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Upon Us
What if the apocalypse was manufactured to save mankind?
Threatened by an ailing planet and insatiable human advancement, world governments agreed to ban the modern way of life, cutting off electricity, technology, and medical services, dismantling the global economy for one hundred years.
Twenty-five years have passed in this self-imposed darkness known as the New Beginning. Crops are dying and the sickness -a zombie-like plague of rotting flesh and fractured minds- is ravishing the East Coast of the United States.
One woman has been entrusted by the clans to remedy their food shortage. Breaking the rules is nothing new, but She -a nameless nomad- must abduct a privileged villager named Ren, bringing her too close for comfort with his entitled world. Together, they discover the root of the plague as their desire for one another grows, even as the differences in their two worlds collide.
Through deception and the horrors of an expanding pandemic, love thrives where a world chose to die.
UPON US is a New Adult post-apocalyptic love story with adult content and gory imagery (because -zombies).
Threatened by an ailing planet and insatiable human advancement, world governments agreed to ban the modern way of life, cutting off electricity, technology, and medical services, dismantling the global economy for one hundred years.
Twenty-five years have passed in this self-imposed darkness known as the New Beginning. Crops are dying and the sickness -a zombie-like plague of rotting flesh and fractured minds- is ravishing the East Coast of the United States.
One woman has been entrusted by the clans to remedy their food shortage. Breaking the rules is nothing new, but She -a nameless nomad- must abduct a privileged villager named Ren, bringing her too close for comfort with his entitled world. Together, they discover the root of the plague as their desire for one another grows, even as the differences in their two worlds collide.
Through deception and the horrors of an expanding pandemic, love thrives where a world chose to die.
UPON US is a New Adult post-apocalyptic love story with adult content and gory imagery (because -zombies).
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Published October 15, 2019
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About the author
Blakely Chorpenning
10 books55 followersBlakely Chorpenning is a multi-genre author. Her stories blend the magnificent with the mundane, inviting readers to walk with monsters and fall in love with dreams. linktr.ee/blakelychorpenning
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 8, 2020
I thought this book was a thoroughly entertaining read. The idea of having a forced ending to the technological advancement of our modern world is a unique and clever take on dystopia and one I really appreciated. I have read a huge number of books and I have never come across a premise quite like this and that made this book stand out for me as a five-star read.
The story starts with a young woman who is clearly an social outsider, holding up two men who are changing guard at a utility building in a remote and hidden spot. She quickly overcomes them even though she is described as being hungry and cold and it is immediately clear that she is unprivileged and lives a life of hardship.
A third man appears unexpectedly on the scene who is described as being someone who enjoys three meals a day and a shower on demand. He is a contrast to the woman and is referred to by her as a villager or a Privileged, someone who lives behind the safety of walls. The nameless woman manages to overcome this privileged man, who we later find out is called Ren, and kidnaps him.
The opening chapter is extremely well done and the reader ends it knowing that there are two kinds of people in this world, the Privileged, who have everything and live behind protective walls, and everyone else who live in clans and struggle for survival. It is also disclosed that the world has undergone some sort of new beginning and a lot of lives had been lost due to a lack of medicine and medical interventions, it is also indicated that some sort of devastating plague has taken hold which is spreading rapidly and has devastating consequences for those living outside the protection of the villages.
As the story unravels, the reader gradually learns about the woman's life and what her objectives are in kidnapping Ren. The activity doesn't go as planned for her due to her attraction to Ren and her lack of knowledge about the retention of certain technological equipment by the villagers. Unbeknownst to both the woman and Ren, there are greater powers at work in their world and even the villagers are not safe from them.
I enjoyed the character of the woman, who thinks her name is Jolee, and who is a strong and innovative female character, but still having the hormones that frequently impact on decisions making by women. Jolee ends up making certain allowances and decisions due to her growing attachment to Ren.
Ren was an interesting character as he turns out not to be the strong alpha-male man he initially seems to be. He has a fatal flaw which has moulded his character and attitude to life. He is loyal and devoted to his friends, including Jolee, and will put his life on the line for them.
I enjoyed the way the story developed and the intriguing details about the plague, the villagers and the clans people that revealed themselves as the story unfolds.
The story starts with a young woman who is clearly an social outsider, holding up two men who are changing guard at a utility building in a remote and hidden spot. She quickly overcomes them even though she is described as being hungry and cold and it is immediately clear that she is unprivileged and lives a life of hardship.
A third man appears unexpectedly on the scene who is described as being someone who enjoys three meals a day and a shower on demand. He is a contrast to the woman and is referred to by her as a villager or a Privileged, someone who lives behind the safety of walls. The nameless woman manages to overcome this privileged man, who we later find out is called Ren, and kidnaps him.
The opening chapter is extremely well done and the reader ends it knowing that there are two kinds of people in this world, the Privileged, who have everything and live behind protective walls, and everyone else who live in clans and struggle for survival. It is also disclosed that the world has undergone some sort of new beginning and a lot of lives had been lost due to a lack of medicine and medical interventions, it is also indicated that some sort of devastating plague has taken hold which is spreading rapidly and has devastating consequences for those living outside the protection of the villages.
As the story unravels, the reader gradually learns about the woman's life and what her objectives are in kidnapping Ren. The activity doesn't go as planned for her due to her attraction to Ren and her lack of knowledge about the retention of certain technological equipment by the villagers. Unbeknownst to both the woman and Ren, there are greater powers at work in their world and even the villagers are not safe from them.
I enjoyed the character of the woman, who thinks her name is Jolee, and who is a strong and innovative female character, but still having the hormones that frequently impact on decisions making by women. Jolee ends up making certain allowances and decisions due to her growing attachment to Ren.
Ren was an interesting character as he turns out not to be the strong alpha-male man he initially seems to be. He has a fatal flaw which has moulded his character and attitude to life. He is loyal and devoted to his friends, including Jolee, and will put his life on the line for them.
I enjoyed the way the story developed and the intriguing details about the plague, the villagers and the clans people that revealed themselves as the story unfolds.
June 26, 2020
In this dystopian thriller, a young woman social outsider from the other side of the protective wall; named Jolee attempts to rob three guards. The protective wall keeps the privileged people separate from the ”Social Outsiders, who live in clans to survive. A third man arrives at the scene. His name is Ren and he is among the ”Privileged” who live behind the wall. They have access to everything they want money, jobs, etc. Ren is kidnapped by Jolee. The kidnapping doesn't go well however, Ren stays. In the meantime people dying from medicine that is not available to the Social outsiders b/c they are being kept away from a mysterious higher being. Also, there is a pandemic going on. And despite this crisis and disaster Ren and Jolee fall in love. I don't usually read dystopian, end of the world novels. I came out of my comfort zone reading this b/c the Book blurb caught my attention. It captured my attention from the first page and didn't let go. Lol. The descriptions breathed life into the book. I felt like I was in the book if that makes sense. It was entertaining all the way through as well as a social commentary of what is happening today. Lol, I think this should be a movie/ t.v. Series etc. Is this a first author? If not I'm definitely going straight into AMAZON to read her next book. If so I look forward to reading her books in the future. They have a fan. I received a complimentary copy ARC from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2021
I don’t often read dystopian books, but I’ve enjoyed other books by this author and decided to dive in.
I found the dystopian world intriguing, especially how it came about. There were interesting twists that kept me on my toes. I detest spoilers so if you want to know more, you’ll have to read the book.
Jolee’s character brought hope to those around her, even before the secrets of her past were revealed. She had an innate kindness felt by all. I thoroughly enjoyed her character.
Ren left me feeling conflicted. He wasn’t a bad person, but the first part of the book didn’t show his inner depths, so he came across as superficial and shallow. By the end, I was rooting for him and Jolee to be together.
The secondary characters rounded out this world quite well, adding depth. I only wish we could have seen more of them at the end of the book instead of hearing about them through Ren.
Overall, Upon Us was an entertaining story. I did feel the romance aspect was a bit abrupt, even though Ren and Jolee make a great couple. It felt like they went from enemies, to semi-friends, to lovers in the blink of an eye.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I found the dystopian world intriguing, especially how it came about. There were interesting twists that kept me on my toes. I detest spoilers so if you want to know more, you’ll have to read the book.
Jolee’s character brought hope to those around her, even before the secrets of her past were revealed. She had an innate kindness felt by all. I thoroughly enjoyed her character.
Ren left me feeling conflicted. He wasn’t a bad person, but the first part of the book didn’t show his inner depths, so he came across as superficial and shallow. By the end, I was rooting for him and Jolee to be together.
The secondary characters rounded out this world quite well, adding depth. I only wish we could have seen more of them at the end of the book instead of hearing about them through Ren.
Overall, Upon Us was an entertaining story. I did feel the romance aspect was a bit abrupt, even though Ren and Jolee make a great couple. It felt like they went from enemies, to semi-friends, to lovers in the blink of an eye.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 18, 2020
World Needed Better Set Up
I had a hard time buying into this story. From the book's description, I thought it would be an interesting spin on what we typically see in dystopian books. But the prologue, which sets up the book’s world, left more questions than it provided answers. While I can understand a need to scale back on technology, it makes no sense whatsoever to do the same with medical services. It just seems like you're asking for a pandemic, and that's what happened in this book. I think the author needed to set it up a little more clearly why this forced shutdown was needed. Just saying it was because of an ailing planet—how, why?--isn't enough of a setup for the extreme world. Because this all-important world-building was not there to the extent that I thought it should be, what followed just didn't engage me and seemed unbelievable. All in all, I found myself disappointed in this book, though I do see the promise of the premise.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
I had a hard time buying into this story. From the book's description, I thought it would be an interesting spin on what we typically see in dystopian books. But the prologue, which sets up the book’s world, left more questions than it provided answers. While I can understand a need to scale back on technology, it makes no sense whatsoever to do the same with medical services. It just seems like you're asking for a pandemic, and that's what happened in this book. I think the author needed to set it up a little more clearly why this forced shutdown was needed. Just saying it was because of an ailing planet—how, why?--isn't enough of a setup for the extreme world. Because this all-important world-building was not there to the extent that I thought it should be, what followed just didn't engage me and seemed unbelievable. All in all, I found myself disappointed in this book, though I do see the promise of the premise.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
June 14, 2021
This was a great read, it took a bit for me to get into it but I was glad when I finished it. I found the plot to be exciting full of twists and turns and the characters to be engaging and mysterious. I did find it confusing at times with the main female character being very vague at times so I was trying to put together pieces of the story to figure out the backstory. There are still unanswered questions that I hope will be explained in the next in the series.
I give this a four out of five stars.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I give this a four out of five stars.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 21, 2021
Beautifully written
There is something quite beautiful about this author's writing style. The words, descriptions and dialogue flow well. Plus the author did a great job of building a relationship in such a short time, it's not a book about chemistry between two characters, it's about two characters who discover who they are together and fall in love.
I received a free copy of this book and I voluntarily reviewed it.
There is something quite beautiful about this author's writing style. The words, descriptions and dialogue flow well. Plus the author did a great job of building a relationship in such a short time, it's not a book about chemistry between two characters, it's about two characters who discover who they are together and fall in love.
I received a free copy of this book and I voluntarily reviewed it.
June 23, 2021
Loved this book was slightly different to what I'm used to reading but I enjoyed it nonetheless, I was hooked from the first chapter I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book give it a chance you will not be disappointed
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 25, 2021
An intriguing dystopian story that entices with its mystery. I liked this book and found it entertaining to read. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
I requested a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I requested a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 29, 2024
I picked this book up not expecting much from the lack of reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The writing was better than some of the books I’ve read recently. The characters were interesting. The plot was… good, for the most part. I’m still confused by the apocalypse itself. And who sent her on that mission? What happened to Ren’s dad?
I loved the characters though. ‘Her’ with her wrong common sayings, and Ren with his wit. They were cute.
This book was a binger for me. It was short but so much happened and I was so totally invested. Towards the end I was scared there wouldn’t be a HEA.
It’s written in 1st person POV and there’s a single spicy scene.
The writing was better than some of the books I’ve read recently. The characters were interesting. The plot was… good, for the most part. I’m still confused by the apocalypse itself. And who sent her on that mission? What happened to Ren’s dad?
I loved the characters though. ‘Her’ with her wrong common sayings, and Ren with his wit. They were cute.
This book was a binger for me. It was short but so much happened and I was so totally invested. Towards the end I was scared there wouldn’t be a HEA.
It’s written in 1st person POV and there’s a single spicy scene.
July 4, 2021
This is the second series I have read by this author. This author is very creative and brings such unique aspects to her work that make them completely her own. Her writing is great and flows very well. You never know what roller coaster ride she will take you on next. Her books are never predictable nor boring. They definitely keep you on your toes.
This book was no different. The characters are wonderful and have such depth. This new world sucks you in from the moment you start reading. So many twists and turns making you happy to continue on through the book. Fast paced and not overly explained. Can’t wait for what’s to come!
This book was no different. The characters are wonderful and have such depth. This new world sucks you in from the moment you start reading. So many twists and turns making you happy to continue on through the book. Fast paced and not overly explained. Can’t wait for what’s to come!
December 10, 2019
I reviewed this book via an ARC from the author, for Rosie Amber's Review Team. The fact that it was free has not affected this honest review.
I requested this book from the review team list because it looked right up my street - a world in decline, in which governments have agreed to plunge the planet back into the Dark Ages in order to let it recover (I assume). This book takes place twenty-five years in, when crops are dying and a zombie-esque plague is on the warpath. It is placed in the 'New Adult' in category, ie, aimed at ages 18-30; I'd put it towards the younger end of this range, or possibly even YA.
I'll start by saying that the author writes well; she uses some lovely descriptive terms, her characterisation and dialogue is mostly fine, the story flows well, and the book - not a long one - has obviously been professionally proofread. Sadly, though, the world building left me with too many unanswered questions, though it's an interesting and unusual premise. Of course, all post-apocalyptic and futuristic, dystopian worlds are products of the author's imagination, but I think more time needed to be spent on thinking through how this 'New Beginning' took place, its orchestration, the events leading up to it and the aftermath, to the extent that I wondered if a more simple plot, like just the virus, might have been easier to work with.
The book starts so well, with the protagonist lying in wait to ambush a man (one of the 'Privileged') to help her and these clans obtain food; there has obviously been careful research into survival methods and ancient ways of cooking and growing food, which I liked, and there is no doubt that Ms Chorpenning can write; I think that if she worked with a really good developmental editor to help her create her world in a more fully-rounded sense, this book could be terrific.
I requested this book from the review team list because it looked right up my street - a world in decline, in which governments have agreed to plunge the planet back into the Dark Ages in order to let it recover (I assume). This book takes place twenty-five years in, when crops are dying and a zombie-esque plague is on the warpath. It is placed in the 'New Adult' in category, ie, aimed at ages 18-30; I'd put it towards the younger end of this range, or possibly even YA.
I'll start by saying that the author writes well; she uses some lovely descriptive terms, her characterisation and dialogue is mostly fine, the story flows well, and the book - not a long one - has obviously been professionally proofread. Sadly, though, the world building left me with too many unanswered questions, though it's an interesting and unusual premise. Of course, all post-apocalyptic and futuristic, dystopian worlds are products of the author's imagination, but I think more time needed to be spent on thinking through how this 'New Beginning' took place, its orchestration, the events leading up to it and the aftermath, to the extent that I wondered if a more simple plot, like just the virus, might have been easier to work with.
The book starts so well, with the protagonist lying in wait to ambush a man (one of the 'Privileged') to help her and these clans obtain food; there has obviously been careful research into survival methods and ancient ways of cooking and growing food, which I liked, and there is no doubt that Ms Chorpenning can write; I think that if she worked with a really good developmental editor to help her create her world in a more fully-rounded sense, this book could be terrific.
October 14, 2019
What a terrific change of pace from the current trend in dystopian fiction. Fiction writers usually offer us two types of female MC's in this genre. The quiet sheltered girl who must learn to fight to survive or the mouthy bad ass who comes in swinging. "Her" is a survivalist with little to say and a compulsion towards random acts of kindness.
Ren is the hot and witty counterbalance to Her's complex character. I love it when an alpha male steps back so the alpha female can just do her thing.
Thankfully, Upon Us isn't loaded with epic military battles or extraordinary tech and abilities. The story at its core is about human relationships and the very real responses that would likely happen at the world's end.
Ren is the hot and witty counterbalance to Her's complex character. I love it when an alpha male steps back so the alpha female can just do her thing.
Thankfully, Upon Us isn't loaded with epic military battles or extraordinary tech and abilities. The story at its core is about human relationships and the very real responses that would likely happen at the world's end.
November 20, 2019
This book had an extremely strong beginning. Loved the whole kidnapping thing - it was so sexy! Loved the character of Ren, he was funny and interesting and hot. I was chuckling on the bus on my way to work, and couldn't wait until lunch time to keep reading.
Towards the middle, things started dragging and, to me personally, got a bit confusing. It all righted itself towards the end, but didn't quite regain the oomph of that amazing beginning. I did get to care about the characters, and am very eager to find out what happens next.
And that cover! Gorgeous, and so spot-on! :) It's what drew me to the book in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed.
Towards the middle, things started dragging and, to me personally, got a bit confusing. It all righted itself towards the end, but didn't quite regain the oomph of that amazing beginning. I did get to care about the characters, and am very eager to find out what happens next.
And that cover! Gorgeous, and so spot-on! :) It's what drew me to the book in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews