Reviews

Rising by Jennifer Wilson

georgilvsbooks's review

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4.0

A world where it is safer at night than in the day.

A world where you belong in a tribe or you die.

A world full of devastation and destruction, earthquakes, death, technologies lost.

Phoenix, has been on her own for the last 6 years since witnessing her parents murders. Never getting close to anyone, always on alert. Doing whatever was deemed necessary to survive.

I love reading dystopian books! I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the characters.... Phoenix, Triven, Mouse.

Especially Phoenix, she is one tough lady!

A brutal world, filled with so much hate, violence and anger.

The ending was left on a pretty big cliff hanger! So I am VERY excited to get my hand on book 2, "New World Ashes"

If you liked the Divergent series, I would recommend this.

4****

lcmarie19's review

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5.0

RATING: 4.5 STARS

**This book was sent to me in exchange for my honest review**

This book is a great start to what promises to be a fantastic dystopian, fantastical series. I loved this book. Though I believed to have had my fill of young adult dystopian fiction, Wilson has awakened a new desire in me with this one. And I cannot wait to read the next book.

NEW WORLD RISING follows a young girl named Phoenix and her determination to fight to survive in a savage world that dealt her a rough hand with the death of her parents. There are several tribes in this world that are ruthless and you either belong to one of the tribes or you die. Phoenix chooses not to belong. And that decision is deadly. Through her struggles to survive, she learns whether or not it's safe to trust -- others and even herself.

This book does a great job of painting the picture of a world that, quite frankly, I have no desire to live in. It's too cut throat for me, but that's what makes it interesting. Phoenix is a well developed, strong, stubborn, independent young girl. And honestly, with all of the YA dystopian books I've read, you'd think I'd be tired of that. But nope. Wilson has a way of making me fall in love with Phoenix - flaws and all.

The wonderful thing about Phoenix's character? Her flaws are actually way more apparent than her strengths, in my opinion. And that made her, not only more likable, but it made her more human. Less superhero-ish. Phoenix is young. She's been through a lot. And the author doesn't allow the reader to forget that. The pedestal that you can easily put her on is shattered early on. And bravo for that.

The world is scary. A scary scary place. You get a lot of explanation or terminology, tribes, language, at the very beginning of the book, which was very helpful. These tribes are ruthless. The imminent danger is very well felt. The world is a strong setting for what appears to be a strong premise. But while I do love the world, I find that there were a couple of flat points (for me) as I read on, BUT I had no worries because the characters more than make up for anything that the world lacks.

When I read books, I typically am looking for a connection with the characters. The world could be horribly portrayed, but if the character development is perfect (or close to it), I am a happy reader. And Wilson knows how to write and develop some good characters. She introduces several characters that, not only aid in the development of our protagonist, but they also have their own moments of interest that the reader can grab onto. The progression of the development of Phoenix and her relationships with the characters she encounters is done at a pace that wasn't outside my realm of believability. I was on board for it all. In fact, those relationships exposed more and more of Phoenix's humanity that I mentioned previously.

The action packed moments in this book were solid. There were a few moments of intense emotion, where I felt angry, nervous, happy, sad -- you name it. Wilson got me to feel a lot. And the book isn't even a long one. It takes skill to take me through the emotional wringer in that short of a read. But she did it - well.

I cannot wait to see where this series goes. I think this promises to be something special. And I am so on board.

sooz_767's review

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4.0

4.5 stars! Oh wow, this book is fantastic!! It's such an exciting read and I felt like I was on edge most of the time, like in certain scenes where Phoenix is running through the city avoiding the tribes. So tense! Wilson is a fantastic author and this is a very impressive debut. Very much looking forward to the next instalment.

nnancy25's review

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4.0

*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

I must admit, when I read the first few pages of this book it felt like I was reading Divergent. Within the world that Jennifer Wilson creates there are five different tribes, each with their own defining features and virtues, that live contained within a bordered wall. Although they share this similarity, this is no Divergent. This story is in a world all its own and is nothing short of thrilling. The protagonist, Phoenix, is a resilient character who was forced from a very young age to rely on no one but herself, and a select few who she can barter with for the things that she simply cannot obtain on her own. For the past six years she has managed to survive and make a life for herself in a city where the enemy is hiding in every corner. Her life is completely turned upside down when, in a moment of complete bewilderment, she decides to save the life of someone other than herself. However brave and selfless her act of salvation is, she does not escape unscathed. In a now precarious situation, she is surrounded by a new world, or so it seems to her. Hidden within the world she thought she knew so well lies a third party of people unlike the vicious tribes and unlike the perceived utopia of The Sanctuary. This new group challenges everything Phoenix thought she knew and thrusts upon her Triven, the kindness in him more shocking than anything else in her new environment. At war with herself and her surroundings, Phoenix will do whatever it takes to stay alive and survive. Even when I thought I knew what would happen next, I was incredibly thrown off by one of Wilson's incredible plot twists. With a writing style all her own, Jennifer Wilson creates a world that not only captivates, but consumes entirely, the attention of the reader. I can't wait to see where else this story will go and what new surprises Wilson will have for these characters that I have, in a short amount of time, completely fallen in love with.

ninalem's review

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5.0

*Thanks again to the author for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

“If we keep punishing people for what their parents or their ancestors have done, the world as a whole can never move forward. Society will never grow.”

New World Rising was probably only the fourth or the fifth dystopian novel I’ve read in my life. I never thought I’d like this genre but I must admit that it’s slowly becoming one of my favorite genres, especially now that I’ve read this book. I just love how creative authors of this genre are. They always create a new version of the world and invent so many new things. Like the different fractions in the Divergent series, the Reds and Silvers in the Red Queen series or the different tribes Jennifer Wilson invented for this series. I simply love reading about these different worlds and trying to visualize them in my mind.

Probably due to the same genre, New World Rising reminded me a little of the Divergent series (at least at the beginning of the book). But it was still something completely different and not the exact same as anything I’ve read before. I loved Jennifer Wilson’s writing style and how she described everything so perfectly. While reading the book, I always felt like I could see everything in front of me and as if I were a part of the story.

New World Rising featured some very interesting characters. I especially loved Triven and Mouse but I also really liked Phoenix, the female protagonist. The development of the characters was great and I particularly loved to see how Phoenix went from being someone who only cared about themselves to being someone who knew what it feels like to also care about other people’s safety.

New World Rising was a quick and enjoyable read and the ending is a freaking cliff hanger …. Like what the hell is going to happen next? I just have to get some answers and so I’ll definitely read the second book in the New World series which is called New World Ashes.

This book was awesome and I’m definitely giving it 5 out of 5 stars. If you like dystopian novels, you should definitely check this one out. You won’t regret it.

jennbookish's review

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3.0

I wish I could do half star rating because this is more of a 3.5 star rating. While it started off pretty interesting I got bored quickly. It was also very slow, I don’t think I got really into it until chapter 20? In any case if you’re only a plane ride for 2 or 3 hours this is a good book to have. The author tricked me into thinking she might have two love interests but I like how that wasn’t even an issue. While boy still ended up with girl I’m genuinely surprised that confessed into saying she doesn’t really know what Love feels like. I’m excited to read the next book in the series.

annaclo's review

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5.0

I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW. This book seriously surprised me. These characters were put together so well, and with so much detail. If you're a dystopian fan, you'll love love love this book!

"The books here provided an escape, a place to let my mind wander free and find friends. Not real friends, but friends I could care about without having to commit to. Once I had opened a book and read it's pages, those characters could never be taken away from me. Even if the books were burned, they would still live on in my mind. They couldn't die or betray you, friends on paper proved much more lucrative than real ones."

laughing_penguin's review

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5.0

Great

Excellent book. The characters are personable and the action has me wanting more. Thank you for making it available on Kindle Unlimited.

nordicwonder's review

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5.0

So I got the book directly from Jennifer as a kindle, but that's not influencing my opinion on the book. It started out as a little tricky to get into for the first couple of pages, but then it got really good. The book had a good pace throughout, and you could feel the change the main character, Phoenix, was going through. I really liked it, and I would recommend it on to everyone.

albinohusky's review

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5.0

Woah. This has got to be the best dystopian novel EVER.
New World: Rising had me clenching my teeth, seething with anger, and holding back tears throughout the whole ride. There are ups and there are downs, but they both make you want to plow through to find out what happens next! You will not want to put this book down.
It took me a lot longer than it should've to read it, but I am so glad I did!
First of all, Phoenix is a total baddie. There's nothing she can't handle. I admire that. She's rough around the edges, but you find that she has a softer inside that she prefers to keep hidden. She cares very deeply for her parents (and two other characters you meet later) even though at times she may not want to. She doesn't trust anyone, and generally speaking, the feeling is mutual.
Triven is just as much of a baddie, but is comfortable admitting that he cares for people, and that he does. He is very protective, but also knows how to read a situation and do what needs to be done.
I really liked a specific passage of this book. Phoenix is telling Triven how she chose her name, and she says, "When my parents died, I was only eleven. I saw the whole thing happen, my mother's rape, both of my parent's brutal murders. I remember biting my hand so hard I nearly gagged on my own blood. I wanted to die with them. To forget everything I had just seen. But my mother had told me to survive and I couldn't bear to let her last words be forgotten. When I finally got out of the storm drain, I realized a large part of me died in that alley with my parents. Maybe that's why I remember so little of my life before then. Their sweet eleven-year-old child no longer existed. And I was what rose from her ashes." I feel as though that paragraph is extremely clever, given the name, and vice versa.
This book is EXTREMELY well written. It even has a guide in the first pages that explains the different tribes. It shows their names and how they dress and act. It really helps you get a feel for what the world is really like right from the beginning. The story ends on a cliffhanger that means I absolutely cannot wait to read the next two! I give it 5 stars!