Broken- EPISODE 4 of the Debt Collector serial. Contains mature content and themes. For young-adult-appropriate thrills, see Susan's bestselling Mindjack Series.What's your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.
Lirium tries to free himself and Ophelia from the Kolek mob, but Valac has other plans for him.
Title: Broken (Debt Collector Episode #4)
Author: Susan Kay Quinn
Publication Date: April 17, 2013
Format: ebook
The Cover Contessa's Review:
The wait for this episode was really hard. I kept checking and checking to see when it would be released! Finally, it was and I was so happy! I liked this episode a lot. However, not a much as the last one. I found it to be a little slower, not as much going on. But, in the defense of Quinn, she is writing this in episodes. So, if I think of it as a few chapters in a book, it makes total sense. I am loving this series so much. It's really keeping my interest and once I finish one episode I'm chomping at the bit for the next. I love watching Lirium grow and change. He's learning all sorts of things he didn't know about. Ophelia made me mad in this episode, but perhaps she has reason for what she did and it will be explained in later episodes. And I love the villains: Valac and Kolek. I find myself wanting to learn more about them and see what knowledge they possess about the collectors!
Anxiously awaiting the next episode, Ms. Quinn! I am very excited about this series
Anxiously awaiting the next episode, Ms. Quinn! I am very excited about this series
Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure.However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface.
Jordana Frankel’s ambitious debut novel and the first in a two-book series, The Ward is arresting, cinematic, and thrilling—perfect for fans of Scott Westerfeld or Ann Aguirre
Title: The Ward
Author: Jordana Frankel
Expected Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
The Cover Contessa's Review:
I want to thank Edelweiss and Katherine Tegen Books for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review. Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion or review.
First, I would like to say that the cover definitely drew me to this book. It's so interesting looking. For sure I wanted to see what it was about. Certainly it portrays a dystopian world and I do love my dystopian books. And, once you get into the book and understand the story a bit, you can see how perfectly the cover fits with what is going on.
So Ren is a pretty kick butt main character. She's very independent, has to be having no family to take care of her. She's loyal and dedicated to her "sister" Aven. And, of course, she has a secret that she does not want to share with anyone. When you first meet Ren, she's not very likable at all. She's very rough around the edges and it didn't seem like I would be able to connect with her. But she shows a lot of growth during the book's progress and I came to like her more and more. And whereas I thought she was selfish at first, I realized later that what she did was all to ensure her "sister" was safe and sound. Having been an orphan she doesn't have much of a past, no family to speak of and very few friends.
Derek is the "love interest" and Ren's bookie. I was a bit confused as to his motives for much of the book. It seemed to me that he had feelings for her, perhaps had had them for a while, but he was a bit wishy washy in how he showed her. I didn't blame her for not really understanding where he was coming from. We get a bit about his past later on in the book and his secrecy makes a bit more sense at that time. However, there was no build up of him going from not interested to interested, it just kind of happened and I found it odd. At least we know from the start that Ren has an interest in him, as she says so.
Callum is also a bit of a mystery. I couldn't decide what side he was really on. And once I learned how old he was I had a hard time believing his position as a scientist. It just seemed odd to me. I also felt that he formed some sort of connection with Ren, but it was never fleshed out. He was interesting and I'd like to see a bit more about his past and why he was in the position he was in. And he doesn't seem to balance out the love triangle as much as I would like. It is obvious that he has some interest in Ren, but I don't think Frankel really brought it out enough to have me torn between him and Derek.
The Bad guys in this story are truly bad. They are only out for themselves and are completely corrupt. As with any dystopian, the government has it's secrets and this one hides them very well from the people.
The plot of this story was very interesting. And in the end it took an interesting turn that has sort of a paranormal type element to it. I was not expecting it at all. I do wonder what it would be like to live in a city such as is described in this book: mostly under water with bridges and such to help people get around. The racing car aspect of this book was really interesting. I could picture the cars jumping from roof to roof as they strove for the finish line, strove to win. What I didn't feel was the connection between the racing and the government's power. The racing, which was fairly prominent in the story, really only serves as Ren's outlet to let herself loose, although eventually the cars serve as her way of getting around. I think there could have been a little more world building so the reader could understand why the kids race, what purpose it serves for them. It would have also been better if we'd had more of a explanation of how the government came to be as it was once the floods happened.
One thing this story is not lacking is action. I loved how it was woven so neatly into the plot line. And the author definitely was able to build tension and keep mystery so that I was often wondering where it was going. I like a story that is not easy to figure out. And I appreciated the ending, kind of a cliffhanger but not enough to make you so annoyed that you have to wait for the next book.
The writing for a debut novel is very good. I didn't find that the author tried to fill things in with more words than necessary. And she kept true to the story line, although the characters could have used a little more work. I really wasn't able to picture them in my head for most of the story, which drove me a bit nutty.
All in all I think this is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good dystopian novel. I am really interested to see where the relationship between Derek and Ren goes and how it gets there. I am also interested to see how Ren avoids being a victim of the tyrannical government in this book.
3/5 stars from me (well, probably more like 3.5 but I don't do half stars!)
First, I would like to say that the cover definitely drew me to this book. It's so interesting looking. For sure I wanted to see what it was about. Certainly it portrays a dystopian world and I do love my dystopian books. And, once you get into the book and understand the story a bit, you can see how perfectly the cover fits with what is going on.
So Ren is a pretty kick butt main character. She's very independent, has to be having no family to take care of her. She's loyal and dedicated to her "sister" Aven. And, of course, she has a secret that she does not want to share with anyone. When you first meet Ren, she's not very likable at all. She's very rough around the edges and it didn't seem like I would be able to connect with her. But she shows a lot of growth during the book's progress and I came to like her more and more. And whereas I thought she was selfish at first, I realized later that what she did was all to ensure her "sister" was safe and sound. Having been an orphan she doesn't have much of a past, no family to speak of and very few friends.
Derek is the "love interest" and Ren's bookie. I was a bit confused as to his motives for much of the book. It seemed to me that he had feelings for her, perhaps had had them for a while, but he was a bit wishy washy in how he showed her. I didn't blame her for not really understanding where he was coming from. We get a bit about his past later on in the book and his secrecy makes a bit more sense at that time. However, there was no build up of him going from not interested to interested, it just kind of happened and I found it odd. At least we know from the start that Ren has an interest in him, as she says so.
Callum is also a bit of a mystery. I couldn't decide what side he was really on. And once I learned how old he was I had a hard time believing his position as a scientist. It just seemed odd to me. I also felt that he formed some sort of connection with Ren, but it was never fleshed out. He was interesting and I'd like to see a bit more about his past and why he was in the position he was in. And he doesn't seem to balance out the love triangle as much as I would like. It is obvious that he has some interest in Ren, but I don't think Frankel really brought it out enough to have me torn between him and Derek.
The Bad guys in this story are truly bad. They are only out for themselves and are completely corrupt. As with any dystopian, the government has it's secrets and this one hides them very well from the people.
The plot of this story was very interesting. And in the end it took an interesting turn that has sort of a paranormal type element to it. I was not expecting it at all. I do wonder what it would be like to live in a city such as is described in this book: mostly under water with bridges and such to help people get around. The racing car aspect of this book was really interesting. I could picture the cars jumping from roof to roof as they strove for the finish line, strove to win. What I didn't feel was the connection between the racing and the government's power. The racing, which was fairly prominent in the story, really only serves as Ren's outlet to let herself loose, although eventually the cars serve as her way of getting around. I think there could have been a little more world building so the reader could understand why the kids race, what purpose it serves for them. It would have also been better if we'd had more of a explanation of how the government came to be as it was once the floods happened.
One thing this story is not lacking is action. I loved how it was woven so neatly into the plot line. And the author definitely was able to build tension and keep mystery so that I was often wondering where it was going. I like a story that is not easy to figure out. And I appreciated the ending, kind of a cliffhanger but not enough to make you so annoyed that you have to wait for the next book.
The writing for a debut novel is very good. I didn't find that the author tried to fill things in with more words than necessary. And she kept true to the story line, although the characters could have used a little more work. I really wasn't able to picture them in my head for most of the story, which drove me a bit nutty.
All in all I think this is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good dystopian novel. I am really interested to see where the relationship between Derek and Ren goes and how it gets there. I am also interested to see how Ren avoids being a victim of the tyrannical government in this book.
3/5 stars from me (well, probably more like 3.5 but I don't do half stars!)
Love this review. And what you said about thinking of it as a few slower 'chapters' had it been part of a novel, that's exactly why I didn't let the lesser pace bother me. Also, I thought there was enough enlightenment and character development in this episode for it to hold its own. :o)
ReplyDeleteI agree. I just love this series!
DeleteYour review for The Ward is perfect! I think you touched on every single important point in the book, and all the pros and cons. I enjoyed the action and the overall story, but I agree with all the weak points you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ashley!
Delete