Tracy Lawson

There are a lot of YA dystopian novels out there and it can be hard for an author to be unique in this genre. That was not the problem here. I found this story to have a lot of great qualities to it that set it apart from other books in this genre and kept me interested throughout the story!

I really liked the way the story unfolded. There were quite a few people involved in the story, and each got their time to shine. I liked hearing from these different perspectives because it allowed the show more reader to see the issues through more than just one point of view; whenever I get the chance to see a fuller picture, I am appreciative of it because it doesn't always happen. Of course, Careen and Tommy were the main characters but having other adult voices to balance out their teen ones was quite nice.

Even though the concept of the government being evil is not a new one, the story that the author presented here was very different from what you see. I liked it because it didn't take place too far into the future; it was a world that I could easily envision happening a few years down the road. It was scary to see how trusting people are and how easily that can be manipulated by those in power. The novel had a good pace with enough intrigue to keep me guessing about how things would progress. There were a couple holes that I spotted in this book, and I hope that the author addressed them in future books ... but it wasn't a significant problem.

The one thing that I didn't like was Careen's personality and behaviour. While she showed independence and intelligence at certain points, most of her actions were a bit too whimsical and flighty for my taste. I didn't really like how dependent she became on others, especially since her first introduction in this book portrayed her as having a lot of sass and spunk. I also thought the relationship between Careen and Tommy could have progressed a bit slower, allowing it to develop more richly.

I think that this novel really worked as an audio book because the story wasn't bogged down with too many details and descriptions. The narration was done by Sarah Rogers and she did a great job of expressing all of the right emotions and matching her pace to that of the story. This is not an easy story to narrate as there are many different characters and perspectives to present, but Rogers did a great job in making them all stand out. My only comment would be that Eduardo really didn't sound the way I expected; even though he was Spanish, the accent used was more similar to Russian. Regardless, I found it really easy to pay attention and my focus never shifted from the story.

Overall, I thought this was a really good dystopian novel that explored the idea of autonomy and the role of the government in protecting its citizens. I liked the various different characters and thought that the novel was well-paced. This book definitely works in an audiobook format, and I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a unique YA dystopian story!

I received this audio book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

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*Book Review*
Counteract(The Resistance Series #1)⁣
By: Tracy Lawson ⁣
Thank you to ⁣
@silverdaggertours ⁣
@tracylawsonauthor
For a complimentary copy ⁣
All opinions expressed are my own.⁣
⁣

I've read a lot of dystopian fiction, some ridiculously far fetched, some slightly possible, but the premise of Counteract is one of very few that actually seems plausible to me. ⁣
Picture this: the government tells you that an enemy nation has a"stash" of killer poison gas, and an attack is show more imminent. But, the government can save you with preemptive measures. It's an antidote, and you must take it every day. You believe them. You take the antidote. Everyday. Without question. Now, what if something happened in your life to disrupt your daily dose? You don't take it for a few days. You suddenly notice things you never saw before, like the docile mediocrity of everyone, the vacant stares and empty personalities of everyone, the fact that you feel different, better, than a few days ago.
You begin to realize the powers that be have lied to everyone. The masses are subdued to best control them, but they are not in imminent danger after all. What would you do?
Counteract addresses this type of situation. It's quite chilling because it feels real, like I'm reading it in the newspaper. Government and powerful entities controlling every aspect of our lives is within the scope of plausible futures. They could lie because we would never know. Two brave teenagers wake up and fight back in the story. I like these characters for their strength, intelligence, perseverance and their humanity. This story is a cutting narrative about our doom if we don't wake up. How much control have we already given up?
I'm so glad to finally read a dystopian story that I actually believe. It's thought provoking and immersive in so many ways. Read it, and you will question everything. But, I think that would be a good thing. show less

Pros....
*Tommy is as stalwart as he's always been, if not even more so. He proved himself time and again during the first two novels and despite an upset in book two (hormones...gheesh), he's dedicated hardcore to saving humanity from the OCSD...just not at the loss of Careen. Gotta love a rebel with heart, right? Speaking of Careen...

*Our girl is back and her part to play is former-rebel-turned-downtrodden-yes-woman of the OCSD. Say what?!?!? Exactly. It's hard to watch, I mean read, as show more they do everything in their power to extract the information they want from the only person in their reach able to deliver it.

*The plot is still spinning but not wildly out of control. There's enough action to get your blood pumping but not so much as to misdirect your attention. New players are being introduced to the group, but determining friend and foe is becoming much more difficult.


Con....
*Careen...I hate to say it, but she was a pro AND a con. While her outbursts and displays of aggression were definitely her, the timid creature that lies down when told, while not secretly plotting either revenge or escape was TOTALLY out of character for the pink highlighted rebel-esque girl we came to love. Did it diminish my care for the character? No...but it did make me want to slap her upside the head and yell what the hades are you doing...this isn't you!

In the end, I was a reader split between camps, but leaning a bit more towards that of fandom. Though there were a few pitfalls this time around that stuck in my craw (there's a phrase I never thought I'd type), there were more plot points and moments of action that dazzled to keep me flicking screens...not to mention that ENDING! Now I need to know if my instincts were right, or if I was duped as well!



**review copy received in exchange for my honest review, fill post can be seen on my site** show less

This review originally appeared on my blog www.gimmethatbook.com.

Many thanks to Tracy Lawson for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Careen is heading to her university class one Friday in 2034 when disaster sirens blare. There is general confusion:

A frightened crowd gathered outside the university’s student center, pressing toward the doors and shouting over the siren. Careen fought to keep her balance in the undulating mob. The shrieking siren stopped abruptly, and in show more the unnerving silence, phones all around her pinged with incoming messages. She dug hers out of her back pocket.

“Campus alert. Shut up—it’s a campus alert.” The murmurs spread and seemed to calm the crowd. Hundreds of phones played the voice message in near unison, magnifying the audio so it was easily heard:

“Moments ago, the Office of Civilian Safey and Defense confirmed that a chemical weapons attack against the United States is imminent. Terrorists have released a latent cocktail of poisons into the atmosphere, where it can remain, inert, until such time as they choose to detonate it. You are directed to report to a designated distribution center in your area to receive an antidote that will protect you. Weekly allotments of this antidote will be provided free of charge for as long as the threat persists. The OSCD expects the terrorists to mount repeated attacks, so it is essential that you take the recommended daily dosage. Compliace is a small price to pay for your safety.”

Every face turned towards the cloudless, blue sky as someone’s sobs cut through the silence.



This dystopian novel starts off with a threat that we can all identify with, and goes on to show that the government has outlawed almost everything that makes us free, in the name of protecting against terrorists. Careen’s father has died in a terrorist attack, and so she is particularly scared. On the other hand, Tommy, whose parents died in a car crash, is recovering from his injuries suffered in that crash and is angry. He feels alone and just wants to die. When he joins forces with Careen and learns about the Resistance, his will to live becomes stronger.

We also read about the happenings behind the scenes at the OSCD, where some employees may not be entirely loyal to the current government regime. There is a particular character that I was very sympathetic to: Dr Trina Jacobs, whose suspicions land her into hot water. Her character was written very well, and I enjoyed how she handled herself against what the OCSD was throwing at her.

Lawson’s description of a future America, broken into quadrants so activity can be monitored better, is a chilling and plausible concept. The incarnation of the OSCD was unnerving, as the bok explained how this department gained so much power and changed the entire face of the nation. Perfect dystopian existence! As I read, I was quite glad that I was not living in Careen and Tommy’s world.

The dialogue is well written and there is suspensful action aplenty as they discover that the government is keeping vital information from them about the terrorist attacks. Who is part of the Resistance? Who can they trust? And what’s REALLY in that antidote? The good guys and the bad guys are not obvious right away, so you have to keep turning pages to see who helps who. The ending leaves things open for the action to be picked up again in the second book (to be published in 2015). I know I’ll be looking forward to what happens next!

Want to enjoy it the same way I did? Get it here! show less