Monday, April 8, 2013

Book Tour: Breeders by Katie French

About The Breeders - Goodreads, Amazon, Lulu
Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley. 
When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom? 
The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is shot and forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out.
Review:

Let me tell you I did not expect this book. I knew it was dystopian and that it would have some dark themes running through this book, but I really didn't expect something so dark. Yes, this comes from someone who has said that YA doesn't go dark enough. Well, this one was close to pitch dark.

Now, for those that don't like it too dark, I do suggest you give this one a try. It's very engaging and you really get a feel for Riley and her situation. You become quite entangled in her adventure and that is why it becomes so dark. You root for Riley, but you cannot see a solution for her that would allow a perfectly happy HEA, only a best case scenario. In this world being a woman is dangerous. You are not human, you are property, period. You will also like the love interest, Clay. I enjoyed his character growth as much as Riley's.

I don't want to give away too much. Some of the interest came with figuring out how harrowing life is in this dystopian world. I would suggest that this is for older YA groups as well as adults. It has talk about rape and some gore. It fits the world though and makes it quite realistic. The ending is pretty complete, but you can see there are threads open that lend itself to a series. Yes, I do want to know what happens next. I give this book 4 stars.

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About Katie French - website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Katie French imagined herself an author when her poem caught the eye of her second grade teacher.

In middle school she spent her free time locked in her room, writing her first young adult novel. Though her social life suffered, her love for literature thrived. She studied English at Eastern Michigan University, where she veered from writing and earned an education degree. She spent nine years teaching high school English.

Currently she is a school counselor, doing a job that is both one of the hardest things she’s ever done and the most rewarding. In her free time she writes, reads great books and takes care of her two beautiful and crazy children. She is a contributor and co-creator of Underground Book Reviews, a website dedicated to erasing the boundaries between traditional and non-traditional publishing. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children.
Kismet Book Touring is giving away 10 ebook copies of this book! To enter just fill out the rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is being run by Kismet.

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27 comments:

  1. Yup! Said it better than me and in much fewer words but exactly what I meant. It is unputdownable! You root for Riley and Clay but also little Ethan, hoping he'll survive through everything they get into! It's definitely a tough life. I can't wait for the next book!

    Heather

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    1. I really enjoyed this one. I so want to read the next book too!

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  2. Seems very dark! Riley seems like she would be easy to empathize with though.
    Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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    1. Yes, she is easy to really like. I do think you'd enjoy it.

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  3. Love dystopian and this book sounds freaking crazy. I want to read it!

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    1. Oh I do think you'd like this one and especially the love interest. :)

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  4. I'm all for dark Melissa, I always gravitate toward those types of books, but this world sounds absolutely terrifying. Even with the appeal of Clay, I think it's safe to say this is not a world I would EVER want to live in, but I do think it I would be interested in reading about it. Glad to know you enjoyed it so much!

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    1. Oh I wouldn't want to live there at ALL! I do hope you get to read it. I'd so be interested in what you think!

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  5. Oh...oh, dang. This does sound dark! Plus, that cover's kind of freaking me out. Sounds like a horrifying world to live in. How in the world did it get so bad? *shudders*

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    1. What is scary is that you could totally see it happening. :P I do think you would enjoy it though. It's not too dark that there is no light. :)

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  6. wow the cover is creepy, I didn't know this one so thanks for the review!

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    1. I do actually think you'd enjoy it. I think you have read pretty dark books in the past. :)

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  7. Oh, wow. I must confess I'm intrigued by all the darkness. Now I totally have to know what on earth happens to Riley that is so bad. My own imagination is killing me.
    Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

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    1. I'm so curious as to where is goes from there. I think you would be the same. :)

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  8. Oooo... dark YA? I've been eyeing this book for awhile, so I will definitely be picking it up at some point here soon :)

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  9. Oh... the thing I like about dystopians? Umm... I guess the hope that exists even amidst such hopelessness. The triumph of the human spirit and all that :)

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  10. I am on the fence about dystopians. I really love some (The Farm, The Hunt) but they tend to be the darker ones. I like creepy!

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  11. Some very scary concepts in this one for sure. I am positive it got you thinking. I can't say I would have tried this on my own but you and Heather have convinced me to check it out!

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  12. I can handle some dark. Sometimes. I've been avoiding it a bit lately, but in the future when I'm ready for more I'll remember this. It definitely sounds like an intriguing concept!

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  13. Awesome review! I do like dark books...been reading them for so long, not much really affects me enough to keep me from reading. Sounds like a great story. I like the bleakness of the cover too.

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  14. I love seeing how they can find hope in a hopeless world =)
    Thanks for the giveaway, can´t wait for my chance to read, =) Happy Tuesday!
    //Linda
    fr_larsson at hotmail dot com

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  15. I actually prefer when a dystopian world goes darker than most; it makes it more high stakes and believable. This sounds like a very interesting world, and all these reviews I'm seeing definitely have me interested. I'm definitely going to check this out. Fantastic review!

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  16. Not sure I would enjoy the book, I'm done with teenage protagonists, but that cover is amazing.

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