Review: LOOKING FORWARD TO READING MORE IN THE SERIES
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2013
MY REVIEWI purchased this novella from Amazon.co.uk. The cover shows a bus parked in front of an apartment building. The bus and the building are kind of gleaming white suggesting cleanliness and perhaps purity. They both belong to the Second Chance Institute (SCI) who run the Clean Slate Complex. I like the cover as , all becomes clear about the cover when you read the novella.So Alexa is a homeless young girl who is caring for her sick mother whilst living in a van with her three larger older brothers. It becomes apparent that Alexa's mum needs medical attention, but on the way to the SCI clinic or nearest hospital the van breaks down. It also happens to break down in a rather rough rundown area. Alexa's brothers go to phone for help leaving Alea with their mum. Unfortunately a run down man (probably a junkie) attacks Alexa. Alexa does fight back as best she can as her brothers have taught her to. Sadly it appears that her life may truly be in danger as the junkie is getting the upper hand in the fight. Then a vehicle pulls up and comes to Alexa's rescue. The vehicle is a bus that belongs to the Second Chance Institute. Also around the same time as the bus stops Alexa's three brothers arrive back panicking about what is happening.Alexa, and her brothers are taken to the Clean Slate Complexes, whilst their mother is immediately taken to the medical centre/clinic within the complex too. The complex is so full that Alexa is given a room in the private quarters of the couple who run the complex. It's where Alexa meets Joshua, who gives some quite confusing signals as is he may be against the institute his parents are the heads of. The whole ethics of the place seem somewhat too good to be true, I mean no one does such things for nothing do they? That is a question Alexa finds herself asking more and more as times goes on during her stay at the Complex. Who can Alexa speak about her fears to? Who can she trust? Is it safe to speak out? What's with the strange Reallocation ceremony, where do the reallocated go?This is a well written, brilliantly cryptic novella. There always seems to be something going on. The novella has drama, suspense, danger, adventure, betrayal, conspriracy and a little romance and friendship thrown in.So did I enjoy the novella? Yes, it's quite a decent length novella. I liked Alexa's feisty character and the fact she didn't just take things at face value, she questioned incidents around her. Would I recommend the novella? Yes, it was a good read even if you don't go on to read the rest of the series. Would I read more in this series? I'd definitely like to read more in the series.  Would I read other books by Megan Thomason? I liked the style and pace of the writing so I guess I'd take a look at other books by the Author yes.