Revolution

by Michelle Rivera

When five relatively ordinary teenagers begin to have dreams of an odd woman that none of them have ever seen before, they are taken away from their mundane high school lives, and led to a strange, magical world. It is a place where people live in fear of the tyrannical dictator that began ruling decades ago; no one dares speak out of turn, their food and manner of dress are heavily regulated. Even the colors of nature are beginning to fade. The five, with the help of the local resistance faction, are tasked with coming up with a way to defeat the dictator, and restore prosperity to the land.

Paperback

Published July 14, 2022

About the author

Michelle Rivera is a fantasy author from Chicago, IL; the second of five children, of Puerto Rican and African-American descent. Her inclination to all things mythical and feminine directly influences her vibrant, creative style of writing. When asked what inspired her to be a writer, the answer is usually something along the lines of, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Reviews

[Meli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun (either YA or New Adult?) read.

The reason I’m not sure which camp it falls in is because certain aspects straddle the line.

The characters’ ages, for example, leans YA. But the way that they’re tasked with such lofty goals and have a certain level of independence and responsibility is giving JRPG, where the world is saved by a bunch of 15-year-olds. The ability to Save The Day in ways that requires a certain level of suspension of disbelief goes into YA- not so much disbelief that it leans into middle grade, but it does exist.

There’s a certain lack of pointed conflict except with the main villain, which makes sense in context, but may seem dull to some readers. The characters have a decent amount of personality, as much as they can in a book this short. Again, a fun read!

[Miri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, I'm told, was originally published on Wattpad in 2012. I didn't catch it when it was there, but I'd use it as an example of being able to find quality content literally anywhere. I think my favorite thing, outside of the cast- which is full of vibrant personalities that make you want to learn more about them- is the tonal shift between the chapters in sleepy suburbia, and a tense, oppressed world with unsolved mysteries under the surface. I wish it had leaned into the magical aspects a little more, but knowing that this is the first book in the series, I understand the stylistic choice to not do so just yet.

[Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging story filled with a fun, ensemble cast. This is definitely one of those books where you'll want to stay up late reading to see what happens next.