Saturday 7 June 2014

Dark Days by Kate Ormand Review!


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Title : Dark Days
Author : Kate Ormand
Pages : 256
Published : June 3rd 2014
Publisher : Sky Pony Press
Source : Edelweiss

The future world has been divided into sectors--each the same as the other. Surrounded by thick steel fences, there is no way in and no way out. Yet a cyborg army penetrates each sector, picking off its citizens one by one, until no one is left. Behind the sectors' thick walls, the citizens wait to die. Few will be chosen to survive what's coming; the rest will be left behind to suffer. A new world has been created, and its rulers are incredibly selective on who will become a citizen. They want only those with important roles in society to help create a more perfect future. 

Sixteen-year-old Sia lives in one of the sectors as part of a family that is far too ordinary to be picked to live. According to the digital clock that towers high above her sector, she has only fifteen days to live. Sia has seen the reports and knows a horrific death is in store for her, but she is determined to make the most of her final days. Sia refuses to mourn her short life, instead promising herself that she'll stay strong, despite being suffocated by her depressed mother and her frightened best friend. Just when Sia feels more alone than ever, she meets Mace, a mysterious boy. There is something that draws Sia to him, despite his dangerousness, and together, they join a group of rebels and embark on an epic journey to destroy the new world and its machines, and to put an end to the slaughter of innocent people.


My Thoughts : 

The blurb pretty much tells you everything so I'm not going to rehash it. I love Dystopian and Post Apocalyptic books and when I read the blurb I was sold. Well Dark Days was awesome. 

I loved the fact that the book is set to a deadline. They have 15 days left to live and the clock shows it. Every chapter was a new day so we had the added suspense of seeing the time tick down. You see Day whatever on the chapter header and as it gets closer and closer to Day 0 I was like, uh oh!! Whats going to happen today.

Sia was a very real character. She knows how long is left and after the initial crying etc, she decides to be resigned to her fate. She makes a list of the top 5 things she wants to do before she dies. Like spending time with her mother and father and climbing the forbidden hill. Will she get these things done though?? 

I loved seeing how much her character grew through out the book. She is resigned to death but after meeting Mace and seeing that there may be hope after all she decides that, yes, life is for living! She started out as weak but slowly came out of her shell and grows a backbone!! She doesn't need anyone to protect her now.

*Sigh* Mace!! He meets Sia in the supermarket and walks her home. She doesn't trust him at all and when he gives her a note and tells her to meet him the next day she doesn't even read it. She cant stop thinking of him though and finally he gets to tell her that he is part of a resistance. He is a recruiter and wants her to be part of it. He is strong, tough but yet oh so sweet with Sia. I loved seeing their friendship grow. 

I went into Dark Days with high expectations and they were more than met. Kate Ormand has created a unique setting fraught with danger. Its faced paced and action packed. In it we get to see the reaction of people when faced with certain death. Do they fight or hide? She has created a world where the "special" people are chosen to live in the New World and the other lower ones get murdered, and not just murdered but torn apart by cyborgs. Its chilling to think about!! Dark Days was an impressive debut an I look forward to reading more from this author. The ending hinted to maybe another addition to this dark and dangerous world!! Im hoping so anyway ;) 




7 comments:

  1. Attacking cyborg armies, mhmm! Never knew how much I needed this book! :D
    Potential sequels aside, does this "satisfy" as a standalone?

    P.S. It has a sort of similar theme but not quite similar, you gotta try 7 SEEDS by Tamura Yumi if you like reading manga. One of my all time favorites. Bone-chilling world and a great cast of characters. All the feels too!

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    1. Okay so I got into my 7SEEDS bubble after posting this. Ugh, so good. Great character development, they all come from diverse backgrounds and have really good story arcs. While not all characters are 'good and lovable', the author depicts them really well and you get why they did certain things even if you don't agree with the way they carried it out.

      One of the characters, Natsu, really reminds me of your description of Sia.

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    2. Lol. I know, when I read cyborg army I was sold!! It can be read as a stand alone because there's no cliff hanger but yet with the ending you are left with a lot of questions. So you can read it as a stand alone but there may be questions left unanswered.
      7SEEDS, Ive never heard of but will look it up now. I dont read manga but Im open to trying it. My 11 yr old loves books like that though. Graphic Novels and Manga help him read, he has dyslexia and has trouble reading a normal book.
      7SEEDS does sound awesome and I love that not all the characters are good, livens up a book ;)

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  2. Sounds good,thanks for a review <3

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  3. I've been waiting to read reviews for this one. There doesn't seem to be many floating around. I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it. Now I'm eager to read it!

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    1. I haven't seen many either!! I loved this book and am eagerly awaiting more from Kate Ormond!

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