A DYSTOPIAN REVERSE HAREM NOVEL FOR FANS OF THE HUNGER GAMES My past keeps me guarded, but I must take risks for my future. I hid behind the name of Stace, and I lived in the slums of the Republic of Nations. The gangs here constantly engaged in gunfights. I’d gotten used to them. In fact, I’m great at them. Mostly, I kept to myself and listened to orders. It left people out of my skin and I … out of my skin and I excelled at being alone.
I hadn’t noticed that in my time here, I’d let someone in.
But in a raid carried out by the militia, I’m captured and torn away from that someone.
My captors tell me I’m one of them—a Rebellia. A force of underdogs that exists solely to serve our rulers. I’m sent to their institute to train and become one of their special forces. They’ve grouped me with two of their most elite trainers.
I’m afraid of them.
Not because they might hurt me physically.
But because they might make me fall in love and I don’t want to.
Institute of Rebels is the first book in the Lost and Betrayed series. It is a medium burn reverse harem story that contains mature themes, such as strong language, violence, and sexual situations.
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Institute of Rebels is the beginning of a new series by Clara Hartley. This book is a mix of dystopian and fantasy. Armageddon has touched the world. Nothing is the same. Nuclear weapons were deployed; their true destruction realized by humanity and a new course of action was forged. Most of humanity struggles to get by while the rich live in luxury. The Elite have their Militia to police this new way of life, but just under the Militia are the true dangers…the Rebellia. The Rebellia are different, more dangerous, and the ones most feared. Stace is about to have an up close encounter that will change her life.
Institute of Rebels is an interesting story. The story starts off a bit slow, but Stace engages me as a character. She stands out from the crowd because of her pink hair (natural not dyed), but she prefers to be aloof. She’s the trump card the crew that she runs with has. The author has me wondering at her past. What happened to her for her to prefer to be apart from people? Why does she try so hard to not become attached? There are moments of where I honestly expect her to be cold and distant, but she shows soon from the start that she has a heart for others despite her cool exterior. The author, of course, answers all of these questions in the right places. There are a few surprise moments in this story, and I appreciate how well they flow into the story and move it along the way that they do. There is a spark of “romance” as well, though most would more categorize it as lust between Stace and two men she meets – Eric and Felix. This “romance” is more of a slow burn because of their situation and the fact that privacy is a luxury that they are not allowed.
Concerning this story, I only have a few small complaints about it. There are certain moments and situations in the story of where I would have liked more detail or information about the scene/situation. I might have missed it in my eagerness to read this book, but I wanted more detail about the uniforms. Are they different for men and women or are they the same? I say this because there are moments of where they sound the same, but then we get a tiny bit of description and they sound different. Then there is Stace…in the beginning she’s cold and aloof and then she gets around the guys and is more amenable to their attention for a good while. For me, the change is too sudden. I wanted it to be more gradual…like a thaw, because later on she tries to become aloof and cold towards those around her and it just doesn’t make a neat fit.
I truly enjoyed this book and I look forward to the next book in this series. The author is setting this book up as a slow-burn reverse harem novel so for those looking for lots of steamy moments, you’ll be a bit disappointed. There is one steamy scene but you’ll have to wait to get it. But it’s worth the wait. It whets your appetite for more to come. I am rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I am looking forward to the next book because of course, the author leaves the reader with questions about what is to come and about certain characters as well. So if you enjoy this author’s work then I recommend you grab this book.