So this is one I've been meaning to get around to for quite a while: the entire concept here: a dystopian oppressed walled-in world supposedly based on equality divided into separate zones really appealed to my sense of imagination and while this was well written and ingenious it still didn't quite manage to capture my fancy: actually falling quite far from that mark.
So briefly as I said above this is New America: carved out of the former Manhatten, this is now home to Draven and his family.
Draven lives in the Dorms the lowest zone placement in New America: there are three other zones, The precinct: where the guardians reside: they are the police force of this new dystopian future: The labs where anyone intellectual resides: so the teachers, scientists and doctors and lastly the Palace where the bureau are: these are the leaders and government of New America.
You are locked to your zone placement and supposedly everyone has equal status and privilege no matter your zone or job.
The only way to supposedly raise your status for yourself and your immediate family is to enter the initiation upon graduating school: this is apparently a test of intelligence and bravery played out in the abandoned underground subways beneath the city.
It's like a very deadly game of crystal maze where failure means exile or even death and its quite apparent that the ruling class definitely has a hidden agenda here.
So, after his mother is exiled without due cause Draven with some slight outside persuasion decides to compete: alongside him are several of his former classmates.
Told entirely from Dravens POV these teenagers (sixteen-year-olds) are at loggerheads from the start and with conflicts arising constantly I did want to bang their heads together slightly and scream behave, children at there immature antics.



I mostly put aside their immaturity on account of there young age, but I was still a trifle bemused at the constant concern over there love lives and who they all liked: it just didn't seem authentic to the storyline or even important when they were in an actual fight for there very existence: personally I would think it would be the last thing on their minds at this time.
They also seemed to brush aside and recover from some very hard-hitting events with such apparent ease when I think they would have been much more affected overall.
So there were times when The Initiation really shone for me, but it was then let down by its slightly repetitive nature and it did actually get quite monotonous at times.
It also really took me a while to get into the story here with me stopping and starting this quite a few times before sticking around for the long haul.
In itself 'The Initiation' is a clean YA dystopian read that also manages to deal with some quite harsh situations throughout: and though on paper this did seem a great fit for me in actuality I just didn't fully connect here and wasn't ultimately invested in the eventual outcome.
That's not to say it won't be your bag: this is still an extremely imaginative endeavour just not really for me.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of The Initiation.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com ( )

So this is one I've been meaning to get around to for quite a while: the entire concept here: a dystopian oppressed walled-in world supposedly based on equality divided into separate zones really appealed to my sense of imagination and while this was well written and ingenious it still didn't quite manage to capture my fancy: actually falling quite far from that mark.
So briefly as I said above this is New America: carved out of the former Manhatten, this is now home to Draven and his family.
Draven lives in the Dorms the lowest zone placement in New America: there are three other zones, The precinct: where the guardians reside: they are the police force of this new dystopian future: The labs where anyone intellectual resides: so the teachers, scientists and doctors and lastly the Palace where the bureau are: these are the leaders and government of New America.
You are locked to your zone placement and supposedly everyone has equal status and privilege no matter your zone or job.
The only way to supposedly raise your status for yourself and your immediate family is to enter the initiation upon graduating school: this is apparently a test of intelligence and bravery played out in the abandoned underground subways beneath the city.
It's like a very deadly game of crystal maze where failure means exile or even death and its quite apparent that the ruling class definitely has a hidden agenda here.
So, after his mother is exiled without due cause Draven with some slight outside persuasion decides to compete: alongside him are several of his former classmates.
Told entirely from Dravens POV these teenagers (sixteen-year-olds) are at loggerheads from the start and with conflicts arising constantly I did want to bang their heads together slightly and scream behave, children at there immature antics.



I mostly put aside their immaturity on account of there young age, but I was still a trifle bemused at the constant concern over there love lives and who they all liked: it just didn't seem authentic to the storyline or even important when they were in an actual fight for there very existence: personally I would think it would be the last thing on their minds at this time.
They also seemed to brush aside and recover from some very hard-hitting events with such apparent ease when I think they would have been much more affected overall.
So there were times when The Initiation really shone for me, but it was then let down by its slightly repetitive nature and it did actually get quite monotonous at times.
It also really took me a while to get into the story here with me stopping and starting this quite a few times before sticking around for the long haul.
In itself 'The Initiation' is a clean YA dystopian read that also manages to deal with some quite harsh situations throughout: and though on paper this did seem a great fit for me in actuality I just didn't fully connect here and wasn't ultimately invested in the eventual outcome.
That's not to say it won't be your bag: this is still an extremely imaginative endeavour just not really for me.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of The Initiation.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com ( )

Once upon a time...is SO not that right beginning for this story, but we're gonna utilize it just the same. *ahem* Once upon a time, Drayden's life in New America (formerly Manhattan) was ideal. Okay, well it wasn't ideal ideal, but it was better than it could be, yet not as good as it should be (exiled for seemingly no reason at all? *gulp*). Sounds like something to strive to change, right? Yes and no.

In this new world, everyone is equal. Everyone makes the same pay, receives the same rations, and has the same advantages as the next person, so where's the incentive to move up? Enter...the Initiation. I liken it to a hunger games-esque contest with more closed circuit viewing, deadly to a new level consequences, and a bigger emphasis on teamwork. Oh, and you're not offered up to participate, you enter yourself. The prize? Life for you and yours in the protective "arms" of the Bureau, the ruling body of their day and age...but is the price worth the gain especially when the "tests" seem more like ways to pick them off one at a time versus reveal the best candidate? Oh, and some of them are totally cringe worthy... *-*

This is where we meet Drayden, Tim, Alex, Charlie, Catrice, and Sidney...up close and personal. This is where we learn their strengths and weaknesses. Their minds will be tested, their bodies pushed to the limits, their fears laid bare for all to see, and bonds forged for better or worse. Success or failure, life or death, the outcome is in their hands...or is it?

Book one did well to set the stage, build the world, and turn your stomach (I'm sorry, but some of those tests...UGH!), leaving you chomping at the bit for more.


**copy received for review ( )

Goodreads Synopsis:
As featured on CNN, The NY Post, and Bloomberg!

Everyone is equal. But no one is safe.

In a ruined world, Manhattan is now New America, a walled-in society based on equality. But the perfect facade hides a dark truth.

A timid math geek, sixteen-year-old Drayden watches his life crumble when his beloved mother is exiled. The mystery of her banishment leads him to a sinister secret: New America is in trouble, and every one of its citizens is in jeopardy.

With time running out, he enters the Initiation. It’s a test within the empty subway tunnels—a perilous journey of puzzles and deadly physical trials. Winners join the ruling Bureau and move to its safe haven. But failure means death. Can Drayden conquer the Initiation, or is salvation out of his grasp?

My Review:
This book really called to me when I read the description. It begins with Drayden laying in his bed when he hears a scream. He runs to the living room, and sees two Guardians holding up his small mother as she struggles and screams. His father tells him everything's okay, but the Chancellor walking in tells a different story. That's the day everything changes. She declares his mother guilty of conspiring against the Bureau of New America, exiling her from her family and home. She gives her ten minutes to get out.

Can you imagine how scared he was? His family detached and his adult life speeding ahead at him, he mostly snuck around and heard secrets that he probably shouldn't have. After a couple long conversations, he's convinced to enroll into the initiation, an incredible test of bravery and intelligence that lets you become one of the richest and most powerful people in New America.

Set in the post apocalyptic world around New York, the city is called New America. Everything is zoned off, and everyone is supposed to live equally, the outside world is separated by a big wall. If you do something bad you're exiled, and you can never return. The reasoning was that they were scared of new bacteria, but I don't really know how a stone wall would protect you from that. The bureau single handedly saved humanity, or so they preach. Everyone respects them, but no one really loves them. They control everything, especially rations, and lately everyone's been getting less and less. Because of the lack of birth control, jailing people is pointless and most crimes that are committed, people get exiled for.

This book is exciting, but the beginning is slow. I had to give it a fair chance before I actually got into the story, but after about thirty percent of the book was done I was hooked. I didn't want to put it down, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I liked this book a lot and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. The characters really grew a lot through the story, learning to work together despite their many problems with each other, and I'm happy for them. It made me nervous to read a couple times, just because of what was happening. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the author's Twitter.

https://amzn.to/2M2WoKo

https://twitter.com/realchrisbabu?lang=en

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com) ( )

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

I honestly thought, when I started this book, that I was going to be reading just another dystopian novel where society falls apart because of some sort of war or disease, society rebuilt itself the best it could, and a problem would arise where someone would have to travel beyond the small civilization that had been established to help the society. This did happen, but it was different than others that I've read (and being a huge fan of the dystopian genre, I've read a lot of stories like this).
I felt that I could relate to the characters because the things they were going through (mentally/emotionally anyway) are similar things that everyone goes through. We all worry about being brave or being smart enough to face the challenges in life. Now, these specific individuals had to worry about that and about life or death situations, which is what makes them different from us.
There were parts of the book that were hard for me to get through. I felt that things would run on way too much, like descriptions of the challenges they were facing. A lot of them we would have to hear how they were solving them twice because one part of the group would figure it out then relay it to the other part of the group. Hearing it twice got a little repetitive, especially with the number of challenges they faced. There were also a lot of places where Drayden would start thinking and he would just think the same things over and over again. It seemed pretty repetitive as well.
Overall, it was a really great book. I would for sure read it again and I would continue on with the series. ( )