Today, I'm happy to help the talented Ruth Silver introduce her new book to the world:
already available as ebook
or
available as paperback on July 9th
Blurb-
In the future dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system.
With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.
My Tidbits:
I'm always on the look-out for a good YA Dystopian and ABERRANT, although following the same Dystopian lines as often seen in the genre, fits the bill while offering several new twists.
The main character, Olivia, lives in a protected society where each couple has one child - one out of the laboratory, since a plague left all women infertile. When a child reaches their 18th birthday, they are assigned a mate. Olivia lucks out and gets her best friend Joshua, but their happiness is short lived as she and Joshua are unexpectedly faced with a harsh reality they didn't realized existed.
Although I wasn't totally impressed by the prologue, the rest of the book grabbed my attention and didn't really let go. The plot is fast-paced with many unpredictable twists and turns. I didn't always know what was going to happen next (which is good!) and couldn't wait to find out. The world Ruth created was well-described without falling into the danger of going into too much detail. I had no trouble picturing the surroundings or the characters and often felt as if I were really there, walking along behind them.
The main character, Olivia, came across as a nice, natural eighteen-year-old, who is ready to face difficult situations as they arise even if it doesn't appear she'll succeed. She knows what she has to do, wants to fight for what she sees as right and stands up for it. Although she sometimes seemed to have an overly active fantasy as to what was really going on later in the book, I could only cheer for her.
The hero and her official husband, Joshua, was sweet and more of a realistic hero. He isn't dashingly handsome, muscle-packed or a super-fighter, but a wonderful hero none-the-less. He is true, honest and willing to do what he sees as right - no matter what. A real life man to look up to. Yep, I cheered for him too!
I really like Ruth's 'villains' because in many ways, they aren't villains at all. They believe they are trying to make a better world and didn't behave simply out of greed or the desire for power. The governor in Genesis had more of a leaning in this direction, but even he isn't presented as having pure evil intentions. He and the others Olivia and Joshua face are fighting for what they think is right - they're just doing it wrong.
I'd say that ABERRANT was an extremely good book (it definitely has the potential), but there were a few logic and plot holes that popped up which unfortunately kept off that perfect shine. I don't want to give anything away, so this might be a bit unclear until you read it (which I hope you will, because despite these holes, I think you'll enjoy it!). I felt the 2nd town, Haven, was suddenly chopped off and a couple of the characters met there got cheated in their development. With just a few more pages, it would have felt more rounded, but the sudden escape surprised me and left a hole. Toward the end of the story, several small things didn't quite line up with the rest of the story, which made it a little unbelievable. But the biggest thing that bugged me was Olivia's brain-storm at the end. It felt thrown in (didn't really make sense why she suddenly flipped around like that - not at all) as if this suddenly had to happen just to lead over into the next book.
But all in all, I recommend ABERRANT. It's an enjoyable read with wonderful characters and is not something easily set down. The 'holes' mentioned are like hitting a quick rough spot every now and then, but by no means ruin the journey. ABERRANT was fun, and I plan on reading it a second time.
In other words, I give it:
CC
Ruth Silver attended Northern Illinois University and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication in the spring of 2005. While in college, she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, Deuces are Wild, which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories. Her love of writing led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading, photography, traveling and most of all writing. She loves dystopian and fantasy young adult stories. Her debut novel published by Lazy Day Publishing, ABERRANT is scheduled for release April 2013. Ruth has been actively writing since she was a teenager. She currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois.
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Ruth-Silver/e/B008NGH038/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
And here are the links where you can find ABERRANT:
Paperback-(Pre-Order)- http://writeawaybliss.com/pre-order-aberrant/
AND the give-away! Who doesn't love a give-away?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
