Review - Afterimage (The Enertia Trials #1) by J. Kowallis

by - Friday, December 23, 2016

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Afterimage
(The Enertia Trials #1)
Author: J. Kowallis
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, YA, Romance
Published: May 7th , 2015
Publisher: Createspace 


Reggie’s dreams . . .
aren’t dreams.

Visions of the future flood her mind like shards of broken puzzles. Caged in her cell, every morning begins the same. She’s drugged, tortured, and images are torn from her memory by Public One.

Until the morning everything changes. The vision is different. The future’s never been about her, and now she knows they’re coming for her:

Nomads.

How will she convince them to keep her alive when Nate, their leader, doesn’t like or even trust her? To him, she’s a science experiment. A machine.

When Public One will do anything to keep her, Reggie must make a decision: remain a slave to her past, or risk her future to venture into a world more terrifying than she’s ever known.

               

I voluntarily read and reviewed a free copy of the book provided by Xpresso Book Tours and the author. Thank you for thrusting me into a dystopian world I never wanted to leave! - What I meant was, thank you for the reviewing opportunity! *coughs* - 

This series is a masterpiece in the making.    

A dystopian novel set after the Third World War, the author painstakingly created a world where mankind was left dealing with the aftermath of the war. Divided between the Public Ones and the Nomads, this is a story of how a precognitive, Reggie becomes the key to unlocking a secret that is much bigger than mankind itself.

Stunned and overwhelmed, I am positive that my mundane review could never do the book justice, this is the kind of book that you have to read it to feel it - because I've just had the most thrilling experience of my reading life!

My favorite dystopia has always been The Host, but the fact that Afterimage shared the same spot with my all time favorite has got to mean something. From the world building to the character development, this series pulled to me like a cinnamon flavored hot chocolate with marshmallow in the middle of a cold night (the analogy because I'm in a Christmas mood :p). The first chapter already got me craving for more, the need to dig to the bottom of the mystery was so great I finished it in no time.  

What sets this book apart from the other dystopian novels is in my opinion, the plot building. There was so much thought and effort put into describing the background of the story, from before, during and after the war that made you felt so present in the book. I was completely immersed into the world and felt every bit of adrenaline rush. Although the main characters in the book are Reggie and Nate, the story was also told from multiple perspectives and mainly through the eyes of the secondary characters. Wow. Not only the author managed to pull off this bold move, it was a breath of fresh air. This is the first time I've read a book with so many unique voices and not completely turned off by it. On the contrary, these perspectives allow readers to have a better grasp of the reality the characters are dealing with, and that's where the character development aspect comes in. 

I also loved how the romance in the book was not overdone, and yet not underwhelming either. The author has an amazing way of weaving a romance into the story and have the readers wanting for more without putting the storyline on hold. The relationships felt real and believable, and it's the kind that I honestly feel would happen if I was thrust into their world. 

There isn't much I can reveal about the plot without it being turned into a spoiler, and trust me when I say that the blurb is just the tip of the iceberg. I pretty much went into the book blind! I thought I had the book figured out, tortured protagonist saved by alpha male lead and subsequently figured out a way to overthrow the antagonists, but I guess I do not have the precognitive ability like Reggie.

Fans of The Host and The Giver, you'd want to jump into this one!

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