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

Welcome to my stop on the HUNGRY blog tour! Today I have my review of the book to share and a giveaway for a finished copy of the book! Check out the tour schedule at the end of the post to follow along!

Hungry

Author: H.A. Swain

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopia

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends BYR

Description:

In the future, food is no longer necessary—until Thalia begins to feel something unfamiliar and uncomfortable. She’s hungry.

In Thalia’s world, there is no need for food—everyone takes medication (or “inocs”) to ward off hunger. It should mean there is no more famine, no more obesity, no more food-related illnesses, and no more war. At least that's what her parents, who work for the company that developed the inocs, say. But when Thalia meets a boy who is part of an underground movement to bring food back, she realizes that most people live a life much different from hers. Worse, Thalia is starting to feel hunger, and so is he—the inocs aren’t working. Together they set out to find the only thing that will quell their hunger: real food.

H. A. Swain delivers an adventure that is both epic and fast-paced. Get ready to be Hungry.

Hungry is an original and fascinating young adult dystopian novel that shows a future where hunger no longer exists in the world. Drugs have been invented that ward off hunger, which should also get rid of famine, war, and other food-related illnesses and diseases. Thalia, our heroine, is brought up to believe in the power and benefits of the drugs, also called "inocs," because her parents work for the company who invented them and because she's never known anything different. That all changes when Thalia meets a mysterious guy who lives in a world she never thought or knew existed - where hunger is everywhere and the people are rallying to bring food back. With her new outlook and knowledge, Thalia agrees to help find the only thing the movement believes will heal their world - real food. Because the people who don't get the inocs aren't the only ones who are experiencing hunger - Thalia is getting hungry and realizes that the drugs are no longer working. Will Thalia be able to find enough real food in time to stop the disaster that's coming? Can she convince her parents and the others that the drugs are failing and they need to find an alternate solution?

I thought this was a wholly original novel with a fast-paced story and fascinating concepts. The world the author creates is a dystopian future - yet not so distant and fantastical that it seems out of reach for our culture to evolve into, which I think helps it make such a great impact on the reader. I loved reading and learning all about the world that Thalia lives in and how it became that way. The drugs that cure hunger pose an interesting concept, although obviously it also comes with issues and problems of their own. It made me take a step back and think about what a world like that would be like to live in and how our own society could possibly develop into something like that.

Thalia was an interesting main character for the novel. She's smart and determined to do the right thing. We see her character grow throughout the novel as she goes from the "privileged girl" who had everything she could want to a more rounded and mature character who sees the pros and cons of the drugs and what needs to be done to help fix things. I liked watching Thalia grow throughout the book and found it easy to identify with her early on. The writing was quick with a natural flow, which made it an easy read. I definitely recommend this novel to fans of YA dystopias as well as those who enjoy science fiction and fantasy.