Humanity has been preparing for the apocalypse for decades, sending groups of five young soldiers at time to battle simulated end of the world scenarios. The missions are broadcast for everyone on the AT-1-NS Space Station to watch. The current Apocalypse Five group has set a record. No deaths in 18 months. No group has survived that long without at least one (or all five in some cases) member being killed. This group is special. When they discover information they weren't supposed to ever know, suddenly the group goes from being heroes to wanted fugitives. Can they survive....and reveal the corruption and lies perpetrated by the Chancellor?

This book got right down to business at page one with great action and storytelling. It's typical space adventure sci-fi with a little hint of romance thrown in here and there. The story is definitely geared to YA, but interesting to adults as well. There is a little bit of cursing and some hints at sex...but nothing inappropriate for a YA audience. The plot is a bit reminiscent of The Hunger Games or Ender's Game, but different enough to not seem too trope-y.

The cover art is really eye-catching. The first thing I noticed about this book is the cover. Great art!

All in all, an enjoyable space adventure story. Apocalypse Five is the first book in the Archive of the Fives series. I will definitely be reading more of this series. The characters are engaging and the story is good. I want to know what happens next! :) Can't wait for the next book!

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Black Spot Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

I received this eARC from Black Spot Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change.

DNF at 19%

This wasn't a bad book, by any means, but it also wasn't a very good one. The characters all behave in the most cliche, unbelievable ways. Some of their actions are completely nonsensical. This was trying to go for themes that The Hunger Games and Ender's Game did very well, but just couldn't figure out why and how they worked. So instead, I got whatever this was:

"This bra you forced me into is boob jail. It makes my chest sad."

from a character who is supposed to be 13 years old.

Honestly, it felt like tween versions of The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner wrote a fanfic together. And don't get me started on whatever that cover is. ( )

Once again I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle copy of this book to read and impartially review.
The end of the world is coming. How or when, scientists can't agree upon. For decades, Earth's best line of defence has been a team of young soldiers known as the Apocalypse Five, forced into virtual reality simulations to train for Doom's Day. But, this is no game. Death on the grid is brutally final and calls up the next in a long line of cadets. Stationed aboard the AT-1-NS Starship, the A5 are celebrities thrust into the limelight by a calling they didn't choose. All it takes is one unscheduled mission, showing seventeen-year-old team leader Detroit a harsh and unfathomable reality, to shake the A5's belief in all they thought they knew. After questioning people with the power to destroy them, the team is framed for a crime they didn't commit and marked for death. Now, the hunt is on. Can the Apocalypse Five expose the truth the Starship would kill to keep hidden? Or, will their bravery end in a public execution?
They say never judge a book by its cover, well that's exactly what i did in this case, that and descriptive blurb reproduced above, and i did not regret in anyway my decision.
As a 61 year old i do not think i was the authors target audience, but i was completely hooked and enthralled from start to finish. Almost non stop action, clever descriptive fast paced and gripping from first to last page.
This is an imaginative well written book with brilliant characters especially 'Detroit' our intrepid leader cool smart sassy kick-ass and funny too, a terrific combination.
The way the book ended this is only the start of an enthralling series and i look forward to more very soon. ( )

Thank you to Black Spot Books and Stacey Rourke for providing my with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy. Rating 3.5 stars.

In the future everything is hunky dory on earth but doomsday is near. Luckily we have military space force to thank for it. Not just any military force, but an army of children. They live on a starship and we follow their every movement on television. We see them train, eat, play and the highlight is when they are sent on fake missions. They are the celebrities of the future. Formed in groups of five, these kids are televised in brutal combat against humanoids. These missions are so intense that often real death occurs. Meet Apocalypse Five. Lauded as the heroes they are, they have survived together longer than any other group. Led by Detroit, a seventeen year old girl, they discover that not everything is as it seems. Betrayed by their own and labelled as rebels, they escape to earth to discover that the apocalypse has arrived and there are only a smattering of people left trying to survive. The team is determined to hold by their mission which has always been to protect the people of earth. Now they just have to find a way to survive themselves.

This was a great read. I loved the camaraderie of the group. It reminded me of the Avengers where they have friendly banter, undying loyalty, self sacrificing heroism and smouldering good looks all rolled up into one. There is the prerequisite romance that is very PG. The only part that weirded me out was that the twins were 13 years old! The romance is between older kids (seventeen) but still, any sort of romance, or thinking about how “sexy” their bodies are is weird when you are talking about children. The book is faced paced, with exciting things always happening and the plot moves forward making you want to keep reading. I loved the whole world that Rourke built, with the different factions on earth and the military world above. You have the exploitation on having them on TV and making their violent world glamorized. I had a couple of issues with it. One, the premise is a bit shaky. I won’t get into too much detail so as not to reveal any spoilers, but just the whole set up of where are all these kids coming from to be cadets seemed odd and I kept poking holes in it. But if you sort of leave it alone and just accept it and move on, the rest is well built. I also felt there were some writing issues. I thought it couldn’t have been tightened up and there were similar phrases that Rourke tends to use and it became repetitive. That being said, I still really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book in the series. ( )

Packed with action, intrigue and mounds of tension, this is an exciting mix of spaceship science fiction and a brutal dystopian.

The A5 consists of the most amazing heroes the starship has to offer. They are specially trained and ready to meet any obstacle that comes at them—all to ensure the survival of the human race. The extremely vivid and realistic training missions are viewed by everyone on board, making this group stars in their own right. The catch, however, is deadly. If they die on the virtual missions, they die in real life. This makes for quite the turnover in team members. Until the most recent group is formed. These five survive much longer than any others before. When they run across a strange scene in their mission, they realize that these virtual missions are more than they seem. And the truth will change existence as everyone knows it.

Tension and the brutality of the situation hit full force from the first chapter on. The author makes the circumstances these characters face clear, and this impact causes the story to grab right away. The characters are sympathetic, and it's hard not to feel for their situations even with their obvious personality flaws. Each one is very distinct, making it easy to keep them apart. Their interactions are believable, and their decisions are understandable. It's easy to cheer for them the entire way through.

While the story kept me in the pages until the very end, the first chapter or so did stumble. The author makes it clear from the beginning how harsh and dangerous the life of the A5s is, and the first round of characters is immediately hit hard. This caused for a little confusion as time jumped forward in the next chapter, and the empathy for characters had to be rebuilt. The world itself is well done, although there are more than a few holes in the background. Much of this seems to be waiting for resolution in the rest of the series, while some simply is a little light. Still, it's a fun read.

This is an exciting world to jump into, especially for fans of action, adventure, intrigue and simply harsh, violent moments. It grabs, it sits, and it ends on a cliffhanger. This book sets the stage for the rest of the series, one which promises to be exciting and full of surprises.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the story enough to want to leave my honest thoughts. ( )