Zoe CannonCritiques

In this darkly uplifting holiday story, a failed guardian angel must master his grief to be the protector a young girl needs.

Short and enjoyable read with a wounded guardian angel who has failed to save his last subject who cannot resist the call for help from a young girl desperately needing help.

As a reviewer, I’m always wary when it comes to indie books. There are several talented authors in the mix, but then there’s also several bad ones. Zoe Cannon is one of the former. Courtesy of the author, I had the opportunity to read her upcoming novel, Walk Through Fire before publishing. This review is in no way affected by this, and is an accurate and true statement of my opinion.

Dystopian novels are my weakness. I’m a sucker for them and there’s no point in denying that. While some readers understandably get sick of this theme, I’m a glutton for it. The fact that Walk Through Fire takes place after nuclear war is exactly why I devoured this book.

In Walk Through Fire, Cannon introduces a new and unique idea – one that I haven’t seen overplayed countless times. There’s no battle to the death for a throne, no saving the entire world, no swooning over the tall, dark and handsome dude. It’s real in the best of ways. The main character, Shea, is in her teens – a common occurrence for young adult literature. After being tortured for years by doctors that were supposed to help her, she finds peace in the world. Until the Swords come. Cue anti-technology group. With her home in ruins and a mysterious girl telling her where to go, Shea finds herself caught up in a radiation worshipping cult.

As a horror fanatic, I’m no stranger to the concept of cults. Oftentimes they all play out the same and in many ways, this one is little different (hence why I took away one skull). Caught up in the wave of zealotry, Shea finds she is the only one not blind to what is truly happening, but is that enough?

Walk Through Fire has a shaky start, but after the first fifteen percent it becomes obvious that Cannon has found Shea’s voice. From there, the story is deeply engrossing. Shea is a character readers can identify with in several ways. For me, I was fond of her “no bullshit” style of handing things. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

Actual Rating: 2.5

Honestly, I'm very disappointed. I had been looking forward to reading this book because I thought that the plot sounded really interesting - and it would have been, if it weren't for the main character, who was just so, so, so, so, so annoying and dislikeable.

But let's start from the very beginning.
This story takes place in a dystopian society where anyone who dares to express an opinion that does not conform to society are tracked down to prevent an uprising. These people are arrested and murdered by none other than that mother of Becca, the main character.

One day, Becca gets a call from her friend Heather. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents, and she needs Becca's help. As the story proceeds, Becca gets drawn deeper and deeper into the secrets behind their dystopian regime; along the way, a boy named Jake gets involved with Becca's story.

And here is when it really started to go down. In my opinion, the first few chapters were tolerable (not interesting, but tolerable). But when Jake and Becca had more interactions, everything simply spiralled downwards - mainly because of Becca's attitude.

Becca is paranoid. So paranoid and fearful of the fact that Jake was a spy, that it was the only thought on her mind. ALL. THE. TIME.

FOR EXAMPLE, in Becca's mind:
Jake asks about Heather - Jake is a spy for Infernal.
Jake lies about his parents - Jake is trying to hide his past BECAUSE he is a spy!
JAKE STANDS UP FOR HEATHER - JAKE IS STILL A SPY AND BECCA THINKS IT IS ALL AN ACT.
Jake asks her out on a date - Jake is trying to get close to her for information!

EVERYTHING Jake does apparently "proves" that he is a spy - and Becca's constant repetition and circular thinking gets annoying very quickly.

What was even worse, was Becca's self-pitying attitude - which might have been Zoe Cannon's attempt to make her sound humble.
Maybe a boy really did like her instead of Heather for once, and she had screwed up her chances with him by accusing him of being a spy [...] When most guys saw her and Heather together, they really only saw Heather."

Wow, Becca, your life must be so hard. I'm so sorry.

And this one -
His smile snapped on like he had flipped a switch. Right, To make Becca less suspicious. She wished it didn't make sense, but it did.
Unless she was just being paranoid because she didn't know to deal with the idea that a guy might actually like her.

We get it, Becca. You're unlikeable - what a shocker.

OKAY, OKAY, OKAY. I'm done ranting about Becca's personality.

Another thing that really annoyed me about this book was Becca's interactions with Heather, which was basically the same thing over and over and over and over...
Here are the steps:
1. Becca finds out something and wants to talk to Heather about it.
2. Heather gets angry because she doesn't want to talk.
3. Becca is sad.

I am so tired of reading this same situation multiple times - it just felt like the story wasn't going anywhere. Throughout the entire book, it felt like the author tried so hard to make it suspenseful so that the audience would be blown away when she revealed things, bit by bit. But everything was just too predictable.
"[...] I asked about all surveillance on Heather." She hesitated.
"And?"
"There is no surveillance on Heather."

Not really. Points for trying, though. But sorry, we already knew that Becca was overreacting.

Moving on, the relationship between Becca and Heather, as well as Becca and Jake, was simply so full of imbalances that irritated me to no end. Becca made many questionable decisions, and yet she continued to justify them, trying to be the one that was right - and surprise surprise, Jake and Heather always apologized at the end.

And the next thing (at this point I'm realizing that the main thing that made this story two stars was Becca herself) was the one line that jumped out to me near the 3/4 mark of the book, as Becca thinks about Jake -
"There hadn't been another kiss since she had watched Anna die two days ago.

Huh. Let's read that again.
"There hadn't been another kiss since she had watched Anna die two days ago.

Yes ma'am/sir. You've read that correctly. Becca's friend died two days ago (sidenote: it was Becca's fault), but what's on Becca's mind isn't that death (Oh no, how preposterous!), it's the kiss she had with Jake - the boy who she's just gotten to know. How adorable.

Sigh.
And lastly, I guess I just didn't like the way the atmosphere was portrayed. It felt like a serious dystopian, complete with betrayal and murder, but the story I got was a weak love story involving a boy with a tragic past and a girl who was simple too blind to see how ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL AND STRONG AND COURAGEOUS she was.

The plot summary had some really neat ideas, and I'm sad to say that the book definitely did not meet my expectations, and I won't be reading the next book and finishing the series.

I mean, how could I find the willpower and the time to, when I have 460 more promising books on my to-read shelf?

A Nice Intro Package of YA Dystopian Series

(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic copy of this book for review through Library Thing’s Early Reviewer Program.)

The Shattered Worlds box set features six young adult dystopian novels, each of them the first in a series:

The Blemished (Blemish #1) by Sarah Dalton (2012) - "In a world filled with stunning clones Mina Hart is Blemished. Her genes are worthless and that takes away her rights: her right to an Education, her right to a normal life and her right to have a child. The Blemished is a frightening take on a fractured future where the Genetic Enhancement Ministry have taken control of Britain. It will take you on a ride filled with adventure, romance and rebellion." The Blemished is followed by The Vanished (2014) and The Unleashed (2014); two novellas round out the series.

The Breeders by Katie French (2012) - "Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything - the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley." Also in the series: The Believers (2013) and Nessa: A Breeders Story (2013; currently free on Amazon).

The Torturer's Daughter by Zoe Cannon (2012) - "When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca assumes it's the usual drama. Wrong. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents - and Becca's mother, the dystopian regime's most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state. To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents' innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn't expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents... and about her mother." The Torturer's Daughter is the first book in The Internal Defense Series; rounding out the trilogy are Necessary Sacrifices (2013) and No Return (2014).

OUTSIDE - a post-apocalyptic novel by Shalini Boland (2013) - "The world of the future is divided by Perimeters: high-security gated communities where life goes on as normal. If you’re inside you’re lucky, if you’re outside life expectancy takes a nose dive. Sixteen-year-old Riley is fortunate to have been born on the right side of the fence. But her life of privilege comes crashing down when someone breaks through the Perimeter and murders her sister. She forsakes her own safety to go in search of the killer. Luc decides to go with her otherwise she’ll be dead before she’s past the security gate. But what awaits her outside is more unbelievable than she ever expected." Other books in the Outside series include THE PERIMETER (2013) and THE CLEARING (2014).

Apocalypsis: Book 1 (Kahayatle) by Elle Casey - "My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I'm almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day. It's time for me to leave and find another place to live ... a place where I can find food and shelter ... a place where they won't be able to find me. Alone, it might have been possible; but now I've got company. I'm worried that I don't have what it takes to get from here to my final destination." Rounding out the Apocalypsis series are Warpaint (2012); Exodus (2012); and Haven (2013).

Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer (2012) - "Abby is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her--adolescence." Book 1 in The Toucan Trilogy, Night of the Purple Moon is followed by Colony East (2013); the final book in the series has yet to be released.

I'll review each of the book separately at a later date; I'm especially looking forward to The Breeders, The Torturer's Daughter, and Night of the Purple Moon (the latter two I hadn't even heard of prior to their inclusion in Shattered Worlds).

Suffice it to say that Shattered Worlds is a good deal, especially for those in search of new YA dystopian series (it's a sort of sampler pack, if you will). Many of the books are priced starting at 99 cents and up; to purchase each them separately, it'll cost you $10.95 at current Amazon pricing. Of course, if you're interested in one book specifically, it's worth checking out its individual listing first; at the time of this writing, for example, Night of the Purple Moon is available for free.

This is a great series for teens and young adults. It is very intriguing and exciting. After getting through the first 30 pages of the first novel, I was hooked. I flew through the first novel simply because it was so great I couldn't put it down. The second novel was just as intriguing. I look forward to the rest of the novels in this series. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who is a fan of the Hunger Games, Divergent, The Lorien Legacies, or any other sci-fi/action books.

I received [Shattered Worlds] as a give away. Since this is my favorite type of genre I knew I had hit the jackpot! All the books were great and I have done individual reviews of them. I have also added the next books onto my "list". I appreciate the opportunity to read these six wonderful books from talented authors.

I received this book as a give away as part of a compilation [Shattered Worlds]. I have decided to give each book it's own review as I finish them to give the authors their due.

In [The Torturer's Daughter] {Zoe Cannon] has created a excellent coming of age novel dealing with making the tough choices even if it goes against all you have known. It is all about becoming your own person.

Becca knows that her mom's job in Internal is a tough one that causes most people to fear her. In fact she knows that her mom tortures people but tries to keep herself in denial because it is her mom. That is until the night of a frantic phone call from her best friend. The events that follow will change Becca's world forever.

I received this book through b00k r3vi3w Tours in exchange for an honest review.

I would rate The Torturer's Daughter four and a half stars. I really, really loved this book.

In the beginning, I had mixed feelings because Cannon does not explain a lot of the back story, so it took me quite awhile to get engaged enough with the plot to overlook that - I am someone who LOVES knowing how dystopian societies got that way in the first place.

Eventually, the plot and characters were engaging enough on their own to pull me in, and Cannon revealed bits and pieces of the society sparingly, keeping me hanging with every detail. She has a beautiful and stark writing style, never getting in the way of the story but illustrating the events and the complexities of each character's thoughts and emotions perfectly.

This book confronts really difficult issues. What do you do when your loyalty to friends and your loyalty to family comes in conflict? What if the bad guys seem like good guys and the good guys seem like bad guys? What happens when your entire world is turned upside down?

Becca faces impossible choices and deals with the situation with a level of maturity I'm not sure I would be able to muster in her situation. Her ability to see the situation from all sides - to understand her mother's motivations for working as a torturer and killer for the government, to understand and have compassion for the choices Heather makes in the wake of her parents' deaths, to live with so much dissonance and contradiction and still try so hard to figure out what the right thing is and to do it...she is a lovable, complex heroine, and although she is completely badass, she has her flaws (no danger of any Mary Sues here).

I'm eagerly awaiting the next chapter of Becca's adventure!

First of all, I love how the dystopian society formed a world filled with fear of dissidents.
Zoe Cannon definitely instilled fear in all of her characters, making them follow the status quo and such.
It is very fascinating to read Becca's perspective and her relationship with her mother, which is a torturer.

Not only that, Becca's world was literally turned upside down and it made her question everything she knew in her world.
Heck, it even made me question everyone's motives.

She had a hard time figuring things out and her constant fear of dissidents made her paranoid about everything.

I really like the way Zoe Cannon explored Becca's character because the elements of human nature are definitely explored and the way she describes Becca's fabric of reality being torn apart was super good.

I didn't really like the ending but the ending was truly explosive.
I'd never expected Becca to make that kind of decision but I really admire her.

All in all, expect love, betrayal, sadness, loyalty and hatred in The Torturer's Daughter.

Sincerely,
Selina.
www.booksandsweetepiphany.blogspot.com

This book immediately draws you in. It has the angst of a YA book, but in a way that isn't overwhelming and instead adds to story. The characters are well developed. I really enjoyed this book and stayed up late into the night reading it.

I won this book in a LibraryThing Member Giveaway:

Cannon weaves a good solid dystopian tale full of teenage angst, which is one of the reasons that I don’t usually enjoy young adult titles. However, what I don’t particularly like is what makes this title work so well. It is also what makes this turn out to be such a disturbing story.

The author has created a rather timeless world by not filling in too many blanks and not describing in detail the greater society populated by the characters. It could be nearly anywhere and anytime. I wanted to know more about what made this world the world of the characters, but the not knowing really makes it creepy and keeps the reader focused completely on the character interactions, thoughts, and emotions.

Apparently, youthful “rebellion” in this world can lead to an arrest as a dissident and a soon-to-follow execution. No trial, no jury, no rights… creepy! Good creepy! A book club would find a wealth of social norms and values to discuss with this book.½

I loved this book. This has not been a style that I loved and then along came The Hunger Games....Zoe Canon is satisfying my need for an answer to that trilogy being complete. The conflict between Becca and her mom resonates to all moms and daughters and the struggle for Becca between right and wrong, the known and unknown, and friends and family are common struggles for us all. A great read. Looking forward to the next one.

This was a great book. I'm a high school librarian and I read a lot of YA literature. This book really delivered - great characters and character development, great storyline, great writing. I had a hard time putting it down. The relationships between the characters feel fully fleshed out and multi-dimensional, just the way they should. And every time I thought I knew what was coming next, Zoe Cannon managed to surprise me. I hope she has other books coming - this one will certainly be recommended to my students. Deals with some weighty social issues, too, about the nature of society and opposition.

I found this book disturbing, but really good and well written. The characters were well developed and the emotional decisions they faced were believable because of this development.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down. When Becca is called to get her friend out of Processing 117 she is thrown into a whirlwind of confusion. As she tries to help her friend, she realizes that she is against everything the new government, and her mother, stand for. This story takes on a life of its own and quickly becomes the book you just can't put down. I will definitely be looking for more books by This author and can't wait to share this book with my own kids.