A Dream Within A Dream: Luminary Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Luminary blog tour! Today I have my review of the book to share with you and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post! To follow along with the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

Luminary (Anomaly #2)

Author: Krista McGee

Genre: YA Dystopia

Release Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Description:

She was an anomaly with a death sentence. Now she's free.

Thalli was scheduled for annihilation. She was considered an anomaly--able to experience emotions that should have been eradicated by genetic modification. The Scientists running the State couldn't allow her to bring undue chaos to their peaceful, ordered world. But seconds before her death, she is rescued.

Now Thalli is above ground in a world she thought was destroyed. A world where not even the air is safe to breathe. She and her three friends must journey across this unknown land, their destination a hidden civilization. It's their only chance of survival.

Broken and exhausted after an arduous journey, they arrive in New Hope, a town that survived the nuclear holocaust. When Thalli meets the people there--people actually "born" to "families"--her small world is blown wide open.

Soon after their arrival to New Hope, the town comes under attack. She has escaped imminent death, but now Thalli is thrust into a new fight--a fight to save her new home. Does she know enough about this world of emotions, this world of chaos, to save not only herself, but the people she has come to love?

Luminary is the second book in a young adult science fiction/dystopia series that continues to follow main character Thalli as she tries to navigate life after her execution was called off. Now Thalli has traveled above ground and into a world that she was told didn't exist anymore. It's supposed to be destroyed up there with no breathable air and no civilization left. Thalli and her friends must make it to a hidden civilization if they have any chance of surviving on the surface. When they finally make it to New Hope - a town full of those who survived the nuclear holocaust - Thalli meets some amazing people and real "families" for the first time in her life. Everything that Thalli was ever taught or thought she knew has been turned upside down after going above ground and traveling to New Hope. While visiting the small town, it comes under attack and Thalli and her friends are forced to help defend and save their newfound home.

This was a captivating and enthralling second novel that had me sucked into the story right from the beginning. The setting continues to be a dystopian world after the aboveground has been destroyed following the Nuclear War, only in this book Thalli and her friends go aboveground into this world that shouldn't exist. The author put a lot of world building and detail into described the dystopian world that Thalli lives in and how it came to be this way. I found myself fascinated by the world she created for the novel - as well as the series - and I loved learning as much about it as I could. The characters continued to be well written and realistic, especially Thalli. She's a smart and strong main character with an interesting personality and outlook on life. She's experienced so much for someone her age and even when her entire world is turned upside down and everything she was taught turns out to be false - she still remains curious, upbeat, and empathetic. The plot was absolutely fantastic and I found myself eagerly reading to see what would happen next in this creepy new world. The writing was very well done and had a quick pace, so I flew through the pages in one sitting. The entire package - setting, characters, plot, and the deeper topics of individuality, love, faith, and self discovery - all made for an excellent second book in what is already a unique and magnificent YA dystopian series. Highly recommended for fans of science fiction and dystopian novels, as well as those looking for a unique book with a wonderful message.