Submerged Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Submerged (Outbreak #1)
Author: Nicole Sobon
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Date: February 14, 2013

Buy Links: Amazon

Description:

After a mysterious virus makes its way into the United States, the government demands that states seal themselves off from one another and do their best to protect their surviving residents. When the state of Florida is bordered off from the surrounding states, Taylen Fincher, a seventeen-year-old girl with a yearning for her former life finds herself wondering how much of what they’ve been told is true.

When Troum took control of the state, he told the residents that the other states had fallen to the virus and that he wouldn’t allow the same thing to happen to them. But Taylen doesn’t believe it. She insists that there is still life outside of the state, and she is going to do whatever it takes to prove it… but her actions will cost her more than she ever expected.

Troum kidnaps Taylen’s sister, Penelope, in hopes of coaxing her into behaving – into being a submissive resident, much like the others. But Taylen isn’t one to give in that easily.

Eager to rescue her sister, Taylen will set out on an adventure that’ll force her to open her heart to the unexpected and to uncover secrets that will change everything.

Prologue: Lexton

I sat down in a metal chair across from his desk, unsure of what to say, or how to act. I'd never been called into his private quarters alone before.

Uneasy, I lowered my rifle, resting it against the massive desk before me. My hands immediately searched for my pockets, a nervous habit of mine.

His eyes darted back between the tablet in his hands and me.

I could tell by the look in his eye - the slight hint of anger - that I'd been called in for a special task. Something which was worrisome enough, until I caught a glimpse of what he'd had pulled up on the tablet.

The fiery red locks, the piercing green eyes. The face of someone who'd once meant the world to me. Taylen.

"Might I ask why I am here, sir?" The words barely escaped my lips as fear overtook every inch of my body.

He lowered the tablet and leaned back in his chair. His white hair shone beneath the copper light that hung above him. "Lexton, as a guard, you are expected to protect your fellow residents. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," I answered, keeping my hands in my pockets. I wasn't sure where this conversation was headed, but I was sure that I wasn't going to like it. "Of course."

He leaned forward, resting his arm against the rim of the desk, and slid the tablet towards me. I stared down at the image of the girl I'd once thought I'd spend the rest of my life with; at the girl that helped me to become the person that I was today - someone who believed that love still existed in a world as bleak as our own.

Submerged is a intriguing and thrilling young adult dystopian novel that follows main character Taylen Fincher as she runs for her life and attempts to survive in the new regime that was one Florida. Under the guise of an impending flood, Florida was sectioned off from the rest of the world and put under the government authority of a man named Troum, who claims he has the welfare of the people in mind. Taylen thinks he's after much more than that and she also hates the way that everyone's freedom was stolen. After things in her life go from bad to incredibly terrible - with her younger sister taken away, a Kill Order placed on her, and Troum and his guards searching for her - Taylen must go on the run in order to survive and if she has any hope of bringing back her sister and stopping Troum.

This was an exciting and captivating YA dystopian that had an interesting plot. I loved learning about the history behind the world that Taylen lives in, along with all the aspects that her world includes now. The story wasn't completely original, but the author refreshed the idea with lots of action, adventure, some twists and even romance. It blends several genres and will definitely appeal to fans of various types of fiction. The characters were pretty well done, although not completely unique either. Taylen has a strong will and a fierce spirit, along with a snarky mouth, snotty attitude, and deep loyalty to those she cares for. She stands up for what she believes in and won't back down, even when faced with terrible outcomes. I liked her as a main character and easily identified with her early on in the story. The writing was also well done, although parts of the story didn't flow as well as it could have and bits of the dialogue felt forced. Otherwise, the narrative was fast paced and kept me turning pages quickly to see what would happen next. Overall, this was a great dystopian adventure and fans of the genre should definitely give it a read.

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