Transferral by Kate Blair

I found this book on Twitter and knew it was my type of book so I ordered it right away.

In this dystopian world, when someone gets an illness, they can have it transferred to a criminal.  Criminals are given sentences of illnesses based on the severity of the crime.  The bigger the crime, the more serious the illness they are given.
When we first meet Talia, the daughter of a Prime Ministerial candidate she is suffering from a cold and wants nothing more than to get rid of it. She is embarrassed to be seen coughing and wiping her nose, and her father needs to stay far away from her so he doesn't appear weak.  While at the hospital, Talia is confronted by a mad man and she risks her own life to help a young girl.
That action throws Talia into a world in which she knew nothing about.  The more she learns about this young girl and her family, the more she starts questioning everything she has ever believed in.  Her father doesn't understand what she is thinking, and tries to get her to see things his way.  But Talia does everything in her power to make him see reason.

This book was amazing!  Fast paced, interesting and exciting. Talia is a great character- strong, believable and convincing.  My only issue with this book was that the print was so small that it was hard to read.  But maybe that is just my age!

Anybody who loves reading dystopian novels will love this book.

Will to Survive by Eric Walters

I know I've said this many, many times, but I love ANYTHING written by Eric Walters- and this book was no exception.  I've been waiting for this book to come out for over a year- and I was so excited when it arrived this week.  I started it yesterday and finished it early this morning.
If you haven't read Rule of Three or Fight For Power you really need to read those first.

In this book, Adam, his friends and family are still trying to survive and thrive in a world where there is no electricity or power.  His neighbourhood has pulled together in order to survive. They have rules, routines and people to help make decisions.  Life inside their community is actually moving along pretty well.  But people on the outside want what they have, and are willing to stop at nothing to get it.  Adam at 16 needs to make some pretty serious decisions, but he is lucky to have his friend Herb there to guide him and direct him.   The big question is how far will Adam have to go to survive?

Will to Survive starts off where Fight for Power ends, and it is full of excitement, and adventure from the first page.  What I loved most about this book is that Adam is now in situations that are more typical of dystopian novels.  The people on the outside are dangerous and violent and Adam finds himself in situations that put not only his life, but the lives of his friends and family at risk.  Adam is a strong character with a great moral compass, but even he questions what he is going to have to do in order to keep his community safe.  Walters doesn't shy away from the means that people who are hungry for power will go to in order to take something they want.  Yet in true Walters fashion, it is done in a way that would be accessible for elementary aged students.

If you are a fan of Eric Walters, a fan of dystopian novels, or a fan of great stories- you need to read this book- well actually the whole series.  It was truly my favourite young adult series I've read in a very long time.