Joey Graceffa

First of all — the cover art immediately caught my attention. Absolutely stunning.

But the story itself ended up being just as engaging.

The magic system is based on astrological signs, which I thought was such a fun premise. Each character’s abilities connect to their sign, and there’s a ranking system that creates tension between the characters and the world they live in.

The story leans into found family and coming-of-age themes, which I always enjoy, and the characters were really show more easy to root for.

I also loved the way the story explores the balance between dark and light, not just in the world but inside the characters themselves.

And once the story picked up toward the end?
I absolutely raced through the final third because I needed to know what happened.

There were a lot of twists and moments that kept the tension high, and the book ends on a very tense cliffhanger that definitely makes me curious about where this world could go next.

Overall it’s a moody, character-driven fantasy with heart, mystery, and some really interesting world building.

I listened top the audiobook which was narrated by Bailey Carr and Kristyna Zaharek and they were fabulous. The way they portrayed the core vibe of this story maintaining it at a level that was age-appropriate, emotional, and engaging listeners.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperAudio Childrens for the gifted ALC. show less

The Earth and its ecosystems have been destroyed by humans. The humans that have survived now live in Eden, an oasis designed by Aaron Al-Baz, regarded as the savior of humankind. Everything in Eden is efficient, reused, recycled and highly regulated, even its citizens. At birth, everyone receives eye implants that track you as a citizen of Eden. However, with population control strictly enforced as one child per couple, Rowan, a younger twin, the second child, is hidden away inside her show more house. With no eye implants, she is unable to go out of her house for 16 years. Now, just as Rowan’s mother has found a way to integrate her into Eden, Rowan escapes the confines of her home and finds friends, adventure, a hidden world and a lot of danger.
I am always intrigued by books with an environmental collapse since it is a very real possibility in our future. In this version, the Earth was slowly destroyed by humans, just as we are doing now. The hero in the story is shrouded in mystery, but Eden is working well and keeping people alive, unless you are a second child. I felt for Rowan’s plight and the unfairness of it all. There are some good parallels in here for strict population control measures that have taken place in the real world. I was very disappointed when Rowan almost loses it when she makes a stupid decision; however, this is when the action began to pick up. I enjoyed seeing Eden through her eyes and exploring the world that she had so far only heard about. Just when it seems that Rowan might be able to come out of hiding, everything seems to go wrong. Excitement, mystery and a daring thrill ride follow Rowan to the end where I was left on a ridiculous cliff hanger. A young adult dystopian that is different enough from others to stand out and deliver.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

Humans have destroyed Earth. What remains of humanity lives in Eden, a community of concentric rings with an ever watching AI. Each couple is allowed only one child and Rowan, as an illegally born twin. She has spent her whole life in hiding, confined to her family's home. Until one day she decides she's had enough and sneaks out at night to explore the wider world. But of course the constant monitoring means she is spotted, forcing her to run and leave behind all she has ever known.

This was show more a quick and fun read but I had problems with it. I guess I should mention I have no idea who the writer is since when someone well known writes something then people will sometimes rate based off how much they like the person rather than or in addition to the actual book. Yes, this is a YA book so I was expecting naïve teenagers and all the things that go along with that. And we got that. But I wish the characters were a bit more developed. I am also not sure how "believable" Rowan is. Although she has been cooped up her whole life and has interacted with about three people she immediately seems very comfortable in the wider world, even if she doesn't quite understand it. I mean, sure, her family has talked to her about things but hearing about it and experiencing it are very different things. The insta"love" was also frustrating (although I'm aware it is a common trope in YA books). It also feels like it exists solely because YA books are meant to have romance since nothing actually happens with it? The world was an interesting one though and probably my favourite part of the book.

This is the start of a series and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. The book answers very few questions and creates a whole lot more. Despite me being curious about what's going on in the world, I am not sure if I'll continue the series. My library only has the first book and I don't care enough to actively seek it out (I haven't consciously seen it anywhere). I'll keep an eye on my library and if it happens to get the next book, why not? It was a fun experience, even if the book probably won't end up being particularly memorable. And that's okay. Books can just be fun. That being said, I think I would have enjoyed it more and probably have been more interested in seeking more out when I was younger! So if you are or have a younger teen who is interested, I think that this is more the target audience than I am. show less

First, I read this because my niece asked me to. She wanted to get my feeling about the book. Okay. Luckily, she wasn't ecstatic about the book, herself. And I'll admit that I'm not a big fan of a lot of things that are standard, in YA writing. So take my comments as you will.

Second, the only (minor) spoiler is hidden in a "spoiler" link. And it only spoils something from the first bit of the book.

Graceffa has potential. I say that because I didn't just give up on the book, even though it show more was continually annoying. There's a... likability to his writing style. I can't quite identify what it is, but it wasn't enough to make me want to follow his career.

In a nutshell, this story is about Rowan, a teen girl and second child, in a post-apocalyptic society that terminates second children. She "shouldn't exist". She is illegal, kept hidden. Of course, the society is secretly dystopian and she somehow ends up in the middle of the whole rebellion thing.

Wait... did I say "middle"? No, she's on the coattails/head of it all. As in, she does stupid things which thrust her into the limelight, storywise, then just gets dragged through most of it... or runs through (she really likes to run) most of it. And she really doesn't understand what's going on, pretty much ever.

Some issues I had:

Characters have no set personality/skillset.They're just whatever the story needs them to be, at that moment. Rowan has spent her entire life with only her father, mother, and brother, yet she has major social skills... when the story needs her to. And she has an amazing ability to parse social cues, without any experience in social settings. Like noticing slight pauses and precisely identifying what they mean.

Rowan's understanding of things seems impossible without a greater knowledge of prefail (contemporary) Earth than she has.

She gets injured, at one point. A sprain bad enough to cause noticeable swelling around the ankle. And it hurts and slows her down, as it should. Except when the story needs her to start running again and the sprain isn't mentioned, until later. Suddenly it's such a bad sprain that she has to hold back a scream. Then it's no big deal, again. In all such instances, it was only mentioned when the author needed to slow her down or rig up some tension/suspense.

Manufactured Suspense:

The Backpack. Just before Rowan goes on the run, for her life, her mother packs her backpack, so Rowan has no idea what's been packed. And her mother tells her that she's packed a secret, too. Mom dies. Anyway... Rowan runs, hides, has this experience and that, has a nap or two... basically, she spends a lot of downtime and otherwise kicks around without looking into the backpack. She thinks about it.(suspense) The author mentions it.(oooh, suspense) And the reader is left to wonder what important thing is in the backpack. I won't tell you, but it makes no frigging sense. That it exists makes sense, but that her mother gave it as a surprise doesn't. And this whole rigamarole is used to manufacture suspense when there isn't any, mainly because the story has no real goal.

EcoPan and Eyeballs. The EcoPan (an all-seeing AI computer system that runs everything) has data based on implanted retinas that all citizens have. Yet there's a whole bunch of nonsense suspense built around a pass card that shouldn't exist. When your eyeballs contain everything from your physical description to your banking details, you don't need no stinking pass cards.

It probably comes as no surprise that my final comment is that the world, itself, makes no sense. It's just various bit and pieces, stuck together and given Frankenstein life. Yick.

Sorry, Joey.You need a serious mentor or editor. Maybe a bunch of Alpha Readers. And, hopefully, the humility to take their advice. I gave it 2 stars, instead of 1, because there's something likeable about it. Like a fugly kid sister, or something. show less