Today, I am privileged to host J. Grace Pennington on my blog. She recently published a Young Adult Dystopian novel and allowed me to read and review it. Enjoy the review!

Implant by J. Grace Pennington

Welcome to the world of a universal cure.

Gordon Harding didn’t ask for the life he has. He didn’t ask to be orphaned. He didn’t ask to go through life with cancer. And he certainly didn’t ask to be pulled into a future world without warning–a world where every human being is controlled by means of a medical implant.

And when he learns that he’s the only one who can destroy the base of operations, he’s faced with an impossibly painful choice: either hide and let the world decay under this mysterious futuristic force, or rescue humanity from oppression, knowing that there’s someone out there who is willing to use any means necessary to stop him.

My Review

Recommended Ages: 10 & up

Introduction:

Gordon has a problem. Lots of them, actually. He’s in poor health, he has a run-in with bullies, and to top it all off, he is kidnapped by someone from the future where he is asked to save the world from imminent disaster. Can an insecure young man with little knowledge (and very little common sense) save the human race?

Characters: .75/1

Gordon Harding, Doc, and Neil were all very well written. Each of them were complex, well developed, and unique. There were a few parts where the characters got a little confusing, but not enough to pull me out of the story.

Dialogue: .75/1

There were a few times when I wasn’t sure who was speaking, but otherwise the dialogue kept the story going in ways prose or descriptions wouldn’t have. Neil and Doc. Wow. Those two were hilarious and frustrating!

Plot/storyline: 1/1

I think this is the first (of six or so) young adult dystopian novels I have actually enjoyed reading all the way through without getting depressed, frustrated, or confused by some element or event in the book. The plot was well thought out, and had twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. When Gordon found out who the Head was, I was surprised. Which is kind of rare.

Over-all writing quality: 1/1

There were a few misplaced commas and some sentences that I had to read over, but I was also assured by Grace that this wasn’t the final edit. Other than those, the writing quality was very good and nothing pulled me away from the story.

Un-put-down-ability: 1/1

Implant started out a touch slow, but picked up quickly. Once I was finally able to get past the first chapter (interruptions, life, etc. got in the way), I couldn’t stop and I read it all morning until it was finished. The internet was down after all, so I couldn’t do most of the things I needed to do.

Overall: 4.5/5

There is some violence that isn’t described in great detail that might be a little much for some 10-13 year olds and some things may be a little over the heads of 10-13 year olds, but otherwise, I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys dystopian. Even those who don’t enjoy dystopian would probably enjoy it, especially if they like science fiction.

NOTE: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author