Deliverance: An Honest Review

 

Deliverance

Enslaved Book #2

~ 5 stars ~ 

Author: Katie Clark

Title: Deliverance

Series: Enslaved

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Audience: Young Adult

 

Synopsis:

Hana is Greater. It’s a future she never envisioned for herself, but she’s not about to ignore the opportunity she’s been given--the opportunity to find answers about her Mom, Jamie, and Fischer. This could be an opportunity to tell others the truth about God and uncover the secrets the Great Supreme has been keeping from their small, struggling nation. When Hana’s search brings her to the mysterious prison she’s only heard of in rumors, the desire to get inside drives her to dig deeper for answers, but what she uncovers may be bigger than them all. Can she save herself and the others before the Great Supreme realizes what she's doing, or will she give up everyone she loves in her quest for the truth? 

 My Review:

*breathes deep* Okay, we're doing this again. Another review in the Enslaved series. Needless to say, I ate this book up in no time - and with good reason. It was epic. If you think the first book was good, this one blew it out of the ball part. 

In what I'm going to call her "typical style" Clark immediately immerses you into the thick of her story from the very first paragraph. Hana is entering Greater City and must learn to adjust to her new station in life - and how to best use it to her advantage. Within the matter of a few chapters, Clark manages to introduce us to a totally new world, exciting new plots, and some clever new characters. Her concise style remains the same as in the first book, but I did notice she was a little more descriptive in this one. Though not as extensive as some authors I've read, Clark does spend more time describing Hana's surroundings, but with good reason. Hana is entering into a different world, a complete flip from her old life, and is keenly observing every new thing that comes across her path. Also, I find the author used a more diverse vocabulary in this book, which was nice. I enjoy seeing the use of million-dollar words and I find it can affect the overall atmosphere of the novel as well. 

The plot in and of itself is a work of art. There are a million different things going in this novel, so many that I would probably have to use both my hands to count them all. Yet, even with so many plots and subplots being exploring simultaneously throughout the novel, Clark manages to tie them all together and stick to the core plot of the novel. The book begins with Hana searching for the prison she has heard rumor of, and throughout the novel she goes through a cyclone of events that allow her to access bits and pieces of information pertaining to that goal, resulting in *spoiler alert* her actually locating the prison at the end of novel. Once again, Clark manages to take you through a maze of events while managing to have an ending that wraps up the original conflict.

Let's talk about the characters. There were so many new characters in this novel and it was a wonderful experience to read something that had such a rich cast. As in book #1, I was able to feel a genuine interest in all the characters no matter their significance in the story and it was nice to see so many characters aside from the antagonist develop as the book progressed. Also, some familiar faces are reintroduced, which I was not expecting. Something that I have come to realize in Clark's writing is that no character she creates is without purpose. Each one has some important role to play or some vital emotion or dynamic to contribute to the book. No character is just there at random. They are in the novel for a reason, and it's intriguing to try and find out what that reason is. 

Hana's character development throughout this book was amazing. I was honestly expecting her to more aggressive, as female protagonists often are in dystopian novels, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Clark didn't make Hana as strong as she could have made her. For example, Hana has trouble hurting people to defend herself, and she has emotional outbursts that display "weakness" which is something that you don't see too often in these kinds of books. Most female leads are tough, and don't even flinch at having to kill or injure the enemy and they tend to be stoic and not show their emotions, whereas Hana is just the opposite. Clark hasn't made her into a weakling either though. I suppose you could say she is one of the more balance female protagonists that I've read about. She has her human weaknesses and struggles, but she is able to focus on the task at hand when she needs to. Also, Hana's spiritual development was beautiful to experience. Reading about her becoming more immersed in God's word and sharing the Good News was touching, and also seeing her struggle with how and when to share her faith is something that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to. 

That being said, the faith element in this book was a lot stronger than in the former. It definitely hit home for me in a lot of ways. Hana is constantly meditating on God's word and keeps finding peace even when things are chaotic and uncertain. The moments of struggling and surrendering, anxiety and deliverance, deeply impacted me. And that brings me to another point. Deliverance, hence the name of the book, is a very potent concept in the novel. Clark takes a unique spin on this notion, demonstrating that people who are in bondage need spiritual deliverance more than physical. Because once you know that there is a God who loves you and that he is with you in all things, you can find freedom even in your darkest hour. Because you have been delivered. Hana faces many dark times in the novel, but throughout them she can find freedom in the faith she has in her Creator. 

 

   

 

Vanquished: An Honest Review

 

Vanquished

Enslaved Book #1

~ 5 stars ~ 

Author: Katie Clark

Title: Vanquished

Series: Enslaved

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Audience: Young Adult

 

Synopsis:

When Hana’s mom is diagnosed with the mutation, she confesses to Hana she doesn’t know what will happen if she dies. Fischer, a medic at the hospital, implies there is Someone who can help–but religion’s been outlawed. Hana embarks on a dangerous journey, seeking the answers Fischer insists are available. But when the truth is uncovered, will Hana stick to what she's been taught? Or will she join the rebellion and take a stand against an oppressive society? 

My Review:

Okay, *inhales deeply* I  did it. I took the plunge and finally bought a book from an entirely new author. It's been far too long and it had to be done. Now, where do I start? First of all, I've never read a dystopian novel before, so entering a new genre was exciting. At first, it was strange to hear of the world we live in now being referred to in the past tense as "the Early Days" but I adapted to it after a few chapters. 

Now let's dig deep into the actual review. Katie Clark is not the kind of writer I'm used to reading. Not only does she use the first person writing POV, but she isn't very descriptive. Unlike my favorite author Melanie Dickerson, she uses simple, plain words and as few as are necessary to get the scene or point across. Clark is very concise and doesn't use a lot of million-dollar words. However, since her writing style allows us to hear how the main protagonist, Hana, thinks, this approach I believe, is the most efficient. Hana's thoughts wouldn't be elaborate or articulately-versed and her observation skills may be dulled since she's lived in the same place for so long. Therefore, Clark's lack of description actually adds a source of realism that I enjoy and I find draws me closer to the character and makes me feel like I'm actually inside their head. 

 The way the plot was written was also amazing. To start, Clark plunges you right into the thick of her dystopian world in the very first chapter of the book. This is a tactic that I wish was used more by today's writers, as it immerses you into the fantasy world in such a way that you have to keep reading in order to find out what is going on. For example, just in the first chapter we learn that Hana's mom has the "mutation" but we need to keep reading in order to find out what this mutation is and why Hana is so concerned for her mother's life. Clark's writing grabs you within the first few paragraphs, a feat that most author's fail to accomplish. Furthermore, her consistency is on point. While still managing to incorporate numerous subplots within the novel, Clark begins her book with Hana preparing to take her Test and ends with Hana receiving her test scores. Even while exploring other plots, Clark still manages to end where the story, in essence, began. 

Now, onto the characters. Hana is my new hero. And though having a strong, kick-butt female as the lead in a dystopian novel is a little too typical, I believe it appeals to every woman's independent side. (Hey, we all have our thing.) I enjoyed seeing how Hana transformed from a broken, confused girl into a fighter who is not willing to take things at face value. The flaws Clark wove into this character were also intriguing, and it was nice to find myself sometimes berating Hana for making certain decisions, frequently the protagonist of a novel can be made into a perfectionist. Hana's struggle with herself over what rules she was willing to break to do what was right really hit home for me, and I think that a lot of young adults with find the hard decisions that she had to make thought-provoking. 

Since I don't want to give away spoilers, I will refrain from going into too much detail about Fischer and just say that I find him to be a very likeable character. He is ambitious, thoughtful, and has a patience about him that I wish I could possess. What I found that Clark did differently in the way of characters was that there was no middle man. She was able to write the story in a way that made you relate to every character you came across, no matter their significance in the story. I was able to feel emotions towards Ava, Keegan, Jamie, etc. as if they were really a part of my life. That is something I want to have whenever I read a book. 

Well, we've covered the plot, the writing, the characters... so, I think that's it. Oh, wait. No. There's still the faith element. But again, I can't say much about it in regards to spoilers. So, I'll play it safe and say that the amount of faith in this book was moderate. It was by no means heavy or convicting, but rather it was faith as seen through the eyes of someone who was discovering it for the first time. And for me, that was a real treat. I may not have grown personally in my faith as a result of this book, but I got to see someone else grow instead.

I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reviewing book #2 in the Enslaved series very soon. :)