The Raging Ones

by Krista Ritchie

In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds.

Franny Bluefort, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday.

Until the day she does.

Court Icefort knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him.

Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court - which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny.

With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.

• ISBN10: 1250128714
• ISBN13: 9781250128713
• Publish Date: 1 September 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[chymerra]

My interest in The Raging Ones was caught when I read the blurb. I could see the potential in a plotline based on a society that knew when they were going to die. Then I read the book and man, I can't even begin to describe what it was like reading this book. The best way I can describe it is like unwrapping a Christmas gift. You don't know what you are going to get and you are eager to get it open to see it. That is how I felt about The Raging Ones.

The Raging Ones follows 3 teenagers who have dodged their deathdays. In doing that, they have bonded with each other. Desperate to keep their secrets, the trio decides that their best bet is to enter a competition that will send them into space. A competition that will test their bonds and their alliances with each other. But what awaits them in space?

Franny is the first character that we are introduced to in the book. She is a brass, crass Fast Tracker. Fast Trackers are people who are destined to die in their teens/early adulthood. They are known for partying like it is the last day of their life...every single day. I felt bad for Franny because all she wanted was her money so she could die knowing what it would be like to be rich. I liked her. She was the more open of the trio. The more impulsive one. I liked her. She did get the short end of the stick with her new tattoos. That artist did not like her.

Mykal was introduced with Court. Mykal was a Babe. Babes are children whose deathdates happen before the age of 8. When he didn't die, he removed himself from his Hinterland village, supporting himself alone until he found Court half-frozen. While Mykal came across as a country bumpkin but he was anything but. I loved his character. He had a way of looking at things that were refreshing.

Court was the mysterious one. He was an Influential. Influentials are people whose deathdays happen far in the future. Court was very stingy in giving information about himself. That drove me nuts but also kept reading. Court cared about Franny and Mykal but didn't want to get too close to them. He was also the driving force behind the 3 of them getting into the space program. I liked his character but came to love him. 

The bond that Mykal and Court had were intense. As was their attraction to each other. But they didn't act on it. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife, it was that heavy. I was surprised that nothing happened between them sooner in the book. I did think that there was going to be a love triangle with Franny but nothing ever came from it. Which I liked. A love triangle would have taken away from the storyline.

I do wish that more had been spent on explaining why deathdates were needed and how they were discovered. It was explained very briefly but not in detail. I also wish that more time had been given to explained Mykal, Court and Franny's connection. Why they had it and why they didn't die.

I liked the science fiction aspect of the book but I did feel that it went on for a tad bit too long. It felt that there was some unneeded luggage with that plotline that could have been trimmed. Mainly the part of the storyline with the cheating. It added nothing to the storyline and bored me. 

The end of the book was fantastic. The author had a huge plot twist that I didn't see coming. There were no hints or anything leading up to it. I was shocked. The author ended the book on that note. Brilliant move on their part. Because now I have to read the next book to see what is going to happen. Also, the author didn't wrap up the main storyline or any of the storylines added late in the book. So I am curious to see how they will be resolved in book 2.

What I liked about The Raging Ones: 

A) How diverse the characters were

B) The bond that connected Mykal, Court, and Franny

C) No love triangle

What I disliked about The Raging Ones:

A) No explanation on why deathdates were needed/discovered

B) No explanation about Franny, Court, and Mykal's connection

C) Science fiction part of the book went on a little too long for my taste

I gave The Raging Ones a 4-star rating. I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed reading it. I do think that there was too little information given about deathdates and Mykal, Franny, and Court's connection. Other than that, I enjoyed the book.

I would give The Raging Ones an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is mild violence. There is mild language. I would suggest that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread The Raging Ones. I would also recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Raging Ones.

All opinions stated in this review of The Raging Ones are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

2.5*

Le sigh, another book I was certain I would love and didn't quite. The premise was great- I always find the whole "know what day you'll die" thing fascinating. And really, quite a mindfuck. And I enjoy the way it is explored in this story, too. People who know they'll die at certain ages have fully different life experiences, which... wow. I imagine it would make sense! But... what happens when someone misses their deathdate in a world in which that is not a thing that happens?

Well, of course the book explores all of that via three main character/death dodgers, Franny, Court, and Mykal. Here's another fun fact: these three are somehow "connected" in a weird, even creepy kind of bond (we'll get to that.) The beginning (solidly the first half, really) explored this bond, the relationships among the characters, and the world in general. It was a bit boring, basically.

The second half of the book did pick up, as the three tried to secure themselves a spot on a mission into space. Figuring that if they could get off-planet, no one would care that they didn't die when they were supposed to. So it's a competition (a bit akin to Dare Mighty Things, actually) in which a select few will earn this opportunity during a rigorous trial. That part was pretty decent, and the end was actually quite good- some big twists that I definitely did not see coming! There were a few other bits that bugged me during the book:

• I was hoping for way more space antics. There were not many space antics. (This will probably be remedied in future books, however.)



• I honestly felt like not much even happened for most of the book. There was so, so much setup, and like, five minutes of action. I didn't feel like there was enough conflict, and when there was, it was a bit predictable.



• The "bond" started to freak me out. Like- they could ummm "feel" each other while they were bathing, and being intimate and such, and... I won't lie, it grossed me out. Can you imagine? You're in the shower and some dude you just met can feel you washing yourself? Hard pass on that.

But there were good things! 

• I did like the characters, in general. While I felt they probably could have been a bit more distinguishable and fleshed out, I liked them.



• The ending was honestly so good it kind of makes me want to read the next one? Even though I was sure up until about 90% that I wouldn't be?

Will I Read the Next Book: I'm going to wait and see. If I hear good things, I presume I will be tempted enough by the ending to go for it.

Bottom Line: Awesome premise, kind of mundane execution. The great last quarter really couldn't fully make up for the first three, but it helped.