Dark Days

by Kate Ormand

The future world has been divided into sectors—each the same as the other. Surrounded by thick steel fences, there is no way in and no way out. Yet a cyborg army penetrates each sector, picking off its citizens one by one, until no one is left. Behind the sectors’ thick walls, the citizens wait to die. Few will be chosen to survive what’s coming; the rest will be left behind to suffer. A new world has been created, and its rulers are incredibly selective on who will become a citizen. They want only those with important roles in society to help create a more perfect future.

Sixteen-year-old Sia lives in one of the sectors as part of a family that is far too ordinary to be picked to live. According to the digital clock that towers high above her sector, she has only fifteen days to live. Sia has seen the reports and knows a horrific death is in store for her, but she is determined to make the most of her final days. Sia refuses to mourn her short life, instead promising herself that she’ll stay strong, despite being suffocated by her depressed mother and her frightened best friend. Just when Sia feels more alone than ever, she meets Mace, a mysterious boy. There is something that draws Sia to him, despite his dangerousness, and together, they join a group of rebels and embark on an epic journey to destroy the new world and its machines, and to put an end to the slaughter of innocent people.

Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

• ISBN10: 1628735945
• ISBN13: 9781628735949
• Publish Date: 19 June 2014 (first published 3 June 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Imprint: Sky Pony Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[shannonmiz]

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

Full Review with extra book info can be found here

So here's the thing about this book: I liked it. It moved quickly, and I was entertained. But it did have some flaws, so I will do a bit of a liked/disliked segment.

What I liked: First, the whole concept of actually knowing how long you have left is pretty fantastic. I was so curious to see where this was headed. The whole time I was reading, I could not help but wonder how I would react in the same situation. It didn't even bother me that a lot of the things Sia wanted to do were mundane. She was stuck inside a small sector, she was young, and she only had fifteen days left, so for me, it was quite fitting that she wanted to experience the "smaller" things in life. I also liked that Sia was so determined. While the rest of her sector was wallowing in self-pity and waiting to die, she was trying to take some action.

I enjoyed the reactions that different people had to this news of impending doom, because it seemed pretty real that the response would be all over the place: Some people freaked out, some people hid away in depression, some people rebelled, etc. Sure the rebellion may have been small, and not particularly organized, but really, there was only a few days to organize it so the fact that it came together at all is kind of remarkable.

The ending of the book was very enjoyable as well: A lot of action, leading up to a fitting ending. I was content with how things ended, and I was definitely into the action of the book, especially toward the end, wondering how things would play out.

What I didn't: Two words: World. Building. I needed it, and I didn't really get it. I really wanted to know why this was all happening. I mean, I can't just imagine cyborgs killing off hordes of people without any particular reason. I get that "the leaders" were being selective of their new wonderful society, but what exactly happened to lead up to that? War? Famine? Disease? I kind of need to know, otherwise I am going to be pretty curious as to why the cyborgs are after me.

The insta-love. On one hand, obviously with only a few days left to live, you aren't likely to be particularly choosy. But it was a little convenient for my liking. And Mace was kind of creepy in the beginning, so I was almost mad that Sia just lusted all over him.

Some of Sia's reactions just did not make sense. She's more concerned over romps in a lake with a guy she just met than the death of a close relative, which really was odd. She was losing so many people in her life (including her best friend who was no longer permitted to associate with her), but she would have five seconds of grief followed by business as usual. Also, she decides to take some pretty big risks without any shred of evidence that there will be any payoff whatsoever. I get that she is an impulsive kid, but this takes lack of common sense to a new level.

Bottom Line: This is a quick, fast paced book with a lot of excitement, action, and a little romance. While it does have flaws, I had fun reading it.