Only the chosen shall breed. In a new world isolated by a rising, toxic sea, a single bridge connects Askala to the Outlands. Those who remain will need to pass a Proving to determine if they have the intelligence and heart to champion the future of their broken Earth. Those who succeed will become Bound, the ones chosen to breed. Those who fail, are Unbound. Free of responsibility, but robbed of … Unbound. Free of responsibility, but robbed of their ability to bear children.
Four young lives are born into this world. Magnus and Callix, two brothers determined to uphold this new order. Two brothers in love with the same girl.
Amity, the one who must make the impossible choice.
And Mercy, the girl who no one sees, but sees it all.
As a new threat to Askala emerges, secrets will be revealed and the fight for survival will become their biggest challenge yet.
Life is fragile. Love will refuse to be denied.
Sacrifice will be inevitable.
Lovers of Divergent, The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner will be blown away by the breathtaking new series from USA Today best-selling author Tamar Sloan and award-winning author Heidi Catherine.
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A beautifully written, gripping journey ideal for anyone who loves The Hunger Games. The characters are fascinating the world-building is second to none. Emotive, engaging and exhilarating, this prequel sets up an amazing series that I can’t wait to jump into!
A thrilling, Page-turning prequel with relatable characters in a world that is very different than the Earth we live on today. The characters are all trying to do the right thing in their own way and you can’t help but feel for each and every one of them. I am very excited for more
This is how the world could end up within a near future if we don’t do something about our way of life – and it’s a chilling image. Alaska is now called Askala, and instead of snow and cold it’s more like a gigantic greenhouse, where everything grows so rapidly that there’s almost no nutrition in the food. The ocean has risen and become acidic and toxic, killing almost every living thing in it.
We follow four teenagers in this dystopian world: Callix, Magnus, Amity and Mercy. The first two are brothers, where Callix has already passed the Proving and become Bound. Now it’s Magnus’s turn. Amity went through the Proving at the same time as Callix and they’ve been friends since they were small children. As Bound you have the responsability to save the people and the Earth. You’re also expected to produce children in order to increase the population. Almost everyone expect Callix and Amity to pair up, including Callix, but Magnus also has his eyes set on Amity. Mercy is the girl nobody notice, but she sees everything.
The world building reminds me of the Divergent series, but since this is a rather short prequel to After the Thaw series I feel I’ve seen to little of Askala yet to make an accurent assessment. If you enjoy dystopian YA this is probably a sure thing!
Burning by Tamar Sloan, Heidi Catherine is the prequel novella to their dystopian series After the Thaw, setting up the world and characters. An imperfect system determines who will be allowed to rule, breed, and make decisions for the greater good of humanity….or what’s left of it. Following four teens, Burning is a fast-paced dystopian sure to please.
Magnus and Callix are brothers that couldn’t be more different. Callix is a year older and already through with his proving. He is quiet, steadfast, and highly intelligent, yet jealous of his younger brother. Magnus is about to go through his proving (in fact this is a part of the plot of this story). He is tall, muscular, and introspective. He also happens to be in love with the same girl as his brother.
Amity is one of the chosen. She is a bit naive when it comes to her responsibilities as chosen. She knows that at some point she must choose a mate, and everyone expects her to choose Callix. But it is Magnus that has her heart.
Mercy is also one of the chosen. She is on the fringes of the main group, and she likes it that way. She keeps to herself and is hiding a big secret. She also happens to be crushing on Callix.
The plot of this one revolves around these four, even alternating in their POV. It takes a look at the Proving ceremony, the Chosen, and how it can all crumble. You also get a brief look at the people who live in the Outlands. This is a great setup for the series!
Overall, while I liked some elements of Burning, there were others I didn’t. The plot at times was fast-paced to the point I felt like I couldn’t keep up, and at other times was at a standstill. The romance fell flat, despite really liking Magnus and Amity together. However I’m still invested in the series. This is just the prequel (which is currently free) and I cannot wait to see where the authors take the series. If you enjoy YA dystopian, I’d recommend it.
“Burning – After the Thaw” is the first book in a new YA dystopian fiction series by Tamar Sloan & Heidi Catharine. The book is in fact a prequel to the upcoming Burning Series Trilogy to be release January 2020 to April 2020.
The story is fresh and captivating, setting in destroyed world which has become nearly inhabitable due to climate change, it follows the life of the last survivors, who seek refuge in Askala (the Alaska of the future) after the rising oceans devoured the land and the waters turned acidic. Once there and to enable the survival of the human race they made some drastic changes to society, divided the habitants and Bound and Unbound, while defending their land from the attacks of the Remnants (wild humans that endanger their way of life).
The book centers on two brothers (Callix and Magnus) and two girls (Amity and Mercy) closely intertwined with them and tells the story of how the decisions that will shape the future generations were taken.
The plot is not only entertaining but most interesting, with some very carefully chosen premises: Askala = Alaska as the final retreat of humanity after a world cataclysm that almost destroys the land is brilliant, and terrifying. The related events have the necessary amount of fantasy while keeping enough credibility to make them relatable. The writing is both rich and fluid. One of the best YA dystopian series of all times.
This is a great beginning of the series. I enjoyed reading this dystopian novel. The characters seemed to come to life with the great writing of the two writers. I look forward to reading more in this series.
A really good prequel for this exciting end of the world series! Great characters, ideas & plot! Something a little different! Very enjoyable read! I will look for more by this writer & do recommend for all that like this genre!
I saw the cover first and felt immediately drawn to find out more. Upon reading the blurb I knew I didn’t just “want” to read it, I had to read it! I love the dystopian & post-apocalyptic genres so this series instantaneously had me adding it to my “must read” list!
The cover, is bright and attractive and when reading the book, you learn about the bird and its relevance to the characters and their survival. The title fits the book perfectly. Its significance is revealed in the latter part of the prequel. I love a prequel, especially for dystopian & post-apocalyptic series as you learn the basics of the society and discover the world the characters have to live in. This prequel certainly delivers everything you need to know to make you desperate to read the rest of the series.
The book is set after the world has basically gone under what I would describe as climate change. Maybe a prophetic look into the future is we don’t clean up our acts in the world we live in now.
The sea levels have risen, taken back some of the land that people lived on and it is also has become toxic for anyone unlucky enough to find themselves in it for any length of time. Also, in the sea making it even more dangerous are the animal the Aksala people call “leatherskins.”
All those that live in the Oasis have to go through a testing process that takes seven days and consists of three different tests which is called the “Proving”. After the testing is finished, they are presented with a chip that is placed into their hand. They then attend the Announcement Ceremony in front of family, friends both Bound and Unbound where it is revealed what they are, where they will be living, and what the future holds for them. They have to move their hand with the chip above a box with two compartments. Only one compartment will open, one side is empty, which means you are unbound, the other contains a ring, meaning you are bound.
All announcement ceremonies are special to those in them and their families but every twenty years the High Bound retire and hand over their responsibilities to the next generation. Anyone that has become Bound in the last twenty years can take part to see if they are destined to become High Bound.
The “Unbound” live a single life, some would say carefree life on the upper floors of the Oasis. The Unbound seem to live a carefree life, taken care of by the Bound who consider it their duty to look after them.
The “Bound” who are expected to save the earth for the future generations that they must go on to breed. If you are not a “Bound” you are not allowed to have children. Once you are Bound you are expected to pair up with someone and start having children to keep Askala populated. It is the Bound that are in charge of guarding their home perimeter and preventing violent remnants from gaining access to the Oasis.
Then there’s the highest of the society, the “High Bound” who make all the decisions for their people, from how they live, to dealing with banishments and deciding who if anyone from the outside can join their settlement. Those from outside Askala are known as “Remnants” and have to prove themselves before being allowed to join those living in Askala. However, should a remnant manage to sneak their way into Askala and step foot on their land they then have an automatic right to stay.
There’s certainly lots going on in this prequel, remnants needing to be dealt with when they become violent, remnants that throw their child into the toxic see and one bound female cannot fight the urge to attempt to rescue the child despite knowing the risks of entering the toxic ocean. On the romance front there’s one bound female caught in a love triangle between two bound brothers, one brother loves her, but she loves the other brother. Who will she end up settling down with to perform her duty of having children? There is also a couple with a rather large secret, the poor female bound feels her only option is to settle with the male as if not he will reveal her devastating secret. Someone meddles with the only source of food with nutrients with disastrous consequences.
Then we have a banishment of a member of the Askala society, something that is done with a heavy heart for all concerned.
Characters I adored were Kimina, Amity, Magnus and Thea. The character I enjoyed disliking was Ronan! I don’t think he has finished disrupting things yet. Talking of possible future disruptions or problems I am also wary of Callix and Mercy. Could they end up causing problems for the High Bound to sort out.
I knew at around 36% that I was hooked into this book, its different levels of society with its strange rules and expectations was going to be a highly addictive read for me. The traditions and rules of this society have been really well thought out. The “Proving” really fits what the whole testing is about, as it is proving your worth to society, and reveals whether you are considered worthy enough to procreate. I really had to try hard not to whizz through this prequel. I had to make a conscious effort to read it slower. It’s certainly a story worth savouring! I also enjoyed the historic elements with the beached luxury ship called Oasis being in Alaska where the climate should be cold, but had changed beyond all recognition. This luxury ship has now quite literally become the Oasis of those survivors, their chance at survival. I also thought the play on names was brilliant, with the new colony of survivors calling their settlement Askala. I kept looking at the word Askala and thinking why it looked sort of familiar.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing this prequel were
Wow! Love the great world building. Adored Magnus, who is so unassuming. He thinks all the responsibility and important roles and work will be given to his elder brother Callix. Callix is simmering when it becomes clear all that he had hoped for is going to his younger brother, even the girl he loves and wanted to have a family with.
When I finished reading the Prequel, I had a few thoughts about what may be ahead, but then saw that there were bonus chapters available to download and read, sort of like an epilogue. These bonus chapters were interesting to read and yet manage to pose more questions for you to contemplate. I liked meeting the High Bound’s children, the next generation and catching up with the relationships that were still fairly new at the end of the prequel.
Though I did finish reading it with loads of questions and thoughts about what could happen next for the different characters. I mean what a cliff hanger at the very end! What has been changed? What was about to happen? When can I read more? Will those with secrets be found out? It also made me wonder how far in advance, or how much time will have elapsed between the end of the Burning bonus chapters and the beginning of the next book in the series.
So, to sum up I loved it! And when can I read more?
I absolutely loved this! The characters are complex but yet simple as well. They are easy to love and have you rooting for them. It’s an interesting take on Global Warming. It reminds me of Hunger Games mixed with the Divergent series. These two authors came together and wrote a truly amazing story full of adventure. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! This is a prequel so it is to be read before book one.