Revealed: A Novel

by Jessica Hickam

Monica Gurevich (Illustrator)

Lily Atwood lives in what used to be Washington, D.C. Her father is one of the most powerful men in the world, having been a vital part of rebuilding and reuniting humanity after the war that killed over five billion people. Now he's running to be one of its leaders.

But in the rediscovered peace in this new world, a force has risen. They call themselves The Revealed, an underground rebel organization that has been kidnapping 18-year-olds across the globe without explanation. No one knows why The Revealed is taking these teens, but it's clear something is different about these people. They can set fires with a snap of their fingers and create wind strong enough to throw over a tree with a flick of their wrist. They are unstoppable, and they have targeted 18-year-old Lily as their next victim.

Lily is too close to breaking free from her father's shadow to let The Revealed ruin things, especially her developing relationship with the mysterious Kai Westerfield the son of her father's rival. Lily isn't about to lose her future just when it's starting to look promising. Not without a fight.

• ISBN10: 1940716004
• ISBN13: 9781940716008
• Publish Date: 23 January 2014 (first published 10 December 2013)
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: SparkPress
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 314
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

To me, the one thing that makes or breaks a good post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel is the connection to the world as we know it in the moment. There has to be that thread of our own reality to truly bring the chilling possibilities home, to scare us with the potential for the utter destruction of our world as we know it. Hunger Games did that with the world of Panem. The Chemical Gardens did that with the total destruction of society in the United States. And I felt like The Revealed accomplished that, too.

The story begins about six years after a nuclear war essentially destroyed the world. Most of the United States is now a wasteland and society is virtually unrecognizable. There are the very wealthy and there are the very poor with not a lot in between. There are also the Revealed, a covert group of indivduals with outwardly questionable motives who selectively "kidnap" eighteen year olds. It has become a part of life for the wealthy to hide their kids within secure compounds for the entire year in order to protect them, despite the fact that few get kidnapped and there is nothing that will stop those that are from being taken.

Our main character is Lily, currently on lockdown as her father vigorously campaigns for the upcoming presidential election. This is the first election since the world was destroyed and the future depends on which candidate is chosen. His opposition is the father of Kai, a childhood friend turned nemisis of Lily's. Both of these characters are extremely wealthy, the elite of new world. They have all the advantages that most in this new world do not. I did not expect to feel sympathy for them, but it is clear that money doesn't solve everything. If anything, it often makes things worse in this world.

There is so much to this story. There was a little bit of romance between Kai and Lily, unexpected and pretty quick to happen. This is something that usually bothers me, the concept of insta-love, but in this case... it works. It is a world of chaos and Lily's time is running out. Everything about her life is in chaos and their romance is what she sees to be her last chance at having a life. But this is so much more than romance. The political intrigue reads like a Vince Flynn novel with no end of betrayals and conspiracies. And there is a nice healthy dose of sci-fi right along with it.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me glued to the pages and reading. Although there is currently no mention of it on Goodreads or the author's site, there is another book coming caled The Enraged, which I am looking forward to.

Things to love...

--The connection to the world as we know it. That really highlighted the frightening possibilities for our own reality.
--Lily's choices. I love that her choices revolved around remaining true to herself and her beliefs, rather than a guy. Excellent role model!
--The mystery and the intigure. Loved it!

My Recommendation: If you enjoy post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels, this is a good one to pick up. I think this series has great potential! I gave this 4.5 mugs!

[Leah]

I’m slowly but surely making my way through all of my reads for Book Sparks fantastic Summer Reading Challenge – it’s introducing me to authors new and old, and next up on my list was Jessica Hickam’s debut novel The Revealed. It has a super pretty cover, and I thought it sounded really interesting. I don’t read many Dystopian novels – I’ve got a few to read on my shelf, and, of course, I’ve read The Hunger Games, but it’s not a go-to genre for me, but it is a genre I’m learning to enjoy, and I thought The Revealed was an excellent Dystopian novel and I am PUMPED for the sequel! Pumped, I tell you. Like I want it right now!

The Revealed is a very, very interesting novel. It introduces us to Lily who, because she’s 18, must stay in the house until her 19th birthday because there’s a group called The Revealed that go around stealing 18-year-olds, and they’re never seen again. And Lily knows she’s going to be taken, because she keeps receiving notes from the group, with their iconic symbol affixed to the letters. It turns out that Lily lives in a different world to the one we have now – America is only half of what it used to be, with the east coast completely wiped out and turned into wastelands, and the west coast slowly rebuilding and life is nowhere close to what it is now. Computers, cell phones, cars, they’re all for the rich people and The Revealed seem to run everything, despite the fact they’re rarely seen but because of their powers, they’re dangerous and everyone fears them. But Lily is not content to just stay in her big mansion for the year, because she knows that if the Revealed are going to come for her, they’re going to come no matter what…

I loved Lily as soon as I met her! She reminds me of a younger version of me, but it’s the current me who she represents – a bit stuck in life, wanting to do more, wanting to just get out there and DO something, and not be stuck in her house all day long. I can totally, totally see where she was coming from because I long to escape where I live, and the monotony of work-home-read-work-home-read that my life seems to be at the moment. Even more so, since as Lily rightly pointed out, her eighteenth year on Earth could well be her last, so why shouldn’t she enjoy it as much as she can? The first half of the book really explores that feeling of wanting to break free – with Lily even managing to escape a couple times, and while I could understand her parents’ frustration; they’re scared Lily’s going to be stolen, her dad is running for President so they don’t need the scandal, I also wanted them to just understand WHY Lily felt the need to escape and try to have adventures.

The first half of the novel really lays the foundation for the rock-and-roll second half of the novel where the pace really ramps up and secrets come out, and the novel just took itself up another level. I was very impressed. I don’t want to mention what occurs during the second half of the novel but it was mind-blowing and I was sitting reading and reading and reading at such a fast pace, desperate to know more, desperate to see what was going to happen! I just thoroughly enjoyed every page of the novel. I loved Lily as a character, and I loved her best friend Rory, and the novel just kept going at breakneck speed, the type of speed I adore because it keeps you hooked. I loved the hint of romance between Lily and Kai, who is the son of Lily’s dad’s Presidential opponent, it was very Romeo & Juliet, and it made my heart MELT. It made my heart race and my palms sweat, it was like Kai was looking and talking to me… I can’t wait for the next novel in the series and to see where the events of the second half of the novel takes Lily and co. I just hope we don’t have to wait too long to read the sequel!