2.5 Stars ( )

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. Cal Roe is trying to get home to Ithaca where his parents and Grandma Betty are still living in Fed territory. He and his younger brother James have were taken by the Glorious Path six years ago and given the Choice, to follow the Path or not. If they chose not to they would have been killed as Cal finds out when he sets up a Fed encampment in California. Civil war has split the United States apart in the near future but the causes are unclear. The Glorious Path is a fanatical religious group but how they gained so much territory and followers is not explained. The violent and bloody action may attract reluctant readers but it also strains credulity with all of the pain inflicted on Cal. ( )

The Glorious Path wants complete control of the country. Those they capture are give the choice: Join or Be Killed.
Fifteen-year-old Callum Roe and his younger brother, James, were captured by the Glorious Path -- a militant religion based on the teachings of a former U.S. soldier -- and forced to join six years ago. As a war rages between the Path and what's left of the U.S. government, Cal gets along by working in the Path's dog kennels. But soon Cal is presented with an opportunity to move up in the Path's ranks, putting him on the verge of becoming one of the Path's deadliest secret agents.Then Cal befriends a stray dog named Bear and kills a commander who wants to train Bear to be a vicious attack dog. This sends them both on the run, and sets in motion a series of incredible events that will test Cal's loyalties and end in a fierce battle that the fate of the entire country rests on.
--From the book jacket

This isn't a bad book, but it took me a very long time to read. Partly because it is a physical book, I think. At night I mostly read on my Kindle because it is more convenient. But I also think the plot just wasn't that compelling. The blurb on the book jacket (see above) sounds very exciting. But the story just didn't live up to the excitement. Maybe if I had read just this book all at once, it would have been more enjoyable.

The bond between Cal and Bear really touched me. Once Bear trusted Cal, he was a faithful companion and would never leave Cal's side. But I just didn't get some of the actions Cal took when it came to Bear. Even though one time especially it was for Bear's own good, it really bothered me.

Nathan Hill wasn't a very scary villain and we didn't get to know him enough to feel his motives or to hate him. I hated the organization (The Path) more than I hated Hill. I get why Cal and James agreed to join, they didn't want to die. But it seemed like others could have fought back and didn't. The book tells us that Hill was very persuasive and his followers practically worship him. I think that is how James becomes a believer. They are taken at a young age; Cal was 9 and James was younger but I don't remember exactly how much younger. And maybe Cal was able to resist Hill's teachings but James needed something to believe in.

The end was predictable to a point. But I was really disappointed by part of it.
[spoiler]
When James shot Nathan Hill to protect his brother, I thought he knew who he was shooting and I was glad he chose his brother over the leader of the Path. But, when James admitted that he didn't know who it was, he just wanted to save his brother, well, I realized that he was still brainwashed. And that was disappointing.
[/spoiler]

I do like that the final ending of the book wasn't cut and dried. You don't know exactly what happens to Cal, James & Bear, but you have hope that they will be okay.

Recommended to:
Fans of young adult dystopian fiction or fans of the author Jeff Hirsch.


( )

In a futuristic United States, a group of religious zealots following The Path are at war against the rest of the United States. After being kidnapped by the path, the main character seeks to gain freedom while still trying to protect his younger brother who has become a true believer. ( )

For a YA book, the writing style was really juvenile. I also thought there was a lot of missing exposition. How did the brothers get involved with the Path? I could understand if they lived in a "border" state they would have been captured and then drafted but they lived in central New York.

Most of the book is about Cal's escape from the Path but it becomes a long game of hide and seek. The Path would somehow back him into a corner and he would cause or use a diversion to get away. Very repetitive. The constant abandonment of Bear became tiresome.

Good for middle-grade readers but doesn't hold any weight as a YA read. ( )