Revealed

by Jessica Hickam

[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!