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RYB
Greta wakes up in a tunnel surrounded by soldiers, with nothing to her name but a red uniform and a sharp mind. The only thing she knows for sure: she needs to think fast if she's going to survive.
As Greta searches for a place to hide from the fighters, she notices bizarre details in her world. Are trees supposed to have secret panels? And why is the war zone next to a perfectly manicured suburb?
When Greta puts on a blue uniform and hides among the enemy, she learns they're not the monsters she expected. Their warmth and gentleness seem out of place in the battle-scarred city.
But Greta's charade can't last forever...
As Greta searches for a place to hide from the fighters, she notices bizarre details in her world. Are trees supposed to have secret panels? And why is the war zone next to a perfectly manicured suburb?
When Greta puts on a blue uniform and hides among the enemy, she learns they're not the monsters she expected. Their warmth and gentleness seem out of place in the battle-scarred city.
But Greta's charade can't last forever...
56 pages, ebook
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 28, 2020
Set in a 'gamer' world, this one takes a slightly different twist as it throws two sides against each other in a battle which never seems to end.
Greta wakes up in a concrete tunnel with selectively wiped memories. She has no clue how she got there, what she's doing there or even where she came from. Others around her wear blue or red, and she herself is adorned in a red outfit. When chaos breaks out and all attack each other, her panicked desire to survive and a good portion of luck bring her to the surface, where a destroyed city and outer forest awaits. But as she runs, she soon notices things are even more bizarre than she first thought. She knows where secret doors are on trees, sees flying girls, and runs into a barrier. As she tries to understand and wrap her head around what's happening, a deadly incident leaves her in the hands of the blues, and while she manages to wear blue before they notice, her life is more than on the line.
I've read a few gamer novels...they seem to be far and few between...and was excited to try this one, especially since it's a short read. It takes quite a different twist on the 'gamer' world in that, it sets two sides against each other in a seemingly never-ending, pointless battle. Or perhaps pointless. It's just the novella beginning to a series. So, there are mountains of story still in store.
It's definitely high action and edge-of-the-seat moments. I appreciate that Greta is at a loss and not super amazing at fighting or anything. She's just got a good handle on her gut feelings and sharp wits. But she makes tons and tons of mistakes...and she should considering she has no clue or shimmer what's going on. The realistic thought process does win bonus points and helped my connect with her well.
The tale itself has a lot of open ends. And there is a lack of explanation and logic holes which riddle every twist and turn. While this bothered me, at first, I have to remember that this is a short taste and dip of the toes into the pool that's about to come. The writing is solid and the characters intriguing. To say there isn't enough world building which draws in would also be unfair. It comes to life in every way. I just wish the first book was already here because I'm more than curious to see what lies in store.
I received an ARC and enjoyed this tale quite a bit.
Greta wakes up in a concrete tunnel with selectively wiped memories. She has no clue how she got there, what she's doing there or even where she came from. Others around her wear blue or red, and she herself is adorned in a red outfit. When chaos breaks out and all attack each other, her panicked desire to survive and a good portion of luck bring her to the surface, where a destroyed city and outer forest awaits. But as she runs, she soon notices things are even more bizarre than she first thought. She knows where secret doors are on trees, sees flying girls, and runs into a barrier. As she tries to understand and wrap her head around what's happening, a deadly incident leaves her in the hands of the blues, and while she manages to wear blue before they notice, her life is more than on the line.
I've read a few gamer novels...they seem to be far and few between...and was excited to try this one, especially since it's a short read. It takes quite a different twist on the 'gamer' world in that, it sets two sides against each other in a seemingly never-ending, pointless battle. Or perhaps pointless. It's just the novella beginning to a series. So, there are mountains of story still in store.
It's definitely high action and edge-of-the-seat moments. I appreciate that Greta is at a loss and not super amazing at fighting or anything. She's just got a good handle on her gut feelings and sharp wits. But she makes tons and tons of mistakes...and she should considering she has no clue or shimmer what's going on. The realistic thought process does win bonus points and helped my connect with her well.
The tale itself has a lot of open ends. And there is a lack of explanation and logic holes which riddle every twist and turn. While this bothered me, at first, I have to remember that this is a short taste and dip of the toes into the pool that's about to come. The writing is solid and the characters intriguing. To say there isn't enough world building which draws in would also be unfair. It comes to life in every way. I just wish the first book was already here because I'm more than curious to see what lies in store.
I received an ARC and enjoyed this tale quite a bit.
July 13, 2021
I've been looking forward to reading something by Nicole Adrienne for a while now. Fair is fair: she warned me that, by now, she's written even better stuff than RYB so I'm sure I've got more to look forward to.
RYB is a YA novella, or as the author put it 'more like an excerpt than a novella' even, that seems to be set in a videogame. Before I understood that it was a videogame the setting gave off some scifi as well as dystopian vibes and it reminded me a little of Divergent and The Maze Runner.
Since the story is so short, and since we're dealing with a protagonist who seems to have lost part of her memory, I never got a full grasp on the situation. Nevertheless the author has managed to give me enough to make me curious about her other works, and about the rest of the story surrounding RYB.
RYB is written from a first person POV.
Favourites:
- Fast Paced: novellas sometimes seem to struggle a little with pacing. Since a lot has to be put in just a few pages, that can be a challenge. I found RYB to be perfectly paced however. I'd say it's fast paced, but that's done well all throughout. Even if I found myself having tons of questions, the pacing never let me get bored or wondering for long until the next thing happened, which kept me engaged.
- Tension: although, as mentioned, I had a lot of questions that didn't necessarily get answered, the tension buildup in the story was terrific, and I did love the twist towards the end where we suddenly realize this setting isn't what we thought it might be. It brought on a whole new set of questions and made me intrigued.
What I missed:
So if I enjoyed it, why not more stars? I will likely read more by Nicole Adrienne, and will be recommending it to fellow readers, but with a warning about the two following points.
- Elephant in the room: my biggest problem with the story was the elephant in the room that did not get adressed until almost the ending, and even then got barely any attention before it was waved off. I believe this elephant is the question: WHY. Why are these people there? Why are they fighting? And why should the protagonist engage in the battle too? I could have dealt with the fact that we didn't get an answer necessarily, but the fact that the protagonist barely managed to think, let alone discuss this question with other characters, made her a lot less realistic to me and bothered me.
- Connection: I sometimes felt like the protagonist was a bit of a blank slate, and I would have liked to have more of the funny characterization the author gave her through some of her inner dialogue. I understand there are challenges that come with dealing with a story from the POV of someone who's lost part of their memory, but if the protagonist had shown a little more frustration over her lost memory and her confusing situation, I would have found it easier to connect to her. Since the connection to the protagonist is, for me personally, the main reason I read a story, this weighed heavy for me.
Sexual content: none
Coarse language: none
Violence and gore: moderate (no gore, moderate violence)
Conclusion
A lot of thoughts about such a short story but I wanted to make sure my honest opinion was clear: yes, there were some important problems I had with the story. BUT I really enjoyed it nonetheless, paged through it fast and read it within one sitting. It's definitely not boring, and I do look forward to reading some of Nicole Adrienne's works.
So? Well, if you enjoy a videogame/dystopian setting and clean YA fantasy, head on over to www.milesandbreaker.com for this fun, free short story and have a nice read!
RYB is a YA novella, or as the author put it 'more like an excerpt than a novella' even, that seems to be set in a videogame. Before I understood that it was a videogame the setting gave off some scifi as well as dystopian vibes and it reminded me a little of Divergent and The Maze Runner.
Since the story is so short, and since we're dealing with a protagonist who seems to have lost part of her memory, I never got a full grasp on the situation. Nevertheless the author has managed to give me enough to make me curious about her other works, and about the rest of the story surrounding RYB.
RYB is written from a first person POV.
Favourites:
- Fast Paced: novellas sometimes seem to struggle a little with pacing. Since a lot has to be put in just a few pages, that can be a challenge. I found RYB to be perfectly paced however. I'd say it's fast paced, but that's done well all throughout. Even if I found myself having tons of questions, the pacing never let me get bored or wondering for long until the next thing happened, which kept me engaged.
- Tension: although, as mentioned, I had a lot of questions that didn't necessarily get answered, the tension buildup in the story was terrific, and I did love the twist towards the end where we suddenly realize this setting isn't what we thought it might be. It brought on a whole new set of questions and made me intrigued.
What I missed:
So if I enjoyed it, why not more stars? I will likely read more by Nicole Adrienne, and will be recommending it to fellow readers, but with a warning about the two following points.
- Elephant in the room: my biggest problem with the story was the elephant in the room that did not get adressed until almost the ending, and even then got barely any attention before it was waved off. I believe this elephant is the question: WHY. Why are these people there? Why are they fighting? And why should the protagonist engage in the battle too? I could have dealt with the fact that we didn't get an answer necessarily, but the fact that the protagonist barely managed to think, let alone discuss this question with other characters, made her a lot less realistic to me and bothered me.
- Connection: I sometimes felt like the protagonist was a bit of a blank slate, and I would have liked to have more of the funny characterization the author gave her through some of her inner dialogue. I understand there are challenges that come with dealing with a story from the POV of someone who's lost part of their memory, but if the protagonist had shown a little more frustration over her lost memory and her confusing situation, I would have found it easier to connect to her. Since the connection to the protagonist is, for me personally, the main reason I read a story, this weighed heavy for me.
Sexual content: none
Coarse language: none
Violence and gore: moderate (no gore, moderate violence)
Conclusion
A lot of thoughts about such a short story but I wanted to make sure my honest opinion was clear: yes, there were some important problems I had with the story. BUT I really enjoyed it nonetheless, paged through it fast and read it within one sitting. It's definitely not boring, and I do look forward to reading some of Nicole Adrienne's works.
So? Well, if you enjoy a videogame/dystopian setting and clean YA fantasy, head on over to www.milesandbreaker.com for this fun, free short story and have a nice read!
July 19, 2021
I read this for part of a reading challenge. it’s not really something I would usually read but I gave it a fair trial with an open mind. It seems my instincts were correct and the genre is not to my taste.
The story is quite a strange one which seems to raise more questions the more you read. The main character doesn’t have a clue what is happening and so neither do you as the reader. She doesn’t even know her name to start with, and knowing that the book is set inside a video game, it left me wondering if Greta is actually her name or just a username! I found the story a little hard to follow, I think mainly because the MC/narrator doesn’t know where she is or what is going on which seems quite odd. I’m assuming we find out more and get some answers in the next book. It also seems odd that although Greta appears to be in a ‘first person shooter’ game, she is reluctant to even hold a weapon let alone use it… again more questions.
I think that if you like this genre, and enjoy trying to work out what is going on with few to no clues, it could be an enjoyable short story, but for me it was not really something I’d choose to read again.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review
The story is quite a strange one which seems to raise more questions the more you read. The main character doesn’t have a clue what is happening and so neither do you as the reader. She doesn’t even know her name to start with, and knowing that the book is set inside a video game, it left me wondering if Greta is actually her name or just a username! I found the story a little hard to follow, I think mainly because the MC/narrator doesn’t know where she is or what is going on which seems quite odd. I’m assuming we find out more and get some answers in the next book. It also seems odd that although Greta appears to be in a ‘first person shooter’ game, she is reluctant to even hold a weapon let alone use it… again more questions.
I think that if you like this genre, and enjoy trying to work out what is going on with few to no clues, it could be an enjoyable short story, but for me it was not really something I’d choose to read again.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review
March 10, 2023
Not a complete story. This title is merely a collection of related scenes centered around Greta. She wakes up in a two-team combat situation: red versus blue. She's red. She infiltrates the blue team and then returns to the red. The teams kill off teams of the opposing team until they all resurrect to start again. There is no rhyme or reason given for the situation. There is no known way to terminate the cycle. Nothing is shared beyond the two teams and their battlegrounds. While well written, it's a poor waste of time.
Action-packed. Easy-to-read. Haunting. Scary. Tragic. Twisted. Unpredictable. Wonderful characters.
I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.
Action-packed. Easy-to-read. Haunting. Scary. Tragic. Twisted. Unpredictable. Wonderful characters.
I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.
Read
December 13, 2020RYB, my fourth short read in the last week from author Nicole Adrianne, an author I'd not heard of before reading the Miles & Breaker trilogy, but after reading it I wanted more from the author & this is what I found. I'm voluntarily reviewing it because every good book needs reviews. I look forward to more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
May 1, 2021
I’ve given this 5 stars on the basis that , was I entertained, yes.Did I have a clue what was going on, no.
Did it leave me wanting more? Definitely yes.
Always leave them wanting more, well most of the time. Plenty of action in this sci-fi novella.
Although it was short and sweet it was a fun read.
Did it leave me wanting more? Definitely yes.
Always leave them wanting more, well most of the time. Plenty of action in this sci-fi novella.
Although it was short and sweet it was a fun read.
December 15, 2020
RYB
Red, Yellow, Blue?
Until the name Greta appears on her hand the question of the narrator being male or female is in doubt. Where she? is and how she got there remains a mystery. She inhabits a sci-fi dystopian world of danger. Somehow it is not one I wish to explore further.
Red, Yellow, Blue?
Until the name Greta appears on her hand the question of the narrator being male or female is in doubt. Where she? is and how she got there remains a mystery. She inhabits a sci-fi dystopian world of danger. Somehow it is not one I wish to explore further.
Read
November 16, 2020I'm not sure how this book got on Goodreads, since it's not for sale... But you can get this book for free at milesandbreaker.com/digital-book-club :)
May 17, 2021
This is a very enjoyable short story! Really well written, good ideas & plot & great characters!
I liked it very much & do try to read all of this writers work! I do recommend!
I liked it very much & do try to read all of this writers work! I do recommend!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews