Steven Bereznai

Generation Manifestation by Steven Bereznai was a stimulating, action-packed Young Adult dystopian tale with an empowering heroine and a twisty plot that kept me guessing. Steven Bereznai managed to keep the story flowing at a breakneck pace while still immersing me in Caitlin’s fascinating yet disturbing world. It was refreshing to read a Young Adult novel with clean romance that wasn't overbearing. While I didn’t always agree with Caitlin's decisions, I loved her strength and show more identified with many of her core struggles. She had a phenomenal character arc. In fact, all of the characters were well-crafted, but one, in particular, stole my heart...and broke it. The fact that comic books played a major part in the story was especially endearing. I can see this novel appealing to a wide audience, including other comic book fans and those seeking a neurodivergent- and LGBTQ-positive read. I would have liked more closure before the end, but all in all, Generation Manifestation was a powerful, heart-racing start to the Gen M series.

(Disclaimer: I received a free digital review copy of this book from the author through Edelweiss . All opinions in this review are my own and are honest and unbiased.) show less

NoW THIS is how you write an action laden, Dystopian, SciFi, Fantasy tale. With a kick @$$ female MC (Yayyy) and a supporting cast that will (successfully) command your affection/attention... subliminally insisting you fall in love with each and every character be it primary, secondary, or tertiary on up. It is a great example of its genres!

Though the writing is not flowery or verbose, it is addictive and extremely evocative. The action is high-octane and intense in some areas. Steven show more Bereznai does not shy away from some heavy topics nor some strategically placed (slightly PG 13+ graphic) deaths. Don't fall in love too deeply, no character is safe from the chopping block.

I am also ecstatic to report that the author is neither misogynistic (which is a nauseatingly acceptable stance these days) nor guilty of back handedly complimenting/chastising our seriously butt whooping MC, Caitlyn Ferral (or any chatacter for that matter). Our main chica is unabashedly fierce, unapologetically stubborn, doesn't back down from any fight that needs fighting and even a few that don't. Her humanly flawed morality (and actions) make her a relateable, rich, and quite frankly extremely appealing, well written character. I'll spare you the fangirling rant but be aware... both Caitlyn and Mr. Bereznai deserve the accolades (Normand too).

Overall:

The Trifecta of Awesomeness;

Character Development + World Building + Writing Quality = The Trifecta of Awesomeness

is masterfully displayed in this here book. Generation Manifestation has robust, fully formed and highly loveable/loathable Characters populating this (practically) non stop... adrenaline fueled, lushly emoted World. The 3rd leg of the Trifecta rests solidly on its evocative, visceral, easily imagined mind candy... and many other adjectives that add up to some impressively created, truly solid Writing. It painted such vivid imagery inside my chaotic cranium that I not only was living this story alongside these dynamic characters, I was also (sadly) outside of my brain, watching the page count (rapidly) increase. I felt conflicted about the ever approaching end. On the one hand I was happily immersed, loving my life in the Matrix, unsuccessfully slowing my pace... needing to know what happens next all while simultaneously wishing it would last just a bit longer... a surefire sign of a satisfying read, well spent time and appreciation for the prompted/vascillating emotions it pulled from me. It assured my loyalty to see the story through to its natural conclusion. I'm excited to get my hands on book #2 toot sweet.

I definitely recommend this read to any and all SciFi, Fantasy, Dystopian, "Gifted Human" archetypal genre loving bibliophiles.

~ Enjoy

*** I received an advance review copy for free, from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. *** show less

I enjoyed the first book in the Gen M series immensely so I was SUPER excited to get my hands on this read! To say that I had high hopes for this book is a vast understatement and you know what??!? I was not let down! I enjoyed this book, this World and especially this MC just as much as I did with book #1 Generation Manifestation... if not more. I loved revisiting this world and getting the backstories of my favorite characters from the previous book. All the possibilities!! I LOVED them show more all.

This is the anti-hero story you were undoubtedly looking for and one you're going to inevitably binge read. Our MC was obviously extreme in his dislike of humanity and germs and inferiority etc... his beautifully genius brain was not only enviable but loveable to boot AND even though he was dastardly in his machinations, he was still accessible and relateable and adorable... not an easy feat for a villan AND that's not all... no sir, in this gem we get a second anti-hero/genius/sociopath. She also happened to be a villainous Femme Fatale... and ohhhh what sweet mutually volatile interactions/meteoric collisions we had between the two.

••• I got this far into my review and then my retina tore... long story short, I'm not supposed to read for 2 weeks so even writing/re-reading this review is a No No but I wanted to get this out there... I inhaled and adored this book and I think you will too, especially if you liked book #1 in the Gen M series

**** I was given a copy of this book from BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily **** show less

Wow, what can I say about Generation Manifestation? First off, I really like the name of the book as well as the cover art for it which is flipping awesome!

This is a somewhat quick read but it is packed with so much going on. This dystopian world is filled with mutated beasts, super humans, and regular humans which are known as dregs. The story has a shadow of 1984 throughout it as well as a bit of a Divergent feel to it.

The story starts off with a bit of a small slow buildup that really show more helps you get accustomed and engrossed into the overall feel of the world and the peoples mindset within it. But as you get further into the story the action picks up the pace and really takes you for a ride. One thing I found a bit jarring to the flow of the story was the use of him/her/zir, I felt that it didn’t really help the story in any way and just interrupted the flow of paragraph I would be reading sometimes at a fast pace moment that would break up my concentration and make me have to read it over again. These moments were not a huge amount but when it happened it felt like they were forced into the book and made my reading have an unnatural flow instead of a smooth transition to the next word. I get the attempt of this and no worries about that but there were time when the word “their” would have probably been better to use if not wanting to point out a specific gender. To me it was a small bump in what was otherwise a great book and I look forward to more books or stories in this universe.

In my opinion, this is a great read and one that anyone and everyone into fantasy, dystopian, super humans, and action packed adventures should pick up, I will say this has made me a fan of Steven Bereznai and I can’t wait for more into this world he has put together.

I give this book 4 Mango Tango out of 5

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. show less