Iron Widow Iron Widow #1 by Xiran Jay Zhao Dystopian Fantasy LGBTQ+ Romance Science Fiction Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) 18-year-old Zetian’s sister has just been killed during one of the fights against the plague of aliens that lurk outside the Great Wall. Her sister, like many others, was a concubine to a male mech pilot and her consciousness was sacrificed for the sake of the male pilot. Zetian vows to seek … Read more
Flawed Flawed duology, bk #1 by Cecelia Ahern Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) Celestine North has never questioned the Guild that enforces her country’s moral/ethical code until she finds herself in the middle of an incident on a bus where her own personal sense of what’s right trumps the law. She helps an old, Flawed man, who is clearly deathly ill, and her transgressions earn her a life sentence … Read more
Scythe Arc of a Scythe, book #1 by Neal Shusterman Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “Scythe” follows the story of 2 protagonists: Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch. The book starts within Scythe Curie’s gleaning journal where she explains the history of their civilization and how humans became immortal and created the Scythedom – an organization of Scythes. The Scythes are trained to “glean,” which is killing … Read more
The Innocence Treatment by Ari Goelman Dystopian Mystery Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * Stars (Pretty good) Lauren Fielding has always been extremely trusting, generous, good natured, and friendly – so much so that her condition is viewed as a disability, because she can’t tell when people are trying to take advantage of her. She has to be supervised outside of her home and at school and has aides assigned to her to keep … Read more
Upgrade by Blake Crouch Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) After a near apocalyptic event, the world really cracks down on any sort of genetics research and technology. Logan Ramsay, whose mother (renowned scientist) was ultimately responsible for the Great Starvation, has become an agent committed to stomping out the illegal genetics black market. During a sting, he’s caught in a blast and infected with a gene-altering virus that essentially … Read more
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Dystopian LGBTQ+ Romance Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) “They Both Die at the End” is about a world where you get a call on the day you will die. The two main characters get the call and decide to befriend each other on their last day. They spend the whole day together fitting in as much as possible, while letting themselves let go … Read more
Wither The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1 by Lauren DeStefano Dystopian Science Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) In a future where humans have orchestrated their own downfall through genetic engineering, lifespans have been drastically shortened – men die at 25 and women at 20 years of age. Sixteen-year-old Rhine is kidnapped by the Gatherers along with a number of other girls (teenagers) to become the brides of wealthy and privileged Linden Ashby. Her sister … Read more
A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Prequel to the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Dystopian * * * Stars (Pretty good) This prequel to the Hunger Games series introduces young Coriolanus Snow (who later becomes the President of Panem), struggling to maintain his family’s standing in the Capital while contending with hunger and poverty and the political machinations of his rivals. As part of his education, Snow and his classmates are given an assignment to … Read more
Matched Matched #1 by Ally Condie Dystopian Romance Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Set in a dystopian society, the main character lives in a world where nothing is left up to chance. Everything is chosen for her and people live under the illusion that all is perfect. When the main character is “matched” at the age of 18, she finds that she is actually matched with 2 people! One she knows … Read more
Uglies Uglies #1 by Scott Westerfeld Dystopian Science Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Tally is almost sixteen and she can’t wait. In a couple of weeks she will have the “pretty” operation that will turn her from an ugly into a beautiful pretty. As a pretty, Tally will be sent to a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun. Tally’s new friend Shay doesn’t want to become a … Read more