Lai, Jay, Al, and Erik are on the run after the military accuses them of being traitors. Tensions between everyone are high, but they have to stick together if they want to survive. And somehow stop the war that’s now in full swing.
REVIEW
It's a challenging time to write a YA, dystopian story but Caitlin Lochner dared to do it. I think it comes with age. You know, that young age when everything is possible and important. The age of revolutions, high ideals... the age at which supreme sacrifices are not a too high price to pay. It's the age of most of our characters and their actions confirm those said above.
Lai, Jay, Al, and Erik are the obvious good guys... still. But what is good is in the eye of the beholder... Past experiences are powerful modellers. They change everybody for good or bad. The greys become clear white and black separated by the deepest rift possible. And past experiences are the challenges in this story. In addition to the main conflict, each of the characters, rebels or part of the Order, has a personal battle to fight. To find a bridge strong enough and to cross it.
The alternations of the first person point of view and between static and action moments break an eventual monotony, offering incentives for my curiosity and keeping me reading even when the story was a bit too predictable. I wanted to know what happens next.
An Outcast and an Ally does not insist on the dystopic society description or unnecessary details. Curious how some rules are not broken whilst others totally ignored. But that is for the best as the combats are "one to one", being used swords, spears and other bladed and edged weapons, which, in my opinion, is the bravest and fair way to battle. I don't know what boys will think, but the action scenes have a good impact and provoke the necessary, sought reactions. The SF aspects are closer to the supernatural/paranormal and whilst they are the source of the conflict and also important weapons, they influence the outcome of the final battle very little, as they are not anymore the most important.
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| book #1 |
Description:
Release Date: April 21st, 2020
Lai, Jay, Al, and Erik are on the run after the military accuses them of being traitors. Tensions between everyone are high, but they have to stick together if they want to survive. And somehow stop the war that’s now in full swing.
But when Erik returns to the rebels to find answers about his past, Lai, Al, and Jay have no choice but to go to the Order—a peace coalition bent on stopping the rebels and dissolving the enmity between gifted and ungifted. However, the longer the war drags on, the more Lai’s long-kept secrets threaten to destroy everything she’s ever worked for.
Sparks fly as the team constantly questions whether they can trust one another and everyone tries to navigate a war that will change everything.
I’m a nerd, traveler, and architecture enthusiast who worked as an assistant English teacher in Tokyo for three years before pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Central Florida. I love reading and writing anything with magic, adventure, and complex found-family relationships. I can typically be found absorbed in books, games, or manga, or else obsessing over said books, games, and manga.
Author's Giveaway:
2 comments:
Thanks for hosting today! :)
Great cover art and interesting description of the book.
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