Selected by Barb Han

After a polarized nation was broken by the threat of civil war, States have now become countries. And in New Maine, things have gotten worse.

Giving my family a better life is everything. And my selection to attend an elite prep school suddenly offers my family a dramatically different life—food on the table, a roof over their heads, and a fighting chance at a future.

Everything is going great until some of my friends begin ghosting me, and then disappear. Soon it becomes clear this “chance of a lifetime” isn’t the Holy Grail I was promised. And the attention from one of Easton’s elite has me questioning why a boy with a golden future wants to risk it by being seen with me.

But when I find out why I’m really at this school, I may have to trust him if I want to live.






Selected by Barb Han
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Review

“2040. Country of Maine, COA – Countries of America”

Future New Maine, formerly Maine but now its own separate country along with the rest of the states is the setting for Selected by Barb Han. Selected is a Young Adult Dystopian with elements of mystery, suspense, and romance.

When Tori is selected to attend the elite prep school, Easton, she thinks her prayers have been answered. Her family will now be provided with food and shelter and she’ll get the education that will allow her to go to college. But all is not right at Easton, to begin with the social system is seriously flawed and people have a way of going missing without a trace.

Ms. Han writes a compelling story about a group of kids at the mercy of a system that has ulterior motives hidden under an agenda that is too good to be true. Selected has a quick moving plot, engaging story-line, and characters that are flawed and appealing. I’m hoping that there will be a second book in this series and from the ending, it looks like there may be. This is a great story for anyone who likes Young Adult Dystopian Suspense with a touch of romance and science fiction.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A big thank you to Entangled Teen, Barb Han, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Selected in exchange for my honest review.


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Malice by Pintip Dunn

What I know: a boy in my school will one day wipe out two-thirds of the population with a virus.

What I don’t know: who he is.

In a race against the clock, I not only have to figure out his identity, but I’ll have to outwit a voice from the future telling me to kill him. Because I’m starting to realize no one is telling the truth. But how can I play chess with someone who already knows the outcome of my every move? Someone so filled with malice they’ve lost all hope in humanity? Well, I’ll just have to find a way—because now they’ve drawn a target on the only boy I’ve ever loved... 

REVIEW

Malice by Pintip Dunn

Hardcover, 400 pages

Expected publication: February 4th 2020

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Once upon a time stream, *BLANK* invents a virus that will wipe out two-thirds of humanity.”

Malice by Pintip Dunn is a story about one girls’ love for her family, her friends and doing what’s right, no matter the cost to herself. It is an engaging story with page-turning twists, turns, and just enough red-herrings to keep me turning pages. It has a captivating story-line and a strong science fiction element that I found fascinating.

Alice is a wonderful main character; she is extremely likeable and has a strong moral code. She’s taken care of her genius yet absent minded older brother, Archie, since their mother left, leaving them with an emotionally unavailable father. When a voice from the future claiming to be Alice 10 years from now hijacks her brain with the news that someone she loves will create a virus that will wipe out most of the population, it’s up to Alice to discover who stop them. Future Alice asks her to do certain things, the requests are at first benign, embarrassing but harmless but then the requests become increasingly more alarming and Alice must find out who the creator of the virus is and stop them before they can do harm - no matter the cost.

I would recommend this to anyone who is a fond of the genre and this includes thrillers, suspense, and science fiction with a dash of romance on the side.


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Keystone by Katie Delahanty

When Ella Karman debuts on the Social Stock Exchange, she finds out life as a high-profile "Influencer" isn't what she expected. Everyone around her is consumed by their rankings, in creating the smoke and mirrors that make them the envy of the world.

But then Ella’s best friend betrays her, her rankings tank, and she loses—everything.

Leaving her old life behind, she joins Keystone, a secret school for thieves, where students are being trained to steal everything analog and original because something—or someone—is changing history to suit their needs.

Partnered with the annoyingly hot—and utterly impossible—Garrett Alexander, who has plenty of his own secrets, Ella is forced to return to the Influencer world, while unraveling a conspiracy that began decades ago.

One wrong move and she could lose everything—again. - From Goodreads

Paperback, 390 pages

Expected publication: January 7th 2020

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

ISBN: 640638245

Keystone by Katie Delahanty
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

REVIEW

Keystone by Katie Delahanty is original and unique, looking at a future dystopian world in which everyone is graded on the Social Stock exchange. Think Instagram on major steroids and then times that by 1000. It’s the current currency and if you don’t rank or are unrankable, life can be pretty difficult. As Ella says:

“My parents taught me Index ranking is everything. If you don’t rank, you don’t matter.”

Ella is the main character and narrator – gifted with extreme intuitive sense; she is the daughter of two major influencers but they have a secret. When Ella becomes indebted to a group of high-ranking mean girls, they use her parents secret to manipulate her into an act that has serious consequences.

Ella, now Elisha, is taken under the wing a woman who is part of Keystone; a school that teaches the art of thieving everything ‘analog and original’ for the main purpose of obstructing those in power from changing history.

"Our Mission is to steal analog history – to preserve the truth – before corporations and the government can alter the past to benefit their personal futures."

Ella must now prove her worth by actions not rankings. There are, of course, mean girls at Keystone but Ella also makes friends there, real friends and they are interesting characters to read about. Most of the students at Keystone have grown up there, learning how to steal from a very young age and have a distinct advantage over Ella. They also don’t know that prior to coming to Keystone she was a highly ranked social elite. More secrets and a lot of competition ensue!
I liked the pace of this book; it starts out with a lot of action and takes a now and then approach. I found it worked well in this story. It slowly unveils the story behind Ella and what drives her. There’s a cliff-hanger ending so it’s my guess that there’s another book coming and I’m happy about that!

I recommend this for any fan of YA dystopian with a dash of romance and intrigue!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing – Entangled: Teen, and Katie Delahanty for providing Keystone in exchange for my honest review.


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