Wow - okay, so there are so many loose ends at the end of this...very smart. Sequel, anyone? (*Raises hand*)
When I first started reading this, I found it a little confusing. The story started right in the middle of things, and there were so many characters and they were all in this world that was completely unfamiliar and it was a little hard to get a grasp on what was going on. A lot of things were not really fully explained - I mean, I get that the wealthy families were the ruling class. But I didn't get why these wealthy people lived inside a dome with all these other people when there were so many folks living in the "badlands" outside of the dome. I get that the earth was dying, but I didn't get the need for the dome. In Breathe, they needed a dome because the air outside didn't contain enough oxygen to breathe. I guess in this story, the dome was just there to keep people out. But I didn't get why the people in the badlands were there in the first place. Why were they chosen to be excluded from the dome? I don't know, maybe I did read that and just don't remember why.

Anyway... in this world, there is a lot of genetic tampering going on and sometimes people are born with "gifts" - special abilities. Like the ability to heal living things or revive them when they've died. Or to make things grow...really quickly. Maya, one of the main characters, lives in the badlands where the seasons are all off kilter and there's something amiss about the water. She keeps saying if they could fix the planet's water, they could revive the earth, but I don't think that was ever fully explained - but it's a series, so I'm sure that will come. The people in the badlands barter - they really don't have much use for money - and they barely scratch out an existence. They have a hard time growing crops because, well, the earth is dying, and they have a hard time predicting the seasons, so sometimes they plant only to have everything destroyed because the seasons unexpectedly change. But Maya is special - she has the ability to take the ruined, withered crops, revive them, and make them grow - like, overnight. Only she hasn't really mastered this gift. It's sort of hit or miss. She just knows if she could learn how to properly use her gift, she could help restore things. She could help her people. But her parents keep trying to convince her it's all in her head and she doesn't have a gift. They seem to be afraid of her letting anyone know about her abilities.

Enter Ty and all his wealthy, large-and-in-charge friends - the children of the members of the "Panel" - those in charge in the dome of Neo York. (By the way, the old New York City is underwater) Anyway, Ty ad Co. travel out to the badlands every so often and release lab created animals to hunt. On their latest hunt they show up in Maya's village and that's where things get rolling. Maya finds out there's a "School for the Gifted" back in Neo York and she is determined to go there to learn how to harness the power of her gift. It just so happens that Ty's mother runs said school. However, not everything is as it seems inside the dome. There is a major lack of empathy in some of the people - which seems to be a side effect of all that genetic tampering. And, of course, the people in charge will do whatever it takes to stay in charge - all while smiling their phony smiles.

Loved the action in this novel. And the story-line is interesting. I wasn't especially feeling the romance that I think was supposed to be building up between Maya and Ty, but, really, that was secondary to everything else that was happening, anyway. I also didn't understand many times why Ty didn't use his power instead of letting himself be cowed by his parents so easily all the time. I guess he was trying to hide his ability, and, well, they were his parents, after all. This was a quick read and I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely continue with the series! ( )

This was an intriguing sci-fi novel. I liked the characters and the various gifts/talents that were described. I think this series has a lot of potential! I most certainly will be reading the sequel. ( )

When I started this, I felt like I started the series in the middle. The story is good (not a stand out but good), but there is absolutely no world building.

There are cites covered by domes, but a lot of people live outside the domes. Why are the groups separate? Why is there a dome if people can survive without it? The cities are run by mafia-like families. Were they elected? Did they fight their way to power? Why do certain people have powers, and why does Ty's mother want to study them?

For such a short story there are a lot of loose ends and they prevented me from really enjoying the story. ( )

First, I want to say that I was given a free copy of this book to review. I won't summarize the book, since that is in the description of the book, but I will focus on different aspects of the book.
Writing: this book is well written with few typographical areas. It flows from one scene to the next and has a continuous story line.
Plot: I really like the idea of this plot. Unfortunately, this book is a set up for other books in the series and it takes a while to get to the action. I struggled until 65% of the way through the book. Then it took off and I couldn't put the book down.
Characters: here is the issue. I REALLY didn't like the female protagonist. She is too naive and stubborn. I also think the acceleration of power is too unbelievable at the end of the book. In a few short days she goes from barely being able to use her power to having massive power. The other characters are okay, but I haven't bonded with them.
All in all, a good read and I expect future books will take care of the issues I have w ith the first book. ( )

A YA dystopian future story tackling the consequences of surviving in a world where nature has 'broken. There are some interesting concepts at play here, environment degradation, what happens when there are no predictable seasons anymore and in what ways will plants, animals and humans adapt in order to preserve some kind of balance. An interesting addition to the genre that may well grab some readers attention. ( )