reason why all of it happened and it's not hard to guess, it was because of the people who wanted power and control. Though it's only one of the reason and there's another major reason behind it as well. I'm not going to tell that, you have to read it to find out. Due to the epidemic, the world changed. Plants grew bigger, the animals grew intelligent and the people who were affected turned savage and inhuman. Those people were known as creepers, they were vile and deadly. Honestly, I imagined them to be sort of zombies, they were pretty gross and dangerous.
I liked all the characters in this book, they were pretty nice and relatable. Maya is a nice character, she is strong, smart and caring. It was hard for her to cope up after her parents' death but she had Taylor with her. He was a character I liked as well. He was there for her every single time. Maya handled everything maturely after stepping outside the wall, she was ready to do anything to save Taylor’s life. Though I have to agree, she loved falling down multiple times! :-P I definitely loved Coal. He was a bit mysterious and mostly kept to himelf. The attraction between him and Maya was instant though I'm glad nothing more serious happened between them because I don't like insta-love. I definitely look forward to their romance and I hope it's build up nicely. Though I did enjoy their kiss, it was pretty steamy and niceee.
I enjoyed Alicia's sisterly relationship with Coal, she was pretty badass and a strong character. She knew how to fend for herself. Laurie was another character I liked. She was a warden and Maya and Taylor's trainer at the SubWar. She also escaped with the group with Coal. She was a strong character as well, at first she was reluctant about trusting Coal and the others but eventually she gave into when she saw the truth.
The writing was simple and beautiful. This book was pretty great considering this is the author's debut novel. The writing was pretty smooth and I fell into the flow easily. I loved how the dialogues and everything else was executed. My only complain is that sometimes it felt there were more descriptions than necessary so it felt a bit slow at times. But mostly the pace was even throughout the book and I didn't feel bored for even a second.
Overall, Chained is a book that I definitely enjoyed. The plot was great, it was thrilling and exiting. I loved the world building, the concept of the wall and the outside world was definitely intriguing. The characters were nice and relatable. The writing style was smooth and gorgeous and the pace was even throughout the book. I only had a few minor complaints about this book but other than that it was pretty exiting and an entertaining read. I definitely want to continue with this series and I really, really want to read the next book.
Recommend it?
Definitely yes if you enjoy this genre and a little slow storyline.
June 24, 2017
brilliant book loads of action utterly enjoyed it and couldnt put it down
April 19, 2019
Loved this story!!!! Amazing. Wants me to keep going.
June 2, 2017
Overall thoughts
As a whole, I believe that this novel is entertaining and fast-paced, though lacking in several different aspects. For people that are familiar with dystopian books, the novel doesn’t really present anything new. Furthermore, the characters themselves are pretty bland, boring, and aren’t unique at all; they all feel incredibly familiar and like we’ve seen them before. While I did have fun reading the book, and I do think that the book was okay, I also don’t think that I’ll remember it for very long, nor am I compelled to keep reading the other entries in the series. As such, I’d be inclined to rate the book with 2 stars out of 5. For a more detailed explanation of my thoughts and comments please read below, though be warned that there might be minor spoilers throughout the review.
Plot, themes, and characters
The novel is set in the somewhat near future. It mostly follows the journey of a girl named Maya. Maya lives in a big city set in a post-apocalyptic world. Contrary to many other dystopian novels, the reason for the apocalypse was not a nuclear disaster, but it was rapid evolution onset by the use of GMO’s in food. Essentially, the use of these chemicals spiraled out of control which caused everything to evolve right away, rather than in the long term as it usually happens. This, however, isn’t revealed early in the book. In fact, towards the beginning of the book, the protagonist is under the impression that the world outside of the walled city in which she resides in is contaminated. She is sent as a part of a scientific group in order to measure the contamination levels in a new area outside of the city since those in charge want to expand the metropolis. It is here where things start to go wrong for Maya.
During her expedition outside of the city, Maya and her best friend, Taylor, run into some technology contemporary to our times, but archaic to them. These technologies and artifacts present a challenge to them. For instance, their inability to open a doorknob is illustrated. They also find a swing, which starts as a fun adventure for them but ends up with Maya getting her suit cracked. After getting back to the city, she and her friend get sent to something known as SubWars, though they inevitably escape which allows them to experience the outside world.
In relation to this, the first theme is the way society is run in the future, with SubWars being a part of it. Like many other dystopian novels, there is a high degree of control and order in the cities. People have assigned classes, very much like the socioeconomic classes that we have today, which restricts where they can go to in the city. Naturally, the higher one is, the more things they can do. As mentioned, SubWars is a part of this society and an important aspect of Maya’s story. In this future, society is run without prisons. Instead, criminals are sent to SubWars, a place where they have to fight each other for as long as their sentence lasts. While the SubWars concept might sound appealing for readers, in my opinion, the idea is better than the execution. The concept itself feels very similar to many other novels and movies in the genre. Due to this lack of originality and the fact that the time the characters spend here is quite limited makes the SubWars feel rushed and lackluster.
As one can naturally assume, the book has a rebellion that starts to brew. However, this rebellion isn’t really explored fully nor explicitly until the second half of the book, with the majority of it being towards the end. This rebellion, as well as some of the drivers or motivating factors that some of the characters have to join it, mostly seems to be setting up the sequel. From what can be gathered, however, there isn’t much new. There is an indication that the government is lying to the people in the cities and that they just want to control people, not keep them safe. Furthermore, there is also some people incarcerated that aren’t part of SubWars, which is believed to be because they’re part of the rebellion. In relation to this point, the rebels are composed of its majority by outside forces, though they have established communication channels with people inside of the cities.
A third theme or topic that is covered in the book is the cause of this dystopian scenario. As mentioned before, it is revealed that the cause of the apocalypse was the use of chemicals in plants which triggered a period of fast evolution. The fast evolution affected humans, animals, and plants alike. While the approach is interesting, it felt largely unexplored. For instance, there is a description on how humans evolved in two paths, one being smarter and the other becoming more primal and aggressive. Animals and plants, on the other hand, simply got their natural traits enhanced. For instance, dogs got smarter, bigger, and yet remain loyal to their human companions. In my opinion, while this approach to evolution makes things easy to imagine, it also feels quite lackluster and bland. There definitely was a lot of room for creativity, though it simply wasn’t taken by the author.
While there are other topics and themes covered, they are pretty minor or related to those above. As such, I would like to move on to the characters. In my opinion, all of the characters are boring, bland, and too familiar to readers, not in a good way. The characters, for the most part, feel like copies of other characters, or at least heavily inspired by existing characters. None of them is really memorable or even likable. I believe that this is the weakest aspect of the novel as a whole. One big complaint regarding the characters, mostly towards the end, is that the author seems to be setting them up in order to have at least two love triangles. This can be a huge deterring factor for some readers, myself included. Reading one love triangle can be annoying, I would imagine that two makes it even more so.
Narration and use of language
The novel is narrated mostly by using a first person perspective, which belongs to the protagonist, Maya. There are a few chapters in which the author decides to switch into using a third person perspective, due to the narration following other characters on events that are happening simultaneously to what Maya is living through. While the change is easy to follow, I’m not entirely convinced it was necessary. After all, several elements and events had been introduced via storytelling. These particular scenes could have easily been retold to Maya by the characters to maintain the same mood and style consistent throughout the novel, rather than randomly changing a couple of times unnecessarily. The language is pretty average and simple to follow. Together, the first person perspective and the easy flow of the language make the novel quite fast paced and immersive, though far from memorable.
Suggestions
I’d recommend this book to those that are into dystopian science fiction and who want something quick, easy, and entertaining to read. For those of you that are looking for something extra, other than recommending the classic utopian or dystopian novels (which I’d definitely encourage to read, I’ll recommend two trilogies which have similarities to some of the themes and events that are covered in this novel. The two trilogies are The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and the Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch, both of which are fast-paced and entertaining.
Thanks for reading my review!
As a whole, I believe that this novel is entertaining and fast-paced, though lacking in several different aspects. For people that are familiar with dystopian books, the novel doesn’t really present anything new. Furthermore, the characters themselves are pretty bland, boring, and aren’t unique at all; they all feel incredibly familiar and like we’ve seen them before. While I did have fun reading the book, and I do think that the book was okay, I also don’t think that I’ll remember it for very long, nor am I compelled to keep reading the other entries in the series. As such, I’d be inclined to rate the book with 2 stars out of 5. For a more detailed explanation of my thoughts and comments please read below, though be warned that there might be minor spoilers throughout the review.
Plot, themes, and characters
The novel is set in the somewhat near future. It mostly follows the journey of a girl named Maya. Maya lives in a big city set in a post-apocalyptic world. Contrary to many other dystopian novels, the reason for the apocalypse was not a nuclear disaster, but it was rapid evolution onset by the use of GMO’s in food. Essentially, the use of these chemicals spiraled out of control which caused everything to evolve right away, rather than in the long term as it usually happens. This, however, isn’t revealed early in the book. In fact, towards the beginning of the book, the protagonist is under the impression that the world outside of the walled city in which she resides in is contaminated. She is sent as a part of a scientific group in order to measure the contamination levels in a new area outside of the city since those in charge want to expand the metropolis. It is here where things start to go wrong for Maya.
During her expedition outside of the city, Maya and her best friend, Taylor, run into some technology contemporary to our times, but archaic to them. These technologies and artifacts present a challenge to them. For instance, their inability to open a doorknob is illustrated. They also find a swing, which starts as a fun adventure for them but ends up with Maya getting her suit cracked. After getting back to the city, she and her friend get sent to something known as SubWars, though they inevitably escape which allows them to experience the outside world.
In relation to this, the first theme is the way society is run in the future, with SubWars being a part of it. Like many other dystopian novels, there is a high degree of control and order in the cities. People have assigned classes, very much like the socioeconomic classes that we have today, which restricts where they can go to in the city. Naturally, the higher one is, the more things they can do. As mentioned, SubWars is a part of this society and an important aspect of Maya’s story. In this future, society is run without prisons. Instead, criminals are sent to SubWars, a place where they have to fight each other for as long as their sentence lasts. While the SubWars concept might sound appealing for readers, in my opinion, the idea is better than the execution. The concept itself feels very similar to many other novels and movies in the genre. Due to this lack of originality and the fact that the time the characters spend here is quite limited makes the SubWars feel rushed and lackluster.
As one can naturally assume, the book has a rebellion that starts to brew. However, this rebellion isn’t really explored fully nor explicitly until the second half of the book, with the majority of it being towards the end. This rebellion, as well as some of the drivers or motivating factors that some of the characters have to join it, mostly seems to be setting up the sequel. From what can be gathered, however, there isn’t much new. There is an indication that the government is lying to the people in the cities and that they just want to control people, not keep them safe. Furthermore, there is also some people incarcerated that aren’t part of SubWars, which is believed to be because they’re part of the rebellion. In relation to this point, the rebels are composed of its majority by outside forces, though they have established communication channels with people inside of the cities.
A third theme or topic that is covered in the book is the cause of this dystopian scenario. As mentioned before, it is revealed that the cause of the apocalypse was the use of chemicals in plants which triggered a period of fast evolution. The fast evolution affected humans, animals, and plants alike. While the approach is interesting, it felt largely unexplored. For instance, there is a description on how humans evolved in two paths, one being smarter and the other becoming more primal and aggressive. Animals and plants, on the other hand, simply got their natural traits enhanced. For instance, dogs got smarter, bigger, and yet remain loyal to their human companions. In my opinion, while this approach to evolution makes things easy to imagine, it also feels quite lackluster and bland. There definitely was a lot of room for creativity, though it simply wasn’t taken by the author.
While there are other topics and themes covered, they are pretty minor or related to those above. As such, I would like to move on to the characters. In my opinion, all of the characters are boring, bland, and too familiar to readers, not in a good way. The characters, for the most part, feel like copies of other characters, or at least heavily inspired by existing characters. None of them is really memorable or even likable. I believe that this is the weakest aspect of the novel as a whole. One big complaint regarding the characters, mostly towards the end, is that the author seems to be setting them up in order to have at least two love triangles. This can be a huge deterring factor for some readers, myself included. Reading one love triangle can be annoying, I would imagine that two makes it even more so.
Narration and use of language
The novel is narrated mostly by using a first person perspective, which belongs to the protagonist, Maya. There are a few chapters in which the author decides to switch into using a third person perspective, due to the narration following other characters on events that are happening simultaneously to what Maya is living through. While the change is easy to follow, I’m not entirely convinced it was necessary. After all, several elements and events had been introduced via storytelling. These particular scenes could have easily been retold to Maya by the characters to maintain the same mood and style consistent throughout the novel, rather than randomly changing a couple of times unnecessarily. The language is pretty average and simple to follow. Together, the first person perspective and the easy flow of the language make the novel quite fast paced and immersive, though far from memorable.
Suggestions
I’d recommend this book to those that are into dystopian science fiction and who want something quick, easy, and entertaining to read. For those of you that are looking for something extra, other than recommending the classic utopian or dystopian novels (which I’d definitely encourage to read, I’ll recommend two trilogies which have similarities to some of the themes and events that are covered in this novel. The two trilogies are The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and the Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch, both of which are fast-paced and entertaining.
Thanks for reading my review!
October 4, 2015
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Maya has lived within the city walls all her life and was raised and taught to believe that the area outside the wall is contaminated and that the Guardians are working in the best interests of the population. Maya comes across circumstances that lead her to the conclusion that her whole life- the lives of all the people on the inside has been a lie.
This book was amazing in every sense of the word. To be honest it felt like this book was written to suit my all my reading requirements. It had action, an amazing female main character, great side characters, just enough romance not to make me throw up and an awesome writing style. This book was unpredictable and that’s what I loved about it.
Susanne Valenti did a great job with this book and I think she deserves all the awards for writing such a terrific novel.
I can honestly say that there was nothing I disliked about the book. I’d think something would go a certain way but then it wouldn’t and the surprise would be welcomed with open arms.
I read this book while I was in a bit of a reading slump but I’m glad I pushed through it. It was one of the better books of 2015 for me.
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHERE THIS SERIES GOES!!
Maya has lived within the city walls all her life and was raised and taught to believe that the area outside the wall is contaminated and that the Guardians are working in the best interests of the population. Maya comes across circumstances that lead her to the conclusion that her whole life- the lives of all the people on the inside has been a lie.
This book was amazing in every sense of the word. To be honest it felt like this book was written to suit my all my reading requirements. It had action, an amazing female main character, great side characters, just enough romance not to make me throw up and an awesome writing style. This book was unpredictable and that’s what I loved about it.
Susanne Valenti did a great job with this book and I think she deserves all the awards for writing such a terrific novel.
I can honestly say that there was nothing I disliked about the book. I’d think something would go a certain way but then it wouldn’t and the surprise would be welcomed with open arms.
I read this book while I was in a bit of a reading slump but I’m glad I pushed through it. It was one of the better books of 2015 for me.
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHERE THIS SERIES GOES!!
December 31, 2015
What an interesting and engaging story.
I was immediately taken with the premise of the story and wished I had thought of it first. Imagine, growing up in a home surrounded by a wall to protect you from the evils of the world. Who wouldn't want to live there.
Unfortunately, the main character Maya and her friends find out that all is not what it seems to be. They find themselves thrust into situations completely outside their control and at times beyond their comprehension. As they work out the issues of each new day, they are confronted by evidence that what they have always taught and believed is a lie.
I urge you to read this story as the evidence mounts and forces Maya to reevaluate her view of the world she has even known and grip the raw, dark realities thrust at her. I loved the book and if you like paranormal mystery/suspense, I'm sure you will too.
I was immediately taken with the premise of the story and wished I had thought of it first. Imagine, growing up in a home surrounded by a wall to protect you from the evils of the world. Who wouldn't want to live there.
Unfortunately, the main character Maya and her friends find out that all is not what it seems to be. They find themselves thrust into situations completely outside their control and at times beyond their comprehension. As they work out the issues of each new day, they are confronted by evidence that what they have always taught and believed is a lie.
I urge you to read this story as the evidence mounts and forces Maya to reevaluate her view of the world she has even known and grip the raw, dark realities thrust at her. I loved the book and if you like paranormal mystery/suspense, I'm sure you will too.
January 31, 2018
First I just want to mention that I got this for free on the Kindle ages ago, but I think the price is now £1.99 or something like that if you want to get it. I would not have read this if I'd had to purchase it first.
The good stuff: I liked the premise, the plot has promise.
What needs improving:
PROOFREADING. Seriously. So many homonyms were used instead of the correct word (heal, heel; manor, manner; etc).
Also, better editing is needed. For a YA book, this felt really long. A bit rambly. For instance, and I'm going to try to avoid spoilers here, Thing #1 happened. I was like "okay, let's see what happens". Then Thing #2a happens with Thing #2b fairly close behind. Again, I thought "hmm, okay... well, this has to be the main plot then." Nope, Thing #3 is to come!
So in my view, if Thing #3 is the main plot, you gotta get there a bit faster. Not almost halfway through the book. I don't care if this is part of a longer series and you need things #1 and #2 to happen first. Make them flashbacks or something.
And another thing! Why have two chapters in italics? Out of like 42? Either weave then in better, give more of them so it's a feature or make it work without them.
The characters also need a bit more depth. They seemed very superficial to me.
I don't actually like any of them (except maybe Hunter - him I can properly visualise and feel). Alicia seems to be all about toughness and blonde hair. Maya is... clumsy? Wants to shower a lot. Taylor isn't really even in the book now that I think about it, but I do remember his floppy hair. Coal... well, Maya thinks he's hot. Kind of hard to see what else there is to him since she's so blinded by her feelings for him most of the time. And Laurie is well-trained. That's all I really remember about them and it's not like I've left writing the review a few days like I usually do. I literally just finished the book and I don't feel like I know the characters at all, even with the number of pages the author had to work with.
The good stuff: I liked the premise, the plot has promise.
What needs improving:
PROOFREADING. Seriously. So many homonyms were used instead of the correct word (heal, heel; manor, manner; etc).
Also, better editing is needed. For a YA book, this felt really long. A bit rambly. For instance, and I'm going to try to avoid spoilers here, Thing #1 happened. I was like "okay, let's see what happens". Then Thing #2a happens with Thing #2b fairly close behind. Again, I thought "hmm, okay... well, this has to be the main plot then." Nope, Thing #3 is to come!
So in my view, if Thing #3 is the main plot, you gotta get there a bit faster. Not almost halfway through the book. I don't care if this is part of a longer series and you need things #1 and #2 to happen first. Make them flashbacks or something.
And another thing! Why have two chapters in italics? Out of like 42? Either weave then in better, give more of them so it's a feature or make it work without them.
The characters also need a bit more depth. They seemed very superficial to me.
I don't actually like any of them (except maybe Hunter - him I can properly visualise and feel). Alicia seems to be all about toughness and blonde hair. Maya is... clumsy? Wants to shower a lot. Taylor isn't really even in the book now that I think about it, but I do remember his floppy hair. Coal... well, Maya thinks he's hot. Kind of hard to see what else there is to him since she's so blinded by her feelings for him most of the time. And Laurie is well-trained. That's all I really remember about them and it's not like I've left writing the review a few days like I usually do. I literally just finished the book and I don't feel like I know the characters at all, even with the number of pages the author had to work with.
August 18, 2018
Enjoyed this.
Descriptions of Maya's world were inventive. Although they created a violent system for punishment, which seemed unnecessarily harsh for some crimes.
I had mixed feelings about the relationship between Maya and Taylor. Seemed a bit too close for just friends yet she kept insisting otherwise and he clearly felt differently.
I got a little irritated with Maya's clumsiness. After claiming to spend hours and hours at the "health and wellness center" running and strength training ("more tgan required") it just seemed so unlikely that she would be so clutzy. But whatever. It was clearly a method to create plot incidents.
The "contaminated" world was eye-opening for Maya (and for me).
Given the way life in the city worked, its not surprising that they both had such an interesting (conservationist style) perspective. Surely this building housed at least fifteen ..maybe twenty people! Wait, a whole house for just one family? A massive path that was not for walking but for vehicles.. that were not public transportation. I think the most interesting parts of the story were the viewpoints that are also reflections of our real world compared to the ones in this story.
"For the good of the population" became creepy because a privileged and corrupted few were taking advantage.. but the principle behind that thought is worthy.
There are four more books in this story but you could read this as a stand alone if you wanted.
Descriptions of Maya's world were inventive. Although they created a violent system for punishment, which seemed unnecessarily harsh for some crimes.
I had mixed feelings about the relationship between Maya and Taylor. Seemed a bit too close for just friends yet she kept insisting otherwise and he clearly felt differently.
I got a little irritated with Maya's clumsiness. After claiming to spend hours and hours at the "health and wellness center" running and strength training ("more tgan required") it just seemed so unlikely that she would be so clutzy. But whatever. It was clearly a method to create plot incidents.
The "contaminated" world was eye-opening for Maya (and for me).
Given the way life in the city worked, its not surprising that they both had such an interesting (conservationist style) perspective. Surely this building housed at least fifteen ..maybe twenty people! Wait, a whole house for just one family? A massive path that was not for walking but for vehicles.. that were not public transportation. I think the most interesting parts of the story were the viewpoints that are also reflections of our real world compared to the ones in this story.
"For the good of the population" became creepy because a privileged and corrupted few were taking advantage.. but the principle behind that thought is worthy.
There are four more books in this story but you could read this as a stand alone if you wanted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2017
I’ve got the boxed set but I wanted to leave a review for the first book once I finished it!
This story is awesome and I am loving it! I do not want to spoil all of the action and excitement- I had to just delete two paragraphs because I almost did just that!!
The story has plenty of action, intrigue, suspense, and romance. It tells of a city that has been closed off to the outside world, sealed off for over 100 years, where everyone works toward the greater of the community and the more valued a person is, the more lavish their dwelling and rewards. However, many of the residents just blindly believe all the lies they are told by their government, never questioning the system that has been in place for years. The main character, Maya, her best friend Taylor, and one of the wardens, Laurie, soon learn there’s more than life outside the city and they have been told lies by those who they were supposed to trust!
That is all the detail I want to go into so that it all comes as a surprise to you in case you decide to read it. And if you like dystopian/apocalyptic/survivor type novels, you really need to give this series a shot! It is great so far!!!
This story is awesome and I am loving it! I do not want to spoil all of the action and excitement- I had to just delete two paragraphs because I almost did just that!!
The story has plenty of action, intrigue, suspense, and romance. It tells of a city that has been closed off to the outside world, sealed off for over 100 years, where everyone works toward the greater of the community and the more valued a person is, the more lavish their dwelling and rewards. However, many of the residents just blindly believe all the lies they are told by their government, never questioning the system that has been in place for years. The main character, Maya, her best friend Taylor, and one of the wardens, Laurie, soon learn there’s more than life outside the city and they have been told lies by those who they were supposed to trust!
That is all the detail I want to go into so that it all comes as a surprise to you in case you decide to read it. And if you like dystopian/apocalyptic/survivor type novels, you really need to give this series a shot! It is great so far!!!
March 4, 2018
Loved this series kept me enthralled until the very end! The romance was amazing, absolutely beautiful (if a little formulaic), I adored the main characters and the action kept on the edge of my seat. I don't usually enjoy a switch in pov but thankfully there weren't many of those chapters and I could maintain my connection to Maya plus those chapters were kinda necessary to the plot. All in all a great series with a very satisfying ending I'll definitely miss these characters especially Maya and Coal!
November 23, 2015
Originally published on my website.
With my journey to New York City mostly complete, I had plenty of time to read books while I was on my way up. The first day was a wonderful (ha!) 12 hours drive, and the second day consisted of a much shorter 3 hours drive. I was able to catch up on most of my ARC books that I've had lying around, so expect a few updates this week.
The last one I finished is the first one I'm reviewing. It is called Chained, the first book of the Cage of Lies series by Susanne Valenti. I am not 100% sure how I first started following Susanne, but I have been for awhile. She's a pretty amazing author, and you should definitely go purchase her first two books: Chained and Linked. Links are for the Kindle additions, which will cost you $6 total. Susanne posted about advanced copies of her books, and I was one of the lucky ones to take her up on it! I just bought her second book on Amazon (TOTALLY didn't know it was out, and now I've started another book. Alas!)
I started Chained the second morning of our drive. It was a refreshing change over the other two books I read in the car, both of which I found weird. I was expecting my whole ARC experience to be weird and didn't have my hopes set too high on this book. I was pleasantly surprised.
I feel that I should state upfront that this book is a YA Dystopian book, and if you aren't a fan of that genre, this isn't going to be a book for you. There are some minor spoilers below, but nothing too major. So without further ado....
Chained by Susanne Valenti
Published October 2015
Part of the Cage of Lies series
3.5/5 Moose
Overview:
Maya, an intelligent teenage orphan trying to find her place in the new world population behind The Wall. After overpopulation and humans abusing the Earth, they accidentally created something that allowed the Earth to fight back. Fearing extinction, they hid in cities behind walls and burrowing into the ground. Hundreds of years later, the population is just beginning to be able to explore the wasteland around their cities to see if there is a possibility of expanding.
Maya has always held a fascination in the Old Ways. Cars, green trees and water have a strange hold on her, while the constant grayness and surveillance of Harbour City drive her nuts. When her only friend Taylor suggests that she join the group going to explore the outside to see if it is contaminated, she immediately jumps at the opportunity.
Unfortunately, this opportunity leads to accidental contamination, causing Maya and Taylor to be punished and sent to SubWars as messengers for 3 months. Maya's life is never the same after that.
Things I Liked:
Susanne, you've got a way with descriptions. I could feel the forest around me, especially in juxtaposition to the city and the potential "contamination" site. I love the slight guilt feeling I got about the huge house that only fit 4 people (as I move into my tiny NY apartment!)
I actually like Maya for the most part, though she seems too stubborn at times and needs to be saved too often. I had to remind myself occasionally that she had lived in the City, not learning how to fight. My favorite characters are definitely Alicia, Kaloo and Laurie— I love badass girls that don't need a boy to save them I guess. Coal and Taylor were fine — I really don't care for Taylor yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how he grows.
The thing with convincing dystopians lies in how civilization fell. It's got to be convincing — you've got to make me feel like this could start happening at any moment. Chained successfully gives a terrifying possibility. M. Night Shyamalan should have used this for his really terrible movie The Happening. I can imagine that Earth will fight back against us one day, especially if we accidentally give them the tools to do so.
Things I Didn't Like:
There are parts of the book that had me confused from the beginning. Did Maya witness her parents' death? Why was she near the labs then? Taylor and Laurie seem pretty open to leaving the city too — I've never read a book where everyone in a breakout of some sort seems okay. I'm also weary of the potential love triangle that's been set up by the book — I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will resolve quickly. (Seriously — my main love for the Divergent series is that there wasn't a love triangle).
Everyone seems a bit even keel most of the time. No one really fights, no one stops to ask why they're so willing to help out these strangers. And I wish there were more backstories to the characters. Maybe not backstory — maybe depth is the word I'm looking for?
And while I really liked the idea of SubWars, I clearly didn't understand what they were at first. So when Maya, Evan and Taylor end up in the SubWars fighting for their lives, I seriously got confused. I think I just need a visual map of the SubWars' layout to help me?
Conclusion:
If you like Dystopians, give this one a go. It's a quick read and a decent one at that. I definitely would have loved it more if it had been longer with certain aspects more detailed ( i.e. life in the city, the different class systems, the suffocating life, why everyone shuns Maya). I'll let you know if I'm still enjoying it after I finish the second book!
With my journey to New York City mostly complete, I had plenty of time to read books while I was on my way up. The first day was a wonderful (ha!) 12 hours drive, and the second day consisted of a much shorter 3 hours drive. I was able to catch up on most of my ARC books that I've had lying around, so expect a few updates this week.
The last one I finished is the first one I'm reviewing. It is called Chained, the first book of the Cage of Lies series by Susanne Valenti. I am not 100% sure how I first started following Susanne, but I have been for awhile. She's a pretty amazing author, and you should definitely go purchase her first two books: Chained and Linked. Links are for the Kindle additions, which will cost you $6 total. Susanne posted about advanced copies of her books, and I was one of the lucky ones to take her up on it! I just bought her second book on Amazon (TOTALLY didn't know it was out, and now I've started another book. Alas!)
I started Chained the second morning of our drive. It was a refreshing change over the other two books I read in the car, both of which I found weird. I was expecting my whole ARC experience to be weird and didn't have my hopes set too high on this book. I was pleasantly surprised.
I feel that I should state upfront that this book is a YA Dystopian book, and if you aren't a fan of that genre, this isn't going to be a book for you. There are some minor spoilers below, but nothing too major. So without further ado....
Chained by Susanne Valenti
Published October 2015
Part of the Cage of Lies series
3.5/5 Moose
Overview:
Maya, an intelligent teenage orphan trying to find her place in the new world population behind The Wall. After overpopulation and humans abusing the Earth, they accidentally created something that allowed the Earth to fight back. Fearing extinction, they hid in cities behind walls and burrowing into the ground. Hundreds of years later, the population is just beginning to be able to explore the wasteland around their cities to see if there is a possibility of expanding.
Maya has always held a fascination in the Old Ways. Cars, green trees and water have a strange hold on her, while the constant grayness and surveillance of Harbour City drive her nuts. When her only friend Taylor suggests that she join the group going to explore the outside to see if it is contaminated, she immediately jumps at the opportunity.
Unfortunately, this opportunity leads to accidental contamination, causing Maya and Taylor to be punished and sent to SubWars as messengers for 3 months. Maya's life is never the same after that.
Things I Liked:
Susanne, you've got a way with descriptions. I could feel the forest around me, especially in juxtaposition to the city and the potential "contamination" site. I love the slight guilt feeling I got about the huge house that only fit 4 people (as I move into my tiny NY apartment!)
I actually like Maya for the most part, though she seems too stubborn at times and needs to be saved too often. I had to remind myself occasionally that she had lived in the City, not learning how to fight. My favorite characters are definitely Alicia, Kaloo and Laurie— I love badass girls that don't need a boy to save them I guess. Coal and Taylor were fine — I really don't care for Taylor yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how he grows.
The thing with convincing dystopians lies in how civilization fell. It's got to be convincing — you've got to make me feel like this could start happening at any moment. Chained successfully gives a terrifying possibility. M. Night Shyamalan should have used this for his really terrible movie The Happening. I can imagine that Earth will fight back against us one day, especially if we accidentally give them the tools to do so.
Things I Didn't Like:
There are parts of the book that had me confused from the beginning. Did Maya witness her parents' death? Why was she near the labs then? Taylor and Laurie seem pretty open to leaving the city too — I've never read a book where everyone in a breakout of some sort seems okay. I'm also weary of the potential love triangle that's been set up by the book — I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will resolve quickly. (Seriously — my main love for the Divergent series is that there wasn't a love triangle).
Everyone seems a bit even keel most of the time. No one really fights, no one stops to ask why they're so willing to help out these strangers. And I wish there were more backstories to the characters. Maybe not backstory — maybe depth is the word I'm looking for?
And while I really liked the idea of SubWars, I clearly didn't understand what they were at first. So when Maya, Evan and Taylor end up in the SubWars fighting for their lives, I seriously got confused. I think I just need a visual map of the SubWars' layout to help me?
Conclusion:
If you like Dystopians, give this one a go. It's a quick read and a decent one at that. I definitely would have loved it more if it had been longer with certain aspects more detailed ( i.e. life in the city, the different class systems, the suffocating life, why everyone shuns Maya). I'll let you know if I'm still enjoying it after I finish the second book!
November 11, 2019
Loved it -and all the other books in the series!
I enjoy the fast pace, not too much triangle drama (i don't like triangles at all), great story with lots of action, friendship and love. I would give it six out of five if it was meant for adults and would have little more heat if you know what I mean ;)
I enjoy the fast pace, not too much triangle drama (i don't like triangles at all), great story with lots of action, friendship and love. I would give it six out of five if it was meant for adults and would have little more heat if you know what I mean ;)
June 24, 2017
Loved it
Loved it from the very start. Just the right enough action and characters were great. Maya was s very strong character. Ready for the next book. Couldn't put this one down
Loved it from the very start. Just the right enough action and characters were great. Maya was s very strong character. Ready for the next book. Couldn't put this one down
June 28, 2017
Amazing plot with a twist of truth.
The characters are terrific with really good development. Maya was especially endearing. The plot was interesting, complicated and believable. It made e think it could actually happen. I'm looking forward to the next one.
The characters are terrific with really good development. Maya was especially endearing. The plot was interesting, complicated and believable. It made e think it could actually happen. I'm looking forward to the next one.
October 27, 2019
Great start!
What a great start to a first series I’ve read and loved books written by the sisters together but this is my first by Susanne alone and I really enjoyed it. Away to dive straight into book 2
What a great start to a first series I’ve read and loved books written by the sisters together but this is my first by Susanne alone and I really enjoyed it. Away to dive straight into book 2
July 13, 2022
Moderately predictable, but enjoyable.
This felt very I Am Legend with a dash of Maze Runner, but unique enough I enjoyed the story. Might even go on to finish the series, which isn't super common for me.
This felt very I Am Legend with a dash of Maze Runner, but unique enough I enjoyed the story. Might even go on to finish the series, which isn't super common for me.
May 27, 2017
Wow , Great, What a page Turner !!!
I would just like to say "if this is Your 1st book You have a fan for life" Truly !!
K. Houseman
I would just like to say "if this is Your 1st book You have a fan for life" Truly !!
K. Houseman
August 22, 2017
This is one of my favorite series ever!! I cannot read the 5th, last book!
January 12, 2018
This book takes a hold of you fast and leaves you wanting more. love the characters and love the plot. cant wait to read book 2
December 21, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this story! I'm jumping right into the next book!!
May 5, 2019
Great book. Can't wait to read the next one
Great book. Can't wait to read the next one. The characters are great, the action keeps you reading for more.
Great book. Can't wait to read the next one. The characters are great, the action keeps you reading for more.
April 13, 2020
Read the new release of this titled rebel Rising loved it thanks for a great sort. This author can do no wrong
October 13, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy!
This review also appeared in Fiddler Blue
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
This debut novel is strong. I thought that, overall, the author did a good job. It was written on first person, with Maya as the central point of view, but sometimes had chapters from other characters' vantage point. I thought that was unnecessary and confusing, and I wish it was written in a different manner.
I also think that dystopian fans would feel right at home with this book. The world the author created was vividly imagined. The contrast between our present world and the one where the characters live was conspicuous. The city inside the Wall was made up of tall skyscrapers interconnected by bridges (or Walkways). There was a government in place, which was obviously totalitarian. Every moment made by the citizens were monitored via scanners and cameras. The lack of freedom in Harbour City (i.e. the city inside the Wall) was described very well, and I loved the setting the author painted for us. While reading, I couldn't help but question some of the things Maya kept on repeating to us, like getting an apartment on a higher floor (therefore more privileges) if you contribute to the society. But somewhere along the way, I realized I'm not the only one questioning the lack of information about Harbour City. Maya simply doesn't know because she's been blindly following the rules and regulations set by the government, no questions asked. All her life, she believed the story the Guardians fed them, about the world outside the Wall, the contamination, and what she ought to aspire in life. It reflects the sheep-like quality of humans, wherein we blindly follow someone without bothering to analyze their intentions. The motives of the Guardians were not clearly explained in this novel, but I think it will be explored more in the next book.
I did not connect well with Maya, unfortunately. I do think she is strong and independent, and she hated it when Taylor tries to protect her or do things for her. I think she is sensible and able to defend herself. What I don't get about her is her lack of motive. Inside the city, she seemed contented with how she lives, and the things that concerned her the most were trying to find a higher apartment and her physical appearance. I didn't feel like she was unsatisfied in any way and I didn't feel like she longed to see the outside of the wall. Her reaction was similar to a kid who learned she was going to Disneyland for the first time, but yes she'd be happy to go home afterwards. So I didn't buy it when she immediately felt like she belonged in the outside world. And she has a tendency to react strange to situations. Often laughing when there are people hunting them, getting distracted ALL the time by a guy's naked torso, and vowing to find a cure for her friend but didn't give him another thought during the entire journey.
tumblr_inline_nsj651SzDm1tq3lf5_500Her relationship with Taylor was interesting for me, especially during the first quarter of the book. However, I was dismayed to find out he was going to remain in a coma for the rest of the book! It was such a waste of character development, especially since their relationship was beginning to get complicated. I mean, Maya was just beginning to look at him in a new light, that this Taylor is now more than the boy she grew up with. Then boom! He fell asleep. Why? Because Coal is coming into the picture. Dark, brooding, handsome Coal who swept Maya off her feet the moment he entered. It was insta love at first sight! And if there was one thing I can't tolerate in my stories laced with a love story, it's insta love.
April-Ludgate-GIFs-From-Parks-RecreationI don't understand why Coal finds Maya so special anyway, even at the Subwar trenches. It all happened so fast. Speaking of May being special, I also didn't understand the hate for her. She didn't do any crime that will affect anyone, she wasn't the voice of a rebellion, and she wasn't doing anything that will attract attention. But the murderers and rapists in Subwar seemed bent on hurting and harassing her, for no other reason besides it's fun to scare the girl (and her best friend).
Laurie and Alicia are cool characters. They are such badasses they made all the guys look weak in comparison. I like their moments together and how they fight. Girls who know how to shoot a gun and some common sense are always good to have around.
In summary, I think there were a few misses in this novel, but it was still a good adventure overall. There wasn't a dull moment, and the characters often found themselves in constant danger and action.
This review also appeared in Fiddler Blue
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
This debut novel is strong. I thought that, overall, the author did a good job. It was written on first person, with Maya as the central point of view, but sometimes had chapters from other characters' vantage point. I thought that was unnecessary and confusing, and I wish it was written in a different manner.
I also think that dystopian fans would feel right at home with this book. The world the author created was vividly imagined. The contrast between our present world and the one where the characters live was conspicuous. The city inside the Wall was made up of tall skyscrapers interconnected by bridges (or Walkways). There was a government in place, which was obviously totalitarian. Every moment made by the citizens were monitored via scanners and cameras. The lack of freedom in Harbour City (i.e. the city inside the Wall) was described very well, and I loved the setting the author painted for us. While reading, I couldn't help but question some of the things Maya kept on repeating to us, like getting an apartment on a higher floor (therefore more privileges) if you contribute to the society. But somewhere along the way, I realized I'm not the only one questioning the lack of information about Harbour City. Maya simply doesn't know because she's been blindly following the rules and regulations set by the government, no questions asked. All her life, she believed the story the Guardians fed them, about the world outside the Wall, the contamination, and what she ought to aspire in life. It reflects the sheep-like quality of humans, wherein we blindly follow someone without bothering to analyze their intentions. The motives of the Guardians were not clearly explained in this novel, but I think it will be explored more in the next book.
I did not connect well with Maya, unfortunately. I do think she is strong and independent, and she hated it when Taylor tries to protect her or do things for her. I think she is sensible and able to defend herself. What I don't get about her is her lack of motive. Inside the city, she seemed contented with how she lives, and the things that concerned her the most were trying to find a higher apartment and her physical appearance. I didn't feel like she was unsatisfied in any way and I didn't feel like she longed to see the outside of the wall. Her reaction was similar to a kid who learned she was going to Disneyland for the first time, but yes she'd be happy to go home afterwards. So I didn't buy it when she immediately felt like she belonged in the outside world. And she has a tendency to react strange to situations. Often laughing when there are people hunting them, getting distracted ALL the time by a guy's naked torso, and vowing to find a cure for her friend but didn't give him another thought during the entire journey.
tumblr_inline_nsj651SzDm1tq3lf5_500Her relationship with Taylor was interesting for me, especially during the first quarter of the book. However, I was dismayed to find out he was going to remain in a coma for the rest of the book! It was such a waste of character development, especially since their relationship was beginning to get complicated. I mean, Maya was just beginning to look at him in a new light, that this Taylor is now more than the boy she grew up with. Then boom! He fell asleep. Why? Because Coal is coming into the picture. Dark, brooding, handsome Coal who swept Maya off her feet the moment he entered. It was insta love at first sight! And if there was one thing I can't tolerate in my stories laced with a love story, it's insta love.
April-Ludgate-GIFs-From-Parks-RecreationI don't understand why Coal finds Maya so special anyway, even at the Subwar trenches. It all happened so fast. Speaking of May being special, I also didn't understand the hate for her. She didn't do any crime that will affect anyone, she wasn't the voice of a rebellion, and she wasn't doing anything that will attract attention. But the murderers and rapists in Subwar seemed bent on hurting and harassing her, for no other reason besides it's fun to scare the girl (and her best friend).
Laurie and Alicia are cool characters. They are such badasses they made all the guys look weak in comparison. I like their moments together and how they fight. Girls who know how to shoot a gun and some common sense are always good to have around.
In summary, I think there were a few misses in this novel, but it was still a good adventure overall. There wasn't a dull moment, and the characters often found themselves in constant danger and action.
September 30, 2015
Today We Did
Years before, humanity was afflicted by a contamination event, which left many dead, and others terribly mutated. Plants and animals were also affected, further endangering humans. The remaining people fled into the walled cities, and began living as part of the population, contributing to and being ruled by the strictures of the new society. Maya has grown up within the safety of the city, hidden behind The Wall, but when her life takes an unexpected course, she finds herself being led beyond the safety zone of the city. Suddenly her eyes are open to a whole other world, making her question everything she has ever been told.
Chained is a fast paced young adult novel suitable for high school students and up. It is packed with action, adventure and a little romance. Nothing explicit though! The story was rather violent with a lot of fighting and deaths, including the use of weaponry such as knives and guns. I enjoyed the action sequences, they were well written and exciting, perfect for getting the adrenaline pumping!
The plot was well developed and logical. I found the story to be engrossing, in fact I had a difficult time stopping myself from reading the next chapter when it was time for bed! Maya and all the residents of the city were being kept in the dark about so many things, and the Guardians used their fear of contamination to control them, a bit like a large cult. As Maya and Laurie began to discover some of the secrets, it made me wonder just what else was being hidden or controlled and why.
The world that has been created in this dystopian novel has the massive enclosed cities, but the rest of the land is similar to that of today, except that everything is exaggerated in size, speed and cognitive functionality. In some ways this makes it scarier, the animals and plants are familiar, yet like nothing we’ve ever experienced, it made me think of what the world might have been like in prehistoric times.
The SubWar area of the city really brought out the worst in people, who were not only condemned to fight for their lives, but appeared to enjoy the killing of others. This might be a comment on the nature of humanity laid bare. The whole situation with the serial killer Grey was a bit odd though. He was completely unhinged, but the way that he looked at Maya, I thought there would be some prior connection between them. The concept of going to fight in SubWar as a punishment is very scary, but Grey and his cronies were just terrifying.
Maya is the main character, and the narration mostly follows her throughout the book. She is petite with a tendency towards anger when frustrated, and has a habit of being somewhat clumsy. Overall I liked Maya, though I thought she should have been straight with Taylor about how she feels about their relationship. However, I think many teenagers could relate to her situation with Taylor, growing up friends, and then puberty changing things.
All of the characters were well written and likable, though I felt a bit sorry for Taylor, with his unrequited love interest in Maya. He seemed like a nice guy, loyal, caring, playful. I thought he would play more of a role in the story than he did, and I would have liked to get to know him a bit better. It could have been an interesting sub-plot with both Taylor and Coal lusting after Maya! Coal was more of a dark horse than Taylor. He has experienced a hard life that has sculpted him into a more mature and serious character than his years would normally lead to. Coal’s sister, Alicia, is tough, but also cheery and cheeky. She often has something snide on the tip of her tongue, but she genuinely embraces life and the people she shares it with. She was a big personality that I really liked. Laurie was more reserved, yet still strong and tough when required.
Susanne Valenti is an emerging author, and Chained is her first book in a five book series called Cage of Lies. This is the start of a great series for fans of dystopian fiction and I am very excited that there is more to come!
*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
Years before, humanity was afflicted by a contamination event, which left many dead, and others terribly mutated. Plants and animals were also affected, further endangering humans. The remaining people fled into the walled cities, and began living as part of the population, contributing to and being ruled by the strictures of the new society. Maya has grown up within the safety of the city, hidden behind The Wall, but when her life takes an unexpected course, she finds herself being led beyond the safety zone of the city. Suddenly her eyes are open to a whole other world, making her question everything she has ever been told.
Chained is a fast paced young adult novel suitable for high school students and up. It is packed with action, adventure and a little romance. Nothing explicit though! The story was rather violent with a lot of fighting and deaths, including the use of weaponry such as knives and guns. I enjoyed the action sequences, they were well written and exciting, perfect for getting the adrenaline pumping!
The plot was well developed and logical. I found the story to be engrossing, in fact I had a difficult time stopping myself from reading the next chapter when it was time for bed! Maya and all the residents of the city were being kept in the dark about so many things, and the Guardians used their fear of contamination to control them, a bit like a large cult. As Maya and Laurie began to discover some of the secrets, it made me wonder just what else was being hidden or controlled and why.
The world that has been created in this dystopian novel has the massive enclosed cities, but the rest of the land is similar to that of today, except that everything is exaggerated in size, speed and cognitive functionality. In some ways this makes it scarier, the animals and plants are familiar, yet like nothing we’ve ever experienced, it made me think of what the world might have been like in prehistoric times.
The SubWar area of the city really brought out the worst in people, who were not only condemned to fight for their lives, but appeared to enjoy the killing of others. This might be a comment on the nature of humanity laid bare. The whole situation with the serial killer Grey was a bit odd though. He was completely unhinged, but the way that he looked at Maya, I thought there would be some prior connection between them. The concept of going to fight in SubWar as a punishment is very scary, but Grey and his cronies were just terrifying.
Maya is the main character, and the narration mostly follows her throughout the book. She is petite with a tendency towards anger when frustrated, and has a habit of being somewhat clumsy. Overall I liked Maya, though I thought she should have been straight with Taylor about how she feels about their relationship. However, I think many teenagers could relate to her situation with Taylor, growing up friends, and then puberty changing things.
All of the characters were well written and likable, though I felt a bit sorry for Taylor, with his unrequited love interest in Maya. He seemed like a nice guy, loyal, caring, playful. I thought he would play more of a role in the story than he did, and I would have liked to get to know him a bit better. It could have been an interesting sub-plot with both Taylor and Coal lusting after Maya! Coal was more of a dark horse than Taylor. He has experienced a hard life that has sculpted him into a more mature and serious character than his years would normally lead to. Coal’s sister, Alicia, is tough, but also cheery and cheeky. She often has something snide on the tip of her tongue, but she genuinely embraces life and the people she shares it with. She was a big personality that I really liked. Laurie was more reserved, yet still strong and tough when required.
Susanne Valenti is an emerging author, and Chained is her first book in a five book series called Cage of Lies. This is the start of a great series for fans of dystopian fiction and I am very excited that there is more to come!
*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
March 12, 2017
I can breathe now!
This book was one of the best ones I have read in quite a while. Such imagination, action, artistry and talent poured into this story! I loved everything about it and gleefully look forward to continuing this series!
This book was one of the best ones I have read in quite a while. Such imagination, action, artistry and talent poured into this story! I loved everything about it and gleefully look forward to continuing this series!
September 22, 2015
Maya is an orphan. She lives all alone in an apartment in ‘The Wall.’ After a huge tragedy(man made) everyone still alive lives there. The outside world is contaminated, the humans that are left outside are more animal like. There are systems in place for all inside ‘The Wall’ to be taken care of, “For the greater good of the population.” Or so she was always taught….
Maya’s best friend Taylor wakes her up one morning really excited. They get to go out there…. Outside ‘The Wall’ to do research to find out if the land is contaminated for expansions for the city. Of course they found leftover food, photos, some clothing and other family items. They also see parts of dead trees for the first time. Aaaaaaaaand a tree swing!!! Who hasn’t played on one of those? Well, Maya pushes Taylor and doesn’t realize she needs to move until its too late. She’s hit by him and the swing, thrown backwards, cracking her mask(part of the mandatory protective suit). I have to admit, I laughed really hard here!
At first things seem fine, then they’re not! Taylor did what he thought was the right thing. It ended up sending him and Maya to ‘SubWar’. Just for the record, I would have taken my chances with the contaminations over that!! SubWar is where they send their inmates. Instead of housing and feeding prisoners they send them to kill each other. Like here you would get a couple years for certain crimes, there you would get a certain amount of battles to live through in order to be released. Lesser crimes get ‘Messenger’ titles (that was Maya and Taylor). That still doesn’t keep you safe though…
JUST BECAUSE IM TELLING YOU ALL THIS DOES NOT YOU CAN SKIP THE BOOK!!!! I AM NOT DOING IT JUSTICE AT ALL!!!!
Anywho… Laurie(a Warden) trains them and one other SubWar messenger. She becomes their friend though, and helps them out a lot. After getting lost in the middle of battle Maya and Taylor go looking for Laure. When they find her Taylor is grazed with a bullet and knocked out, here we meet Coal. He saved their lives (all three) and helps them escape into the forest back to his town.
YES!!! There is an outside world! With trees, and grass, and no contaminations! And apparently good looking, strong men and women. But few families. They only way they can get Taylor medical attention is by agreeing to go on a crazy mission to an old bunker for information. What do you think? Of course they went! Along with Coal’s sister, Alicia, and best friend Hunter.
They get into a whole lotta tough spots! From fighting with coyotes, to the Creepers(the humans more like animals) and have a blast completing the mission. Okay, so maybe not a blast, but Maya and Coal finally admit their feeling for each other!! After the mission is complete, we find out HUGE news! Maya may not be an orphan after all….
Did I give away too much? I hope not! I absolutely LOVED this book and trust me, you will too! Its kind of a cross between The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Island(recently reviewed this series). Then again, its nothing like them! Its hard for me to explain, but you will love it!
Susanne Valenti is such a great storyteller, you will forget your reading a book at all. She has an amazing imagination, and knows how to put it to paper! If ya don’t believe me ask my husband, I’ve stayed up until I couldn’t see straight because I just could not put it down!
AND…There’s going to be more? I cannot wait for the next book. I’m not tryin to be rude, but I sure hope your a fast writer :D If not, I’ll be reading Chained a few times!
Maya’s best friend Taylor wakes her up one morning really excited. They get to go out there…. Outside ‘The Wall’ to do research to find out if the land is contaminated for expansions for the city. Of course they found leftover food, photos, some clothing and other family items. They also see parts of dead trees for the first time. Aaaaaaaaand a tree swing!!! Who hasn’t played on one of those? Well, Maya pushes Taylor and doesn’t realize she needs to move until its too late. She’s hit by him and the swing, thrown backwards, cracking her mask(part of the mandatory protective suit). I have to admit, I laughed really hard here!
At first things seem fine, then they’re not! Taylor did what he thought was the right thing. It ended up sending him and Maya to ‘SubWar’. Just for the record, I would have taken my chances with the contaminations over that!! SubWar is where they send their inmates. Instead of housing and feeding prisoners they send them to kill each other. Like here you would get a couple years for certain crimes, there you would get a certain amount of battles to live through in order to be released. Lesser crimes get ‘Messenger’ titles (that was Maya and Taylor). That still doesn’t keep you safe though…
JUST BECAUSE IM TELLING YOU ALL THIS DOES NOT YOU CAN SKIP THE BOOK!!!! I AM NOT DOING IT JUSTICE AT ALL!!!!
Anywho… Laurie(a Warden) trains them and one other SubWar messenger. She becomes their friend though, and helps them out a lot. After getting lost in the middle of battle Maya and Taylor go looking for Laure. When they find her Taylor is grazed with a bullet and knocked out, here we meet Coal. He saved their lives (all three) and helps them escape into the forest back to his town.
YES!!! There is an outside world! With trees, and grass, and no contaminations! And apparently good looking, strong men and women. But few families. They only way they can get Taylor medical attention is by agreeing to go on a crazy mission to an old bunker for information. What do you think? Of course they went! Along with Coal’s sister, Alicia, and best friend Hunter.
They get into a whole lotta tough spots! From fighting with coyotes, to the Creepers(the humans more like animals) and have a blast completing the mission. Okay, so maybe not a blast, but Maya and Coal finally admit their feeling for each other!! After the mission is complete, we find out HUGE news! Maya may not be an orphan after all….
Did I give away too much? I hope not! I absolutely LOVED this book and trust me, you will too! Its kind of a cross between The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Island(recently reviewed this series). Then again, its nothing like them! Its hard for me to explain, but you will love it!
Susanne Valenti is such a great storyteller, you will forget your reading a book at all. She has an amazing imagination, and knows how to put it to paper! If ya don’t believe me ask my husband, I’ve stayed up until I couldn’t see straight because I just could not put it down!
AND…There’s going to be more? I cannot wait for the next book. I’m not tryin to be rude, but I sure hope your a fast writer :D If not, I’ll be reading Chained a few times!
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