Welcome to my stop on The Rebel Series by Lance Erlick Blog Tour. Check out the Tour Page & Schedule to see the rest of the stops. I got to read book 1 and am about 20% into book 2 at the moment and loving it. My review is below and look on the blog for a review of 2 and 3 in a little while.
THE REBEL WITHIN (264 pages)
Action packed first book in Rebel series.
Annabelle (16) faces adult dilemmas and a fight for her life. Orphaned at age three when the military took her parents, she’s a tomboy who rebels against her conformist society, which pushes her to become a cop intern to catch escaped boys. Then she’s forced to choose between joining the elite military that took her parents or being torn from her beloved sister and adoptive mom.
The Rebel Within turns our male dominated world upside down. After the Second American Civil War, the Federal Union pursues a utopian society without men by rounding up the remaining males, and enforcing Harmony. Central to their plan is EggFusion Fertilization and Female Mechanized Warriors.
In this world, Annabelle faces a cop intern boss who hates her, a military commander who demands too much, and an amazon bully who won’t leave her alone. She meets a handsome boy who escapes prison. As she tries to survive rigorous military training and hunt for her imprisoned birth mother, Annabelle must choose between capturing the boy and helping him escape, while she wrestles with the consequences of her actions.
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My Thoughts
Annabelle was an awesome character. She is strong, tough, smart but also kind and compassionate. In a world where women think men as nothing more than things to be hated, Annabelle finds herself questioning everything. She hates the thought of hurting any boy or man but how can she do anything else? She has been drafted into the Mechs, an elite group of women who patrol and police the Outlands. Mechs are meant to capture men, they are meant to release them into the Outlands and make sure non enter their lands, but Annabelle doesn't want to be one of those! She longs to meet a boy and find out exactly what they are. I loved her inner strength and her need to be the best.
There are quite a few characters in the book but each adds something to the overall feel of The Rebel Within. Sam is the epitome of a strong independent woman. She trains the Mechs and pushes them all to be the best. Dara is the main competitor for Annabelle in the Mech competition. She is a huge aggressive girl and I found it hard to like her. Yet she pushes Annabelle to always be and do more. Then we have Annabelles sister, Janine. Annabelle will do anything to protect her from harm. She doesnt want Janine joining the Mechs because its not a place for a softhearted girl. I really liked their relationship and the trust Janine has in Annabelle.
I liked the idea of the Rebel Within, an all female society where women are trained to become the strongest, toughest cops out there. Men are all forced to wear collars and are used for what the women need. You may think it would be everything any women needs, but not so. They are ruled with an iron fist. There is no joy in the world as such, the Union doesn't allow any loud music, any additives like salt or sugar is banned and its all Union regulations for everything. This is why Annabelle longs for more and I could totally relate to her in that.
I did have a few things about the book that stopped me from enjoying it more. They were only minor though, like Annabelles' fascination with Morgan. She only sees him 2 or 3 times yet she thinks about him constantly. I know she has never met a boy but I do think it was a little overboard! I also wanted to know more about the Underground movement and what Annabelles mum had to do with them. We could of done with a little more of the boys perspective in this as well. We see glimpses of them fleeing but we never get to meet one or see what they were doing. As I said only minor things and they didnt detract from the story that much.
So overall, I really enjoyed the Rebel Within. Its an action packed and tense read and a solid start to the series. The training of the Mechs was really well described and very scary stuff. The poor girls go through an awful lot to become Mechs. The characters as well were well developed and for the most part likable. There are a lot of unanswered questions and I'm hoping we get the answers in future books. Im looking forward to seeing what happens next for Annabelle and hope to see more of the Outlands.
My Thoughts
I cant say too much about the plot without spoiling it so Im just going to go with what I thought! The Rebel Within was a really unique and somewhat fascinating read. I don't think I've ever read a book where the females rule and the males are on the run!! I'm all for girl power and this takes it a step forward.
Annabelle was an awesome character. She is strong, tough, smart but also kind and compassionate. In a world where women think men as nothing more than things to be hated, Annabelle finds herself questioning everything. She hates the thought of hurting any boy or man but how can she do anything else? She has been drafted into the Mechs, an elite group of women who patrol and police the Outlands. Mechs are meant to capture men, they are meant to release them into the Outlands and make sure non enter their lands, but Annabelle doesn't want to be one of those! She longs to meet a boy and find out exactly what they are. I loved her inner strength and her need to be the best.
There are quite a few characters in the book but each adds something to the overall feel of The Rebel Within. Sam is the epitome of a strong independent woman. She trains the Mechs and pushes them all to be the best. Dara is the main competitor for Annabelle in the Mech competition. She is a huge aggressive girl and I found it hard to like her. Yet she pushes Annabelle to always be and do more. Then we have Annabelles sister, Janine. Annabelle will do anything to protect her from harm. She doesnt want Janine joining the Mechs because its not a place for a softhearted girl. I really liked their relationship and the trust Janine has in Annabelle.
I liked the idea of the Rebel Within, an all female society where women are trained to become the strongest, toughest cops out there. Men are all forced to wear collars and are used for what the women need. You may think it would be everything any women needs, but not so. They are ruled with an iron fist. There is no joy in the world as such, the Union doesn't allow any loud music, any additives like salt or sugar is banned and its all Union regulations for everything. This is why Annabelle longs for more and I could totally relate to her in that.
I did have a few things about the book that stopped me from enjoying it more. They were only minor though, like Annabelles' fascination with Morgan. She only sees him 2 or 3 times yet she thinks about him constantly. I know she has never met a boy but I do think it was a little overboard! I also wanted to know more about the Underground movement and what Annabelles mum had to do with them. We could of done with a little more of the boys perspective in this as well. We see glimpses of them fleeing but we never get to meet one or see what they were doing. As I said only minor things and they didnt detract from the story that much.
So overall, I really enjoyed the Rebel Within. Its an action packed and tense read and a solid start to the series. The training of the Mechs was really well described and very scary stuff. The poor girls go through an awful lot to become Mechs. The characters as well were well developed and for the most part likable. There are a lot of unanswered questions and I'm hoping we get the answers in future books. Im looking forward to seeing what happens next for Annabelle and hope to see more of the Outlands.
***
THE REBEL TRAP (259 pages)
Voices in 16-year-old Annabelle’s head aren’t God or signs she’s going mad—yet.
The Rebel Trap sweeps readers into a haunting world with no privacy. Written as a standalone story, it also follows Annabelle’s adventures from The Rebel Within.
Auditory implants and contact cams allow her military commander from the unit that took her parents to watch her 24-7. A boy she helped to escape hacks her implants to plead for her help. She’s forced to be a cop and military spy investigating her police captain as well as capturing escaped boys. Observed constantly, Annabelle has to dance between helping the escaped boy she likes free his brother from a heavily guarded geek institute, her job to capture him, and the feud between her military commander and the police chief she’s expected to spy on.
A pawn in a bigger game, no one believes she can handle this, which may be her greatest asset.
***
REBELS DIVIDED (286 pages)
Rebels Divided is a fun thrill ride written as a standalone action story, but also part of the Rebel series, three years later.
The first time Geo sees Annabelle, they meet as enemies and she doesn’t kill him. That’s worth something. Geo (19) is a rugged frontiersman who hungers to see more of the world than the impoverished Outland glen where he and his pa hide from local Rangers. Annabelle (19) is a tough yet fragile tomboy who lost her parents at age three to the Mech Warriors. Then she’s forced to become a Mech.
After the Second American Civil War, the nation divides into two ‘utopias’. The Federal Union enforces Harmony and an all-female society protected by Mechanized Warriors. The Outland promotes rugged individualism, but Thane Edwards holds a monopoly of power with his Rangers. The Union’s Tenn-tucky governor and the Outland warlord conclude a secret deal, pledging Annabelle to the warlord to provide heirs, and putting a bounty on Geo and his pa.
Hunted by military from both sides, Geo and Annabelle struggle to overcome mutual distrust in order to work together to rescue her sister and gain justice for the murder of his father.
About the Author:
Lance Erlick grew up in various parts of the United States and Europe. He took to stories as his anchor and was inspired by his father’s engineering work on cutting-edge aerospace projects to look to the future. He studied creative writing at Northwestern University and University of Iowa.
He writes science fiction, dystopian and young adult stories and likes to explore the future implications of social and technological trends. He is the author of The Rebel Within, The Rebel Trap, and Rebels Divided, three books in the Rebel series. In those stories, he flips traditional exploitation to explore the effects of a world that discriminates against males and the consequences of following conscience for those coming of age. Erlick lives in the Chicago area with his family.
Find learn more about the author and his stories visit his website at http://www.LanceErlick.com.
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Giveaway:
(2) $25 Amazon Gift Cards (INT)
I'm really glad you enjoyed this! I found it all highly fascinating too! Thanks for hosting a tour stop!
ReplyDeleteI did. Its different than any I've read before. :)
DeleteI like matriarchal societies. I don't think things would be any better with woman in charge, it's just fun to read about. Every time they say Mechs I think of those giant Japanese robots in cartoons. It's so annoying when all the heroine thinks about is a guy. Another good review. :) Finally, a book I don't have to get right now. (Unlike the other four books you reviewed today.)
ReplyDeleteHaha, I'm on a roll!! Lol. I enjoyed this and am curious to see what happens next.
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