Clover

by Lisa Jade

Farm work isn't the worst thing in the world, as far as Noah is concerned. The daily grind of the Mill and the ever-watchful eye of the Guard and their Hoverbots aren't enough to put her off. She doesn't even mind the way her memory has slowly faded, leaving no trace of her life before being put to work. But the city of Thorne demands her attention, and she's sent off with a special delivery. Upon her arrival she's met by the infamous Clover, an underground protest group with a set of noble but terrifying ideals. They see things she can't - beauty in the empty city, cruelty in its leadership - and even potential in Noah herself.

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2017

About the author

Lisa Jade is a science fiction writer based in the UK. She lives in Shropshire with her husband and mostly specialises in post-apocalyptic fiction, Sci Fi and Dystopian settings. She has been writing novels for seven years.

Reviews

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** 4 Cranky Stars ****

First off, this is a top class work of fiction. Lisa jade is a new to me author and from the looks of it, isn’t that well-known in the literary world. Yet. We need to correct that.



The world Noah, our main character lives in is hard. She had only known back-breaking labor, hunger, cruelty and down-right slavery all her young life. Something she had come to accept in order to survive. She and thousands of other teenagers and children are workers of the Mill, may it be in the farm, the factories, power plant or at the Mine. Places that supply everything to the mainland, Thorne.



For the past eight years, 19 yr old Noah had kept her head down and worked herself to the ground to avoid being punished by the guards for something as simple as sitting down on the job for five minutes. This attitude however didn’t encourage any friendship with the other teens apart from her bunkbed mate, Nel. But honestly, everyone is just too exhausted to even think about becoming friends with another person.



Then one day, a new boy arrived and Noah got caught in the side-lines in the wake of his punishment. As a result, she was forced to make a solitary trip to Thorne to deliver supplies to a woman called Pan. Armed with just her cart, no food or water for the journey and no mode of transportation apart from her own two feet, Noah took on the job without any complaints.



And ended up seeing a completely different world where she was directly connected to.



This was such a pleasure to read. The world building was so good I could see every place so clearly in my mind’s eye. All the characters introduced became my friends and were so individualised that I knew which was who instead of thinking they are like identical drones in an army of many.



Noah’s character developed at a steady pace, I felt like I shared every experience with her. There was no insta-love or male interest forced in front of her which had been quite refreshing because it made me appreciate her character more than seeing her as part of a couple.



My only criticism is the story finished with this book. It would have been better had it been a 2 book series, I thought. There was enough content to flesh it out and stretch the story into 2 books and it would have been richer had that been the case. The ending felt a bit hurried and lacking after following such a promising start and meaty middle part.



Having said that, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend this to all dystopian readers and to those wanting to explore this genre.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This is the first time I have read this author and I am very happy that she contacted me. This story is so well written and such a great, unique premise. This is a dystopian book about a society of people that are forced to work at the Mill or the Farm. They are basically treated like slaves and have no rights as citizens. Noah, the female subject, has been keeping her head down and staying out of trouble for as long as she could remember. Until one day when a newbie Kane decides to challenge authority. He wants Noah's help but she won't and when he gets in trouble she feels guilty.

This story gave nothing away and was full of surprises throughout. There was the perfect mix of action, drama, and humor. There were times when I was gritting my teeth trying not to yell at the book because I was so on edge. This was a fast read as well because it was very engaging and kept my interest piqued. I really didn't want the story to end because I could read about Noah and her friends for a long time. I feel like there are a lot of adventures and shenanigans they could get up to so I hope this isn't the last we see of them. While the book isn't a cliffhanger, I think the end leaves it open for more stories. I really hope there are more stories in the works and I will definitely be checking out other stories written by Lisa Jade.

[Corrine Pickering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clover by Lisa Jade

### 5 Huge Hashtags ###

Wow! how I absolutely love this book. I was completely transported into Noah's world. This author has created a uniquely different and completely captivating read. This is one of those books you can visualise throughout and would no doubt make an amazing film.

Noah's world is nothing like we know, you are either a millchild (slave/worker) or a city person. Noah is a millchild, she has no recollection of her past, however when she is sent with a delivery for the city of Thorne ...everything Noah knows now changes.

A seriously good read, easy 5 stars - I would without a shadow of a doubt give more stars if I could, a great ending but I did feel the ending was a little rushed - maybe because I wanted more, so much more! even an epilogue ... I seriously didn't want this book to end and didn't want to let go of Noah.

[Lissa Rice]

**4 (3.5) Stars Full Review and Rating will be up on Boundless Book Reviews.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah has been a millworker all her life. She was taught not to question but just do. But I think that something deep inside her knew there was more. After an incident, she told to go to Thorne. A place she’s never been, a huge city full of the people that use everything they work so hard to provide. 

That’s when the fun begins. There are a lot of twists to this story. There’s plenty of action. So, you are not really sure what's going to happen next. My only issue is it seemed quite long. It felt drawn out, and the end was a bit lackluster. Once it got to the heart of the story, I wanted more. I wanted to see what happens after. I’m not sure if this is going to be a series? I guess I’ll find out later. But it was worth the read. 

Overall, I gave this a 4 (3.5) Boundless Stars. I was on the fence about the rating. It was an enjoyable read. But I also did not connect very much with the characters. That is one huge thing for me. But I feel that I was really able to jump into the heart of the story. I think there are many, many people who are going to love it. 

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