COUNTDOWN by Michelle Rowen

3 seconds left to live.

Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped.

2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game.

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove ever more deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.

GAME 0VER


First line:
"The lights began to flash and an alarm sounded, so loud that I instinctively clamped my hands over my ears."

Maze Runner meet Hunger Games meet Running Man.
Wow. This book gets going and doesn't stop until the end. There are a few spots where the action slows down but you just know it won't stay down.
Kira and Rogan are the newest contestants on a horrible show called Countdown. There are six levels to get through before dying. Along the way, they get help from unlikely objects and people, some put in their path on purpose, others not so much.
Who is the mastermind behind Countdown? What will it take for him to stop killing people on the show? And why did Kira fall for accused murder Rogan? Those questions will all be answered in the book, so go read it!


Rating: PG 15
V: fighting, deaths, fight-to-the-death game
L: Yes, sprinkled throughout
S: Almost, kissing,

Liked:
Kira
Rogan

Disliked:
The game
reality TV

4 STARS
Thanks, netgalley!

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

First line:
"I was born during the second holocaust." 

Another intriguing dystopia
Deuce lives in a time overrun by fear and zombies (did not know this story had zombies). Deuce has trained all her life to be a Huntress. Finally, at age 15, she earns her name and her right to protect her enclave. But being a huntress is not what she thought. Killing zombies or 'freaks' is one thing, but to kill other humans because they are weak and can't help the enclave is another. 
Deuce is paired with a loner called Fade and her whole world shifts as they fight together and break rules together.
Deuce learns the hard truth about her place in society, the lies and the what is real. Not until she goes 'topside' does she fully understand what is behind the elders lies. 
I enjoyed so many aspects of this book. I couldn't put it down even though in my head I thought, great, another dystopian. 
The naming ritual was unique. I also loved how Deuce described her world and I had to try and figure out what the objects were according to my world. 
I had no idea this was a trilogy. Ms. Aguirre doesn't leave us on a cliff at the end of the book. I can read the next one or not without feeling like I'm missing something. I will read the next one, I think.


Rating: PG 13
V: Yes but not Halo gory. Death, fighting
L: No
S: kissing

Liked: 
Naming ritual
Deuce
Fade's story
Worldbulding

Disliked:
Having to wait to read more!



41/2 STARS