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The Divinity Bureau
A world crippled with overpopulation.
A government deciding who lives and who dies.
A boy fighting for the girl he loves.
In the aftermath of the discovery of immortality, the world finds itself suffering from overpopulation, a failing economy, pollution, and a world in turmoil. The government only has one solution: implement an agency that is responsible for keeping the population sustainable - an agency known as the Divinity Bureau.
When IT assistant Roman Irvine gets romantically involved with a nineteen year old college student on their list, he finds himself unraveling the secrets of the bureau and thrust into the politics of deciding who lives and who dies. Meanwhile, when April McIntyre finds her own life in peril, she struggles with an impossible choice: does she accept her fate or does she fight – even at the expense of the man she loves?
A government deciding who lives and who dies.
A boy fighting for the girl he loves.
In the aftermath of the discovery of immortality, the world finds itself suffering from overpopulation, a failing economy, pollution, and a world in turmoil. The government only has one solution: implement an agency that is responsible for keeping the population sustainable - an agency known as the Divinity Bureau.
When IT assistant Roman Irvine gets romantically involved with a nineteen year old college student on their list, he finds himself unraveling the secrets of the bureau and thrust into the politics of deciding who lives and who dies. Meanwhile, when April McIntyre finds her own life in peril, she struggles with an impossible choice: does she accept her fate or does she fight – even at the expense of the man she loves?
- GenresDystopiaScience Fiction
283 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2016
22 people want to read
About the author
Tess Alley
1 book3 followersTess Alley’s writing career began at the age of nine years old when she picked up a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Immediately enthralled, she spent her pre-puberty years writing fan fiction until she moved on to writing her own stories.
Her debut book, “The Divinity Bureau,” was the product of a stint in community college, where she was taking a social science class in future studies. One of her class discussions involved discussing the possible effects of overpopulation. Her notes from that discussion became the beginning outline of The Divinity Bureau.
Over the next four years, Tess continued to outline the plots for a continued series in the Divinity Bureau world and writing the first novel. In the meantime, she worked a series of odd jobs (a crew member for a movie theater, a players club representative for a casino, and an administrative assistant for an office) until she found herself working in Finance. She finally finished The Divinity Bureau in between staring at spreadsheets and reviewing payments. Her book is available now on Amazon.
Her debut book, “The Divinity Bureau,” was the product of a stint in community college, where she was taking a social science class in future studies. One of her class discussions involved discussing the possible effects of overpopulation. Her notes from that discussion became the beginning outline of The Divinity Bureau.
Over the next four years, Tess continued to outline the plots for a continued series in the Divinity Bureau world and writing the first novel. In the meantime, she worked a series of odd jobs (a crew member for a movie theater, a players club representative for a casino, and an administrative assistant for an office) until she found herself working in Finance. She finally finished The Divinity Bureau in between staring at spreadsheets and reviewing payments. Her book is available now on Amazon.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 30, 2016
The world is not the same anymore. The USA doesn’t exist anymore. The sea level has risen and there is less land to live on. There is overpopulation, so they need something to control the population. The Divinity Bureau selects people they then kill. This happens randomly and only people that are immortal and very old are selected.
Roman works at a Divinity Bureau as an IT expert. He is amazing with computers and he’s passionate about them. One day, he discovers a mortal, young woman on the list. He wants to find out why she should be selected. When Roman sees April working, he talks to her and he decides to protect her. He spends more time with her and falls for her. Roman decides to find out why April was selected in the first place and discovers some weird things that are going on at the Bureau.
I loved Roman. He’s smart. He went to college and loves working with computers. He works for not much money, but he can afford food and an apartment, and there are many people with less. Roman is very shy around April. He has had relationships before, but he has never loved anyone like he loves April. He loves talking to her and spending time with her. He falls for her and will always protect her.
April wasn’t always easy to like. She doesn’t always make the right decisions and she acts very spoiled sometimes. She loves Roman and doesn’t care that he isn’t rich. He makes her enjoy the little things. She’s against the Bureau and fights with others for justice. Roman is shocked that she’s against the Bureau, but he believes in her.
The copy I read wasn’t formatting properly and I found it very difficult to read at the beginning, but after a while, I started to really like the story. I wanted to know why April was selected and why her family was targeted.
-- Copy provided by the author. Thank you! --
Roman works at a Divinity Bureau as an IT expert. He is amazing with computers and he’s passionate about them. One day, he discovers a mortal, young woman on the list. He wants to find out why she should be selected. When Roman sees April working, he talks to her and he decides to protect her. He spends more time with her and falls for her. Roman decides to find out why April was selected in the first place and discovers some weird things that are going on at the Bureau.
I loved Roman. He’s smart. He went to college and loves working with computers. He works for not much money, but he can afford food and an apartment, and there are many people with less. Roman is very shy around April. He has had relationships before, but he has never loved anyone like he loves April. He loves talking to her and spending time with her. He falls for her and will always protect her.
April wasn’t always easy to like. She doesn’t always make the right decisions and she acts very spoiled sometimes. She loves Roman and doesn’t care that he isn’t rich. He makes her enjoy the little things. She’s against the Bureau and fights with others for justice. Roman is shocked that she’s against the Bureau, but he believes in her.
The copy I read wasn’t formatting properly and I found it very difficult to read at the beginning, but after a while, I started to really like the story. I wanted to know why April was selected and why her family was targeted.
-- Copy provided by the author. Thank you! --
May 28, 2017
Excellent book!
What’s really cool, is that I just finished watching the first season of the series, 3% on Netflix, and there is beautiful symmetry between this show and Tessa’s book. If you know anything about the show, you will know it’s also about a dystopian future where the planet is crippled by overpopulation.
Like the TV show, The Divinity Bureau has a very controversial and wholly unfair way of dealing with the problem. While the parts of the population that can afford it, tote immortality as the be all, end all, for humanity, “The Divinity Bureau” holds a special election. Anyone over the age of 100 is eligible and if you’re randomly elected, you are executed. You know, to make room for more people. Other places put procreation bans in place but here, the government decides who lives and who dies.
Like any government, this one is rife with corruption. Can you guess how this might affect the populace?
The Divinity Bureau is a fascinating read. It’s told from a multiple person POV, in this case, Roman and April’s, so we get an in-depth look at this government regulated practice and how it affects people. It is very well-written, exciting, and has the best parts of many popular Dystopian books sprinkled into the landscape. It did go on a tad too long, but it’s forgivable because the story is so good.
If this kind of thing floats your boat, then it’s a must read. I heartily give it my stamp!
Rating… B
What’s really cool, is that I just finished watching the first season of the series, 3% on Netflix, and there is beautiful symmetry between this show and Tessa’s book. If you know anything about the show, you will know it’s also about a dystopian future where the planet is crippled by overpopulation.
Like the TV show, The Divinity Bureau has a very controversial and wholly unfair way of dealing with the problem. While the parts of the population that can afford it, tote immortality as the be all, end all, for humanity, “The Divinity Bureau” holds a special election. Anyone over the age of 100 is eligible and if you’re randomly elected, you are executed. You know, to make room for more people. Other places put procreation bans in place but here, the government decides who lives and who dies.
Like any government, this one is rife with corruption. Can you guess how this might affect the populace?
The Divinity Bureau is a fascinating read. It’s told from a multiple person POV, in this case, Roman and April’s, so we get an in-depth look at this government regulated practice and how it affects people. It is very well-written, exciting, and has the best parts of many popular Dystopian books sprinkled into the landscape. It did go on a tad too long, but it’s forgivable because the story is so good.
If this kind of thing floats your boat, then it’s a must read. I heartily give it my stamp!
Rating… B
October 28, 2016
I received the book in exchange of honest review.
I am not going to give up much information about the book, so my review is going to be really without spoilers.
In the beginning I was surprised that the book is written in the future. This makes me hesitate should I keep reading the book. But actually when I keep reading I realize that I actually like the plot. I was keep thinking probably it is not too far away from what is expecting the next generation in future.
However, I really enjoyed the romance between Roman and April (the poor boy and the rich girl). It was intriguing to see what is going to happen to the end (not only between Roman and April, but about whole situation happening in the book).
The book gives you some views you can thinking about life and human existence.
I am not going to give up much information about the book, so my review is going to be really without spoilers.
In the beginning I was surprised that the book is written in the future. This makes me hesitate should I keep reading the book. But actually when I keep reading I realize that I actually like the plot. I was keep thinking probably it is not too far away from what is expecting the next generation in future.
However, I really enjoyed the romance between Roman and April (the poor boy and the rich girl). It was intriguing to see what is going to happen to the end (not only between Roman and April, but about whole situation happening in the book).
The book gives you some views you can thinking about life and human existence.
August 8, 2017
Wow! This book. I really, really enjoyed it. I did not expect to love all these characters. April and Roman were just fabulous, Autumn and Tate are just such cuties... loved the book! While I believe this book has great potential with amazing and interesting characters with a very, very unique plot line, I do think it lacks a little in its setting. As in the world is a little confusing at some points which in turn, messes with the plot. I will say the beginning was pretty hard to get through along with some paragraphs throughout the read that felt like could have been cut out. But the transitions from moment to moment were very good, and I enjoyed progressing through the story as I kept wanting more every time I had to put it down for the night.
October 30, 2016
I received this book in turn for an honest review and I appreciate the chance to read it!
I really hate to give less than 4 or 5 start reviews, but I have to be honest. The description for this book was very intriguing and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately it fell quite short of my expectations. It is extremely rare for me not to finish a book and I was very close to giving up on this one.
On the positive side, the dystopian future was creative. The idea of the overpopulated Earth in the future and the problems that society faces was interesting. Several of the issues of this world were consistent throughout the story- wearing masks for pollution, self-driving cars, and lack of any paper products rang true and consistent. The novel started off fairly strong as the characters and future of our country were introduced. But, a third of the way through, it fell flat.
I began to notice editing errors that are a huge pet peeve to me and I would think most readers: the protagonist is described as having grey eyes and then literally on the next page, her eyes are brown. It is said that her bedroom is on the 4th floor, then the 3rd and back to the 4th. This is something I don't expect in a published book and is very distracting while reading.
There were also many repetitive phrases used: we are told at least 5 different times about the nature of her trip to a foreign country and it is mentioned a countless number of times that Roman has a Masters degree. It seems like the author doesn't think the readers have any memory and need these things reiterated way too often.
The pacing was way too slow as well, with much less action than I feel the description of the book eluded to. I was bored half way through and had to push myself to finish. I kept thinking things would speed up but the story was just too slow and didn't have a clear climactic arc. There was very little heroic action by the characters like I had hoped and they certainly do not accomplish much by way of effecting the government or making a big splash in the world. There are a few minimal protests early on but nothing to make them very special or skilled or memorable.
It was a fun idea but the writing needs a lot of work, much more action and better pacing, much less repetitive information. The dual narrating was also not necessary for this story. I did not feel like I got to know either main character well as they bounced back and forth with their views and never felt connected to either of them.
I really hate to give less than 4 or 5 start reviews, but I have to be honest. The description for this book was very intriguing and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately it fell quite short of my expectations. It is extremely rare for me not to finish a book and I was very close to giving up on this one.
On the positive side, the dystopian future was creative. The idea of the overpopulated Earth in the future and the problems that society faces was interesting. Several of the issues of this world were consistent throughout the story- wearing masks for pollution, self-driving cars, and lack of any paper products rang true and consistent. The novel started off fairly strong as the characters and future of our country were introduced. But, a third of the way through, it fell flat.
I began to notice editing errors that are a huge pet peeve to me and I would think most readers: the protagonist is described as having grey eyes and then literally on the next page, her eyes are brown. It is said that her bedroom is on the 4th floor, then the 3rd and back to the 4th. This is something I don't expect in a published book and is very distracting while reading.
There were also many repetitive phrases used: we are told at least 5 different times about the nature of her trip to a foreign country and it is mentioned a countless number of times that Roman has a Masters degree. It seems like the author doesn't think the readers have any memory and need these things reiterated way too often.
The pacing was way too slow as well, with much less action than I feel the description of the book eluded to. I was bored half way through and had to push myself to finish. I kept thinking things would speed up but the story was just too slow and didn't have a clear climactic arc. There was very little heroic action by the characters like I had hoped and they certainly do not accomplish much by way of effecting the government or making a big splash in the world. There are a few minimal protests early on but nothing to make them very special or skilled or memorable.
It was a fun idea but the writing needs a lot of work, much more action and better pacing, much less repetitive information. The dual narrating was also not necessary for this story. I did not feel like I got to know either main character well as they bounced back and forth with their views and never felt connected to either of them.
October 26, 2016
I would like to start this review by thanking the author and the Goodreads New Adult Book Club for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion and hosting a great giveaway!
"The Divinity Bureau" is a dystopian romance novel. It tells the story of April, a free-spirited and quite reckless young woman, and Roman, a clumsy but charming young man. The story takes off when Roman saves April from being elected (you’ll understand what it truly means if you read the book!)…
I was very excited to read this book because the blurb reminded me of all the well-known dystopian novels of our era. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. Although the storyline was interesting and had a lot of potential, I found that Tess Alley made it too complicated and didn’t manage to introduce the world she created in a convincing way: I kept reading passages over and over to get a good hold of the situation in space and in time. Furthermore, while Roman and April’s relationship was sweet, I thought that it was quite banal. I would have liked the romance to be a little more developed.
Still, the resourceful writing style kept the novel entertaining and allowed me to get somewhat attached to the protagonists, which is always something that I look for in a book. If I could, I would have given this one 3.5 stars.
To conclude, I would recommend “The Divinity Bureau” to someone looking for a more intricate version of “Divergent”.
"The Divinity Bureau" is a dystopian romance novel. It tells the story of April, a free-spirited and quite reckless young woman, and Roman, a clumsy but charming young man. The story takes off when Roman saves April from being elected (you’ll understand what it truly means if you read the book!)…
I was very excited to read this book because the blurb reminded me of all the well-known dystopian novels of our era. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. Although the storyline was interesting and had a lot of potential, I found that Tess Alley made it too complicated and didn’t manage to introduce the world she created in a convincing way: I kept reading passages over and over to get a good hold of the situation in space and in time. Furthermore, while Roman and April’s relationship was sweet, I thought that it was quite banal. I would have liked the romance to be a little more developed.
Still, the resourceful writing style kept the novel entertaining and allowed me to get somewhat attached to the protagonists, which is always something that I look for in a book. If I could, I would have given this one 3.5 stars.
To conclude, I would recommend “The Divinity Bureau” to someone looking for a more intricate version of “Divergent”.
October 31, 2016
I started reading this book expecting a dystopian, I found that it's more like a romance but I liked it anyway. I immediately loved the setting: a post World War III world where people became basically immortal with the consequence that the Earth is overpopulated. I found it fresh and different from others that I read, the premises are good for a kick ass saga. I liked how the two characters interact despite I found a bit surreal the fact that she acts almost normal when she discovers he lied to her since the beginning. I liked the fact that the overpopulation problem was correlated with collateral issues, like the pollution or the lack of natural food and the necessity to use surrogates. I liked how the corruption insinuate into the solution for the overpopulation problem but I would like to know a little more about that (I hope it will explain how everything started, maybe in another novel?)
The part that made me give this book three stars on five is that I found unbalanced the romance compared to the “action”. There is the potential for a huge saga but there is too much describing interaction between the two characters (e.g. describing everyday life experience that can be skipped to improve rythm) and too few describing the conspiracy that made them meet. The conspiracy has a huge role in the story but I found it underrated. I definitely hope there will be a sequel for this book because I need to find answers.
The part that made me give this book three stars on five is that I found unbalanced the romance compared to the “action”. There is the potential for a huge saga but there is too much describing interaction between the two characters (e.g. describing everyday life experience that can be skipped to improve rythm) and too few describing the conspiracy that made them meet. The conspiracy has a huge role in the story but I found it underrated. I definitely hope there will be a sequel for this book because I need to find answers.
October 12, 2016
I was given this book to review and think that the idea is a good one. It is written from alternating view points of April and Roman. April being the daughter of a wealthy politician and Roman working for the Divinity Bureaux for low pay in the IT department. The Divinity Bureaux is an organisation that is in charge of electing thousands of people for death every year in an over populated America. They basically hold everyone's life in their hands.
Roman and April meet when Roman looks at the election list and sees April's name on it. He thinks it's an error as she is only nineteen and shouldn't be on the list because only people who have opted into immortality and are over a hundred are eligible for election. So he deleted her name. Only as the story continues he and April uncover corruption within the Bureaux and a grudge against April's family.
This was an OK read. The story was good but could have been so much more. I felt it didn't really get going until about three quarters of the way through the book, the romance was flat and I found the amount of time that passed between events was unclear and made it confusing.
Overall although the writing didn't have me hooked, the idea is actually a great one. I'm not sure I would rush out and get the sequel but I am intrigued to know the fate of the Divinity Bureaux and whether Roman and April now on the run can bring them down.
Roman and April meet when Roman looks at the election list and sees April's name on it. He thinks it's an error as she is only nineteen and shouldn't be on the list because only people who have opted into immortality and are over a hundred are eligible for election. So he deleted her name. Only as the story continues he and April uncover corruption within the Bureaux and a grudge against April's family.
This was an OK read. The story was good but could have been so much more. I felt it didn't really get going until about three quarters of the way through the book, the romance was flat and I found the amount of time that passed between events was unclear and made it confusing.
Overall although the writing didn't have me hooked, the idea is actually a great one. I'm not sure I would rush out and get the sequel but I am intrigued to know the fate of the Divinity Bureaux and whether Roman and April now on the run can bring them down.
February 1, 2017
I was a little leery due to not being a huge fan of dystopian fiction (I feel as if it's been done to death and I am tired of being told that we humans are horrible and awful). What I found was really rather nice!
This didn't focus on the apparent awfulness of the human race, but instead dealt with one aspect of the fallout - the population issue. This was presented in a new and intriguing way that kept me turning the pages. I would have liked to see more of a overall view but taking it to a personal view of two people kept me interested.
The drawbacks - once again, one of the people is filthy rich. That is getting very tired. Of COURSE they will find a way out....they have the resources. What if they didn't?
The heroine is very hard to get behind...but I don't hate that. Most people are annoying AND lovely...this character is both. Perhaps more heavily leaning toward annoying - but that stands to reason based on her upbringing. It's not a cookie cutter set up, people. It's more realistic than that, and I applaud that.
On the overall view, this book is worth a read. Some editing still to be done to be perfect, but the story is solid, the writing is good (remember that it's YA), and the characters well rounded out. The story stays on point and gets you from A to B in a satisfactory manner.
This didn't focus on the apparent awfulness of the human race, but instead dealt with one aspect of the fallout - the population issue. This was presented in a new and intriguing way that kept me turning the pages. I would have liked to see more of a overall view but taking it to a personal view of two people kept me interested.
The drawbacks - once again, one of the people is filthy rich. That is getting very tired. Of COURSE they will find a way out....they have the resources. What if they didn't?
The heroine is very hard to get behind...but I don't hate that. Most people are annoying AND lovely...this character is both. Perhaps more heavily leaning toward annoying - but that stands to reason based on her upbringing. It's not a cookie cutter set up, people. It's more realistic than that, and I applaud that.
On the overall view, this book is worth a read. Some editing still to be done to be perfect, but the story is solid, the writing is good (remember that it's YA), and the characters well rounded out. The story stays on point and gets you from A to B in a satisfactory manner.
October 29, 2016
I hate giving bad reviews, but this book was disappointing to me. The blurb was so intriguing and I love futuristic and dystopian books. Overpopulation will mot likely become a huge problem in the future and some places already is. I wanted this book to make you reflect and get new thoughts around this subject.
I hope it is just me and that this book will appeal to other people. I want authors to succeed. But this book felt flat, the romance felt unnecessary, it was like a back thought that was underdeveloped. I hate the heroine in this book she was so spoiled and awful. The mother was not awesome but she did not deserve the treatment she got from her daughter. The fact that the hero, who seemed like a good guy worshiped the heroine to those degrees and forgave so many awful things makes me sad and frustrated.
The plot and world building was also quite underdeveloped in my opinion. She had a good idea for a book but it didn't translate that well on paper.
I got this book in exchange for an honest review.
I hope it is just me and that this book will appeal to other people. I want authors to succeed. But this book felt flat, the romance felt unnecessary, it was like a back thought that was underdeveloped. I hate the heroine in this book she was so spoiled and awful. The mother was not awesome but she did not deserve the treatment she got from her daughter. The fact that the hero, who seemed like a good guy worshiped the heroine to those degrees and forgave so many awful things makes me sad and frustrated.
The plot and world building was also quite underdeveloped in my opinion. She had a good idea for a book but it didn't translate that well on paper.
I got this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 11, 2016
*2,5 stars*
Copy kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I visit the official site of the author and I was blown away of her struggle in life. She is speaking out about a situation that a lot of people are going through. Congratulations are also in order that The Divinity Bureau is being considered for traditional publication.
“Life is short. Don't waste a single moment.”
It's one of the quotes in the book that every one of us can relate to. The Divinity Bureau by Tess Alley was a book that I like but didn't love. The topic of the book is something that I find very interesting and it challenges a reader’s way of thinking. But at the same time I didn’t like the characters and their interaction or the romantic aspect.
I really think that the author has a potential to be a great story teller and the topic of her writing is an attention grabber. I wish her all the luck and I’m looking forward to see her future works.
Copy kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I visit the official site of the author and I was blown away of her struggle in life. She is speaking out about a situation that a lot of people are going through. Congratulations are also in order that The Divinity Bureau is being considered for traditional publication.
“Life is short. Don't waste a single moment.”
It's one of the quotes in the book that every one of us can relate to. The Divinity Bureau by Tess Alley was a book that I like but didn't love. The topic of the book is something that I find very interesting and it challenges a reader’s way of thinking. But at the same time I didn’t like the characters and their interaction or the romantic aspect.
I really think that the author has a potential to be a great story teller and the topic of her writing is an attention grabber. I wish her all the luck and I’m looking forward to see her future works.
August 15, 2016
The Divinity Bureau is my first book - one that I'm really proud of.
The setting is a scenario that I spent a lot of time thinking about, wondering if this was the future that our world was heading towards. It's the product of internet research, a few college courses, and a trip to the futurism exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
That being said, no world is complete without it's characters - and I'm proud of the characters and their development. We get to watch a boy who spent most of his life on the sidelines become a hero for the girl he loves. We also get to watch a girl that spent most of her life told that she was crazy become a heroine - not just for herself, but for the people around her. We also get to watch these two people from different worlds fall in love and overcome immense odds to be together.
I hope you guys enjoy it!
The setting is a scenario that I spent a lot of time thinking about, wondering if this was the future that our world was heading towards. It's the product of internet research, a few college courses, and a trip to the futurism exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
That being said, no world is complete without it's characters - and I'm proud of the characters and their development. We get to watch a boy who spent most of his life on the sidelines become a hero for the girl he loves. We also get to watch a girl that spent most of her life told that she was crazy become a heroine - not just for herself, but for the people around her. We also get to watch these two people from different worlds fall in love and overcome immense odds to be together.
I hope you guys enjoy it!
October 6, 2016
I wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, the book is in serious need of editing (which usually doesn't bother me too much, but I had to stop several times to figure out misspelled words, missing words or wrong word forms), and the structure needs reformatting. Paragraphs and sentences were broken apart by lines and numbers. It was very difficult to follow. Also, the use of the "F" word seemed unneeded. I don't remember many other uses of profanity, but when a character got angry, they resorted to the most offensive cuss word. It just seemed unrealistic and unnecessary. I also had a very difficult time with the heroine. She was impulsive, bitter and angry. By the very last page she had changed a little bit, but it took all the way to the last 10% or so for her to not shut others out or to spew anger.
I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 17, 2016
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
This book was based on a very interesting concept. The romance really took a back seat compared to the other things going on in the story. I was glad that there was no insta-love in this book! The issue for me was that I feel like the book was too long for the story. The middle of the book just really dragged on for me. Don't get me wrong, the story was good and kept my interest but there were lots of times in the middle that I wanted to just skip pages.
The main character was likable for the most part, but there were a few times I just wanted to slap her. Especially when it came to the protests, and the thing with her mother...I'm not going to give any spoilers. Overall, I enjoyed this book!
This book was based on a very interesting concept. The romance really took a back seat compared to the other things going on in the story. I was glad that there was no insta-love in this book! The issue for me was that I feel like the book was too long for the story. The middle of the book just really dragged on for me. Don't get me wrong, the story was good and kept my interest but there were lots of times in the middle that I wanted to just skip pages.
The main character was likable for the most part, but there were a few times I just wanted to slap her. Especially when it came to the protests, and the thing with her mother...I'm not going to give any spoilers. Overall, I enjoyed this book!
October 31, 2016
Every once in a while, I like to read something different from my usual romance books, and The Divinity Bureau was definitely an exciting, one of a kind read.
Reading dystopian stories is always interesting, I like to see how others imagine the future of our world.
And I liked seeing Roman's and April's relationship and feelings grow and I rooted for them that despite their differences, they can be together. I have to admit, while I loved Roman, April's character wasn't always easy to accept, but I tried to understand her reasons and decisions.
All in, it was an interesting read and kept me well entertained through the pages.
Reading dystopian stories is always interesting, I like to see how others imagine the future of our world.
And I liked seeing Roman's and April's relationship and feelings grow and I rooted for them that despite their differences, they can be together. I have to admit, while I loved Roman, April's character wasn't always easy to accept, but I tried to understand her reasons and decisions.
All in, it was an interesting read and kept me well entertained through the pages.
November 1, 2016
3 STARS
The premise of The Divinity Bureau is quite interesting and the author has explored it well, not only by describing how different day to day life is in this alternative reality but also the moral dilemmas and more philosophical questions the role of the Divinity Bureau poses.
Roman became a fast favourite but the same can't be said about April, which seemed to be lacking some depth as a character.
All in all, I think The Divinity Bureau has a lot of potential that could be easily achieved with some editing of the book/story.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
The premise of The Divinity Bureau is quite interesting and the author has explored it well, not only by describing how different day to day life is in this alternative reality but also the moral dilemmas and more philosophical questions the role of the Divinity Bureau poses.
Roman became a fast favourite but the same can't be said about April, which seemed to be lacking some depth as a character.
All in all, I think The Divinity Bureau has a lot of potential that could be easily achieved with some editing of the book/story.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
June 13, 2016
A real page turner
You may think that this story has been told before - corrupt gov agency decides who lives or dies. Tess Alley makes this seem like a new one. You are brought into the characters lives and need to see what happens next. I hope April &Roman make another appearance in the near future.
You may think that this story has been told before - corrupt gov agency decides who lives or dies. Tess Alley makes this seem like a new one. You are brought into the characters lives and need to see what happens next. I hope April &Roman make another appearance in the near future.
April 30, 2017
I will not be rating this book because it's a first that I've not been able to finish. There were gaps, grammatical, typographical and POV issues that I let slide. However, I found the narration to be dry, repetitive and ordinary. Nothing stood out to actually make me like the characters as much as I wanted to like them and tried. After 50% I just couldn't read it anymore.
November 1, 2016
I think this book has potential to be great with more editing and a tighter plot. I didn't fully connect to the characters and I believe they could be made more believable. Dragged in some areas. Enjoyed the romance and action.
November 8, 2016
The Divinity Bureau was a really great read. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I loved the futuristic feel! A fresh look on overpopulation, and the way it could effect society. Tess Alley's writing is descriptive and flows, having me hang on to every word!
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