2 June 2018

Review: Blackout

Read if you like: queer main characters, high-stakes plots, tension and romanctic sci-fi.

Blackout | Kit Mallory
Series: Blackout

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia, Science Fiction
Released: May 8th 2018
Pages: 350
Format: Ebook
Source: Author

After the Board came to power the world changed the way a hunter stalks its prey: all paranoia and imagined flickers of shadow, so that while you were being torn to pieces you were still wondering whether you were overreacting.

For 16-year-old Skyler, fear is a way of life. For three years, since the Wall split the UK in two, her survival as an illegal Northern refugee in the South has been a perilous balancing act between staying in the shadows and clinging to her reputation as the South's best hacker.

Fellow refugee Mackenzie is a ghost from her past she'd rather ignore. But when their paths collide unexpectedly, Skyler sees an opportunity to exact revenge on the brutal regime that destroyed her home and family - even if it means she goes down with them.

Forced, with extreme reluctance, on the run together, Skyler and Mackenzie, along with enigmatic contract killer Angel, must find a way to outrun not only the Board and the South's most sadistic crime lord, but their own personal demons. If they can manage to not end up murdering each other in the process, that'll be a bonus.

But more is at stake than any of them realise. And Skyler, who has long believed she has nothing left to lose, is about to discover just how wrong she is.

Shortlisted for the 2016 Mslexia Children's Novel Award, Blackout is a story of resistance, friendship and survival.

I thought this was a stand alone and then THAT ENDING, so I'm pretty glad it's a series.
I started off not sure about this, but honestly I loved the characters quickly. Mackenzie is an utter sweetheart (protect him, my precious, anxious child) and I love how equally badass and vulnerable Skyler is. I'm still not sure about Angel, but I like her relationship with Skyler, and love the inclusion of a f/f romance. I LOVE the friendship between Mackenzie and Skyler, though. It's so dynamic and I honestly just want them to be besties.

As for the story, this is epically dystopian without being too overbearingly sci-fi (to be fair I love sci-fi so this wouldn't be an issue, but if you like your dystopia light, this book is for you!) The Board is a huge part of this book and influences everything directly, but the more urgent threat are criminals, thugs, and enforcers. In short, it's pretty damn exciting and thrilling and edge-of-your-seat stuff. I haven't read a dystopian book as good as this in years, and I can't wait to continue the series!
High-stakes, action-packed yet full of heart, emotion, and humanity. If you're looking for an original science fiction book, I can't recommend this enough!

4.5 stars


No comments:

Post a Comment