SJ Sherwood

The Denounced: Book II Shifting Horizons is the second book in the YA series, The Denounced trilogy, by author SJ Sherwood. Pod fifteen, led by Ned, has managed to escape Ilsa only to find themselves facing a desert environment without the means for survival. Just as they think they are finished, they are rescued (captured?) by a Nomadic tribe led by Omar. He seems to be honest and willing to help but can he really be trusted. And if the Pod has truly escaped Ilsa, what should they do next?

Shifting Horizons, like most middle books, has some problems - at times, it seems bogged down by Ned's emotions and infighting among Pod members some of whose actions seem frustratingly foolhardy, and, at times, it seems repetitive - escape, capture, escape again. But none of that was enough to dampen my enjoyment of the book. There's plenty of action from beginning to end, good characters are good enough without being one-dimensional so that the reader can root for them, and the ending left me wanting to know what happens next. If you've read Book I, you will definitely want to read this sequel and if you haven't read Book I, what are you waiting for?

I would like to thank the author who was kind enough to send me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review… (more)

The Denounced is a new series by author S.J. Sherwood, the first book being "A Grey Sun". Following Ned, a sixteen year old orphan who's spent more of his life than he'd like in the system, he's tough as nails and knows how to survive. That being said, the beginning of the book is his execution day. Named one of the denounced, someone who has beliefs other than the ones that the government has and has claimed he wants to live in the non secular world, he has less than an hour left to live the life he hasn't even begun. He's already eaten his last meal, a burger, chips, and a chocolate pudding, some of which he's never even eaten before. The thing is, he's innocent.

Check out the rest of my review here!

https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/a-grey-sun-the-denounced...… (more)

Sixteen-year-old Ned has been sentenced to death for being one of The Denounced. At the very last minute (and I do mean last), he is rescued from the gallows. He is taken to some sort of training camp where he and other teenagers are being trained although it is never made clear for what. The kids are divided into groups or pods and must work together to get through all of the tests they are subjected to. There are fifteen pods and Ned is made the head of the last one. This is unfortunate for several reasons: as an orphan, he has learned that being invisible is the safest place to be and he has already made an enemy of the chief trainer and his pod is not very good at cooperating, especially with him. This last is very important because cooperation is necessary if they are to make it through the training and failure is not an option – it is deadly.

A Grey Sun is the first in The Denounced YA series by author SJ Sherwood and it would be impossible not to compare it to series like The Hunger Games or The Divergent series. Fortunately, the story has enough going on to make the comparisons not necessarily a bad thing. There’s plenty of action and interesting characters. It’s hard not to like Ned or root for his pod to succeed and it is fast paced enough to keep the story moving and the reader involved.

I did find Ned’s musings about the other members of the pod a bit distracting at times especially as it seemed to change from page to page as did the behaviour of the kids. Still, I found the book very enjoyable and hard to put down despite this. The ending was satisfying - unlike too many dystopian series, it opens the story to further books while bringing closure to this one. A good beginning to the series and I look forward to the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Cameron Publicity and marketing Ltd for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (more)