Review of Aberrant (Aberrant 1) by Ruth Silver

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 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.

  Aberrant starts out pretty much like every other Dystopian book I've read so far (which isn't very many). Like the others, some unknown virus wiped out most of the human race some however centuries ago. Everyone in Cabal, like in all Dystopian books, has whatever population remains divided into main groups. You have your citizens, who in live in cities walled off from the rest of the world and are controlled by the reigning government...And you have your rebels who live outside the sanctioned wall cities. As usual, the government and the rebels hate each other, and the citizens have it drilled it in their heads that nothing is outside the "safety" of their walled city. Also, the same with most Dystopian books (even a few select Dystopian listed as Sci-fi), love is no longer a factor in marriages. The government chooses your mate and you have to deal with it.
Now that I've listed the similarities, I'll tell you what makes Aberrant different from any Dystopian book I've ever read. Some of the rebel cities are just as forceful and corrupt as the government they are against...And natural conception is a thing of myths from before the Red Plague (this book's killer virus). Enter Olivia Parker, the girl everyone wants for one reason or another and her best friend Joshua Warren.
I really do have to give Olivia props. If I'd gone through half the crap she seems to find herself in almost every chapter, I'm almost sure I'd have either lost my sanity or killed myself.. Or someone else o.O Olivia, while having a small nervous breakdown here and there, pretty much remains a strong character never once wavering from the things she wants the most in life.
There is plenty of action and near heart stopping moments in this book. Aside from a slight easy to miss typos here and there it's a gripping read the reader will be unable to put down. I read it in three hours. I kept telling myself that I didn't have to rush. (As I'm writing this on my note pad I'm cursing my cable company for the week I'm going without net atm). Even though I no longer had the deadline looming over me, I still HAD to continue to turn the pages to see what happened next.
So while many will sit there and whine and complain about the similarities this book has to other Dystopian books (I haven't read enough of them to know if the reason they're all based like this one is what makes the genre), I urge the reader to look at the differences this story will bring. These differences make this book a must read for any lover of the genre.
I hope Ruth is working on a sequel to this book and if she is I look forward to reading it.
I give this book 4 of 5 paws

 

Review of Holding On To Hope by Sid Love

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Bradley Parker has waited twenty years for Mr. Right, and on Valentine’s Day, he finally finds him. It’s love at first sight, and Brad even loses his virginity to the man of his dreams. But when he wakes up the next morning unable to remember anything—even what the man looked like—his best friend, Leslie, is convinced he imagined the whole thing. Brad knows he didn’t make up the best night of his life, but he has no idea of the danger he’s putting himself in as he struggles to recall the details of his perfect man. His search may lead him to parts of New York City he never dreamed existed and a war being waged in the shadows.

This book takes the reader on one hell of an emotional ride as they follow best friends Leslie and Brad on a mission to find the guy Brad met the night before. The two learn things about the world that no mortal should ever come face to face with. This is the first book by Sid Love I've read, and while the storyline is beautiful, the shortness of the piece left me wanting quite a bit. It seemed it was rather rushed in places, that could have been slowed enough so the reader could adjust to the scene without being flung so quickly into another. I'm generally not a big lover of the short story genre, but I've read at least one that was far shorter than this one that was so beautifully written, it was a full length novel in it's less than twenty pages. This book didn't do that for me. It left me with more than one question that could have easily been answered with the addition of another paragraph or two where needed. The biggest question I can't even voice because it would spoil things for those that haven't read this book yet. I didn't find any errors though, which is always a plus in my book. The piece was flawlessly written in the editing department. I found no formatting issues either. All in all, the story is a beautiful, although too short, love story. Perhaps the author will consider lengthening it, or adding a sequel, or prequel that will answer some of the questions it leaves behind. I would recommend this book to any lover of Paranormal, love stories, or LGBT fiction. Even though it has a hole or two, it's still a great story, and I for one wouldn't mind reading other works from this author. I give this book 4 of 5 paws.