Rebecca Gober

The dynamic duo of Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels are back with the second installment of the ELE series. This is a much anticipated book because we have to know what happened to Willow. Finding ELE has a different vibe than it's counterpart. This one has more of a apocalyptic survival feel to it since most of the book is outside the confines shelter. It's also action packed and more fast paced. Finding ELE has something for everyone, romance, action, paranormal and a kick ass heroine.

So show more here is the breakdown. I picks up were Project ELE ended. Willow is free from the shelter but doesn't know where her friends are. She meets up with survivors and surprise the people on the outside have special powers too. She is rare with all of her abilities so is constantly tailed by Hot Tony, her bodyguard. I smell a love triangle with Willow, Hot Tony and Alec. Pieces of the puzzle come together and we learn how everyone got powers and a possible reason why Willow has so many. On top of everything there are Reapers, humans who have no humanity, stealing powers and killing people.

I loved this book. It is a roller coaster thrill ride. It really shows the aftermath of an apocalypse. There is no shelter to hide in. It is every man for themselves. The authors show that in a time like this the least likely person can be your savior. In this case it is Willow's mom Alice and grumpy old Mr. Leroy. Alice takes on a leadership role. Everyone in her camp looks up to her. From the few moments that she appeared in Project ELE, the change from mom to survivor leader is amazing. And who ever knew Mr Leroy could kick butt? :)

The book was well written. You feel the emotion of the characters because you become so easily attached to them. Once again I am amazed at how they write a book so seamlessly and you can not tell which part belongs to which author. This is something I have seen only a few times in dual author books I have read.

Overall I thought this book was awesome, even if it ended in a cliffhanger ;). I enjoy reading books by these authors and with Finding ELE I think they have another hit on their hands. This series is a must read.

Disclaimer: I received this book courtesy of the authors in exchange for an honest review. show less

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It feels incredibly juvenile. Yes it is written from the POV of a sheltered 16 year old girl but other YA books have managed to do the same thing while coming off more... I don't know.. polished? I guess.

I think that if I didn't read as much as I do, I would have enjoyed this book more. Let me explain... because I read so much (several books a week) I know what it feels like to have a really good book suck you in and make you feel part of it. Book show more that, if you manage to put down, you do nothing but think about the characters until you can pick it back up again. While the story deed keep me mildly entertained (there were some parts where I had to force myself to keep reading rather than giving up on the book completely) it did not grab my attention and allow my mind to escape into that world.

I do like the premise, but everything else felt a bit lacking. There isn't much character depth, the world building leaves a lot to be desired and the dialog is stiff.

It kills me to start a series and not finish it, even when they are bad. I'm giving this series one more book to win me over before I call it quits on the ELE Series. show less

Have you ever read a book that at the end you go "Damn that was awesome"? Well this is one of those books. It is like Hunger Games meets Resident evil, just minus all the killing. :) This is only the second book like this that I have read. I haven't read too many books that are in the Dystopian/Apocalyptic genre. When I read the plot I thought that this will be interesting. Once I dived into the book, What I noticed about the writing was that you can't tell that two people wrote this book. I show more have read a few books in the past where you could instantly tell when the writing style changes. In this book the authors are is such sync that the writing flows seamlessly.

Like most Apocalyptic stories this one is about a virus that is killing people and only select few get to go to the shelters. There is more to it. Not only do you have to make sure you don't get sick but something else is happening. Willow and her friends start to exhibit strange abilities. Where do this abilities come from? It could be the water that they all swam in. It also could be vaccines that they had to get before entering the shelter. You wonder what is really causing this especially when someone high up in the anarchy wants to get their hands on Willow. Out of all the kids with abilities she is different. I think that she is the key to what ever experiment they have going on. For those who didn't make it into the shelter because they didn't pass the test, they have to go through what I call the Matrix choice. They have to choose Yellow or Red. One will let the person live but the other will be instant death. The shot that lets them live has effects on them as well.

Life in the shelter isn't all bad. I mean you are inside where it is cool and you don't have to worry about contracting the virus. Willow makes some friends with Conner and Claire. They get jobs together as Runners. She even falls in love for the first time. With all that she still seems unhappy at times. I know her life hasn't gone quite like she wanted but if it were me I would be happy just to be out of the 100 degree scorching Sun. I have to admit I like Willow. She is not a meek character.She doesn't wallow in self pity even though she is unhappy about the current situation. She takes charge and tends to jump before really thinking. I like this about her, she makes everything interesting.

The authors do a great job with teasing you in this book. You aren't given all the info up front. You learn bits and pieces as you go along. This is a great way to keep the reader entertained. Leaves you wanting more. I was pulled into the story from the beginning and found that I had to force myself to put it down. The book isn't sunshine and rainbows. It has a sad side to it. That is evident in Chapter 2 of the book. That is all I will say. The story does end in a cliffhanger. It's a good one that will leave you going "WTH?". Now I can't wait till the next one is released. I'm not a patient woman. :)

My overall thought of this book was that I will be adding more books like this one to my reading list. It seems that Dystopian/Apocalyptic books are taking over and I can see why. I truly enjoyed reading this one and look forward to more like it in the future.

I received this book courtesy of the authors in exchange for an honest review. show less

Editing, editing, editing!!!! Why spend time building a house and then not put siding or a roof on that house? Your house would be destroyed in the first big storm. That is what a lack of editing does to any story.
The story was interesting enough that I was curious and read to the end. I am sad that they did not do a better job editing this book. Even having some friends read through and catch the glaringly obvious errors would have helped the readability, despite the flow issues with the show more plot. So many errors were things I see with elementary school aged writers: "to" instead of "two" for example, periods instead of question marks, or misused vocabulary words. If you don't use the word regularly, don't throw it in to try and make your writing sounds more interesting. I also think it would have been better if the point of view was
third person omniscient, rather than 1st person. It sounds more natural and is easier to get it right.

With solid editing of just grammar and mechanics, I might have rated the story 3 stars. I also took issue with the Insta-love and the outdated technology. Yes, they have tablets, so why couldn't they have movies and books on those tablets? Why did they need runners to send paper files to different parts of the cave? They have tracking on the tablets but they don't have video cameras monitoring hallways or secure areas. They don't have guards, locks, or anything to prevent any curious person from accessing and helping themselves to the all the supplies they have to survive on for at least three years.

I read an ebook version published in 2012 so if there is a later well-edited version, I'd be willing to read it and amend my review. show less