The Cure

The Cure Chronicles #1

by K.A. Riley

Before the Blight, becoming an adult was something teenagers looked forward to.
But now, turning eighteen means certain death.

Unless you prove yourself worthy of the Cure.

On her seventeenth birthday, Ashen Spencer is blindfolded and escorted to the massive, mysterious building known as the Arc to begin her year of training and testing in hopes that she can earn the Cure—a powerful drug given only to those deemed worthy to survive beyond their eighteenth birthday.
Ashen has a chance to rise up from her former life of squalor and be granted a place in society, if the Panel—the mysterious group of powerful men and women in charge of the Arc—deems her year a success.

She’s assigned to work for twelve months as a servant for a wealthy family whose son is the most alluring young man she’s ever met. At first, Ashen is grateful for the opportunity to earn her place in a society she’s always dreamed of inhabiting.
But as time passes and she begins to learn the truth about the people she admires so much and the home she left behind, she realizes she has a choice:

Be part of the disease…
Or be part of the Cure.

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Science Fiction, Audiobook

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2021

About the author

K. A. Riley is a writer of speculative and science fiction, dedicated to creating worlds just different enough from our own to be entertaining, intriguing and a little frightening all at once. For Riley, writing isn't a job. It's a laboratory where readers can wander into a land of ideas; it's a playground where they can scamper around, giggling, gasping, and freaking out to their hearts' content.

Riley is the top-secret pen-name of a NYT and USA Today best-selling author.

Reviews

[Jen Pimentel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m 30% into the novel and feel like I’m reading 10 different dystopian novels at once. There are so many different themes I can’t seem to understand what message the author is trying to communicate. The main character is supposedly fighting for a cure to a virus, but when she’s given the chance to live with the wealthy, she’s forced to wear dresses and attend balls and — learn to fight? There’s cameras and drones and microphones everywhere, so she has to watch what she says otherwise Big Brother will silence her. She has an implant in her wrist that reads her mind. She gets to live with a beautiful, wealthy “prince” whose intentions are confusing. Noncompliants are dealt with through gladiator-style trial/executions or mysterious disappearances. There’s a rebellion brewing in the outside wastelands. The wastelands are divided into different sectors which are divided by a theoretical hierarchy. After all this that’s going on, we kind of forgot about the fact that she’s fighting for the cure at this point. The-Selection-slash-Maze-Runner-slash-Hunger-Games-slash-Divergent-slash-Matched-slash-Gone much? Add on top of that that your MC is your typical loner, had-to-learn-to-hunt-and-fight-to-survive, I’m-the-only-one-who-sees-I’m-pretty, I-don’t-listen-to-or-trust-anyone-because-I-have-a-dark-past protagonist, and the romantic subplot follows the overdone love triangle trope, I’m not confident I’ll be reading the other books in the series.

Three stars because the writing is really good! Riley doesn’t hang on to the unnecessary details the way other current authors seem to do nowadays.

[Tris |"I'll leave the morrow for the morrow. Today is enough and more."| Prior · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Look- they're training us to be loyal little sheep. But sheep get slaughtered by wolves, and this place is full of them."

I desperately wanted to like this book. The plotline was really interesting, the cover was absolutely stunning, and the foreword had me hooked. It could have been such a good book.

If it was written by anyone else.

This is a very good example of why you should never trust a book by its cover. The Cure was such a hard book for me to read. I constantly had to put it down for hours (sometimes days) because I physically couldn't force myself to keep reading. Not only was this book causing me mental pain, it was also causing me physical pain from the nonstop eye rolls, and cringing.

Characters:

Finn:

"I'm saying you're too impulsive," Finn snaps. "You don't think. Use some common sense, for God's sake."

Okay, I could stand Finn, for the most part. There were times I was cheering him on (see the quote above), and others I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. He kept alternating between acting like a love-sick puppy, (over a girl he hadn't seen for, what, 7 years?), and a distant, aloof jerk. But I do have to say, seeing him sticking up for what he believed to be right and risking his life to save Ashen, was pretty amazing.

"But please- for your own sake- stop threatening to assassinate my mother."

Ashen:

"If I do that, you'll kill me," I hiss. "Which would be counterproductive. I don't feel like dying tonight."

Ashen got on my nerves, to say the least. She was all about 'poor pitiful me, my life sucks", basically the entire book. Everything had to be about her, and yes, I know she was the main character so the book was about her, but there is a fine line between that and how it was. If Finn even so much as looked at her the wrong way, she freaked out. She was constantly switching between "he hates me", obsessing, and pissed off for no reason. At one point, she saw two guys get arrested for arguing, and what does she do? She starts bad-mouthing the Directorate, then gets mad at Finn for telling her to shut up. I'm sorry, what? If those men got sent to the Hold for simply fighting, what do you think they would do to you for talking like that. On top of that, she kept talking crap about Directorate for their cruel ways, while she was over there laughing when her friend got stabbed.

"For a long time, those paintings represented someone I'd lost. The most important man in my life. Now, they represented a best friend I've lost, too."

Plot:

The story follows, 17-year-old Ashen Spencer. The nation is overrun by a deadly pandemic called The Blight. The thing is, it only kills people over the age of 17. The rich and wealthy of the nation built a safe haven, called The Arc. Everyone over 17, who didn't have the money to live in the Arc, was abandoned to fend for themselves. But all the kids, known as Dregs, under 17 had a chance to survive. Every year, all the 17-year-olds were brought to the arc to earn the Cure. Upon arriving, they were paraded around and each chosen by a sponsor. They would live with these people, in servitude, for a year and learn to fight in order to see if they were worthy of the Cure.
At the Introduction Ceremony, Ashen runs into Finn, a boy that she went to school with back before the pandemic. From what I understand, she didn't even really know him, but apparently, he had been obsessed with her for years. He was the most popular boy and of course, she was the quiet kid. Finn 'convinces' his parents to sponsor her, so Ashen was taken in by one of the richest families on the Arc, and coincidently the only "Dreg" that was that high up in society. Every day they go to training, where they work with a weapon they chose on their first lesson. All the training happens in a virtual world, because, of course, no one trusts them with real weapons. Ashen finds out the Arc isn't what it seemed. If anyone tried to step out against the Directorate, they were put in an arena to fight to the death. She started 'trying' to fix things (I don't even want to use the word trying because basically it briefly crossed her mind). She found out about a group of rebels and, wow guess what, her father, who was supposed to be dead, is the leader of the rebels. Then we find out that the Blight wasn't even an actual pandemic. It was just the people from the Arc killing off people. This mysterious Cure was really just a drug to control the Dregs (hello divergent). And because of who her father is, she was put in the arena to fight to the death. And low and behold, this tiny girl beats a huge, fully grown man, and manages to escape basically unharmed. Oh, and she only did this because Finn had created a suit that made her faster and stronger. And don't forget the invisibility cloak.

"I'm beginning to suspect everyone in the Arc walks around with fake grins, waiting for the day when they, too, will break."

Honestly, the plotline is something I would actually enjoy reading a book about, but the way it was written was just not it. To me, the whole world-building didn't make sense as the book progressed. It was a mash-up of so many different YA Dystopian books. Most of the world-building was basically a copy-paste of Hunger Games, with a few references to Divergent thrown in (such as her being immune to the shot). These are just to name a few. There were so many plotholes and absolutely no character development. Ashen stayed the same whiny brat the entire book. Really there were only two characters in the whole book. Finn and Ashen. Any other characters were briefly looked over or had tops, 10 lines. I felt no emotion through the entire book, except disgust. It felt like just a brief overview of everything, except it wasn't really even anything. The parts that were important were rushed and crammed into a few pages, and everything else was spread into chapters. Ashen did absolutely nothing. Honestly SHE should have been one of the bacround characters. It was all talk and no doing. She didn't change anything or encourage anyone. Really it was Finn running the show, and he didn't really do anything either. There were really no details in the entire book, until it came to the kissing, gory, or fight scenes. Then we had way too much detail.
The book says that this 'pandemic' affected the entire nation, but apparently, the Arc is based in this one neighborhood and it seems like the kids only come from this small town??
Also at the beginning of the book, it hints at the fact that there might be something between Ashen and her best friend from the Mire (everything outside of the Arc). But once she gets into the Arc there is absolutely no mention of that. She basically forgets all about him after she sees Finn's face. There are a few times here and there she wonders about him, but really he's not important anymore. They had referred to this as a love triangle but it was anything but.
The book talks about how there are cameras everywhere and even little bug things tracking her every move. As her being a huge threat, you would assume that any mishaps would be checked into, yet she uses a disrupter (a little device that blocks out all microphones and cameras) so many different times, and somehow the people watching the cameras didn't put together that the disruptions only happened when she was around?
Apparently, they were to be 'servants' of their sponsor families, but I never saw anything that could even be close to her being a servant, besides the Talk that she had with Finn's mom when she first arrived. The only thing that could possibly be counted as serving, was when Ashen had to give Finn's little brother reading lessons, and he actually could read perfectly well.

So really, I would not recommend this book. I want to say this could be good for beginning readers, but I feel like this would make them not want to read. And this wouldn't even be good for little kids because of the scenes that give too much detail.

"Caring is for the weak."

[Selah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will give this book a 4.5 stars. I went into it thinking I would be bored but I actually was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit too gruesome for my liking but I loved the romance and relationships that the main character made. I hope to see the same characters in the second book or else I will be VERY upset. 🤪

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this a 4.5. I think this book was an enjoyable read. As I was reading I was came upon some parts that seemed scary and they were for a little bit but after awhile it was fine. I loved the scenes when it was just Finn and Ashen. I really enjoyed the two. At first I wasn't sure about Finn but as I kept reading I grew more and more into him, and his love and protection he had for Ashen away from his parents and the people in the Arc. I definitely would recommend this book and I can't wait to hopefully read the next one.

[laney campbell🤸🏼‍♀️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

HEHE SO THIS WAS BAD. Warning this review will be a little ranty

As I was reading I kept waiting for Ashen to Do something cause I figured she’d have to at some point?? but the entire book actually passed without her ever doing anything useful or interesting???? She is a Passive Character who just spends the whole book Reacting but never actually Acts.

The plot was a mashup of bits of different YA dystopian novels (well, 90% Hunger Games) with no fresh spark of its own to offer. The disease-that-kills-everyone-except-those-deemed-worthy-to-receive-the-cure concept could have maybe been interesting if it had been done justice but it really, really wasn’t. It was just turned into a bad Hunger Games ripoff.

Also, the book completely ignores the writing advice “show don’t tell” and is ALL TELLING with no showing…..we’re told over and over how bad Ashen’s life is, how much she’s suffering, what a poor sad person she is. We are told that the danish she ate was “the best thing she’d ever eaten in her entire life” but no details. We are shown NOTHING. (and don’t get me started on the kissy scenes)

I liked making fun of this book, and ranting about it, but that was honestly all I liked. 2 stars because it could have been worse but……it was bad

[Jessica Cravens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its... Okay. Pretty bog-standard YA Dystopia, clearly wanting to copy all the big names in the genre and coming out a bit of a muddled mess for its trouble.

I wanted to like it, I really did. But the story keeps grinding itself to a halt to give us romantic scenes while characters should be more concerned with the horrible dystopia they are trying to discover the secrets of. Yes, you did just watch a teenager get brutally murdered as a spectator sport- but what's more important is making out with the cute boy whose got your attention! /s

[anna ୨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

♡🌿♡ 3 stars ♡🌿♡
💙12+🩷 (1.5/10🌶) (ya terms)
࿐𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: romance
࿐𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼: a bit of forced proximity
࿐𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
THE most basic dystopian ever. But I kinda enjoyed it?

[Aubrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so where do I start?

So, I guess I'll go with this.
Within a novel, there's 1) characters, 2) plot, 3) writing style. Obvi there's a lot more but just looking at the three. For me, characters are ABSOLUTELY the most important. An amazing plot with horrid characters would send me running for the hills, probably more than a dumpy plotline. And that's how this book was. The plot was okay--more on that later--but the characters were EHHUGH.

MC Ashen Spencer did NOTHING. One of the MAIN reasons for writing/reading novels is so we can read beautfully written tales of people that can DO things, in order to inspire us to DO things as well! Sorry for caps locking so many words, lol. So ASHEN SPENCER DID NOTHING. Her thoughts spurred no actions, her tears were an empty lament because they meant nothing in the long run, her laughs and dreams and fears meant precisely 0, no enchiladas, nothing, because she did nothing! nothing! She went back and forth between trying to be that cynical, edgy girl that uses language (EHUGH) and can fight and be posh and girl bossy and nOPE doesn't work, and then being an UTTERLY SELFISH COWARD that would kill people 'just cause i flippin have to see my little brother again *cries*'. Argh it was so annoying. Nobody cares, girl. I'm sorry. Kinda. Okay not really. She didn't care or try to have it a heart, she was just focused on herself. Obviously characters are going to make mistakes, but only if they end up trying to fix them and change, and she didn't. Ever. Even in a series, a single book has to have some closure on personality issues.
Then Finn (see below) comes up and tells her not to blab in public against the government and she wails about how he thinks she's helpless and weak and small and has no place in the world, she thinks he hates her and is so superior and WATTT?

Okay and FINN. So he randomly trusted this girl that he kinda used to have a crush on with everything that's important. The telling her to shut up kinda did get annoying eventually.
Ashen: *opens mouth*
Finn: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Okay and all the other characters were just mehh and there wasn't much about them.

Annnnnd the romance was terrible, too. Like if this depicts relationships in real life then I'm NOPE NOT GOING THERE, cause seriously kissing scenes are so disgusting in this book.

The writing style was also bleh. Continuous use of the same phrases, ehhh just didn't make it for me.

Then I have to point out that the plot was a TOTAL HUNGER GAMES RIPOFF. I...

We read this in a book club, and we all had so many fun theories and ideas but almost all of them ended up being so anticlimactic and predictable and didn't make anyone say, 'wow, that's such an interesting way to do things' or 'wow I was noooot expecting that'!

And I tried to enjoy it. Seriously, I wanted to love this book, and I tried so hard to find the good things and say hey, the main character actually kind of almost did something. I tried. Really. And if you love this book woohoo that's great I'm truly glad you did.

I just didn't. And I'm so happy I'm finished cause now I can go read a really good book!!

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was by far the best one I’ve read in a while. Each page left me wanting more. The complexity of the setting is very well written and the plot is very well thought out. There was suspense around every corner which made me want to read it all at once. There was just enough romance to make it interesting and the new friendships and broken friendships were also a great addition. This book was overall a fantastic read; it had it’s sad parts, it’s suspenseful parts, it’s action parts, and it’s romantic parts. It left me wanting to know what would happen to Ashen and Finn’s relationship, what would happen to Kel, and where Ashen’s journey would take her and what truths she would uncover. I hands down recommend this book for anyone looking for a story that has suspense, action, some futuristic bits, and a touch of romance. I also definitely recommend this to my friends who are also avid readers (Selah, Julia, and Summer that’s you). I can’t wait for you to read it so we can talk about it cause it’s just that good.

[Jane Marshall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed at how much is lacking

So much potential with the plot and I kept reading in search of redeeming qualities but I am still disappointed.

The whole story is lacking emotion - I didn't find that I felt anything at all while reading the book. It was hard to connect with the main character, it was hard to see how the love interest even developed... Every revelation of the plot came through very blatant and bland discoveries or just some straight up telling "this is what happened" and everyone just automatically is like "sweet, I believe you"... There are ridiculous moments as well like how there's zero privacy in this big-brother-type life but then WALLAH! A secret room with a pool? Or like here is a tricky situation, how will you escape? WALLAH! Invisibility cloak! I could go on...
My last written complaint would be the ending. It's yet another book that you waste your time reading only to discover that nothing is resolved in order to force you to go read the next one. Just finish the story! I mean you can have a series and a long overall plot, but at least make a book feel complete by some character development, sub plots, or at the very least: clarity on who to root for.

I do see how people would enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me!

[Jody McGrath · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too Predictable

I really wanted to like this book. It was dystopian and character driven. The problem was that everything about it was so predictable. It has all been done before. And better. So disappointed.

[Kali Contillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love dystopian books but this one just fell flat for me. I almost was not able to finish it. The author chose about 10 different dystopian themes and did not explain them at all. They were just placed in the story randomly. The romance was rushed and cringeworthy. I wouldn't be fantasizing about a random boy while watching one of my friends getting killed. The ending was extremely rushed, having what should have been half the book crammed into 15 pages. I was excited to read this series based on the blurb, but I won't be going on to reading the rest of the series with how flat this first book fell for me.

[skhye ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were so many different themes, things got a bit muddled. The romance between Ashen and Finn felt forced too. I honestly wish there hadn’t been any romance because it wasn’t exciting, just annoying. I’ll give book 2 a chance only because I’m curious to see what happens next but it’s not gonna be the book I reach for next. Maybe in a few weeks.

[joyhunt2010 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! I really don’t understand how this book isn’t popular! At the beginning I was kinda like wow just any other dystopian book great. It gave Hunger Games and Selection. But I got further through the book and omg! The writing was great and easy to read! And their where so many lines I loved in it! The author really made the book not just a other dystopian book I loved it!

[Natalie Rivero · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3*** nothing special lots of the same ideas from lots of other dystopian novels, good writing though.

[Evelyn Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing that special or noteworthy. but a quick and simple read nonetheless with a kinda cute romance. the more that i think about it though it was a pretty good dystopian and i did like all the dialogue lol. maybe my first review was a bit harsh lol.

[SofiaReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Look— they’re training is to be loyal little sheep. But sheep get slaughtered by wolves, and this place is full of them. Just wait. You’ll see.”

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Contains spoilers**

Where to start! The cure left me waiting to turn the page, it totally captivated my attention with this mysterious arc and the cure.

My thoughts on the characters: I absolutely loved Finn! He was probably one of my favourite characters through the book. Rys I found a little intolerable, I knew he wasn’t to be trusted when he didn’t show up at the arc (I did in fact think he was part of the rebellion) Ash annoyed me quite a bit at the start but as the story she found her way to my second favourite. Other side characters like Kyra I really enjoyed seeing them and Marsh I did not end up liking at the end.

My thoughts on the book:
First off, let me say that I was not expecting this book to be this captivating. The arc was not what I thought it would be, seeing that it was the opposite of a safe haven where dregs were taken to either serve or be killed really left me shocked! There were many secrets which some were left unanswered and others lead to more questions, like where is Ash’s brother? Who are the king and queen? What do the colours on the Mire’s walls mean? What will Ash find at the locating her father left? and are Finns parents truly behind everything, his mother? I can’t wait for the second book.

My thoughts on romantic relationships/Characters relatives:
Finn and Ash’s relationship was adorable! I found it quite fast paced and I wish it were slower. As well that their relationship had more time to grow instead of the “I love you” so quick. Finns family totally was not what I expected, his mother infuriated me, she was the one who designated all the slaughter and was the mastermind behind them (And his father just agreed with everything) They brought Ash to use her and Rys betrayed ash even before the arc— I knew he couldn't be trusted and I was content that Ash did not forgive him too quickly.

[Elisabeth Scanlon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I SO wanted to love this book.
It actually started out decent, which is uncommon for books like this, but it showed before too long that this author set herself up for something there was no way she was going to live up to - unfortunately. We have a main character who does...nothing. She literally has 0 influence on the entire book, and is more of an observer who understands about 20% of what's going on. She's more focused on doing the devil's tango with this hot rich kid than you know... The impending doom of her world.
The oppressive ruling class (don't tell me this is a spoiler, we all knew this was a thing within a page of two) just sort of... Exists? It managed to take what I think is modern day america into this oppressive society, that sort of mimicks 1984 with a touch of Hunger Games.. how? I think our main character grew up in the world that we know, but I honestly don't know, because none of it is explained. Even the name 'dregs' is never explained.
I feel like I read a book for a 15 year old kid who just ready hunger games, 1984 and a zombie book and would like to mash it all together, but has no idea about how to build up a plot.
Every single scene we read is 100% plot focused, we never get an idea of what her regular life is like outside or inside the arc, because all of that is skipped over. Anything described in more than a few sentences is going to be extremely important to the plot.
This also seems like an author who thinks most of her readers have a very low level of comprehension - nothing is left for you to pick up on, everything is thrown directly in your face.
All in all, I see SO much potential for this, unfortunately, it seems no serious editor has helped this writer out. The overall idea and plot isn't awful, it's just.. so badly executed.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. It started out strong, a blend of so many different dystopian novels. I liked the heroines guts and strength in wanting to help her family. A hardscrabble life where her mother has checked out and left her to raise her 10 year old brother. Then it hit the Panem The Arc where this teenager raised in the poorest conditions, who hasn't been to school since the Blight hit (which i think only happened 7 years ago?) destroying society and killing all adults over the age of eighteen, except for those with enough money to get the cure and live in the fabulous Arc. A girl who has been raising herself is supposed to go and suddenly be able to live in a society where they are reenacting the feudal system? No tech to suddenly having tech everywhere and she's just supposed to be cool with it. Also, how did the society decline that fast? It was literally 7 years. Then toss in an immediate love interest with the hot/cold teen of one of the highest families. No, i don't get it. The people went bloodthirsty and lost all morals in a hot second? Everyone was just "okay, let's do this".

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness - this book is so good! How to describe it? Like the Hunger Games, Maze Runner, 1984, twisted together, added some really intriguing tech and a bit of romance. Twists and turns galore, but so engrossing I couldn't put it down. I can't believe I have to wait the rest of the year for the next 2 books!

[Karolina Neve · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea is interesting but the execution is weak. I could barely go through this book because of the stiff writing. I'd be interested for someone to tell me what happens at the end but it's also so predictable that I probably already know. Disappointed :(

[Dario Pacheco · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable

I can honestly say I enjoyed this book. It reminds me a lot of other dystopian books but for sure in a good way.
I would for sure recommend it to my fellow dystopian lovers out there.

[Lillian Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

i honestly didnt expect much out of this book, but it ended up being really good. the writing is amazingly done and incredibly immersive, and the plot is very well thought out and well executed. this book is awesome!!

[Lesr · Rating 3 out of 5]

dnf.

[Yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting spin on a plot that’s been done many times.
Likeable characters, good YA read for younger readers.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

[molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn’t enjoy but will I be reading the second one, absolutely

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reading this series for a book club, which I wasn’t sure about since most book clubs read stand alone books. I was concerned I wouldn’t like the first book and would end up not going to the next four meetings. However, I’m so glad I like this book. I actually devoured it and am starting the next one right after I finish writing this review.

[Sarah French · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO GOOD!! A patron let me borrow it, she raved about it, and boy, was she right!
It’s giving Hunger Games meets the Gone series. They’re told that they will die when they turn 18, unless they earn the cure. Lies, betrayal, drones, dystopian, science fiction…I’m here for it all.
I will for sure be reading the whole series.

[Laureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

great interesting read

Overall I really enjoyed this. I understand it’s building off of other dystopian series, but it managers to be it’s own, and exciting and tense. It’s its own world, distinct from others out there, with interesting plots and turns. Looking forward to book 2.