Oh my gosh. I didn't see that coming! ( )

Liked this one more than I expected, read it to 70% almost in one go - never has the time in an airport with a delayed flight gone faster, not to mention the flight itself.
From the beginning I liked Phoenix' voice as she tells the story. She's quite unapologetic. She has quite a number of inner struggles, and perhaps some readers might perceive Phoenix as whiny, for me every single of her doubts made sense, and with this I come to the true strenght of the book, and it's the consistency of the world and it's characters.
Every single character belonged to this world, and did not forget about it til the end. Never did they become 21st century teens in a themepark (an issue too many YA stories have), they always carried the weight of their New World with them, behaving in accordance with their world. ( )

I got this book from one of my Owlcrates. This was a good dystopian novel. The story is well written and gritty and I enjoyed the characters too. It was easy to read and action-packed; which made the book hard to put down.

The story starts with Phoenix surviving in Tartarus which is a cruel city outside of the walls of Sanctuary. I enjoyed the idea of the different tribes and loved the ingenuity with which Phoenix survived. This part of the story was my favorite.

About one third of the way in, Phoenix meets up with some rebels who are determined to take down the Tribes and break into Sanctuary. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first portion of the book. It feels like a lot of dystopian stories take this route; which is fine but not very unique.

Overall I enjoyed the book and if you are looking for a good fast-paced dystopian I would definitely check this series out. I probably won't read the rest of the series because I am kind of dystopianed-out right now (and will be for awhile). The second half of the book was just way too typical dystopian for me. ( )

It was such an amazing book, so action packed and suspensful right when it needed. It was very fast paced and it kept me on the edge! LOOVED IT!

BTW: OMG! NO! That cliffhanger! What?! You can't leave me like this! I NEED MORE! :(
( )

4.5

I have so much love for this book. It hooked me from the very beginning.

Phoenix is a tough girl. She’s had to survive on the streets on her own, and finds it really hard to trust others. I don’t blame her at all because of all the awful things she’s seen and done. I did enjoy seeing how she interacts with the others in The Sanctuary. The people there don’t trust her, and she doesn’t care for them either, well, most of them anyway. She doesn’t cower to anyone there, and that takes a lot of guts. She becomes protective of a little girl, and doesn’t want to see her get hurt. I also adore Triven. He’s got a few secrets we learn along the way, but he’s an overall great guy.

I love the world building in New World Rising. It’s got that hopelessness that we see in most dystopians, but it feels so real and raw. I could picture every part of Tartarus while I was reading, and I absolutely love when I feel like I’m walking in the book. There is quite a bit of action. Like I said, Phoenix is tough, and she definitely knows how to take down her enemies. She has a lot to prove with the residents of the Sanctuary, and she does a damn good job.

If you love dystopian this is definitely one you need to pick up. It’s fast paced, full of action, and even has some romance. ( )