Resistance

Divided Elements #1

by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky

From the moment you are born, you are conditioned to know this truth: Unorthodoxy is wrong action, Heterodoxy is wrong thought. One will lead to your Detention. The other to your Execution.

Two generations after the Execution of Kane 148 and Otpor's return to Orthodoxy, the Resistor's legacy still lingers.

In this future, post-apocalyptic Paris, forbidden murals are appearing on crumbling concrete walls – calling citizens to action. Calling for Resistance.

When Kane's former protege, Anaiya 234, is selected for a high-risk undercover mission, Otpor is given the chance it needs to eliminate the Heterodoxy and Anaiya the opportunity she craves to erase a shameful past.

But the mission demands an impossible sacrifice – her identity.

While the growing rebellion will change the utopian lives of all Otpor's citizens, for Anaiya it will change who she is. As the risk of violence escalates and every decision is fraught with betrayal, will Anaiya's fractured identity save her or condemn her?

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Winner of OneBookTwo Standout Award 2017.

With this accomplished debut offering, Kopievsky presents a dark dystopian tale with complex characters, exquisite world-building and high tension. Divided Elements (Book 1) - Resistance is a welcomed addition to the intelligent speculative fiction tradition of dystopian literature.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Speculative Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2017

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anaiya is a fire elemental and peacekeeper in the city of Otpor. It's been nearly two generations in Otpor since the execution of Kane 148 and the city being returned to Orthodoxy in which Anaiya helps protect every day proving her loyalty and value to keeping the peace. But when Anaiya comes across a mural upon a city wall that is calling for the resistance she finds herself given a high risk task that just made demand an impossible sacrifice, Anaiya's own identity.

Resistance is an adult science fiction/dystopian read in which the author has created a world in which there is incredible tension in the land and characters that are fighting in which to keep the peace. As much as I wanted to love this one I never really found myself getting completely engaged in the read for the most part due to the somewhat overwritten style in my opinion. Just a bit too much descriptive text that kept burying the story within and I found it hard to keep myself focused on the world and the plot within.

While I'm rating this one at 2.5 stars I'm sure that some will love what the author did with this story and the world in which it takes place. There's a mix of dystopian and science fiction with also a touch of romance involved so for the fans of somewhat mixed genres with a slower pace it might be right up their alley I just personally kept wanting a faster pace and more action.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the post apocalyptic wastelands of France, one nation-state remains vigilant against a dying world. Within the walled city of Otpor, life has no uncertainties. Humans are created through artificial means. The process both eliminates disease and grants mankind with great skill and unparalleled ability. The Commonwealth of Otpor is a Utopia ruled by the consent of the people.

The only true crime warranting capital punishment? Freedom. Chaotic and unpredictable, all forms of resistance is abhorred. While jobs are chosen by people, one's overarching role in society is immutable. People are bound by the templates used to create them. Is this virtual Utopia worth the high cost of artificial living? Is there more going on behind Otpor's veils of peace and promise?

Resistance isn't like other dystopian novels you've read. Otpor isn't ruled by a ruthless dictator. Drugs, alcohol, and sexual activities in public are permissible. The futuristic society is split into four unique groups called Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Fire value strength and enforce the law, Earth are laborers, Air are creatives, while Water Elementals are planners, thinkers, and scientists.

Faith propels life in Otpor. The Orthodoxy presides over all things and insist on the idea that all people possess an inner Element that calls to them, shapes them. Maximum efficiency is key to Otpor's survival. This inner spark defines the Elementals and grants them great strength. Confined by the classes they're both into, Elementals face many physical, mental, and social constraints.

In the shadow of a former Peace Keeper-turned-Resistance leader, Anaiya fights to clear her name and carve a place for herself among her fellow Fire Elementals. She's as cold as ice and brutally efficient in her job of maintaining law and order (her post-human prowess reminded me of Aphrodite IX and Æon Flux). Upon witnessing a number of Resistance signs around Otpor, Anaiya is forced to make a life altering decision.

Will she let the fire within consume her or will she resist it?

A secret operation. An expendable test subject. What could possibly go wrong?

The society and people of Otpor are well designed and unique. Although you might be thrown by the idea of Elemental attunement, Kopievsky's society is convincing. Each character you meet will seem real and fit into the Divided Elements social groupings with ease: whimsical Air are as diverse as actors and game designers. Two of the best characters, Seth and Kaide, are Air Elementals and share in their Air-signature creativity. But they have their own drastically different personalities as well. The author's well constructed characters are excellent.

The speculative technology explored in Otpor fit the setting. Mental conditioning, drug-laced alcoholic drinks made with enhancer crystals, utilitarian wristplates for communications and media, all of it was fun and original. Resistance is speculative fiction at its core and the world it defines brings post-Paris to life.

One of the novel's strengths is also a weakness. The reader experiences the night life and intrigue of Otpor through Anaiya's eyes as she develops as a character. Her story is exciting and the people she meets do have an impact on her, but sometimes you'll want to know what else is going on in the world. Plus she frequents so many Izakayas (bars) that you're often left with a limited view of what's actually an impressing setting. While I found that Anaiya's story was somewhat predictable, it's no less entertaining.

I would highly recommend this novel to fans of dystopian fiction such as George Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World. The novel also reminded me of the video games République and the post-Paris cyberpunk adventure, Remember Me in setting and tone. But none of these other works do the novel justice: in Resistance, Indie author Mikhaeyla Kopievsky manages to create fresh and new dystopia worth exploring.

I'm excited to see where Divided Elements goes from here. It's definitely a series to keep an eye on. If you're looking a dystopian novel that's original and entertaining, no look further. Resistance hits shelves 1/30/2017 (4.5 Edge / 4 GR).

(This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. For a taste of freedom - and the Divided Elements world - check out Kopievsky's free Cocktail Companion Guide.)

[Meigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to Otpor, where there is only one acceptable way to live: Compliance and acceptance of the Orthodoxy. Conformity is the cardinal rule and anything defined as Heterodoxy will have mortal consequences; Resistors will be executed!

Anaiya is a Peacekeeper in this futuristic landscape, making sure citizens act accordingly and most importantly, follow the laws of Orthodoxy. She is also an Elemental, as are all Peacekeepers. With Resistance on the rise, Ani is given a very critical job which comes with some heavy decisions. Tasked with going undercover to infiltrate the resistors, she will be stripped of her conformity, her brain will be reworked to think like they do. An interesting premise for sure, and even more interesting to see that without the Orthodox thoughts, it's a bit of freedom for Anaiya, who's now able to have her own thoughts, her own emotions, and most importantly, she's able to see things from the point of view of the resistors.

Resistance turned out to be quite different than I initially thought it would be. I knew it was dystopian and would probably share many elements that other dystopian novels share, but what made this dystopian novel different and unique to me was the entire Orthodox/Heterodox storyline and how readers were able to see and feel how it's like on the both the Orthodox and the Heterodox sides. Anaiya has spent much of her life conforming, accepting Orthodoxy, and I loved how once it was taken away and after she's experienced the Unorthodoxy, she's left questioning whether or not there should only be One Way. It added so much to her character, made her seem much more human than before.

The world-building, while initially confusing, starts to take shape as the novel progresses. The author doesn't make it easy in the beginning by throwing around terminology and gadgetry like it's familiar territory for readers. By the end, many elements, for me, were still a bit foggy, but many were also given more explanation. The characters in the beginning were also a bit robotic and machine-like but again, as the story progressed, they were fleshed out a bit more and given more humanity and emotion.

Bottom line - I enjoyed Resistance for the most part, despite my confusion regarding the world and how it works. A solid 3.5 stars, and I have no doubt that sci-fi and fans of dystopian novels would surely love this book.

*eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

During my Utopian (or rather, Dystopian) Literature class, I had the pleasure to read "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin. I remember falling in love with this book for what the dystopian regime did to the characters; stripping them of their identity only to mold them into the citizens they need them to be. That same trope is explored in Kopievsky's "Resitance", where Anaiya's entire personality, her entire world, is reshaped in order for her to infiltrate the resistance movement through society. But where I found myself almost unable to relate to Zamyatin's characters, Anaiya became very dear to me. If I would only have to choose one compliment to give this novel, it would be: Wow, what an impressive character development!

Thankfully, I don't need to limit myself, so here we go.

The world building, although rather confusing at first, is eventually what made me rate this book a five star. I know it's not the first book to add elemental qualities and faults to human beings (does this remind anyone else of the "Which Element Are You" quizzes?), but it was done very well. Of course, the Fire Elementals shone in their glory, seeing as though the protagonist herself has the Fire element ingrained into her from birth - you can even see the superiority complex that comes with such an element.

Also, the ending left me gaping. I dashed to Goodreads to find when the next book would be published... and then it dawned on me that this book is only due to be published in late January 2017. The wait will be a sweet torture, but I am certain to pick up the next book in this series. It just ends so, so well – I can already tell that the next book will be as spectacular!

I recommend this book. Pre-order it now!

I’d like to thank KIRIJA, Patchwork Press – Cooperative, as well as Netgalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at: warmdayswillnevercease.wordpress.com

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Mikhaelya Kopievsky, and the publisher, KYRIJA, for this opportunity.

Resistance is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel which is set in Paris. This book explores the idea of post-humanity where people are conditioned to act a certain way and believe certain things based on their 'alignment'.

When I first started reading this book I thought it would be a bit like Avatar: The Last Airbender with the human population being split into four different elements: Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. I was completely wrong. Each Elemental alignment influences how each human behaves, their career choices, and even what they drink on a night out but they cannot wield the element they're aligned with. I've also read reviews where the book is compared to the Divergent series but I haven't read that series so I can't comment.

The story explores the realignment of a Fire Elemental called Anaiya (known as Ani) for a mission. Ani is a Peacekeeper, a group of people who act almost like our police force, and she's given a special mission to stop the Resistance. Ani is turned into an Air Elemental and she is able to infiltrate the group that are the driving force behind the Resistance. However, not everything is as it seems and there's a rather large twist in the plot that I didn't see coming. The plot is exciting and different and I enjoyed it.

There's a little bit of a romance between Ani and one of the Air Elementals known as Seth but it adds to the plot because it makes Ani think about who she is. She's torn between her former life and her new life, even if that new life is fake. It also distracts her from her mission a bit but that's also due to her realignment as an Air Elemental which supposedly makes her more emotional. I'd like to see this romance developed in further books but the way the relationship is portrayed is perfect for this first novel.

I like Kopievsky's writing style. It's fast paced and entertaining. The beginning is slightly confusing because you're thrown into a world with no explanation but you learn more about the world you're in throughout the book. I enjoyed the little nods to the setting of post-apocalyptic Paris with bits of the French language being employed to reinforce this idea.

I really enjoyed reading this debut novel by Mikhaelya Kopievsky. I thorough enjoyed the plot and the romance aspects weren't off-putting at all. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction novels.

I'm really looking forward to reading more of Mikhaelya Kopievsky's writing in the future because Resistance is a great opening book.

[Tifany · Rating 4 out of 5]

RESISTANCE (recieved this by netgalley in exchange for a review)
rating: 3.5/5 rounded up to a 4/5

This book was a really great read. At first, I thought it would be like Divergent, but it's far from that. It's about a girl named Anaiya (nicknamed Ani) who is living in post-apocalyptic Paris. She is aligned with the fire element and is thus a "peacekeeper" of her society. However, due to her duties, she must become an air element for a mission with the sole goal of finding the heart of the resistance.

I think this premise was extremely interesting and executed really well. I love the struggles and development that Anaiya goes through. Anaiya did not want to have her identity as a peacekeeper stripped of her, but she finds that she is actually enjoying herself despite all the new emotions and feelings she has now. I liked seeing the transition and the difference in view that she had on the views. She got to see and understand the other side to being a peacekeeper -- what the people she's detained are going through and the injustice that they feel. It makes you question how your society is like and to reevaluate the effects of your actions and your interactions with people (they can be just as sneaky if not more). Aniaya was a great main character even though I didn't like her at times.

I feel like at times, the interactions between the characters were a bit boring and the beginning was a bit confusing. The world wasn't in place for me and there was a lot of information thrown in!

Overall, I still liked the story. The characters and ideas were intriguing and really pulled me in. I'm excited for the next book :). However, it was still a bit confusing and flat to me at times.

[bittertea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I managed to finish this book by skimming more than half of it.

I found the pacing very slow and dull - reading it was a chore. But I cared enough about the fate of Anaiya, the protag, to skim to the end just to see what happened.

I'm glad I didn't give it my full time and attention. A brief overview of what didn't work for me:

-There are two kind-of love interests, both pricks.
-None of the supporting characters are likable or even interesting.
-Anaiya has no positive relationships with any women. There are two moderately important supporting female characters. One is just there to sleep with a guy Anaiya likes, making her jealous, and the other is just there to be catty & dislike Anaiya for no apparent reason.
-The plot becomes increasingly messy as the book wears on, and the ending is unsatisfying (I know this is the start to a series, but getting NO satisfaction from the ending & feeling no desire to continue reading is still a problem, imo.)

This had a lot of potential. The writing's pretty good, the world building semi-original. I was intrigued by many of the sci-fi elements. But the execution - esp in terms of character and the direction the plot went - flopped for me.

It's not as bad as a 2-star rating suggests - if I was rating based on how much I think others would enjoy it, I'd give it a 3. But a book I can't finish without skimming has to be a 2 for me. It mostly left me bored and frustrated, and I can't recommend it.

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, you might think this is your typical dystopian future civilization YA novel. And you're kind of right. But you're also kind of wrong.


"Orthodoxy is right belief and right action. Unorthodoxy is wrong action. Heterodoxy is wrong belief.

Unorthodoxy is negligence and recklesness. Heterodoxy is an illness, and unnatural mutation.

Unorthodoxy can be rectified. Heterodoxy can only be terminated.

In the two hundred years since Emancipation and the Establishment of the Cooperative of Otpor, there has only been one case of Heterodoxy."


Anaiya (nickname: Ani) is a female Peacekeeper in the self-contained, self-sustaining, thoroughly walled in and enclosed city-state of Otpor (I know, weird name). In Otpor, people are raised to fully embrace their element and everything that goes with it. Their loyalty is to their element and Otpor. There is no room for anything else. Only Orthodoxy.

In this world, the population is divided into 4 Elements that define who a person is and does. There is Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Anaiya is a Fire elemental. Fire elementals have a sort of raw, burning emotion that they try and keep stoked at all times. Yet they don't subscribe to emotional attachments to things and people. Being a Peacekeeper is exclusive to the Fire element. It's their job to maintain the peace and order of Otpor. And they're very physical about it. Perhaps too physical?

When we're introduced to Anaiya, she and her partner Peacekeeper are on duty and are free running to answer a call. At first I was a bit confused about this free running. Different names are thrown here and there for the moves Anaiya and her male partner, Niamh (which I could have sworn was a female Irish name... Yup, it is. Thank you, Google), are doing. Eventually, I realize that they're doing parkour. (It was a very "durrr" moment for me.) It took me a while to realize this, in part because only the names of the moves are given to the reader. We're never given a description of the move. It did make me feel slightly disconnected from the story as I tried to figure out what they were doing while I was reading. Even once I figured out they were parkour-ing, I felt a bit pulled out of the narrative when anything other than running was named, as I didn't know what they were truly doing. Kind of takes away from all the action sequences.

I'm sure they were meant to look something like this:


But I can't help but imagine this:



The world of Otpor is very controlled. Yet something is brewing. A resistance has sprung up, and it is concerning. Because that resistance is Heterodoxy. And the only way to cure Heterodoxy is to kill the person in whom it is manifesting. The one confirmed case of Heterodoxy was actually in Anaiya's mentor, Kane 148 (did I mention that there were no last names? No? That's because there aren't families in Otpor. People are created. In Labs. Every 5 years. Weird, huh?). Anaiya has been working hard ever since to distance herself from the taint of her deceased mentor. But she's dragged into the thick of it all when she is chosen to undergo a new procedure that's supposed to realign her to a new element. This is done so she can find and infiltrate the resistance, to help snuff it out, once and for all. But things go wrong, as they're wont to do. She changes, you change, everyone changes, and is anything right anymore? Were the ways they were handling things really the best way? Maybe there is a seed of truth to what's going on in the resistance???



It's taken me almost a couple of weeks to reflect and digest this book. I didn't have a strong, "Wow! That was fantastic!" type of emotion when I finished the book. But I did feel that it was good. There are a lot of technical terms or names in the book, which may be off-putting to some. Otpor is a synthetically created city. Everything there is either called by it's chemical name, or a shortened form of it. However, upon thinking of my lack of strong emotion upon finishing the book, I think it's right in line with the story. Anaiya's Fire element don't have strong emotions outside of their internal burn. They control themselves quite a lot. With Anaiya's realignment to Air, she becomes confused with what is the right way to act, and if she's losing who she really is. Am I supposed to have a strong emotional reaction to this story? Or am I not?

I did have some irritation with how fast those in charge of the investigation wanted Anaiya to infiltrate and get all the info on the resistance. Like, in 3 days, fast. That bugged me a lot. It could have been deliberate, to show the ignorance of those in charge of such an operation, as it appeared that this was the first time such an op was conducted. But it toyed a little to much with the believability of the story. If there is a resistance in a totalitarian state, you can bet your bottom dollar they're not just going to accept anyone into their group and start blabbing away. It takes time to build trust.

Regardless, I liked Resistance. It was a different take on YA dystopia. But I have a feeling that it will be one where people will either hate or love, in the same way that people either hated or loved the ending of the Hunger Games' Mockingjay.

I give this 4 of 5 stars. I'm looking forward to the next book.


My rating system is as follows:
1 star - Horrible
2 stars - Bad
3 stars - Decent
4 stars - Good
5 stars - Amazeballs!!!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher/author through Netgalley for an unbiased review. Just like you, I rely on reviews from readers when trying to choose my next read. I won't bump ratings or falsely recommend a book.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Control the fire."

Resistance follows a dystopian society where everyone is assigned an element when they're four years old, and raised to be a working member of society within that element. WARNING: THESE PEOPLE APPARENTLY DON'T HAVE ELEMENTAL POWERS. Not gonna lie, I was kinda disappointed.

Fire: the ruthless, emotionless peacekeepers of the world. They seek order and orthodoxy no matter what it takes.
Air: the artists, basking in all forms of emotion whether it be through music, feelings, or resistance.
Water: the scientists, desperate for improvement and basking in research rather than emotions.
Earth: the workers, forced to do the labor of the world and seen as heathens by others for their lack of intelligence and skill.

My favorite part of this was definitely the character development Anaiyah faced. Born as a fire element, but forced to be genetically altered into an air element, she faces a lot of inner turmoil. Her inner dialogue is constantly going between the air and fire mindsets. It's so prominent that even the writing changes during her shift.

The writing style goes from the clipped, cut tone of the fire element Anaiyah is aligned with in the beginning to the confused emotions and new sensations she experiences as an air elemental. While I definitely think the way her own inner turmoil is written is interesting, but I still had a hard time reading because I freaking hate present tense.

The tense isn't the only thing that caused this book to feel slow to me. The beginning and middle were very difficult to be interested in. Not only was it boring, but I felt like I was reading Divergent again. Then, when the middle came around, I was just constantly in a state of "I know this plan is going to go bad because 1. you're lying to everyone and 2. this is a dystopian novel." The last 10% was the most interesting part for me. It sets up the sequel well and stirs emotions that have you dying to know what happens next.

"Sometimes I get lost in being me that I forget who I actually am.

The idea of how society suppresses one's identity is there, but it's always there. To specify, that's always a theme within these dystopian novels. Resistance doesn't bring anything to new to the genre (other than a beautiful cover). I found that not only was the plot predictable, but the overall idea of a divergent main character stuck in this new environment, finding out that the world is not the way she thinks is so overused.

Throughout reading, I was constantly reminded of Divergent and The Maze Runner. Resistance has similar ideas to Divergent with factions, but it also is kind of... ok barely unique in the types of segregation is there. Within this divided world though, there was a lot of strange new slang that was never explained. In fact, a lot of aspects of the world are barely explained.

The world building could be a lot better. Kopievsky's opened this whole world while only revealing a small fraction of it. The other factions are not delved into, nor are the real persecutions everyone faced. For me, this lack of information made it difficult for me to sympathize with the Revolution.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Orthodoxy – the right belief and true knowledge that all humans, born or created, have an innate dominant Element that determines their attitudes, perspectives and abilities. An Element that, when properly aligned and strengthened through conditioning, produces maximum productivity and optimal functioning of the individual, the Element and the Cooperative.”

Resistance describes a dystopian society. During childhood, every citizen of Otpor is assigned to an element (air, earth, fire, water) that determinates his/her role in the remnants of society. 

Anaiya is a Fire Elemental who serves as a Peacekeeper tasked with maintaining Orthodoxy (correct way of thinking and acting) in the society. With a set of impressive skills (superior endurance, a sixth sense, future-searching allowing her to glimpse into the future) she's one of the best in her line of work. Rebellion is brewing in Otpor as some people want to go against the collective societal rules.

Because of Anaiya's rare set of skills, she's chosen to infiltrate Resistance camp - a process involving genetically altering her into an air element. It won't come as a surprise that afterwards she experiences a lot of inner turmoil and discovers new ways of perceiving the world. Who knows, maybe she'll even join Resistance?

The story is told mostly in third-person present tense and it's not something you see often in fantasy. As a result, the reader gets the sensation of being right there, following the characters in their adventure. As it's done well it's easy to relate to Anaiya. I would describe writing as immersive.

All characters have some depth, no one becomes a villain by choice. Most do because of social programming and following a script they can’t question. Observing shifts in Anaiya’s perceptions, feelings and language kept me interested in the novel. Her reactions are perfectly believable as is her confusion in a world with no real hope. The side characters are all fleshed out as well as needed, though I will say it’s hard sometimes to remember them all. 

Small-scale world-building is immersive and impressive. Settings are nicely contrasted. I would love to learn more about other elementals and the world but what I've got was enough to keep me engaged.

Resistance doesn't bring anything to new to the genre, but it's a good, immersive book that uses genre's tropes intelligently. It focuses on social programming instead of simplistic good and evil divisions. Despite boring bits, I tend to revisit it in my mind and the more I think about Resistance the more I like it.

[Nick Wisseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divided Elements is a compelling story of a dystopian world without families—or choice. In Otpor, the inhabitants are programmed to belong to one of four “Elements”: Fire, Air, Water, or Earth. The Fire Elementals ride roughshod over the others. But when resistance begins to brew, Anaiya, a conflicted Fire Elemental, goes undercover to discover the rebellion’s leader.

I had trouble connecting with Anaiya at points, but I thought her character growth was believable and well done, and the writing is strong throughout. The ending also feels more realistic than what you’d expect from a becoming-the-enemy story. Worth a look.

[M F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this. I ended up enjoying it quite a lot -- it's well-written and engaging. The only thing I strongly disliked was that there was a major male character called Niamh, which I've only ever encountered as a girl's name, so every time he was mentioned I had to think twice about who was being described -- it took me out of the story somewhat.

Full review to follow (I'm on a train and cba to write one on my phone).

--- FULL REVIEW ---

I was approved for this on NetGalley quite a while ago, but I only just got around to reading it. I'm not sure why I put it off so long -- maybe just because it was on the longer side, although it's not unreasonably so. Once I actually got around to picking it up, I got through it in a few hours, with a pause in between, and enjoyed it quite a lot. I probably should have done that sooner, to be honest.

It's a well-written and engaging dystopian story that's not unfamiliar in its use of tropes, but manages to do them differently. One thing I found myself doing while I was reading it was picking out ideas and thinking about how they would have been done if it was a YA novel rather than an adult SF/F book, and how that affected my perception of its genre and plot. It's kind of an interesting experiment -- I've never come across a book where it was so easy to do this, but I might try and do it with a few others, just out of curiosity.

For example, everybody is aligned to one element (Fire, Air, Water, Fire). It's not entirely clear how this process works, but it affects a lot: social status, jobs, behaviour, and even how they experience life and process emotions, so there's evidently an aspect of brain chemistry in there. If this were YA, we'd probably be faced with a character not yet aligned, or uncertain about their place in that group; instead, we meet a protagonist who is satisfied and settled in her role as a Peacekeeper, an elite job reserved for Fire Elementals.

She's tasked with infiltrating a rebellion started by Air Elementals, which represents the forbidden and feared concept of Heterodoxy (Unorthodox behaviour is discouraged; Heterodox is destroyed), and this means she has to be realigned to allow her to blend in with Air Elementals. However, the realignment is a little bit too successful and despite the internal conflicts between her lifetime of conditioning as a Fire Elemental and her current brain chemistry as an Air Elemental, the latter ends up influencing her actions a lot more than she anticipated.

Writing this review, barely a day after reading the book, I'm a little pushed to remember all that many specific plot events: what sticks in my head is the way the protagonist, Anaiya, grew and developed, and in particular how her feelings changed as she adapted to her new alignment. As you might expect from this emotional focus, there is a bit of romance in the book, but it manages to remain unobtrusive, providing motivation rather than plot in and of itself, if that makes sense. (Possibly another way in which it differs from its hypothetical YA equivalent...)

My one issue with the book may seem very minor, but it did have a significant impact on my enjoyment of the story, and it's this: a major male character from Anaiya's life in the Fire Element is called Niamh. Niamh is a name that I've only ever come across as a girls' name, both in books and real life; while I'm not ruling out the possibility that in some cultures and languages it can be used for men, my personal association with it is as an Irish girls' name. Thus, every time Niamh appeared in a scene, I got thrown out of the story for a moment as I tried to make sense of pronouns and overcome my confusion about who was actually present / speaking. Although it got easier as the book went on and I adapted to it, it never really went away, and it was a significant distraction every time he appeared on the page.

It sounds like a minor factor, but it stopped me from fully engaging for quite a while at the beginning of the book (where he's a very prominent character) and distracted me from certain pivotal scenes, so it definitely messed up my immersion in the book. Like I said, it's possible this wouldn't be an issue for everyone, but my associations of the name with female friends and characters were just too strong to ignore.

Mostly, though, I don't know why I delayed reading the book -- it was a fast-paced, engaging read that utilised well-used conventions in a way that was just different enough to keep it feeling original.

[Natalie ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley and KYRIJA publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down. Or I didn't want to put this book down because I had to put it down many different times throughout the day and each time, I was incredibly disappointed that I wasn't in the middle of the action of the book. I needed to know what was happening next and if I wasn't experiencing it, I wanted to be.

So, to say this was a good book would be selling it short. This was an amazing book. A fantastic book. Something that I would read again in a heartbeat (and probably will, once I'm done with the next book on my list). Any book that makes me want to read it again and again to absorb everything it's made of is something rare and I don't think it's going to happen more than a handful of times in the next year (but I wouldn't turn it away if it did happen with every book I read in 2017).

Anyway, on to the actual review because I could keep talking like this all day. I feel like that gif of Lady Gaga because Mikhaeyla Kopievsky is talented and brilliant and amazing and she was just the author to start my new year with.

After reading almost every YA dystopian and post-apocalyptic book I could get my hands on between the ages of 13 and 18, I thought I was done with the genre. It was slowing down and there wasn't anything that really stuck out as being new conceptually (except for Partials, really) and if it was a new concept that hadn't been done before (or been overdone), it wasn't written very well and the world building was lacking.

And then I saw Resistance on NetGalley and something about it made me want to dip back into the dystopian genre. Maybe it was the beautiful cover, maybe it was the description that made me want to read more (as any good blurb should), it was probably a little bit of both. And I threw myself into reading it.

The things that stuck out to me were: the story , the elementals (it's a concept that's been done but not in the way Kopievsky did it), the unlikable main character, and the absolutely awesome world building.

The world building was interesting because you're thrown into the city of Otpor and Anaiya's life with little explanation of how life works there but you catch up quickly. This kind of world building can be bad if you don't do it right but Kopievsky writes it in a way that gives the reader enough information to figure things out while never slowing down the story, which I think is the absolute right way to create a world that your reader will be interested in and not alienated from while keeping up your pacing.

It's hard to achieve this kind of balance and I have the utmost respect for Kopievsky for attaining this and sticking to it.

Now, you might be wondering about the unlikable main character and why I categorized her this way. I only say that Anaiya is unlikable because she's complex and multi-faceted, dimensional and emotional and these kind of characters are inevitably disliked by a large chunk of the fandom (it's happened time and time again in every fandom I've been in, especially to female characters with complex personalities and motivations). I can see myself in her and her conflicted feelings about what she was doing. Was she right? Of course she's right that's all she's ever known. But what if she isn't right? Her unlikability comes from her inner turmoil. It comes from the fact that she is a character in a position of (relative) power above the citizens of Otpor and that she is meant to quash their rebellion.

This changes as the book develops. Anaiya goes from competitive and focused to (increasingly) emotive and odd - a little off kilter if you will - experiencing emotions and situations she had previously scorned and embracing them even as she tells herself that she's not really embracing them.

The rebellion is mysterious to the end. Even as you find out who the real leader is. You don't know their goals or aims, you get hints at how they see the world and what they want but you're never given the full scope of the rebellion and I appreciated that. It gives us something to want in the next book (and oh my god I can't wait for that) without being gimmicky. You only know as much as Anaiya knows at any given time. It leaves room for the element of surprise.

Everything in this book was masterfully done and after finishing it, I was left in a little bit of a shock. How would I go on knowing that the second installment is so far away?

[Sabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something, somewhere went wrong. In Otpor we’ve got a police state where the capital crime is wrong thought. And people are divided into classes and aligned from childhood with the function they are supposed to perform. It sounds to me like just another socialist dystopia in the likeness of 1984. It’s interesting how in such visions the capital crime is ideological instead of material. It is also telling of the effort needed to keep such societies functional, like any socialist ideas. They are fragile, they break easily, for the pettiest of reasons.

Compare that to the utopia/dystopia of A Brave New World. There, you’re allowed to do pretty much what you want, as long as you’re doing the same things as your peer group. You can think of breaking away, but you’re pretty much powerless, the oppression is indirect. There’s a drug that people take voluntarily and they have selective breeding and other practices to select for competence, but no horizontal division. Just a clear hierarchy, natural laws everywhere.

So the more you try to equalise – society, income, chances, rights, the more people try to break out. Some succeed within the existing order and try to reinforce it, others feel the oppression and resist being pigeonholed. Socialism that works is one where people accept their status among equals. Of course this is easier to accept by someone who already feels innately superior because of the gene-lottery: physical or intellectual superiority, perceived or agreed upon.

That was just my two cents about socialist utopias in general. The text itself is a pleasure to read. The pacing is great, the words flow smoothly and the range of emotions experienced by the main character as she transitions between alignments really makes the whole world feel alive.

There was a moment when I thought it would turn into a fantasy-romance thing (I was wrong, thankfully) where every guy the main character meets is a tall, broad shouldered confident type that she starts flirting with almost from the first line. And it can be argued that everybody looks fit and healthy because of the psychological conditioning they undergo as children, which makes them all very conscious of their body and gives them a desire to be healthy. So no more obese or psychologically unstable individuals which is a good thing for the city since it cuts back on health costs.

There is one more thing which I enjoyed reading about here, but first a small introduction. The girls and guys in this city have something called a lifeline which they use to interface with various devices around the world and a wrist plate which acts like a personal tablet computer which also monitors their bodily functions, checks the hormonal balance in their brains and bloodstream and other such things. This information can be used by them or by other people who are authorised to see it to determine the status of their body and brain before performing an action and decide on the best course.

The main character makes a lot of references to her internal stats in relation to different external events, but most interestingly when she ingests specific types of alcoholic drinks. So apparently pills are not allowed in the city (fantasy rules or publisher rules – no references to drugs, so good thing that alcohol is a cultural good) but synthetic alcoholic drinks can be spiked with different types of enhancers to achieve different effects on the hosts. What I really enjoyed here were her descriptions, at the same time scientific and calculated, quantitative, but also referring directly to subjective experience of the people and places around her.

The book definitely surpassed what I could have expected from an indie publisher in terms of quality, and for what it’s worth, this is a definite recommendation in the dystopian fiction genre.

Thanks to #Netgalley, #Kyrija and to the author for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[josbookblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on https://josbookblog.co.uk/

Resistance is set in a future dystopian Paris, now called Otpor. Citizens must conform to the state's rules, and Orthodoxy – as the conformist attitude is referred to – must be maintained at all costs. Heterodoxy – any nonconformist behaviour – is a crime punishable by death.

Anaiya (Ani) 234 is a Fire Element, and her role as an elite Peacekeeper means that she helps to maintain order using whatever methods she considers appropriate, including the use of violent force where necessary.

It’s been two generations since the last case of Heterodoxy, but fears of a new rebellion have now been raised as murals calling for Resistance begin to spring up around the city’s walls.
Desperate to stamp out any signs of Heterodoxy, Ani is selected for an undercover mission to infiltrate the Resistance and to identify its leaders. But her mission comes at a high price, as she must sacrifice her identity and her beliefs in order to make her cover story feasible.

Resistance is a wonderfully complex debut novel, and sits firmly in the dystopian genre for me. Set in a city that seems to be a police state, Otpor’s people are aligned to an element – Earth, Air, Fire or Water. Their element decides the sort of job they will take on, who they will socialise with as well as many of their attitudes and beliefs. Whilst a caste system is not a new idea, I thought that it worked really well in the novel, and I thought that the various traits displayed by each element were well-matched to each designation. From the promiscuous Fire Elements to the more arty Air Elementals, I thought that this was cleverly done.

As someone who loves dystopian fiction, I couldn't help but liken certain aspects of the novel to other works of this genre. The main two that sprung to mind were Brave New World and Zamyatin's We, although I did also wonder if the bar Soylent was a tribute to the film Soylent Green (which was based upon Harry Harrison’s Make Room! Make Room!). Whilst these, and possibly other works, may have had an influence on Kopievsky’s writing, Resistance is certainly an original piece of fiction, and I think that it will appeal to fans of these kinds of novels.

Whilst I enjoyed the story overall, I did have a couple of minor issues, however. I didn’t fully grasp the nature of the world, which seems like something of a police state, but it wasn’t clear who makes the rules that Otpor’s citizens must conform to. Similarly, there are hints that there are no family units – that parents and the raising of children by traditional methods are no longer utilised. I took this to mean that babies aren’t born but developed in a lab (a la Brave New World), but this was my interpretation of what I’ve read. Kopievsky has created such a fascinating world and I really wanted to understand it in full, but found that I still had a few questions about how it all worked by the end of the novel.

Additionally, Ani’s investigation once she is undercover does (at one point literally) have her stumbling across the right person. It’s just too convenient, and I found this to be a little disappointing. Not quite a deus ex machina perhaps, but I thought that it could have been easily avoided.

That said, Resistance is a very interesting story with some extremely interesting elements (no pun intended) to it, and it’s an intriguing and refreshingly original addition to the genre. The first of the Divided Elements series, I’m extremely curious about what comes next.

Resistance will be published on 20 January. Many thanks to the author, publisher (KYRIJA) and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

[Eveline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mikhaeyla Kopiesky’s Resistance is not your average doom and gloom dystopian novel. The future post-apocalyptic Paris she describes, now known as Otpur, is vibrant and alive.

“Orthodoxy is right belief and right action. – Unorthodoxy is wrong action. – Heterodoxy is wrong belief.”

Orthodoxy, the belief that all humans have an innate dominant Element that defines them, is the pillar of society. At the age of four, one undergoes a series of neural tests to unveil their natural element, that determines their attitudes, perspectives and abilities. Once determined, they proceed to ‘Premies training’ to condition the alignment even further. The result is that an individual will function at the top of their ability, benefitting not only themselves, but also the Element and the Cooperative of Otpur.

Fire Elementals – guarantee peace
Water Elementals – find solutions
Earth Elementals – keep the wheels of progress turning
Air Elementals – inspire and teach Orthodoxy

Despite conditioning, Elementals still make bad decisions – their alignment only determines the type of bad decision. This is what’s known as Unorthodoxy. Peacekeepers, always Fire Elementals, are instated to handle these situations. Unorthodoxy is not seen as a dangerous, it is easily rectified. Heterodoxy, however, presents a large threat to society and can only be terminated. It’s almost ten years since the first, and last, case of Heterodoxy. Until now, that is.

• • •

Anaiya 234 is one of the Peacekeepers. Although I really didn’t like her, I did like that she was not a typical rebellious main character. She doesn’t question Orthodoxy, she is happy being a Fire Elemental. It’s so refreshing to see a different perspective on a dystopia for once. It’s not a sad and dark dystopia either, to the contrary, most characters and places in this book vibrant and alive. Creativity blooms. Kopievsky has also catered completely to the technology aspect of Sci-Fi and describes tons of nifty gadgets. Even alcoholic beverages have evolved and specific effects can be reached with different cocktails. I believe Mikhaeyla even has a short e-book with cocktail recipes available. ;)

I just think you should all read Resistance, there’s no other way to put it.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thanks!

This book. Is. Awesome. It's Divergent's bigger, badder, tougher, realer older sister. So much more than your basic dystopian fill-in-the-blanks, Resistance has amazing, almost magical worldbuilding. Where many readers were left scratching their heads at Divergent's worldbuilding, "how can you have a whole faction of people defined by one trait, and what's up with kids being able to pick their faction," Resistance provides an amazing level of detail that is very believable given the technology demonstrated in the book. The Elements are all unique, down to their brain processes and hormones. That's what makes it so shocking that our protagonist is asked to transform into a different Element to go undercover- the reassignment changes her very thoughts and emotions. So well-written that you feel the changes, paced well without infodumps or too much rushing, I would recommend this to any adult fan of dystopian fiction. I would not recommend this to YA readers under 14 or so, because of the amount of time spent ingesting various synth-alcohols (which again, lead to interesting affects on her brain and perception.)

[imyril is not really here any more · Rating 3 out of 5]

A glossy, well-written tale that holds a lot of promise, which has grown on me the longer I've thought about it.

In a post-apocalyptic Paris that is almost but not quite unrecognisable, the Co-operative clings on by adhering to a strictly regulated society. Citizens are conditioned from birth to accept their lot; unorthodoxy is punished.

When Peacekeeper Anaiya is asked to go undercover to find the source of an outbreak of Heterodoxy, it means being reconditioned and losing her very self. Will she be able to cling to her mission or will her new nature lead her astray?

This is a well-executed dystopia with some intriguing world-building and clever use of prose (it's worth paying close attention to the use of language, which evolves as Anaiya changes).

Full review

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Daphnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Darkness. She embraces it, lets her mind linger in the deep kiss of nothingness and submits entirely to it."

Resistance was a surprise. I would say it resembles Divergent but not really at the same time. There are Elementals: Fire, Water, Air and Earth, and each one has specific characteristics and jobs (Divergent much?) Anaiya must do something radical to stop the Heterodoxy. I didn't know what to expect but it was so good! That ending made me emotional because of all its meaning, because of the complete circle. The writing was absolutely exquisite. I will read the next book if there is one! I loved the characters: Anaiya, Seth, Kaide.

I received a free copy fron Netgalley in exchange of a honest review.

[William Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for SPSFC Semifinalists!

Overall Thoughts
This was a very thought provoking read with some subtle, but well-executed character development. This starts out as a fairly standard dystopian story, along with many of the issues I have with them, like “How did we get to this point?” and “Can this society ever be stable,” but progresses to much more of a character driven story later. My main problem was that much of the middle of the book seemed to be getting to a larger starting point (probably for the whole 3-book series), where the true conflict was only really expressed in the last 15% of the book. I would have liked to see more of this conflict brought into the mid-section, to carry the story just a bit further and give it more weight.

Plot
As said above, I’m not really into dystopian novels because I have too many problems with the setup (though the last 5 or so years of existence seems to be trying to prove me wrong). This book is similar, in that it throws you into the setting where people are divided into elemental classes, and it takes a few chapters to really get a handle on what’s going on. The main difference here is that most of the conflict is driven through people against people, instead of people going against the government like in most dystopians, so that caught my interest. However—and this is my main issue with the book as a whole—a large mid-section of this book is dedicated to the main character discovering parts of society, which while interesting, doesn’t actually move the main plot along. I felt the real conflict (and the one I was expecting to come from a dystopia) only arrived in the last few chapters of the book, and begs for a larger exploration in further books. I was not really satisfied by the ending, as I felt it left off too much in the moment, and left me with a lot of questions.

Setting
The worldbuilding was definitely interesting, however it took me a few chapters to figure out that the characters were, indeed, people. They refer to each other as “elementals” all the time, which is a bit confusing if you don’t know what’s going on. I actually learned by reading the blurb after reading the entire book that this is supposed to be Paris in the future, which would have helped if it was included in the story! We learn a lot about the four types of elementals, which are sort of personality types, with Fire being enforcement and police, Earth being labor, Water being R&D, and Air being art and culture. Again, a cool idea, but I wanted a little more on how people were separated into these categories (because people obviously don’t fit in molds well). There is a bit on chemical alignment, which I guess tunes people’s frame of mind, but it sort of disappears into the background of the story and is linked to how people in this city enjoy life, much of which consists of neuro-receptor-changing drinks. I felt this took away from the other societal conflict of Heterodoxy (wrong thought) against Orthodoxy (right thought). This is a big part of how the culture sees itself, but again, this only starts to really get developed in the last little bit of the book.

Character
This, however, is definitely the strongest part of the book. Anaiya, the main character, goes through a change in the story, which I won’t spoil, but the writing is beautifully done so that you realize the way in which she saw the world before the change as opposed to how she sees it afterward. This allows her relationships to change and grow and the reader to learn more of how the world works through her eyes. It’s a really nice way of building the conflict. Again, I felt this was let down by the true conflict happening so late in the story, but it did eventually get to the character development I wanted to see. If there was maybe 20% less of the descriptive elements and slice-of-life in the middle of the story, replaced with that much more of how the conflict affects Anaiya, that would have taken this book to the next level.

Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
An intriguing dystopia where the society is slowly unraveled as a character’s viewpoint changes. However it happened a bit too slowly for my tastes. 7/10.

[Sachin Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at : goo.gl/hHe7xY

Even though epic fantasy is my favorite genre when it comes to speculative fiction, I find of late I've been veering more into 'easier' sub-genres to read, like urban fantasy or the dystopian settings. Now easier of course is a relative term as I generally tend to blast through the urban/dystopian settings relishing the pace and thrill of a novel set in times and a world, familiar to the ones we are in. And so, when I first requested for Resistance, the debut novel from Mikhaeyla Kopievsky that is the first part in an intended series, Divided Elements - the premise looked familiar and a path, well-trodden before.

The world after an unexplained apocalypse, in a time possibly in the future with the society divided into clear hard hierarchical stratas called Elementals based on their affinity to different forms. Called out as Air, Earth, Water and Fire. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I realized that this one, was different. I was in for a shock with this book. In a good way. Resistance has been compared to the Divergent series, being touted as Divergent for the Adults but I think the similarities end in just that premise about the societal strata being decided based on your inherent affinity to a skill. This book, definitely goes way beyond the normal in defining those 'affinities' ( And in that manner, is miles ahead of a superficial comparison to the Divergent series, never losing track of the bigger question about what happens if you are a 'Heterodox' with natural affinities to more than one Element?) Mikhaeyla then goes on to do a mind-fuck on the reader as you realize that you're stuck inside the protagonist's head whose natural alignments have been tampered with, so to finish a mission but her re-alignment might have cost her more than just her job!

As I got sucked deeper into this well realized beautiful world, I realized the book is an interesting mix of dystopian setting layered on with a science-fictional society; This strict society has rigid rules about conforming to a preordained and pre-programmed manner of thought and deed. There is a steep learning curve here and my initial few chapters were slow as Mikhaeyla doesn't take the easy route and instead, writes in a lucid, intelligent manner that challenges the reader to take pause and note down the world being built around Anaiya, the main protagonist.

Anaiya, is a Fire Elemental - and a Peacekeeper tasked with the maintaining Orthodoxy ("The right way to think and act, as you are pre-programmed") in the society. Fire Elementals are by nature, enhanced with superior physical endurance, abilities to sense the "weight" of a public space that let's them ascertain the levels of risk of riots through such gathering, a sixth sense about dangers and also are able to project into the future about the different possibilities of an event, through "future-searches". Now while Anaiya is a conscientious and hard-working Elemental, striving for promotions and accolades, she is also trying hard to get out of the shadow of her former mentor, Kane - who incidentally is the most high-profile case of "Heterodoxy" - of someone willing to go against the collective societal rules, of not conforming to their own pre-ordained affinities and willing to be a rebel.

So right from when we meet Anaiya, she is a tortured soul, her fragile mindspace warring with these thoughts of shame and insecurity in this regimented society. She is also constantly striving to compete with her current Peacekeeping partner, Niamh - a ruthlessly ambitious Fire elemental who doesn't shy away from breaking the rules, just to get ahead and be promoted to higher ranks. And to make matters worse, the Heterodoxy is now slowly raising its ugly head in the society, where a group of secret rebels are raising their voices against this tyranny. Painted Murals, with the word 'Resistance' written in large appear on buildings and walls. And then it hurts that Niamh, her partner who has risen steadily through the ranks, is actually the one who picks up Ani for an experimental operation; Something that has never before been attempted, a realignment of one's brain-functions mapping to a different Elemental affinity. Ani is sent on a covert mission, to break into a group of Air Elementals, suspected of Heterodoxy.

Things get really complex behind the enemy lines. So Anaiya, now an Air Elemental experimenting with music and sounds, starts to doubt herself, questioning her own loyalty towards the larger cause as she sees the world in a completely light as an Air Elemental. And since complications have a way of nesting down together, Ani's heart goes and and does a complete fillip on her: Falling for the wrong guy, a mysteriously charming stranger, Seth; An air elemental friendly with this group that matches the suspect profile as built up by the Analysts back in the Peacekeeping force.

I loved the ideas in the book, no two ways about it. They are original and ambitious - and despite being a debut, the quality of the writing has the assured aplomb of a seasoned writer. The pacing is quite on your nose and you get swept along, in the rising levels anxiety and tension as Ani struggles with her mind and the newly minted feelings that resist with her sense of loyalty buried deep-down. Mikhaeyla's society is convincing and the setting of this post-apocalyptic Paris where drugs, sex and night life spill out into the streets full of Izzakaya bars is utterly arresting.

The characters that fill up this wondrous speculative world, are also nicely drawn up - complementing the thought-provoking narrative. Seth, as the mysterious Air Elemental whom Ani falls for, is quite a charming personality, strong with rock-hard beliefs and a creative bend of mind. There are others in the group - like Rehd, quite the open rebel-child who is flashy and life-of-the-party effervescent, while Kaide is the strong, silent companion, a less flashy but more intellectual and creative shadow to these two. And of course, there is Niamh, whom we would love to hate. For his deep-rooted ideals and brutally unforgiving ambition that forms his core.

My one grouch with the novel is probably, with the internal struggles and the vacillating nature of the main protagonist that tended to drag things down a bit in the middle. While at heart this one is a book about a revolution, it surprisingly is kept clean when it comes to violence. There are hints of how well Mikhaeyla can layer in some heavy-duty action scenes (Eg. Peacekeeper detaining any riots) if it comes to that but there aren't too many explicit conflicts that require this.

A book that would appeal to fans of dystopia (Think 1984, George Orwell) Resistance is an utterly thought-provoking and subversive book in this genre - Highly entertaining, poignant and brutal by shades, Divided Elements is an original novel, pushing the boundaries of this genre - and Mikhaeyla is surely a writer to watch out for.

[Shelley Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the mention of the main character being a Fire Elemental on the first page, I originally thought this book was going to be an urban fantasy about elemental magic. Instead, I soon discovered it to be a rich and thought provoking dystopian where the inhabitants of Otpor are conditioned from birth to act according to the element they are aligned with. Each element comes with set personality traits, which for Anaiya means she values strength and agility over compassion. Emotional attachments are not part of her life as a Peacekeeper charged with making sure the other elementals conform to society standards in both thought and deed. She thinks nothing of breaking the arm of an elemental to be detained or restrained, until she is called on to go undercover as an Air Elemental, those conditioned to be creative.
After a harrowing realignment process, she is sent off the secret mission to uncover the leaders of the growing Resistance, a crime punishable by execution. But for Anaiya, the mission becomes a trial of identity as she begins to question who she is and how her world works. With Air traits distracting her from her mission, she is seduced by the world she now inhabits, finding unexpected beauty in what she discovers. After witnessing Peacekeepers brutally take down some of the Air elementals she has come to know, the dichotomy between her Fire and Air sides has her questioning what she believes is right.
This is not a light read to be devoured in one go and then forgotten. This story is one that brings to light the deficiency of a system that sees people categorised and brainwashed to fit a society ideal. Any departure from their conditioning will be punished, but with Anaiya now torn between two elements she is in danger of becoming the very thing she was sent to eradicate. As her relationships with those suspected of being part of the Resistance strengthen, she will be forced to chose between what she has been taught and the truths about her existence she is only just coming to understand.
In all, this is a fascinating insight into a possible future, giving a terrifying glimpse of what might come from segregating people into certain types and punishing anyone who does not conform. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next in book two of the series, Rebellion.

[Austin Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kopievsky's RESISTANCE, book one in The Divided Elements series, is a wonderful debut novel. In this story, the post-apocalyptic world is inhabited by fire, water, earth and air elementals. Every person is aligned to an element, which dictates their roles in society, how they think, behave and interact with the rest of the world.

Aniya, the protagonist, is a fire elemental who works as an elite peacekeeper. One night, while on patrol, she discovers a mural urging for resistance.

The strength of Otopor, the reason given for the community's perseverance and survival against the harsh world is the strict adherence to the rules and beliefs of orthodoxy. As a peacekeeper, Anika is duty-bound to keep the law and to preserve the rule of orthodoxy.

This mural is the first sign of a heterodox rebellion for a very long time, and Aniya is given a task to go undercover and find the ringleaders of the resistance. And this requires Aniya to undergo a radical elemental re-alignment. After being aligned to the Air element and finding friends amongst the Water, Air and Earth elementals, Aniya learns more about herself and about Otopor than she expected.

There are many twists and plenty of intrigue in this novel, Kopievsky's writing brings all the action and characters to life, fully realised against the futuristic city. The worldbuilding here is wonderful, you get a vivid sense of Otopor, of the bars and nightlife, of the exhilaration, excitement, tension and danger present around any corner. One thing also worth mentioning is how well Kopievsky handled the protagonist's change from one element to the other, how some senses were dulled and others highlighted, how her attitudes and understanding changed.

Ultimately, RESISTANCE is a great, immersive read, and I'm really excited about where the rest of the series goes. Kopievsky has shown a lot of vision and talent in creating an exciting and different world, and some wonderful characters.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whirlwind cross between Fahrenheit 451 and Divergent. This novel grabs your attention and keeps it locked in place for 34 chapters. The world of Otpor is built up well and is very dynamic. It's great watching the journey of the main character Anaiya since she initially starts off oblivious to the immoral control the higher powers have on society (and she actually works to promote them). While the story is a predictable dystopian at times it is still very engaging and a fun read!

[Sarah A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure how this review is going to go, but I absolutely LOVED this book. Set in a future post-apocalyptic dystopian Paris, people in society are divided into the four elements, with each type of Elemental being conditioned to a different type of personality and job. Fire Elementals are the Peacekeepers (police) and Rescuers. Air Elementals are the artists, musicians, and literature experts. Water Elementals are tech-focused, and Earth Elementals are the lowly laborers. Every element has its place. To go against the rules of the Orthodoxy means you are Heterodox, and must die. Into this society, a small wrench is thrown in the form of murals preaching Resistance, a forbidden word. Anaiya, a Fire Peacekeeper, is given the chance to find the leader of the resistance in order to nip it in the bud, but in order to do so, she has to lose her identity.

Okay, I'll be real, I read a TON of dystopian fiction. Most of it is in the Hunger Games, Divergent, Delirium, etc. vein. Usually, they're predictable, and have a lot of the same tropes. I felt differently about this one, though. It has a darker underlying tone than most of the other dystopians I've read. It's grittier. Anaiya is also a fascinating character, and we see everything from her perspective. At the beginning, before the big resistance plot starts, following her around is a bit unsettling. Fire Elementals don't really have emotions like we do, and I found myself easing into this world with some trepidation. Once the plot really kicks into gear, though, it becomes even more interesting as things develop and we have words for and understand what Anaiya is feeling, even when she has no vocabulary or comprehension herself. Throughout, she is pretty interesting, even if at times you want to ask her what the hell she's thinking. I really wanted her to make different choices a lot of the time, but I'm also glad she didn't...because what I wanted would've been trope-y and predictable, and I'm so much more satisfied with the messiness I got.
The world building is also very well done. From the get go, we're just thrown in willy nilly to the world. Full force. At first, it's confusing. Then, as you realize what's going on and the way the society is structured, you come to understand it, and then maybe revile it, though the concept is also intriguing. There's a fresh blend of neuroscience and everyday life here, and it also doesn't feel super far-fetched in a very terrifying way. The other thing I liked aobut how the world was built was that I didn't get all of the answers I wanted in this book. There's inklings of how the society is managed, but I want to know who's at the top, pulling the puppet strings, and I'm hoping to get more of that in future installments of the series. There are still things to discover here, and that's always fantastic.

If you've ever read my blog before, you'll also know I'm a huge sucker for characters. Development, interesting side characters, I love it all. While they weren't all super well-developed, the people Anaiya encounters as she builds relationships on her mission are varied. Through her eyes, their group dynamics are a little muddled, but still clear enough to figure out when you read between the lines. I like that I had to work for the information I got, and I had to puzzle it out, just as Anaiya was. It added to the mystery of her mission, and I was super invested in the side characters, wanting them so much to survive and thrive in this crazy society (well, for the most part).

Overall, Resistance is a masterpiece of dystopian fiction, in my mind. It's engaging and hard to put down, and I found myself yelling and cursing at people in the book, as if they could hear me. There's no happily ever after here, there's no easy answers or choices, and there's plenty moral gray areas. As you learn and grow beside Anaiya, you come to see the society as it really is, even if you don't know all of the big players. This is dark, my friends, and the ending will feel awful. However, there's hope, as it is the first in a series. Please do yourself a favor if you like dystopian novels or speculative fiction, and pick this one up when it releases Friday, Jan. 20.

Note: I received this book from Netgalley & Kyrija Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Veronica Strachan · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Resistance' is the evocative cry of the heterodoxy in this brilliant dystopian story. Set in the walled city-state of future Paris is the new world order of Orthodoxy. Kopiesvsky has created a stark, sharp and complex society with four neuro-social classes. This unique concept of the Divided Elements is well contrived and delivered seamlessly throughout the book. The world building is clear, the politics, the power plays, economics, cuisine, social settings, all slide effortlessly into place around the well-drawn characters.
Initially, I found it challenging to be only behind the eyes and mind of Anaiya, but I liked the thread of her staccato rhythm as a Fire Elemental, then the softer, more fluid Air Elemental thinking.
This is not a standard dystopian exploration of a reimagined society, it's dark, clever, compelling, and thought provoking.
A great read.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish - 32% in when gave up.

I get that dystopian books are about bad situations or ideas gone wrong. Where society has been divided or set-up in a basically flawed way. And of course the message is always about how we need to be vigilant and careful of decisions we make that restrict people.
I usually love dystopian books. Even though it's a similar story premise every time.
Resistance starts out similar to all dystopian fiction. There are four groups based on the four Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) and at the age of four you are aligned and placed into one of these groups. The group you are in dictates your perspective of the world, the job you do and your core values.

Where things start to go sideways are in the details.
All humans have a 'lifeline' that plugs into things. All I could think of was Pandorians and their silly looking plug-in device. I actually giggled each time it was referenced or used even if it was a serious moment.
Then our main gal, who is Fire, is chosen to go undercover and re-align to Air in order to find those who are rebelling against the current system of categorization.
Here's where my major problems start to overwhelm my ability to enjoy reading Resistance.
If there is a way to realign then doesn't that prove a fundamental flaw in the system?
Groups travel in their own specific train cars with only their own element. This segregation means that the resistance building is likely from one elemental group. I don't buy that as it's obvious many people could be classified incorrectly.
Overall our main gal is annoying. She whines and complains about everything. Instead of being an interesting case that should prove why the Resistance is right I feel like she's blindly dedicated to her original Fire element.

Yes I realize that maybe all these issues start to come out and maybe the end of this book is brilliant. For me however the reality is that it was just too much philosophical whining from our heroine and not enough action. There are spurts of thing happening but just not enough for me to believe that we were going to get to the crux of the issue fast enough. Maybe if she had started to realize shortly after her re-alignment that there might be a flaw in the system I'd have stayed on board. But blindly arguing in her head for the four element set-up just frustrated me and made me feel like the book was trying to tell me to be prejudice. Something I'm morally against.

So in the end at 32% read I decided I didn't care about any of the characters enough to bother finding out how it played out.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review. Don't believe me? Check out the other books I've had eARCs for that I gave great reviews to. I always give my opinion whether good, bad or neutral. ;)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is going to appeal to the fans of the Divergent series once they have entered into adulthood. It still carries all the fun, excitement, drama, and romance of the YA Dystopian books we love(d), while also providing more complexity, depth, and emotion.

Resistance is set in a world where people are categorized into four Elementals, categories that they are conditioned to at birth - Air, Earth, Fire, and Water - each providing necessary and rigidly designated functions to the society. People must commit to their element and follow the Orthodoxy, any behavior against this is Unorthodox and punishable. Heterodoxy, not just a behavior flaw, but one of character, cannot be fixed by any means other than execution of that individual.
Anaiya, a Fire Elemental, is a peacekeeper tasked with maintaining the Orthodoxy by all means necessary. When there is a rise of Heterodoxy, Anaiya must go undercover as an Air Elemental to find the perpetrators and to destroy them.

The first thing that I really enjoyed about this novel was that it offered a different perspective of a dystopian world. So many times dystopian novels show the characters being on the "right" side and fighting the evil oppressors. This time, the main character is on the side that is being protested. Not only that, but she supports the "bad" side when she starts her mission. This is a new and refreshing way to tell the extremely popular dystopian story. In so many novels of this genre, I find this perspective to be challenging.

Another thing that I loved about this novel is that Anaiya has a lot of depth as the main character. She constantly struggles to decide what is right and wrong as she learns about a new perspective on her world. Furthermore, she isn't constantly doing what she knows is right, she is self-serving and self-interested, a character trait that provides conflict and drama throughout the novel. Her relationships drive the plot and her every action. I may have yelled at the book a few times because she was behaving in a way that upset me...

I will say that the reason I only gave this four stars is that it was so slow for me in the first 25% of the books, I felt like so much time was spent on describing free running, and I just didn't care. Once I got past this, however, I truly enjoyed the read.

I think this book was also a little predictable, but I think anyone picking up a dystopian would know that at this point... there isn't too much new to add. Regardless, this was a fun new take on the genre.

Overall, I highly recommend giving this a shot!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this to review. All of my opinions are completely mine.

[Joshua Risner · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a while now I have been captivated by the dystopian genre. Unfortunately, the majority of the books out there are for high schoolers and are quite immature. So I have been looking for a mature dystopian novel.

I have found that in this series. In my opinion the author is so creative in this world she has created. Does an amazing job of helping you sink into the shoes of the main character

I am very thankful I found this series. If any of you are looking for a mature dystopian novel, you have found it here!

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freakin loved this book! It follows Anaiya, a peacekeeper and a fire elemental in a world where everyone’s identity is tied to an element, and each element has certain attributes that affect the nature of a person. Fire elementals are the figures of authority , they are always supposed to be rigid, logical and unyielding. When forbidden murals, calling for resistance are found, Anaiya is chosen to undergo a realignment procedure that would let her blend in with the Air elementals, so that she could find out what is going on.

I loved the way the story developed. It followed a plot that could have been really difficult to get into if it wasn’t so well done. I really liked how Anaiya’s character developed, her transition to an air elemental was done really well. I loved the characters, Anaiya was a really flawed character and that made it really believable. The storyline kind of reminded me of Divergent, except this is a more adult version.

I felt that it did follow some common tropes at certain points, but it did not feel tropey to me at all, as it was so well done. There was also a sort of love triangle, which I normally really hate, but I really liked the way romance was done in this book. As a fire elemental, there was a guy Anaiya used to sleep with, but there wasn’t any emotional connection between them as fire elementals aren’t supposed to be emotional, but after her transition, she starts feeling emotionally attached to another character. That was one thing that really struck me about this book-There was a lot of change in Anaiya’s personality post transition, and by all rights it’s portrayal should have been a disaster, but it was not, it was done amazingly.

I loved this as a first book in the series. I really hope that the rest of the series would be as amazing. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!!!