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Battle Ground #5

Victory Day

Bex Ellman and Ketty Smith meet in London. As the war heats up around them, Bex and Ketty must learn to trust each other. With her friends and family in danger, Bex needs Ketty to help rescue them. For Ketty, working with Bex is a matter of survival. When Victory is declared, both will be held accountable for their decisions.

The Battle Ground series is set in a dystopian near-future UK, after Brexit and Scottish independence.

388 pages, Paperback

Published January 9, 2020

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About the author

Rachel Churcher

19 books47 followers
My new standalone UKYA novel is here, and gathering five-star reviews and award nominations! Angels is the LGBTQ+ YA story you've been waiting for: friendship, identity, attraction, disasters ... and finding your wings.

Available now!

All seven books of my near-future #UKYA dystopia series are available now on Amazon! Download Book One, Battle Ground , Book Two, False Flag , Book Three, Darkest Hour , Book Four, Fighting Back , Book Five, Victory Day , Book Six, Balancing Act , and Book Seven, Finding Fire and Other Stories for Kindle. Paperbacks are also available, and you'll find all seven books on Kindle Unlimited. For help with international downloads, visit the Taller Books website.

For a FREE tie-in novella, Making Trouble, and bonus short story, Lost Cause , visit freebook.tallerbooks.com.

Award-winning YA author and passionate YA reader. Always looking for the next great YA novel, whether it's a dystopia with an awesome female lead, a historical adventure, or a contemporary High School drama.

SF and dystopia are my comfort zones, but I'll step outside my happy place in pursuit of a good story. I have a book-buying habit, and a large library at home (I think of it as a portal to other worlds). I love physical books, and curling up in front of the fire to read. I firmly believe that there is no such thing as too many books - just not enough book shelves.

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5 stars
16 (72%)
4 stars
4 (18%)
3 stars
2 (9%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
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0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Julia Blake.
Author 19 books179 followers
June 24, 2022
Having read the first four books in the Battleground series, I was unsure how the author would tie up all the loose ends and give me an ending that would satisfy. I shouldn’t have worried. Victory Day meets every expectation and more.

Now the Face of the Resistance, Bex and her friends are smuggled into London on a desperate mission to stop the execution of their friends and overthrow the corrupt and power-mad rule of the government. Terrified that despite their best endeavours they will be too late, Bex prays that all the training and hardships they have suffered will be enough when the chips are down.

Meanwhile, on the opposing side, Ketty Smith is very aware that she may have chosen the wrong team. With a superior who relies on her to clean up his drunken messes and surrounded by those who would love to see her fall, Ketty is existing in survival mode.

The pressure builds as these two women are inevitably drawn together to that fateful meeting in London – where the future will be decided and there’s everything to play for.

Battleground is a fantastic series set in an all too recognisable near future. Refreshingly it is not about teenage girls lusting after supernatural beings but is instead a more relatable tale of friendship, loyalty, and banding together to fight wrongs. Bex and her friends’ tenacity and determination to stick together as a group makes them so much more than the sum of their parts.

In an epic conclusion that had me unexpectedly rooting for Ketty and disapproving of Bex’s actions, it is a novel that illustrates how nothing is black and white. We are all shades of grey and can any of us know how we would react when the heat is on?

A triumphant five stars for Victory Day and the series as a whole.
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,369 reviews58 followers
January 17, 2020
Rachel Churcher is on my auto-buy list. I absolutely love her writing and the Battle Ground series has been absolutely incredible. What I love is that consistently, the books have just gotten better every time. Victory Day is no exception. What is so compelling is just how realistic this story has been from the beginning.

The characters are wonderful. The representation of PTSD is clearly portrayed in a very real light. Victory Day is about how people’s lives change after the end of a conflict. Not everything is roses when you’ve won a conflict and Rachel Churcher writes this so well.

I love this series so much. I love that Rachel Chrucher shows us both sides of the conflict. I also love, that like in many conflicts, not everything is split in a clearly drawn line.

I highly recommend checking Victory Day out.

*I was sent a free copy of Vicrory Day in exchange for an honest review on the Blog Tour hosted by Rachel’s Random Resources. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
1 review1 follower
February 7, 2020
A series not to be missed!!!

Brilliant read which kept my attention throughout. Found it difficult to put down. Cannot wait for your next project to be published.
Profile Image for Diana.
5 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2020
This is a fitting conclusion to the whole gripping series of the Battle Ground series. We have been taken on parallel journeys with Bex and Ketty with whom we have felt frustration, empathy, understanding and even admiration at different times. It has many twists and turns, keeping us guessing all the way to the end. Definitely a five srar series.
Profile Image for Paperbacks.
401 reviews28 followers
January 11, 2020
It’s always going to be hard ending a series and especially one that has been as emotive and compelling as Battle Ground. Living up to reader expectation about a finale that has been building over four previous books may not always hit the mark, but interestingly, what Rachel Churcher does, is to take you in a completely unexpected direction entirely!

Rather than slowly building tension up to a final climactic showdown and rescue, that is only part of the story and one that is over surprisingly quickly. It then becomes clear that Victory Day is more of a reflective piece, what comes next and how does society rebuild? Just how do people reconcile the choices they have made? One of the most touching parts of Victory Day is how the group reflect upon their actions and actually hold themselves to account in a show of maturity beyond their years. That though, is masterfully balanced with scenes where time is taken to remind us that these characters are just still kids underneath it all. This stark contrast really stood out and left me feeling pretty emotional at times.

Bex and Ketty continue to blur the lines between them with the way they are being used, morphing from one front line doll to another as their manipulations become the same, both inhabiting and then rejecting the roles that they had been bound in. Bex did pull it back for me in this book, I found her to be a little cold and, I thought, going down a dangerous path in Fighting Back, but as always it’s her friendships that see her right. I just also want to take this point in time to say Kudos to the author for not once sending Bex down the romance route, and letting her be the strong and brave character that she is by her own volition. Ketty, I have slowly warmed to in the last couple of books and whilst I did still find her to be calculating and out for herself, probably more than ever, her human side was given a chance to shine. I really liked how she slowly came to realisations about her choices and how each time she was challenged she again reflected rather than lashed out. There are some nice touches with their last chapters but I’ll let you see those for yourself.

In balance, I did struggle a little with the quick fire POV changing chapters near the start, it left me a little dizzy with the back and forth and the slight overlap. I suppose it gave more of a feel of what the characters were going through with the chaos going on around them, perhaps it’s just my old brain! I’m not sure how I felt about the King either, but hey, its fiction and it’s really a small part that he plays.

Victory day was a truly satisfying ending to the series though, I felt it went in a great direction and the ending was spot on without resorting to saccharine and left a feeling that everyone is where they should be. Given the turn of events in the UK which occurred between the release of Fighting Back and Victory Day it really did bring a new dimension to how I felt reading, I hope more than ever that this series remains a fiction.
Profile Image for Yvonne.
1,842 reviews139 followers
January 15, 2020
This is the latest in the Battleground series, a YA dystopian set in th near future. Bex and her group are in hiding in Scotland while family and friends are awaiting a trial. Ketty is feeling the pressure in London as the tension increases and her position is reliant on her boss.

Up to this latest instalment in the series, the focus has been on Bex and the resistance trying to evade capture, getting embroiled in skirmishes and trying to survive. The government is using Bex and the resistance in propaganda style news broadcasts and using video clips of family and friends to provoke a reaction. Ketty is the one responsible for the video and is not adverse to using her own strong arm tactics to gather information that could help in the capture of Bex and her group of friends.

Victory Day has a more political leaning to it, the machinations of government and politics has been very carefully woven into the story that has seen the Bex and Ketty pitted against each other from the very start of the series. As we know, when politics is involved things can get messy. People are used and lies are the norm, putting yourself in the best possible position becomes priority and is a matter of survival.

Victory Day see’s these long term adversaries being thrust right into the thick of things once again as moves are made that could change the future in this story. Things are being brought out in the open and truths are finally being uncovered, feelings are shared and the full extent of the past is brought to the front.The tension has really increased with this story, but in a different way to the previous ones.

If you have not yet read any of this series, then you really want to read it from the very beginning. It is full of intrigue and tension as corruption, lies, deceit and politics have all been brilliantly woven to create an amazing series. Victory Day is another fabulous read and had me hooked and it became a one sitting read. I would definitely recommend this book and the series.
Profile Image for Graham.
68 reviews2 followers
August 23, 2020
Victory Day (Battle Ground #5)
Bex Ellman and Ketty Smith meet in London. As the war heats up around them, Bex and Ketty must learn to trust each other. With her friends and family in danger, Bex needs Ketty to help rescue them. For Ketty, working with Bex is a matter of survival. When Victory is declared, both will be held accountable for their decisions.

The Battle Ground series is set in a dystopian near-future UK, after Brexit and Scottish independence.
Purchase Link - http://tallerbooks.com/battleground/
Author Bio – Rachel Churcher was born between the last manned moon landing, and the first orbital Space Shuttle mission. She remembers watching the launch of STS-1, and falling in love with space flight, at the age of five. She fell in love with science fiction shortly after that, and in her teens she discovered dystopian fiction. In an effort to find out what she wanted to do with her life, she collected degrees and other qualifications in Geography, Science Fiction Studies, Architectural Technology, Childminding, and Writing for Radio.
She has worked as an editor on national and in-house magazines; as an IT trainer; and as a freelance writer and artist. She has renovated several properties, and has plenty of horror stories to tell about dangerous electrics and nightmare plumbers. She enjoys reading, travelling, stargazing, and eating good food with good friends – but nothing makes her as happy as writing fiction.
Her first published short story appeared in an anthology in 2014, and the Battle Ground series is her first long-form work. Rachel lives in East Anglia, in a house with a large library and a conservatory full of house plants. She would love to live on Mars, but only if she’s allowed to bring her books.
Social Media Links –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rachel_Churcher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelchurc...
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/RachelChurc...
Blog: https://blog.tallerbooks.com
234 reviews3 followers
January 14, 2020
You’ve probably all realised by now that I have loved every second of this series so far, and Victory Day really was no exception. Although reading it was a bitter sweet experience, as it always is when you reach the end of a favourite series, this book really is a fitting ending and provides an extremely satisfying conclusion.

As the conflict between the resistance and the Home Forces reaches fever pitch, emotions are running high on both sides of the battle lines. The short chapters in this book, bouncing back and forth between Bex and Ketty, create an incredibly fast-paced book, and ensure that you are on the edge of your seat throughout.

Seeing Ketty set adrift as her world collapses around her and she finds herself completely isolated as she fights for her own survival was heartbreaking. As all the awful things that she has done throughout the conflict are recounted, I found that I desperately wanted to hate her, but I just couldn’t. As much as she probably would have hated it, I just wanted to give her a big hug. It came as a total surprise to me, but she has become my favourite character across the whole series.

As I was reading I found myself see-sawing between how I wanted things to end between Bex and Ketty. On some level, I wanted them to make their peace and end up as allies, but on another, that just felt a bit too sickly, and that part of me wanted them to end the book as they started, firmly on opposite sides. I’m not going to say how things actually ended up, but I will say that it felt right.

Victory Day was a suitably dramatic conclusion to the Battle Ground series, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what comes next from Rachel Churcher.

9 reviews
January 9, 2020
A great end to one of the most relevant series of books I've read in years! Set in a near future UK after Brexit and Scottish Independence, the parallels to the current political and social situation in the UK are truly scary.

Many series end with an explosive finale where the good guys win and the bad guys get their just deserts. I was expecting the same when I read this, the final book in the Battle Ground Series, and it delivers. The explosive finale packs in a huge amount of action and adventure. But that's just the start! Where most books in similar genres would finish, this one is just warming up. The most interesting parts are what happens afterwards. Where does everyone end up? How do the characters react to the new situations? And how have they grown through not only this book, but thew whole series? I don't want to put in any spoilers here, but how Ketty and Bex have evolved as people through all their experiences could keep me writing for pages.

If you haven't read the rest of the series, start at Book 1, Battle Ground. But I urge you to do just that - and keep reading! This series doesn't take you where you expect and leaves you ethically and personally asking a lot more questions than when you went in.
Profile Image for Ian Hornett.
Author 18 books27 followers
May 30, 2024
I’m into book 5 of this excellent YA series, Battle Ground. With only 2 more to go, I am savouring every single one. Victory Day is certainly another one to savour.

This is how to write a dystopian YA series. The pace is relentless as we switch back and forth between Bex and Ketty’s perspectives. They, themselves, switch back and forth in terms of their states of minds as they are constantly buffeted around by events and people around them. With victory in sight, Bex still needs help to save her family and friends. Ketty is caught between two stalls as she realises the people she worked for may not yet hold the power. Both need each other, an awkward situation to say the least as hate runs deep because of past events. It would be easy for Bex to sit back and look for glory but that’s not who she is. Similarly, Ketty could simply give in, but that’s not who she is either. All the while, decisions are being made about the country which has been at war with itself – Ketty and Bex are slap bang in the middle of it all, trying to survive.

I am so enjoying this series. The author really gets into the minds of the two main characters while cleverly manipulating the plot around them.

I thoroughly recommend Victory Day and the whole Battle Ground series.
51 reviews
January 8, 2020
Victory Day is an elegant and worthy conclusion to a fascinating series. Churcher ratchets up the tension between antagonists Bex (The Face of the Resistance) and her former trainer Ketty with short alternating chapters until they meet face to face for the first time since book two, False Flag.

I especially liked how the book succeeds in making both Bex and Ketty more sympathetic characters than they had been in the earlier books. Bex had become less likable the more she resisted her role in the bigger conflict at play. Ketty, on the other hand, elicits more sympathy from us the more she learns about the nature of the forces for whom she's worked.

As with books three and four, this one is told in alternating first-person chapters, one from Bex's point of view followed by one from Ketty's. I don't want to give anything away, and it happens relatively early on, but the sequence in which Bex and Ketty meet again, told in quick one-page chapters, is one of the most heart-racing things I've read. I give nothing away by indicating that both have guns and shots are fired.

Note: I received a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lucy-May.
548 reviews33 followers
January 10, 2020
The Battle Ground series followed me through most of 2019 & finishing it at the start of 2020 was very satisfying. This series was so engaging, but also terrifying because of how true it could turn out to be. Victory Day turned out to be a surprising end to the series, throwing plenty of surprises my way, & I love that the book included the aftermath of the final battle, rather than just giving us a short epilogue. I will miss Bex & her friends as the characters have been in my life for a while now, but the series finished on a satisfying note & I’m so pleased I had the opportunity to review all five books in the series.

⚠️ This book contains war themes, discussions of terrorism, torture, references to rape, gun violence & the death of a parent ⚠️

I was sent this book to review as part of a blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.

Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-35g
Profile Image for Lorraine.
487 reviews45 followers
January 18, 2020
Victory Day is the final book of the five-book Battle Ground Series, and what a great way to finish.

The final battle is coming, but not quick enough for Bex and her friends. They need to fight now, to save the government prisoners from execution.

Ketty and Bex meet face to face during the final battle, and while Ketty prevents Bex from being killed, she still has an agenda. She needs to survive the outcome, no matter who wins.

Victory Day is action-packed and thrilling, keeping me in suspense from start to finish.

I have enjoyed the series and will keep my eye out for future books by Rachel Churcher.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews