The Book:
Book Title: Control Freakz
Book Author: Michael Evans
Page Count: 278
Publishing Date: October 3rd, 2017
Publisher: Palmetto Publishing Group
Date Read: March 29th, 2018
Synopsis: Alone. Abandoned. Threatened.Natalie has lost all hope for a better future. Everything she’s known and everyone she’s ever loved is gone, and it’s up to her to get her old life back. In Michael Evans’s first novel, Control Freakz, Natalie’s journey toward a better life begins.
When Protocol 00 is enacted, Natalie’s family is taken by the government, along with the families of her two best friends, Ethan and Hunter. With nothing to lose, and the threat of government hitmen kidnapping them at any moment, the three must battle to survive in a horrid, post-apocalyptic world run by President Ash and his invasive government. They want answers. And they’re willing to jeopardize everything in desperate pursuit.
Risking ruthless leaders, attempted mind control, and her very existence on the planet, Natalie, along with Hunter and Ethan, will stop at nothing in their quest to regain everything they’ve ever known. Her spirits crushed and her will to live destroyed, Natalie knows everything is dead and gone, and soon she will be, too.
Memories connect us to the past, and can often cause us to long for a better future, but they can drive our minds into a state of hell if a better future is unattainable. Nevertheless, Natalie’s hope for a better a future remains.
The Review:
Control Freakz is fast paced and powerful. It is a thrill ride through a futuristic dystopian world of fear and power struggles. If you are on the hunt for a inner turmoil driven YA story, this one is for you.
This one left me deep in thought. It was terrifying and exciting at the same time. It kind of mirrored current political unrest while highlighting potential new issues that could evolve if certain technology existed.
The writing itself was a little straight down the middle for me. I was gripped from the beginning. I could picture everything in my mind while I read and I kept turning pages wanting to know what happened next. But, I also felt that the writing was a bit on the wordy side, and the main character had a bit too much inner turmoil happening.
This one was definitely driven by the main character and her inner turmoil and dialog. Because of this, I didn’t really get to know the other two main characters as much as I would have liked. I did learn that Ethan was a bit on the eccentric side, and tended to act without thinking. Hunter was the level headed character that tried to keep things in control, and our main character, Natalie, was super pessimistic and tended to be very over-dramatic.
I would have liked to have more character development, but, where the story lacked in that department, it thrived on emotion. Though, I did not relate to Natalie, and never really felt like I liked her much, I could feel her fear, her anxiety, and her depression throughout the story. I found myself rooting for the characters’ survival and hoping they found answers, their families, and their wills to fight and survive.
There were definitely some issues with the story and writing, but what stuck out to me was the fact that the story still came through and it stayed with me. The twists weren’t as thrilling as I hoped, but they were fairly unpredictable. The world that Evans created was very unique, and though I would have liked more development and explanation surrounding the futuristic tech, it was well done enough to keep me involved in the story.
Am I glad that I read this? Definitely. Am I looking forward to reading the next book? Hell yes! This was an amazing debut novel and the best part about it is the fact that the author is still in high school. You read that right! Though this book did not live up to its full potential, it was still a great read and I have a feeling each book that follows will improve both in quality and thrills. I would definitely recommend this one and I would recommend keeping an eye on what comes next from the author! 3.5 stars!
Thank you to the author for providing me with this free e-copy in exchange for my honest review!
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Darque Dreamer
Blogger/ Punk Rocker / Quirky Housewife
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