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A review by lcmarie19
Rising by Jennifer Wilson
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.
**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.