Saturday, October 4, 2014

ARC Review: Sunset Rising (Sunset Rising #1)

Sunset Rising (Sunset Rising #1) by S.M. McEachern

Publisher: Clownfish, 2012
325 pages, kidnle edition
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
February 2024: Desperate to find refuge from the nuclear storm, a group of civilians discover a secret government bio-dome. Greeted by a hail of bullets and told to turn back, the frantic refugees stand their ground and are grudgingly permitted entry. But the price of admission is high.

283 years later
… Sunny O'Donnell is a seventeen-year-old slave who has never seen the sun. She was born in the Pit, a subterranean extension of the bio-dome. Though life had never been easy, lately it had become a nightmare. Her mom was killed in the annual Cull, and her dad thought it was a good time to give up on life. Reyes Crowe, her long-time boyfriend, was pressuring her to get married, even though it would mean abandoning her father.

She didn't think things could get any worse until she was forced upstairs to the Dome to be a servant-girl at a bachelor party. That's where she met Leisel Holt, the president's daughter, and her fiancé, Jack Kenner.

Now Sunny is wanted for treason. If they catch her, she'll be executed.

She thought Leisel's betrayal was the end. But it was just the beginning.


My Review:
This book is what I call "dystopian candy", though it has some dark moments and the subject matter is serious, it is a quick and easy read (only took me a few days). It is YA, yet miraculously this author managed to avoid using the "insta-love" that is so common in YA with romance. I for one dislike insta-love so really appreciated reading a different approach for a change.

These days, with To Read lists longer than Santa's Naughty list, for someone like me who prefers new experiences, doesn't rewatch or reread much, it is difficult to commit to a series rather than just read the first one only. Oftentimes I read the first one, like it, but don't feel compelled to read more.

In this case, I actually want to read more of the story. Book one has a moment where it seems like it will end with a little closure, but then you're hit with a cliffhanger. I guess that means you get both. I always have a twinge of annoyance with cliffhangers, but in this case it is mitigated by the fact that is follows at least some closure, and the cliffhanger was interesting enough to make me really curious.


My Rating:

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