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The Recoil Trilogy 3 Book Boxed Set: Including Recoil, Refuse and Rebel
"Best of the genre. A lot of reviews note that this series is part of the genre inhabited by The Hunger Games and Divergent. This series, though, is superior - with much better character development. " - Amazon reviewer
FROM RECOIL (BOOK 1):
When a skilled gamer gets recruited as a sniper in the war against a terrorist-spread plague, she discovers there’s more than one enemy and more than one war. The Game is real.
Three years after a series of terrorist attacks flooded the US with a lethal plague, society has changed radically.
Sixteen year-old Jinxy James spends her days trapped at home – immersed in virtual reality, worrying about the plague and longing for freedom. Then she wins a war simulation game and is recruited into a top-secret organisation where talented teenagers are trained to become agents in the war on terror. Eager to escape her mother’s over-protectiveness and to serve her country, Jinxy enlists and is trained to become an expert sniper.
She’s immediately drawn to Quinn O’Riley, a charming and subversive intelligence analyst who knows more about the new order of government and society than he is telling. Then a shocking revelation forces Jinxy to make an impossible decision, and she risks losing everything.
THE RECOIL TRILOGY is a fast-paced, exciting, original Young Adult dystopian romance series, which makes great reading for lovers of Rick Yancey (The Fifth Wave), Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), and Veronica Roth (Divergent).
FROM REFUSE (BOOK 2):
Everyone wants Jinxy, except the one she loves. And now a rebellion is brewing.
All sixteen year-old expert sniper Jinxy James wanted was a little freedom, but now she’s trapped between the government and the rebels, unsure of who the real enemy is. When she uncovers appalling secrets and twisted motivations, Jinxy begins to question her allegiances. Soon she will need to choose between love and freedom, as she struggles to do the right thing in a world gone horribly wrong.
Refuse is the second book in the Young Adult dystopian romance that began with Recoil. This much anticipated sequel is filled with romance and heartache, shocking twists, and a thought-provoking examination of freedom, fear, loyalty and identity.
FROM REBEL (BOOK 3):
Can you win a war without losing yourself?
Sixteen year-old online gamer Jinxy James has been trained as an expert sniper in the war against a terrorist-spread plague which has decimated the USA. Now she’s a wanted fugitive, on the run with a rebel splinter group, risking everything to save and protect her loved ones. Jinxy has never wanted to hurt or kill, but the rebels are determined to uncover the truth about The Game, the government, and ASTA’s sinister activities, whatever the cost. She will need all her courage, skill and strength if she hopes to help liberate the nation from the second war, without betraying herself, or her love.
FROM RECOIL (BOOK 1):
When a skilled gamer gets recruited as a sniper in the war against a terrorist-spread plague, she discovers there’s more than one enemy and more than one war. The Game is real.
Three years after a series of terrorist attacks flooded the US with a lethal plague, society has changed radically.
Sixteen year-old Jinxy James spends her days trapped at home – immersed in virtual reality, worrying about the plague and longing for freedom. Then she wins a war simulation game and is recruited into a top-secret organisation where talented teenagers are trained to become agents in the war on terror. Eager to escape her mother’s over-protectiveness and to serve her country, Jinxy enlists and is trained to become an expert sniper.
She’s immediately drawn to Quinn O’Riley, a charming and subversive intelligence analyst who knows more about the new order of government and society than he is telling. Then a shocking revelation forces Jinxy to make an impossible decision, and she risks losing everything.
THE RECOIL TRILOGY is a fast-paced, exciting, original Young Adult dystopian romance series, which makes great reading for lovers of Rick Yancey (The Fifth Wave), Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), and Veronica Roth (Divergent).
FROM REFUSE (BOOK 2):
Everyone wants Jinxy, except the one she loves. And now a rebellion is brewing.
All sixteen year-old expert sniper Jinxy James wanted was a little freedom, but now she’s trapped between the government and the rebels, unsure of who the real enemy is. When she uncovers appalling secrets and twisted motivations, Jinxy begins to question her allegiances. Soon she will need to choose between love and freedom, as she struggles to do the right thing in a world gone horribly wrong.
Refuse is the second book in the Young Adult dystopian romance that began with Recoil. This much anticipated sequel is filled with romance and heartache, shocking twists, and a thought-provoking examination of freedom, fear, loyalty and identity.
FROM REBEL (BOOK 3):
Can you win a war without losing yourself?
Sixteen year-old online gamer Jinxy James has been trained as an expert sniper in the war against a terrorist-spread plague which has decimated the USA. Now she’s a wanted fugitive, on the run with a rebel splinter group, risking everything to save and protect her loved ones. Jinxy has never wanted to hurt or kill, but the rebels are determined to uncover the truth about The Game, the government, and ASTA’s sinister activities, whatever the cost. She will need all her courage, skill and strength if she hopes to help liberate the nation from the second war, without betraying herself, or her love.
- GenresDystopia
716 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 28, 2016
42 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Macgregor
16 books200 followersWhen not writing, Joanne Macgregor is a counselling psychologist in private practice where she works mainly with victims of crime and trauma.
Although she lives in the frenetic adrenaline-rush of the big city, Joanne has always been in love with nature, and escapes into the wilds whenever she can. She's a Harry Potter fanatic, bakes the best choc-chip cookies on the planet, and is addicted to chilies and bulletproof coffee.
She started her professional life as a high school English teacher and loves writing about, and for, teens. She is the author of several books for Young Adults - Scarred, Recoil, Refuse, Rebel, Hushed and The law of Tall Girls.
Although she lives in the frenetic adrenaline-rush of the big city, Joanne has always been in love with nature, and escapes into the wilds whenever she can. She's a Harry Potter fanatic, bakes the best choc-chip cookies on the planet, and is addicted to chilies and bulletproof coffee.
She started her professional life as a high school English teacher and loves writing about, and for, teens. She is the author of several books for Young Adults - Scarred, Recoil, Refuse, Rebel, Hushed and The law of Tall Girls.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 12, 2017
Excellent trilogy - SF / YA / Romance / Coming-of-age / Dystopia. Yes, all of those.
I think Joanne Macgregor is an outstanding writer. Her plague- and rat-infested dystopia is believable and well expressed. I could recognise the society we had recently been, and the adaptations we had made were well-chosen and plausible. The coming of age theme was subtly integrated across the trilogy and only came together, very effectively, in the final novel (partly because of all the preparation which the author had done earlier). The romance follows the modern YA romance conventions, but is better done than most. The SF premise is frighteningly realistic, very deeply developed, and could serve as a how-to model for many dystopian SF authors. There were one or two isolated spots where, as someone with adequate technical knowledge, I muttered to myself about a tiny detail or two, but the concept was very sound.
This is gripping. I bought the trilogy box set, thinking it would last me for a few days. I read it within 18 hours. Yes, all three books, with about four hours sleep overnight. I could not stay away from it.
Joanne Macgregor's writing is clean, engaging, and well-edited and proofed; a pleasure to read. (I got this after reading Scarred, also excellent.)
The military aspects were well done, basic training for once being understated rather than overplayed. The link between was entirely believable and well presented.
Jinx is an outstanding character, and most of the characters were well-developed, rounded people. I found Quinn's Irishisms charming but not quite believable, Connor a touch flatter than he should have been, and Roth just a bit of a standard black hat. Sarge was superb, as were Robin, Leya, Tallulah and many more.
The pace is fast but not dizzyingly so, the plot complex and layered in a very satisfying way, and the world-building was superb. Politics and economics play as much of a part as action and young love. It's a riveting mix.
I thought that the trilogy was as serious a work of SF as it was a genre work of YA romance. I reckon comparisons to other series like The Hunger Games and Divergent are *not* merited. Joanne Macgregor's work is far superior to both. I was left wondering who is moulding my mind today, and how.
A top-rated work for anyone who reads any of the genres listed above.
I think Joanne Macgregor is an outstanding writer. Her plague- and rat-infested dystopia is believable and well expressed. I could recognise the society we had recently been, and the adaptations we had made were well-chosen and plausible. The coming of age theme was subtly integrated across the trilogy and only came together, very effectively, in the final novel (partly because of all the preparation which the author had done earlier). The romance follows the modern YA romance conventions, but is better done than most. The SF premise is frighteningly realistic, very deeply developed, and could serve as a how-to model for many dystopian SF authors. There were one or two isolated spots where, as someone with adequate technical knowledge, I muttered to myself about a tiny detail or two, but the concept was very sound.
This is gripping. I bought the trilogy box set, thinking it would last me for a few days. I read it within 18 hours. Yes, all three books, with about four hours sleep overnight. I could not stay away from it.
Joanne Macgregor's writing is clean, engaging, and well-edited and proofed; a pleasure to read. (I got this after reading Scarred, also excellent.)
The military aspects were well done, basic training for once being understated rather than overplayed. The link between was entirely believable and well presented.
Jinx is an outstanding character, and most of the characters were well-developed, rounded people. I found Quinn's Irishisms charming but not quite believable, Connor a touch flatter than he should have been, and Roth just a bit of a standard black hat. Sarge was superb, as were Robin, Leya, Tallulah and many more.
The pace is fast but not dizzyingly so, the plot complex and layered in a very satisfying way, and the world-building was superb. Politics and economics play as much of a part as action and young love. It's a riveting mix.
I thought that the trilogy was as serious a work of SF as it was a genre work of YA romance. I reckon comparisons to other series like The Hunger Games and Divergent are *not* merited. Joanne Macgregor's work is far superior to both. I was left wondering who is moulding my mind today, and how.
A top-rated work for anyone who reads any of the genres listed above.
September 4, 2017
This is by far the best book I have read in a long time. The whole trilogy is just amazing. I hope I can find the words to explain my overwhelmed feelings after reading the series for the last few days.
It all starts as a fictional story with a dystopian world. A highly dangerous virus has made the people retreat/confined to their homes, always worried of the outside world and the dangers there. The children are playing The Game, a virtual reality war game and the goverment is ever present with their messages and encouraging people to be good citizens by reporting others.
Jinx, sixteen, loves to play as a sniper and she is top of The Game. She gets invited to the Game's HQ and meets other players and they all get invited to stay and learn to be real snipers – to do good against the plague. While some of the characters have no problem with that, others are questioning it, the most Quinn. He shakes Jinx up, mentally and physically.
I love Jinx, she is witty, humorous and can be ice cool while hurting inside. Just like any teenager finding their way. The dialogues are funny, especially Bruce is really loveable in his own way (especially towards book 3). Joanne Macgregor's writing is so fluent and captivating that I definitely want to check out her other books. Only at the end of chapters I groan, because they end on cliffhangers and make it impossible for me to take a break from reading.
But what captured me most is the story. It all starts so much like fiction, a future sure never will be. Then it describes the goverment's attempt to let the populace have fear of terorists and immigrants, a high wall on the border to Mexico, keeping traveling to a minimum, anti-globalization and focusing inwards to make your country great again combined with surpressing the media, controlling them and it's then when you can't ignore that this is not such a futuristic fiction at all.
At the beginning of the book, you really believe it is about the plague, you worry about the virus and what the heroine has to do to fight and survive. But then, when you realise this thread is way exaggerated, when you loose your fear of the virus, you can focus on the real thead. Exactly what Jinx, Quinn, Bruce, Cameron, Evyan and all the others are doing.
Book 1 is mainly character and relationship building, getting us to know and love Jinx and Quinn, open up our eyes to the world they are in and slowly letting us questioning why it is this way.
Book 2 is a bit of a piggy in the middle. Jinx has to face a bad time before it can get better.
She is with the rebels but realises that their methods aren't any better. Also, Quinn is still convinced that Jinx is a cold blooded killer and it hurts – her and me, the reader.
There are the odd turns in the story which are good for the plot but not for my sense of reasoning. The most annoying was when Jinx gets to the rebel camp and Quinn has to pad her down for weapons or bugs. Which he doesn't really want to do because he is not on friendly terms with her at that point but it brings the heat between them up again, much needed for the story. It would have been more sensible if Evyan had searched her before she even picked her up and brought her to camp!
But I'm more than happy to forgive this and a few more times when things just worked out fine for the heros / the plot instead of being reasonable.
Book 3 is then the final game. We discover the big thing behind the Game (more than once as Neil and Robin at least say this three times about their new discovered hidden codes). And all characters grow up to their best. As mentioned before, even unpleasant or annoying character like Bruce become funny and witty (Evyan, not Bruce).
In the end, all is good, we get the happy end we deserve but there are signs that we all still have to be careful and watchful and that evil money will always find a way... and I was wondering if even the plague might have been homemade...
It all starts as a fictional story with a dystopian world. A highly dangerous virus has made the people retreat/confined to their homes, always worried of the outside world and the dangers there. The children are playing The Game, a virtual reality war game and the goverment is ever present with their messages and encouraging people to be good citizens by reporting others.
Jinx, sixteen, loves to play as a sniper and she is top of The Game. She gets invited to the Game's HQ and meets other players and they all get invited to stay and learn to be real snipers – to do good against the plague. While some of the characters have no problem with that, others are questioning it, the most Quinn. He shakes Jinx up, mentally and physically.
I love Jinx, she is witty, humorous and can be ice cool while hurting inside. Just like any teenager finding their way. The dialogues are funny, especially Bruce is really loveable in his own way (especially towards book 3). Joanne Macgregor's writing is so fluent and captivating that I definitely want to check out her other books. Only at the end of chapters I groan, because they end on cliffhangers and make it impossible for me to take a break from reading.
But what captured me most is the story. It all starts so much like fiction, a future sure never will be. Then it describes the goverment's attempt to let the populace have fear of terorists and immigrants, a high wall on the border to Mexico, keeping traveling to a minimum, anti-globalization and focusing inwards to make your country great again combined with surpressing the media, controlling them and it's then when you can't ignore that this is not such a futuristic fiction at all.
At the beginning of the book, you really believe it is about the plague, you worry about the virus and what the heroine has to do to fight and survive. But then, when you realise this thread is way exaggerated, when you loose your fear of the virus, you can focus on the real thead. Exactly what Jinx, Quinn, Bruce, Cameron, Evyan and all the others are doing.
Book 1 is mainly character and relationship building, getting us to know and love Jinx and Quinn, open up our eyes to the world they are in and slowly letting us questioning why it is this way.
Book 2 is a bit of a piggy in the middle. Jinx has to face a bad time before it can get better.
She is with the rebels but realises that their methods aren't any better. Also, Quinn is still convinced that Jinx is a cold blooded killer and it hurts – her and me, the reader.
There are the odd turns in the story which are good for the plot but not for my sense of reasoning. The most annoying was when Jinx gets to the rebel camp and Quinn has to pad her down for weapons or bugs. Which he doesn't really want to do because he is not on friendly terms with her at that point but it brings the heat between them up again, much needed for the story. It would have been more sensible if Evyan had searched her before she even picked her up and brought her to camp!
But I'm more than happy to forgive this and a few more times when things just worked out fine for the heros / the plot instead of being reasonable.
Book 3 is then the final game. We discover the big thing behind the Game (more than once as Neil and Robin at least say this three times about their new discovered hidden codes). And all characters grow up to their best. As mentioned before, even unpleasant or annoying character like Bruce become funny and witty (Evyan, not Bruce).
In the end, all is good, we get the happy end we deserve but there are signs that we all still have to be careful and watchful and that evil money will always find a way... and I was wondering if even the plague might have been homemade...
February 5, 2017
Recoil: WOW! Amazing read! My first by Joanne MacGregor, it won't be my last! Well developed characters, an edge of your seat story line, a can't wait to turn the page book. I can't wait to read book 2!
Refuse: Amazing read! My second from author Joanne MacGregor, it won't be my last! Well developed characters, an edge of your seat story line, a can't wait to turn the page book. I can't wait to read book 3!
Rebel: Amazing read! My fourth from author Joanne MacGregor, is like a drop-in visit with an old friend. It won't be my last! Well developed characters, an edge of your seat story line, a can't wait to turn the page book, unexpected twists and turns. *spoiler* It’s a shame this series had to end, but all good things come to an end and I’m sure that author Joanne MacGregor has more good writing waiting in the wings!
Refuse: Amazing read! My second from author Joanne MacGregor, it won't be my last! Well developed characters, an edge of your seat story line, a can't wait to turn the page book. I can't wait to read book 3!
Rebel: Amazing read! My fourth from author Joanne MacGregor, is like a drop-in visit with an old friend. It won't be my last! Well developed characters, an edge of your seat story line, a can't wait to turn the page book, unexpected twists and turns. *spoiler* It’s a shame this series had to end, but all good things come to an end and I’m sure that author Joanne MacGregor has more good writing waiting in the wings!
January 21, 2018
This series is very well written with a very powerful feels train going straight through it! If you are looking for something different and that will pull you into its world, look no further.
I first started reading this series and was quickly dragged into a world that was flipped up side down with many people only looking out for themselves and taking advantage of a bad situation. Luckily there are some amazing heros that step up and make a change. Give this series a try and fall in love with new characters.
I first started reading this series and was quickly dragged into a world that was flipped up side down with many people only looking out for themselves and taking advantage of a bad situation. Luckily there are some amazing heros that step up and make a change. Give this series a try and fall in love with new characters.
February 9, 2018
All around amazing book
At first I thought this book would be kinda corny. Though once I got into the first chapter I was hooked. It full of so much action with the perfect mix of romance. I had a hard time putting it down just to go about my regular life. Every chapter left me with wanting to find out what was going to happen next. There wasn't a single thing I hated.
At first I thought this book would be kinda corny. Though once I got into the first chapter I was hooked. It full of so much action with the perfect mix of romance. I had a hard time putting it down just to go about my regular life. Every chapter left me with wanting to find out what was going to happen next. There wasn't a single thing I hated.
March 24, 2020
Wowza! I read this trilogy some time ago but it couldn't possibly be more relevant right now. The world is in quarantine due to a highly dangerous virus. Young people are chosen for further training based on the computer skills they show from home, where everything is watched. A fast paced adventure with a somewhat sinister twist.
March 1, 2018
Love love LOVE
Absolutely adored this trilogy from start to finish. So much excitement, twists, turns, and sweet young love. Slightly frightening depiction of just how close our modern society is to this potential future. Brilliantly planned and well written!
Absolutely adored this trilogy from start to finish. So much excitement, twists, turns, and sweet young love. Slightly frightening depiction of just how close our modern society is to this potential future. Brilliantly planned and well written!
April 5, 2018
Awesome series!
Loved this trilogy! Kept me interested until the very end! Looking forward to more books by this author! Fans of The Girl Who Dared, Configured and The Gender Game will love this book!
Loved this trilogy! Kept me interested until the very end! Looking forward to more books by this author! Fans of The Girl Who Dared, Configured and The Gender Game will love this book!
October 22, 2018
Great read!
I had a hard time putting this series down. It was a good read. No explicit sex scenes, but plenty of romance....no language that made me cringe...a great plot. Well done Joanne Macgregor! Thank you.
I had a hard time putting this series down. It was a good read. No explicit sex scenes, but plenty of romance....no language that made me cringe...a great plot. Well done Joanne Macgregor! Thank you.
April 17, 2017
Great Read
This was quite the ride emotionally,scared, romantic, bravery, and the one most precious thing we all need,Love. Truly a n enjoyable read.Thanks
This was quite the ride emotionally,scared, romantic, bravery, and the one most precious thing we all need,Love. Truly a n enjoyable read.Thanks
September 15, 2018
Amazing trilogy. Wish there were more books to come. It has been a long time since i find a series I enjoyed so much and engrossed in. It will most definitely be on my reread list
November 24, 2018
Amazing story with great characters
January 26, 2020
Very unexpected, pleasant read.
February 10, 2018
This trilogy was advertised on sale for $1 ... for all three books. I don't generally buy books, even inexpensive ones, as I have oodles waiting already in my Kindle cloud and library loan list. But, this wasn't available through my library, and would be $10 if three books were purchased separately. It was available on Kindle Unlimited (which I'm not on, but I can borrow one book a month with Prime to read on my Kindle) ... but I figured I'd just risk the $1, and I'm glad I did. I read all three books back to back and enjoyed the series. I felt like it did read as one long book. Very up in the air endings for the first two books (not really conclusions).
Although book 2 picked up right where book 1 left off ... there was a big change. From past tense to present tense. WHY? I really dislike present tense and it just jumped off the page (well, screen) "When I open my eyes I am blindfolded" ... urgg, I hate present tense! It always feels so awkward to me. I hoped maybe it would revert to past tense for book 3, but alas, it didn't. There was some past tense as some memories were recalled. Is that why authors use present tense? To separate it more from memories?
As in any book like this, there has to be some suspension of disbelief as a group of teenagers save the world.
Although book 2 picked up right where book 1 left off ... there was a big change. From past tense to present tense. WHY? I really dislike present tense and it just jumped off the page (well, screen) "When I open my eyes I am blindfolded" ... urgg, I hate present tense! It always feels so awkward to me. I hoped maybe it would revert to past tense for book 3, but alas, it didn't. There was some past tense as some memories were recalled. Is that why authors use present tense? To separate it more from memories?
As in any book like this, there has to be some suspension of disbelief as a group of teenagers save the world.
September 8, 2021
at first i thought the language was juvenile, but when you realize that these teens have been forced into staying in their homes between middle and high school it makes more sense. jinx is a believable character because she isn't perfect. she isn't the all around super heroine so many dystopian heroines are. she has a serious skill, one that has been honed by 'the game' creating younger and younger super soldiers and military experts. quinn is a character you can't help but like, at first. its easy to get pissed off at him for making assumptions. but he comes around and you can't help but root for jinx and quinn as a couple! the good guys are sometimes bad guys and the bad guys masquerade as good guys. you don't know who is who at first. so what's a dystopian novel (or series) without a good ending? and it all wraps up nicely with a good epilogue. i wish more authors would do this!
some sensuality if you have issues with that, which i don't!
i almost didn't buy this because of the cover, but i'm glad i did.
some sensuality if you have issues with that, which i don't!
i almost didn't buy this because of the cover, but i'm glad i did.
July 2, 2017
This trilogy just got better with each novel. I liked it very much indeed and I would definitely read more by the same author. It was fast-paced, the characters were fairly well-developed, and the essential adolescent love story was well integrated into the narrative. At the same time some parts of it annoyed me - the attempt to have Quinn speak with an Irish accent, which is not convincing, and the slide into stereotyping with some of the characters - especially Evyan and Bruce (not to mention the adult characters like Roth). It also grates somewhat to think that the survival of America and of humanity appears to depend on a bunch of sixteen and seventeen year olds - who in reality could not have that much power or ability. But that is the nature of YA dystopian novels, and I am still reading them. This kind of dystopia is all too possible - a deadly virus spread by terrorists leading to an insular and isolated USA - and even probable. I liked the main character - her occasionally dodgy decisions made her more human and believable. Quinn is less well developed as he remains rather hazy and out of focus - not to mention far too good (and handsome) to be true. Overall though, highly recommended to anyone who likes YA dystopian novels.
August 8, 2017
Really Good
Some reviews have compared this series to The Hunger Games, but that does both an I. They are not alike. Recoil is not dark. It kisses the line and crossed over in a few places, but the overall story doesn't lie there. The true darkness of the tale is hidden and must be discovered the characters progressively. My only negative is that it jumps to the end. I can understand the choice, but it doesn't mean I like it.
Some reviews have compared this series to The Hunger Games, but that does both an I. They are not alike. Recoil is not dark. It kisses the line and crossed over in a few places, but the overall story doesn't lie there. The true darkness of the tale is hidden and must be discovered the characters progressively. My only negative is that it jumps to the end. I can understand the choice, but it doesn't mean I like it.
February 7, 2021
Coming of age, dystopian read, compared by some with Hunger Games and Divergent. A good escapist story but in my estimation not as exciting or engaging as Hunger Games or Divergent. Heroine Jinxy James starts off as a gamer, wins a contest, is trained as a sniper and finds herself caught in the middle of a war.
December 24, 2017
I've commented on each of these novels separately!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews