I AM ALIVE By Cameron Jace
Summary:
Every girl dies - not every girl really lives.Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets gorgeous & reckless Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets.
Your everyday girl meets badboy lame story... hmm... with a twist...
They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games.
The only way the jury still knows that you're still alive is to scream 'I Am Alive' as loud as you can every six hours. Lower your voice, and your dead.
While Decca and Leo can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank, and why her mother tried to kill her when she was seven.
Nothing will stand in her way as she has to make choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.
Buy the trilogy of book one here: Link
Amazon Review
4.5 out of 5 Stars
I only review a book if I want to finish it. So that is saying something right there. I got the first volume in the series when I saw it on the top 100 free list for Teen fiction. I figured I would give it a shot. The first reviews from July didn't seem very promising, but the author said they released the third edition on the 14th and it had been edited extensively. I wasn't spending any money, so it wasn't a leap of faith.
At first, I had a hard time getting into it... and then the first chapter came to an end. I was intrigued and wanted see where Jace would take it. So I pressed on. I finished the first volume in one sitting. I then bought the other two for just .99.
It is similar to a lot of the dystopian sellers like Battle Royale and The Hunger Games, the author even admits to this. However, I have to say I enjoyed this more than the The Hunger Games. The characters are easier to like (I only liked Peeta from HG), there is a more background to the history of Faya and the battlefield is just down right creative. I would love to fight to the death where it is set. I liked the system of numbered ranks and the iAm.
The character development is lacking in places, however, it's just the first Book in a series of Three? (Don't quote me on that number). Not even Harry Potter was a fully functioning character in the Philosopher's Stone. And what human reveals everything right off when it's a series?
My conclusion? I'm waiting for episode four to come out.
Extensive Review/thoughts (Spoiler Warning):
Now for my spoiler thoughts. The first chapter took me by surprise. I had read the first line, "I'm going to surprise you."but it didn't really sink in. So the complete 180 Decca did in the Z room took me by surprise. I almost put the book down because I didn't really care fore the the extremeness of it. However, I pressed on and read the ending line, "I told you I was going to surprise you." From that point on I decided to give the author more of a chance to hook me. Needless to say, I finished the first volume in one sitting. I tried to go to bed after a chapter, but I couldn't sleep while wanting to know where it went.
I love the aspect of them battling it out in the ruins of Disneyland, I mean, that's just really cool. I honestly can say I wish I would have thought of it first.
I liked all the old time references. The burning man, The Breakfast Club (best coming of age movie in the world), iphones (even though they are relevant now), Hannibal Lector, Hitler, Stephen King etc.
I semi-liked the courtship between Decca and Leo, I felt it moved fast though. He fell for her fast and hard and she fell for him fast but not hard. For the longest time, I thought Woo was Leo in disguise, I was wrong. I feel the whole love triangle between the three and the personalities of the males is almost exactly like that of what is found in The Hunger Games. Peeta is Leo, Gale is Woo and Decca is Decca (nothing like Katiness, thank goodness). Even the cave scene where Decca and Leo land is almost exactly like the cave scene in the hunger games. Both Leo and Peeta hurt their legs and got seriously ill. However, I was glad to see Decca not make-out with Leo the entire time.
I'll save my thoughts for who she will end up with until I get to learn more about Woo/Wolf when he becomes a main character.
Over all, it was a fun read.
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