Photo courtesy of Jennifer Wilson's Instagram (@jkwilson29)
So a quick summary of the plot for those of you who are not familiar with New World Rising (henceforth known as NWR, I'm lazy ok?!); Phoenix is a young woman on her own trapped in the harsh reality that is Tartaurs, a city fallen to ruins and ruled by five vicious Tribes. Phoenix has been on her own since she witnessed the brutal murder of her parents by one of the Tribes at the age of 11. Since then Phoenix has survived by moving from safe house to safe house in the dead of night until everything changes one night. That's about as spoiler free as it's going to get, if you haven't read it yet and want to avoid spoilers this is your warning to stop reading now!
****SPOILERS AHEAD!!****
"Yes, they rarely killed a person with their own bare hands, but their death toll was still high."
Ok, let's get down to the nitty gritty! First of all there's a few things about YA dystopian novels that I absolute hate, so let's lay those cards on the table now before we start talking about NWR specifically.
1. I despise when the author spends more time describing the dystopic universe than building their characters and you end up with flat characters that you form littler to no connection with.
2. When a love interest is added to the plot and suddenly your once badass female protagonist becomes a sissy always waiting to be rescued.
3. When it's supposed to be this hell hole of a place but the author pussyfoots around the more brutal aspects that make it such a hell hole.
Keeping those pet peeves in mind let's talk about NWR!
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| Photo courtesy of IG:@missphi |
Damn does Wilson ever know how to build a character! Within the first couple pages I was already invested in Phoenix and felt my hurt lurch in my chest multiple times throughout the book, especially when we think she dies after getting shot in the back trying to save Mouse. I nearly put the book down and walked away at that point, but... the curiosity drove me onwards thankfully! While Phoenix is the protagonist Wilson doesn't let the other characters fall flat; Triven and Mouse are described in great detail and not just in appearance, but through action and back story as well.
Wilson sets a fairly aggressive pace right from the start but it plays well into the story, Tartaurs is not somewhere you want to dillydally! Her description of Tartaurus, The Sanctuary and the bunker in which The Subversive is located, is richly detailed so as to leave the reader feeling as if they are walking the streets of these places themselves, it makes it easier to see these worlds interacting in your mind. I would have loved a deeper history on what caused the segregation of The Sanctuary from Tartaurus and what exactly happened to Mouse to cause her to flee The Sanctuary, but we've got two more books coming so hopefully those questions will be answered soon!
I loved how Wilson portrayed Triven and Phoenix, Triven strove to protect Phoenix becuase he loved her not because she instantly became a weak female now that there was a love interest in her life. She continued being a rocking badass and made sacrifices on behalf of the two people she allowed herself to love. Phoenix inevitably had some breakdowns, but who wouldn't after all of the shit she's lived through. I've seen some other reviewers mention they didn't like that about Phoenix since she was supposed to be so tough, but it's called PTSD, and it's a real thing. The way Wilson describes some of Phoenix's reactions like the screaming as she awakes from nightmares are classic signs of PTSD and I feel like it rounds out Phoenix's character and makes her a more believable person.
Tartarus is supposed to be deadly and depraved and Wilson does not hold back, from her description of the Tribes members, to the brutal fight scenes she does not spare your feelings one bit which makes the world more realistic and your reactions to certain events (I won't give away ALL the spoilers) that much more real and raw.
All in all this book was fan-fucking-tastic.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Wilson's Instagram (@jkwilson29)
Because I loved it so much I have partnered with Jen Wilson to bring you guys an awesome giveaway! I will post pictures of the giveaway in the near future, but let's just say signed copies of New World Rising and New World Ashes, this new print from Evie Seo as well as a mug of choice from her Society6 shop and a cute set of NWR magnetic bookmarks from HappyHelloCo
Stay tuned for details on how you can enter this amazing giveaway in the next couple of weeks to come!
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