Day One

Day Zero Duology #2

by Kelly deVos

RULE ONE: THOSE WHO PANIC DON’T SURVIVE IT’S AS TRUE NOW AS IT WAS THE DAY OUR WORLD EXPLODED INTO CHAOS

Jinx
Three months ago, all I wanted was to stay up late playing video games and pretending the world was fine. With my parents’ role in a massive political conspiracy exposed, I ended up on the run, desperate to rescue my little brother, Charles, from the clutches of The Opposition. I used to hate my father’s obsession with disaster prepping. But as I fight my way across a war-torn country and into a secret military research facility with only my stepsister to count on, I realize that following Dr. Doomsday’s Guide for Ultimate Survival might be our only hope of surviving to see Charles again.

MacKenna
Once, I had it all. The right backstory. The right qualifications. But my life as a student journalist was destroyed forever in the explosions that triggered the country’s meltdown. Now I’m determined to help Jinx get our little brother, Charles, back. But we also have to find our own reasons to survive. Somehow, I’ve become the first reporter of the new civil war. In a world where your story is your ultimate weapon, I have to become the toughest freedom fighter of all.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Fantasy

Unknown Binding

First published December 1, 2020

About the author

Kelly deVos is from Gilbert, Arizona, where she lives with her high school sweetheart husband, amazing teen daughter and superhero dog, Cocoa. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. When not reading or writing, Kelly can typically be found with a mocha in hand, bingeing the latest TV shows and adding to her ever-growing sticker collection. Her debut novel, Fat Girl on a Plane, named one of the "50 Best Summer Reads of All Time" by Reader's Digest magazine, is available now from HarperCollins.

Kelly's work has been featured in the New York Times as well as on Salon, Vulture and Bustle.

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teenagers in the middle of the second civil war!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💗💗💗
Heat/Steam: N/A
Story/Plot: 👏👏👏👏👏
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 🤓🥸😎😤😳

The setting: The United States and Mexico

The Characters:
Susan (Jinx) Marshall – Seventeen years old, she took off with her family after bank bombings all over the country were blamed on her father and step-father and the world was falling into chaos. Since she was young Jinx was trained by her survivalist father in just about everything it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse, or what is actually happening in the world so she is more prepared than most teens. Though her main talent is computer hacking.

Mackenna Novak - Teen aged stepsister to Jinx. Her father is a former military man that worked for the largest bank in the U.S. and was framed for the bombings. Mackenna wants to be an investigative journalist at some point so she looks at everything as a story and she is intelligent. She gets along well with Jinx. The book alternates between her and Jinx’s points of view.

Toby Novak - Brother of Mackenna, he was in college prior to the bombings. Their group (family) is on the run from “The Opposition” (the political party of President Ammon
Carver) who basically stole the election. Ammon Carver’s mother brings the President’s daughter Annika to join them, trying to save her. Toby falls for her but she ends up going back to her father right away. Toby changes after that and starts being a bit shifty.

Gus Navarro – worked with Jinx’s father. Navarro was sent away by Jinx’s mother because she caught him with a Satellite phone and she thinks he was working for The Opposition which in addition to trying to capture them is creating a police state. He and Jinx were starting to fall for each other when he left. However he returns in this book right when the real traitor who framed both Jinx’s father and her stepfather for the crimes (including bombing American banks and killing over 2000 people). Gus has secrets and his background is not really known.

Harold “Terminus” Partridge – Jinx’s hacker friend that betrayed her in the first book. He returns and helps them in this book. Mackenna has a bit of a crush on Terminus.



The story is definitely engrossing. I like the premise and this book is less political than the first, though it didn’t bother me in the first book. Other than the fact “The Opposition” is basically the American Government and they are out to get our main characters. Jinx’s little brother is kidnapped by the Government and all Jinx and Mackenna really care about is getting him back safely.

Jinx is able to figure out her fathers key which is a computer program that will release all the bank money that was thought to be destroyed in the bombings (or something like that), and the Opposition knows that they have it. Also it seems that every where they go, people are keeping secrets from them. I hate in books when the characters find out some of the secrets then don’t tell each other. It seems very odd to me.

Mackenna found out some things about Navarro and she also knows that her brother is acting very strangely but she doesn’t mention it to Jinx. I hate when that happens. The two of them seem to be sticking together in this quest, though Jinx thinks the whole group is together but when Mackenna finds out these secrets she doesn’t tell Jinx so they can get to the bottom of things.

Though I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the turns this book took. There was futuristic technology terrific settings/locations and I loved Mackenna’s chapters and the way she had headlines and clips of news and they were sited as Letters from the second civil war. The book did well in showing how people have high political ideals but when push comes to shove the politicians and leaders end up being flawed on both sides. Every time I vote for president it seems the choice is between the lesser of two evils.

The book had so much action and went from place to place, it seemed to be non-stop action, but it does take place over many months of time. This would make a great movie or mini-series. It seems almost like a Jason Bourne action adventure movie, except Jinx is Jason. She has one goal, to get her brother back and they are being chased and infiltrated by evil forces throughout the book but they keep pushing towards the goal.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopian novel in the very near future, where a small group of teens are tasked with preventing a nuclear war. Oh and it’s in the middle of the second civil war!

I really enjoyed this fast paced story. There were several great surprises that ended with a fairly compact conclusion. I would love to read more of these characters and the outcome of the splintered United States. 3.5 ⭐️ (rounded up) 😉

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i LOVED the fast paced action in this book! I think that there could have been another book after this to explain even more but I don’t mind the ending too much anyway.

If you like action books, go for this!!!!!

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

Day One  picks up right where its predecessor  Day Zero left off, with main character Jinx and her stepsister MacKenna trying to find Jinx's brother, who has been taken. Jinx's parents and MacKenna's dad have all played a fairly active role in the current hellscape that was the United States, so it could really be just about any faction out to get them. Jinx's father was a big doomsday prepper, and had aligned himself with the eerily relevant and terrible political party at the helm, at least until he realized their intentions. So, everyone is on the hunt for the group, as Jinx is the last living link to her father's knowledge.

I read this the day before the election, which maybe wasn't a great plan. Things get dark in this book, and it is all too easy to see how. MacKenna's chapters delve more deeply into the questions of how the country got to such a place, and it's just such a scary comparison to current events that it's even more unsettling.

"What if, in the end, political parties are incapable of putting a stop to the injustices they themselves are busy creating?"

Of course we're rooting for Jinx and MacKenna and their family and friends to make it out alive, but it's horrifying when you see how many would not be. And that's the crux: the heroes may end up victorious, but what is the cost? Jinx and MacKenna have to navigate all kinds of ugly no-win scenarios, fight their way through some very intense situations, all for the hopes of saving their brother and just maybe, stopping a war.

Bottom Line:  Even more intense than book one, this was an incredibly solid finale to a strong duology that felt so very pertinent to current events.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult / Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5-4

*Thoughts*

Day One is the second and final installment in author Kelly deVos Day Zero Duology. This book focuses on several key characters including Susan "Jinx" Marshall and MacKenna Novak who are stepsisters thrown into a world of political deceit, and betrayal, while being chased by two separate groups called the Spark and the Opposition who wants what Jinx has. As the story opens, the group of Jinx, Jay Novak, Gus Navarro, MacKenna, and Toby Novak are regrouping in Mexico after a stunningly violent scene which closed the first installment.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[The Kawaii Slartibartfast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkyard Press.

Gonna be honest with you. Reading this duology so close to the US election was not an entirely comfy situation but we'll worth it.

Day One is stunning. Susan has claimed herself as Jinx and MacKenna wants answers.

It starts with the hunt to get Charles back and a series of increasingly more horrifying choices.

It left me shaken but hopeful.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a fast paced action book and I throughly enjoyed it. I do wish it was a trilogy instead of a duolgy though. I feel like there could be more to tell.

[Barbara Trozzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satisfying yet surprising resolution

It appears that this book was more hastily produced; while the momentum had me racing through this book, as well, I was brought up short several times by typos and word combinations that were a bit jarring.

Regardless, it was still an enjoyable story. I particularly liked the way the narrative went back and forth between Jinx and Mac. I also loved Jinx’s speech at the end.

[Zofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about an action packed book.
There was So much going on at all times. So many different pieces all moving together it was hard to imagine a bigger picture. Characters did seem to pop up from seemingly no where though which did bother me a bit.
I loved loved the politics side of it. It was very insightful as a look into power hungry people.
It was very refreshing for the romance to be barely there in these books.
I only realised halfway through this book that the only character with a personality in this book was mackenna. Everyone else just seemed to do the same thing over and over again and by the second book it got a bit boring. (Especially Nevero, his only personality trait was to be moody)
I thought this was a duology but the ending seemed to have been left open for a sequel? Way too much happened in this book for me to remember what happens if another book comes out.
I’m leaving this book unrated for now cause I honestly have no clue what I think of it? I need processing time.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to enjoy this; disaster stories are my jam, after all. And it's not bad, per se. It's a little chaotic; things keep happening, one after another, and our characters are flung from one situation to the next without much time to recover in between. There are allies and amazing tech everywhere you look; I was very rarely worried about them, because people kept turning up to help them.

It's interestingly written, with a few good twists, but it just wasn't enough for me, I'm afraid. I'm glad I finished the series, but I won't be coming back to it.

Not awful, for the right reader. I hope it does well.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Day Zero by Kelly deVos is one of those review copies I never quite got around to reading last year. However, one of the benefits of not reading a book promptly is not having to wait for the sequel. Instead, you can read both the original and the sequel back to back. This was my approach to Day Zero and its sequel, Day One.

A funny thing happened when I finished one and started the other, however. It quickly became apparent that the version of Day Zero I read had some major changes made to it before final publication. My version of Day Zero revolved around Jinx and her stepsiblings, Tyrell and Makeeba Anderson, who just happened to be Black and from Atlanta. Let me tell you that when reading a political thriller, the entire context of the story changes a lot when two of the main characters are Black and from the south. As 2020 showed the world, their experiences dealing with the police are completely different than a white person’s experiences.

While not perfect and definitely in need of some sensitivity reader feedback, I liked the version of Day Zero I read. Ms. deVos uses Tyrell and Makeeba to address police brutality and systemic racism before the world acknowledged it. Even better, she acknowledges that the Anderson siblings come from wealth but that wealth does not protect them from racial prejudice. The story has a completely different feel when Tyrell and Makeeba Anderson from Atlanta become Toby and MacKenna Novak from Denver. Suddenly, the politics of the story, which is the entire plot, are much less inclusive and incomplete.

The thing is, I rather liked the politics in my version of Day Zero. It is all too easy to envision 45 doing something as extreme as declaring a national emergency and calling the military to step into police roles. Even better, the opposition addresses what could happen if we fully adopted socialism while addressing racial barriers and cultural roadblocks long established by the founders of the country. It makes for a prescient story, a year ahead of the rest of the world. Except, that is not the route Ms. deVos and her editors ultimately chose.

As I did not read the final version of Day Zero, I can’t say whether I liked it. I can extrapolate, however, based on my reaction to Day One, which is not favorable. The story itself loses a lot of timeliness and gravitas when Makeeba goes from being a strong, politically aware Black young woman to MacKenna, a rather selfish, impetuous white girl of privilege.

Plus, Jinx is not nearly as commanding and forceful in the sequel as she was in the first book. In Day One, she lets others dictate her actions rather than taking the initiative. This is not the Jinx we get to know in the first book, and there again, the story suffers as a result.

As a result, much of Day One becomes an exercise in suspension of disbelief as the story takes one outlandish turn after another. By the time someone we thought dead in the first novel makes an appearance, the whole thing has become so ridiculous as to be disappointing.

Again, I have no idea if I would feel similarly about Day Zero in its end form, but I do imagine my feelings would be less positive than they were simply because having key characters to help draw attention to systemic racism in a political thriller is a massive gamechanger to the story. I have never had a review copy change SO much from the published novel, and the changes made are, in my opinion, a poor choice.

[Andrea Huelsenbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This young adult thriller is the sequel to Day Zero. The cast of characters is pretty much the same group as in the first book. The action is told from the viewpoints of two teenaged stepsisters, computer whiz Susan (Jinx) Marshall and the budding journalist MacKenna Novak. Jinx’s dad, Maxwell, was a computer science professor who taught her well. He had a pessimistic view of society, wrote a survivalist handbook, and conducted drills with his family and with students to prepare them for an inevitable doomsday. The political climate in the US grew intense, with a severe economic depression and division between the adherents of the two competing parties, The Spark and The Opposition. Maxwell supported The Opposition, until he suddenly didn’t anymore. Jinx’s mom, Stephanie, a high school history teacher, was ostensibly for The Spark, and eventually divorced Maxwell and married MacKenna’s father, widower and bank security officer Jay Novak. MacKenna’s college student brother, Toby, and Jinx’s younger brother, Charles, complete the blended family. Other characters introduced in the first book come back in the second book as well, and there are a few newbies.
Day One begins about a month after Day Zero ends. DeVos does a good job of setting up the background for the reader, but I don’t want to go into it here, because Day Zero is so good, you should read it first, rather than me spoiling it for you by giving you a quick summary. Let’s just say that a crisis occurred in Day Zero that paralyzed the country, and it became very dangerous for everyone connected with either Maxwell Marshall or Jay Novak (so, basically, the entire family is in mortal danger). A major plot twist at the end of Day Zero shattered the family. Oh, and in Day One civil war breaks out.
Every character has a different goal. Finding Charles, who’s been kidnapped. Proving Jay is innocent of espionage. And preventing a cold fusion bomb from being launched. Sometimes Jinx and MacKenna work together, and sometimes they separate and work at cross purposes, but they and the others all believe they are following their best (and only) possible courses of action. Nothing is as it seems, and nothing goes according to plan.
Day One had me in anxiety all the way through. I identified strongly with Jinx and MacKenna, who, although they don’t always agree, are very idealistic and passionate about doing the right thing. As in the first book, there are multiple plot twists. Every chapter ends on a reversal or a surprise. The pace is rapid, requiring split second decisions of the characters, often without knowing all the facts. The book ends with the three goals being accomplished, but the country is still at war, and a sizable percentage of the characters are dead. I feel that the ending is realistic and satisfying, though not rosy. Day Zero and Day One are both excellent books, well worth reading. Just try not to see all the similarities to our present political situation; it could freak you out.

[MJ James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Day One
By. Kelly Devos
P. 471
Format: Print/Audiobook
Rating: ****

**********************
Day One is the second book in the Day Zero duology. It is a Young Adult apocalyptic multi-perspective science fiction book.

The book follows Jinx the daughter of a survivalist and a computer genius. It is also told from the perspective of Jinx’s stepsister, MacKenna, an aspiring journalist. Also, Gus, a boy who has had a crush on Jinx for years and who promised her father to help her to survive.

In the first book we are introduced to the two main political parties The Spark and The Opposition. The second book gets you up close and personal to the heads of the parties. Jinx’s parents were heavily connected to both and the plot naturally gives you an insider look at the people behind the politics.

The book is extremely pessimistic about human nature, and it is also eerily foretelling of what is currently happening in the United States. There was one scene of the book that caused a panic attack. All I will say is why does it always happen to California? Also, why do I still live in California if it always happens to us?

In the first book the teenagers are mostly on their own. They are the star of their own show. In Day One they are being used as pawns by adults. I absolutely hated that the boys were pulled into secret meetings and the girls were told to go in their rooms and wait to be told what to do. It was sexist and demeaning - and exactly what would happen. As a reader my blood was boiling, I also got exactly why it was written that way.

The book did not blow me away. However, it was well written with unique and detailed characters. The duology is a quick read and will make you question politics even more. Although, I hope we figure to the mess we are in before we get to the utter chaos of Day One.

[John M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really struggled with the first book in this duology ("Day Zero"), and I vacillated back and forth for a really long time as to whether or not to read this second book. However, I am glad that I did finally read the conclusion story. Unlike the first book, the author does a much better job in this book building an interesting plot. Towards the end, though, the author took too many liberties with the storytelling and generated some very significant timeline issues within the story -- things like one set of characters is doing X while the other set is doing Y at the same time, but in actuality, there is no human way possible for both of those things to be happening at the same time (such as one group is wandering in the daylight, while the other group is doing something in the middle of the night ... one time zone away). So, the storytelling does start to break down towards the end of the book. However, the author does wrap up almost all of the loose ends and story threads by the conclusion. Plus, the author gives us a nice and tidy "feel good" ending. So, all in all, this book much better than its prequel, and a decently entertaining use of my time.

[Christopher Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second part of Kelly deVos’s duology that began with Day Zero. It begins with Jinx Maxwell along with a few family and friends hiding out in a Mexican bunker from the forces of the Opposition. As the story proceeds, the list of those after the group comes to include The Spark, and a war-crazed General who’d like to see them dead so they won’t get in the way of his plans for the civil war to come.


The book continues the theme of whether it’s better to enforce equal opportunity for all versus allowing those with economic means from dominating the rest of society. A secondary theme involves the willingness of the two competing political parties to do bad things in order to achieve a better society. The stakes are elevated even more than in the first book, and the body count is significantly higher.

I gave Day One four stars on Goodreads. It’s a wonderfully written book that was a firm five-star read until the very end, which was a little rushed and left a couple of things unresolved.

[Tabatha Shipley · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I Did Like:
+The book opens with a bit of a summary from the previous book, perfect if you’re not reading them back-to-back. However, it’s not so much that if you are you’d be annoyed! It’s just a quick reminder.
+The end of the book is interesting. Really, it almost feels like it was leading to a Book 3 and leaving things unresolved. Is there a book 3?
+The characters you liked in Book 1 are all back! If you read the original, fell in love with the characters, and want more you’ll be pleased.

Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of the first one who wanted more will love that your favorites make a comeback for this one.

My Rating: 3 Stars

For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2024/05/...

[Jenai · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this seemed like a long book, and not in a good way. The story just kept having twists and turns thrown in to the point that in the end I am not sure who the bad guy was and who the good guy was.

The characters either seemed to stagnate in their character development or completely regress into annoying, winning, spoilt brats. The overall locations are mainly in Mexico amd America and although I don't know them they described the locations well enough that I could creat a picture in my head.

The story didn't really really conclude, it ended but there is a lot left that is unknown and it's not little stuff like where did they end up living or did that couple get together. it's HUGE stuff.

overall book 1 was better, book 2 I wouldn't read again.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the second in a series about two step-sisters who are trying to find their little brother and avoid being killed by opposing political forces in this post-apocalyptic adventure. I really enjoyed the author's writing style (obviously because this is book two) although at times the story so closely mirrored some of our current political extremes that it was frightening. I would give this one 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Megan W. (pnwbookworm)]

If you are looking for a super fast paced ya action book with political intrigue and mystery then this is a great book for you. If you're looking for a lot of character depth and descriptions it is not. I personally loved it. Its easy to get into and just keep reading because the story marches right along and you get sucked in. The only downside to this book was I felt like it could have been a trilogy to explain things a bit more. Here's hoping there's a novella in the future.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first—the betrayals and conspiracies were both too convoluted to keep track of, and also too convenient. And this book was just a different vibe than the first, though structurally it had plenty of similarities.

The overarching idea held up, and the characters continued to be well-written. I would’ve liked slightly more resolution or an epilogue, but there was enough. A decent follow up, all in all.

[Livy842 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It’s not your average dystopian, with impossible end of the world scenarios like a zombie apocalypse. This book is more of a collapse of the government, all-out war dystopian and I love it. I feel like this collapse of the world is one we might actually find in our future. With two political groups fighting, everything digital, bombs and a second civil war. It was really well written and overall a great sequel and just book in general.

[Kara Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, fast paced and epic! Not a lot of in depth character arc but you’re still connected and on the edge of your seat. Got to know the girls a bit better. This is the kind of book I’m looking for. Matches up nicely with my movie preferences as well. Also mad props for that recap!
Thanks netgalley.
All opinions are my own.

[CR · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book had another coming. But this was a great ending to this two book series. I loved the outcome and the characters and I was blown away!! I need this as a movie or tv series!! I loved this from the beginning and the pacing is so fast that it was over as soon as I started!! If you loved book one this one is going to knock your socks off.

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the saga of what happens when America enters it's second civil war continues.

Good ending, but i felt the moralizing at the end by Jinx to be interesting.....surely a collective approach to government whereby we care for everyone, is much better than the individual at all costs approach.....or did I miss something???

[Inkyard Press]

Categories
Young Adult Action & Adventure, Young Adult Family, Young Adult Science & Technology
Miniseries
Day Zero Duology (Book #2)

[Mj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book and idea. Liked the relationship of the main characters and their goals.

[Vavyani rangasammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul

[ZAHRAA · Rating 5 out of 5]

كيف اقرأ الكتاب

[Nom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This duology is fab, seriously underrated!
Well worth a read.