The Reader

by Gary Clark

Genres: Fiction

Unknown Binding

About the author

Gary graduated from the University of Surrey in the UK with a degree in Engineering, embarking on a career that has taken him all over the world from the Far East to the Americas. He is a graduate of the Faber Academy and Curtis Brown creative writing programmes. Now, a father of three, he has settled close to where he grew up on the edge of the South Downs in Sussex, where he indulges his love of books, and passion for writing.

The Given is his debut novel. It is the first in a series of young adult novels to be published in 2021 in which the main character, Jay, has to come to terms with her unusual gift.

Reviews

[Literary Lioness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcus was part of The Given, but never really felt like he belonged. Upon seeing a recruitment poster to work for the state, he finally felt he found his calling. After his training, he was transitioned into the strongest Reader the state had seen. A physical scar formed on his face, Marcus wonders if that is the only scar he will have to bear.

Gary Clark’s The Reader is a prequel to The Interland trilogy. Initially read prior to reading The Given (Interland #1), Marcus’ story did not make much sense. After a quick reread once the main characters of “The Given” were made familiar, and Marcus’ connection to such characters, a greater appreciation emerged.

A quick read with no profanity, sexual content, nor spelling and grammatical errors, a perfect rating of 5 out of 5 stars is awarded.

In the end, a deep dive into the distinctions of the greatest Reader within “The Given” world.

Thank you to #VoraciousReaders, #TheGiven, #GaryClark, and #GCLBooks, for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through the Voracious reading program. This is a wonderful introduction to the series, it really makes you want to find out what will happen. Excellent hook.

[Kasi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good quick little read. I was interested in the characters and the world that they’re living in. We got little snippets of certain things that I’d imagine are dealt with more thoroughly in the trilogy. This book reminded me a little of The Giver by the style in writing, but was more like the TV series, Heroes, in terms of the world that the author has constructed.

There are definitely some cool ideas here that I wouldn’t mind exploring later by reading the trilogy. Three stars because even though I did enjoy this read, it was awfully short, making me have a difficult time developing any type of connection with the characters and feeling compelled to read and know more. I’d give it four stars if I had the opportunity to build a bit stronger relationship with the characters.

An appetizer to the trilogy would have been great, but this prequel was closer to an amuse bouche.

Thank you to the author and Voracious Readers Only for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prequel to the series The Given

I chose this book from Voracious Readers Only

Just a few chapters sent by the author meant to give you an insight into the character Marcus and how his early life shaped him. Not read ‘The Given’ series so cannot comment of the main story.
What I did read seems to suggest that certain humans had the ability read other peoples minds and in some cases influence then. The stronger you are the higher the number appears on your arm. The government use the readers and those that do not conform have their ability reduced.
Seems an ok story but what I read did not grab my attention.

[Michelle Swallow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the premise of this book intriguing and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing.

There was only one short passage that had so much detail about the different levels of the given and the readers that it became complicated and confusing to read. Apart from this little bit I enjoyed it and I look forward to reading more by this author from the Given series.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Voracious Readers Only and the author. As a prequel, it is a good lead up to the next story. It explains a lot about who Marcus is and where he started. The Reader is intriguing and leads me to want to read The Given.

[Emmeline Everdeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only.
This was a very quick read. Well written and left me with lots of questions, which, since this is a prequel for the Given Series, was probably the goal.

[Kelly Toogood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free review copy by voracious readers. I thought this was an interesting concept, the series it is a prequel for sounds interesting and I would give it a go. As a prequel it was a very quick read.

[Emily Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this short story from Voracious Readers Only for my honest review.
The story, though short, was intriguing and made me want to read the series to find out what happens with Jay, Marcus, and the other characters. Good hook for this dystopian series!

[DeeDeeWReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great introduction to Marcus and his story!

You need to read this before you start the Given series

[Claire Cobb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a nice little prequel to the given series, was a really short read but worth it.

[Giulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the voracious reader program. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed at first since the synopsis from the voracious readers email was the one from "The Given". So the book was not what I expected.

That said, I really enjoyed the book, even without having read the main series. In fact, it got me so curious that I think I'm going to read that next!

[Naomi Davis]

I liked this story, it was an excellent prequel. It would have been nicer if it was longer though as it very short (I received a complimentary copy via Voracious Readers).