The Edifice : Book One

by R.K. Holliday

Connor Laurel was always small, normal, and routine. He lived in a tiny, tight neighborhood where nothing ever happened. This was his life until he found out he had a rare disease.Connor wasn't just frightened, he was also getting taken away from his home by strange men. He soon finds out that these men, and the place they're taking him is anything but small, normal, and routine. Finding out who he really is, what he really has changes everything and raises the stakes. If Connor wants to find understanding, he has to be patient and learn everything he can from his new home. There's only one problem -- Connor isn't sick, he has an unseen, super power.R. K. Holliday introduces an unforgettable boy who must learn to fight, learn to fly, and defy all he knows to uncover the truth.

234 pages, Paperback

Published July 6, 2017

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable YA dystopian read from R.K. Holliday. It is about a 13 year old boy named Connor Laurel who had a “virus” called IMPETUS and in order to be treated, needed to be taken away from his home by “the greater coalition” to a location where he is joined with other children for treatment, scans and observations. The world seemed to be sometime in the future since there are hovering vehicles in this world. In this new place, a spacecraft called Eden is where he is told that he really does not have a virus but instead possess some supernatural abilities he is yet to discover.

I found that the book was well written especially the first half where the story was intriguing and really made me want to turn those pages. This is a great start for a YA series.

All in all, a nice enjoyable read.

[Freesiab BookishReview · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this new ya lit book, but I’m kind of a fan of anything that’s well played as a “school for special people”. While you might think this genre could be overdone I felt like this book snuggles into a great niche that Is enjoyable for a large age group and has a great young male protagonist. I feel like young men need some really positive and healthy characters as well! The book was lively and engaging. There were some places where the scenes changed too quickly but it’s hard to say if it was the narrator, the book or just me and I had no trouble picking it back up. I plan to follow the series and I listened on audiobook. Thanks to the author for reaching out to me!

[Bradeigh Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of feedback I got about this book: “Mom, this is SO good! I can’t wait to find out what happens next.” “Really cool and interesting.” “I loved the main character.” “I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.” What more does a mom want? My oldest said the content is “completely appropriate” for ages 8 and up, though it may be more of a read aloud for that age group unless they have a high reading level. I’m always looking for books that are great for the tween and early teen years, when many kids aren’t ready for the heavier subject matter of YA novels. My kids gave it five stars!

I received a free copy from the author; all opinions are my kids’ :)

[Zoe L.]

Now I don’t always read middle grade books, but when I do you best believe they have magic involved! The Edifice is such a fun, quick, and delightful read! As soon as I started it I was transported back to the feelings I had when I first read Harry Potter. I actually kind of reminded me of a cross between HP and X-Men. But anyways, I just find something so relaxing about stories set in schools for the gifted, don’t you?

The one thing that surprised me the most, and that I absolutely adored, was all of the wild technology in this story! It added a bit of a sci-fi element and I think that really helped this story stand out. I mean magic and technology really do go hand in hand, so it was only fitting that it was added. The world in itself was kind of futuristic which was another cool addition. It made all of the new technology fit in with the story and nothing seemed out of place.

The characters themselves were really charming and fun to read about. Connor is a great example of a young male character and I can see many young boys reading this book. Some of the dialogue was occasionally awkward sounding, but then again this is a middle grade book, so I could just feel that way since I’m *old.* But this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the story! It was just such a fun read from start to finish and I look forward to the next book in the series!

You can view my full review on my blog! I also post a wide range of reviews on my blog!

Reader | Bookstagrammer | Blogger | Reviewer
@ya.its.lit - https://www.instagram.com/ya.its.lit/
Blog - https://yaitslitblog.wordpress.com/

[Joana Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have to say, this book remained me of the first time I've read Harry Potter, it transported me back to another time, when I waited for a letter to come and fetch me to another place!
In this case, Connor Laurel goes to a special facility called Eden, where other kids are to stay protected from the outside world and to learn how to control their abilities, that can go to skin as stiff as metal, healing, mimics, change appearances and so much more!
Which; if I could, I would totally love to have an ornament and a chest like Connor!! And the Recreation Room? That would be my favorite of all!
Connor finds two loyal friends in Liam and Natalie, although I think Mr. Templeton, with his quick remarks, is more than it meets the eyes!
All changes when an ex-student arrives at Eden, and reveals to Connor some secrets that will have him question if the life at Eden is as safely as it seems and to finally find is powers!
Although the book ended in a good note, it also left many questions to answer, don't want to spoiler anything, so I'm just gonna to say that I'm happy to know that this is just the book one, and that in the second volume I can have the answers to all the questions I have!
Thank you once again to the author @rk_holliday for sending me this magical book! Can't wait for the next one! And if your curious to find more about Connor, is friends and all the adventures going on in Eden, just head to this link down below!
👉https://www.amazon.com/Edifice-R-K-Ho...

[Madison P Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Edifice is in a word exciting and a amazing read. I recently read The Edifice and had only fun. The book was so fast pace and short it was easy to stay engaged. While I am not the target audience I still found The Edifice extremely interesting for a multitude of reasons. Conner the main character was relatable and funny. I really appreciated Conner because he had the worries a regular kid would have which made his story easy to read and understand. The Edifice had so many intersting twist and turns there was never a dull moment. I read it coming out of a reading slump and it really helped. You would not need to be a reader to love and enjoy this book. One of the best parts was the new ideas about the future. The technology was crazy but also very unique and felt myself wishing they were real. I especially recommend this book to middle schoolers and early high schoolers but I also believe anyone could love it.

[Trissina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read outloud to your kids or for middle grade readers in general. You will find intriguing plot twists and definitely want book 2 immediately after reading! (I can't wait to see what happens!) The beginning of the book is startling if read in the times of COVID-19, in a cool "this feels eerily spot on" type of way. The story does shift to something completely different after that, but was definitely enough to make me pay attention. The characters felt like they could have been a little more flushed out and distinctive in their dialogue, but other than that it was fun and I am always excited when middle grade has a sci-fi read in their category.