Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today I bring you yet another book from my Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge list. If you haven't heard of Indie Fever, I invite you to sign up and join us here. It's never too late to join the party! We're a group of readers trying to give Indies the love and attention they deserve. So far this year, I've read and reviewed twelve books by authors I've never read before. I've written a number of reviews this year of books by authors I love and follow, but I don't include those on my list. Because I haven't shared it in a while, I'll give it to you again.Rebecca Trogner The Last Keeper's Daughter Amazon Kindle $7.99
Scott Marlowe The Five Elements Amazon Kindle $2.99 (currently reading)
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman Amazon Kindle $0.9
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.51
Gloria Piper Finnegan's Quest Amazon Kindle $4.99
Elle Todd The Elect Amazon Kindle $2.99
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE**
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $2.99
Skylar Hamilton Burris The Strange Marriage of Anne de Bourgh Amazon Kindle $2.99
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $0.99
Tamar Hela Feast Island Amazon Kindle $2.99
Molly Taggart Off Target Amazon Kindle $2.99
Misty Provencher The Fly House Amazon Kindle $0.99
I'm getting there. Slowly but surely!
Now, more about the book to be
Title: Reap (The Harvest Saga #1)
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: YA Dystopia
Length (print): 247 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $0.99
Synopsis:The remnants of the United States of America have been divided. From five enormous, technologically-advanced cities, the Greaters rule over the Lessers.
In the Lesser village of Orchard, things are not as perfect as Abby Kelley thinks they are. When the apple harvest draws near and the Greater’s engineered fruits become too much for one village to handle alone, reinforcements from neighboring villages are called upon.
Having to choose between her best friend, whom she has no romantic feelings for, and mysterious newcomer Crew, Abby finds herself in the middle of a harvest that she had no intention of becoming a part of. She becomes involved in a situation that threatens the strict rule of the Greaters, and just might give the Lessers hope for a better tomorrow. But, can she help the Lessers without losing Crew? And if she chooses Crew, will she lose her best friend?
***Will not appear in review elsewhere. I have to say, I LOVE the cover for this book. I want to jump in there and take a big bite out of that apple. I adore the colors, the layout, and the light. One tiny criticism would be to just use two fonts, enlarge the R, and apply a little kerning on some of the text. But, that's my designer eye looking at it.***
Let's move on to the stuff between the pages, shall we?
I snagged a copy of this book on Amazon and I'm so glad I did! It was an amazing little read and I got through it in just two days. You won't look at life the same way after you read this story. It's something you won't be able to quit thinking about when you're done reading (a sign of a great story). When you have to put it down to do something else, you'll be thinking about the story and yearning to pick it up again. But, enough of my rambling, let me tell you why it's awesome.
From a Reader's Perspective:
Holy wow. I couldn't put this book down until I got to the last page (and I still wanted more)! I'm completely intrigued to find out how this is all going to turn out in future books. Fans of the Hunger Games will see vague similarities in the Harvest Saga series, but Bond is taking it in a whole other direction. There's no slaughter in this book in order to reign supreme, rather a struggle to just be human and be allowed to live life. I adored the idea of Greaters and Lessers, and found it amazing that the author could think up something like that. Abby was a character I loved. I was shown her tough, motherly side in the first chapter, and she felt like she fit in with people I'd pal around with because of their virtues. Bad guys in this book are despicably evil, and the good guys are awesome, though the lines get blurry now and then as you read. I got so angry with the behavior of one of the devious characters, I wanted to reach in the book and slap his whole family. That's when you know you've gotten hold of a good read. World building was perfect, and the ending was everything a first book in a series ought to be: Engaging, nerve-racking, and surprising in many ways.
From an Editor's Perspective:
Well, let me just say, there were a ton of run-on sentences, comma splices, and tense jumps; but, oddly, none of it took me out of the story. I kept reading until I was finished. While those things were irritating sometimes, they didn't take away from what I was getting out of the words. Sadly, I can't give a star for editing in this case.
Rating:
+1 Star for keeping me engaged and vested in the story
+1 Star for awesome world-building
+1 Star for the characters and the connection (and, alternately, mad hate) I felt
+1 Star for a wonderful ending that felt like the author didn't rush, but left me on the edge of my seat
- 1 Star for editing
Overall 4 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended read for fans of dystopian novels with a twist of romance.
What do you think? Plan to check it out?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
I loved the cover of this from the second I saw it!!! The premise sounds awesome and the book is a great price for a series starter.
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