Sent to a fallout shelter to survive a nuclear catastrophe, a group of teenagers are the last hope for humanity. Can they survive living with one another first?
Katrina knew this day would come. She’d prepared for it all her life. The end of the world was here, and it looked nothing like she had imagined.
Now she is trapped in an underground fallout shelter with a group of teenagers who were … fallout shelter with a group of teenagers who were selected as the last hope for humanity. The idea of surviving the nuclear apocalypse alone blurs as she makes friends, and finds love, while buried beneath the earth.
Project Dandelion, book one in the thrilling YA post apocalyptic trilogy, drops the daughter of a survivalist and active duty U.S. Marine into an underground bunker designed for a sinister purpose during a massive nuclear war. The resulting chaos has readers echoing “Lord of the Flies” type sentiments. Will the bunker doors open? And what will become of this strong female lead character if they do?
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I thoroughly enjoyed this one! It’s a quick read and quite realistic in many ways. Story revolves around the world annihilating itself with nuclear strikes, because that is how humanity operates, but a select group of teens are placed in underground bunkers, deemed perfect for repopulating the world because they all have one thing in common: the dandelion gene, which is supposed to mean that they are more adaptable for stressful situations, like surviving the apocalypse. We look at one of these underground bunkers where an automated system helps the kids learn more about their situation and provides food and education. Katrina knows all about survival because her military father taught her early on and unlike the other kids, she knows where she is. 14 days and the computer will, maybe, unlock the doors of the surface conditions are okay, but until then, it’s like living in a high school from hell.
Everything you love and hate from cliches, bullying and fighting. There’s plenty of drama and arguing, as well as some budding relationships and rivalries that will keep you engrossed from the start. It’s a great look at social situations and group dynamics in a crisis. I highly recommend this one!
The Dandelion Project is what you get if you take Lord Of The Flies, mix it with The Maze, and set is all in a confined space.
An engaging post-apocalyptic read with hints of Mean Girls, where the weak are forced to submit to the will of the strong. Some great characters evolved through the pages, and I read it in one sitting. There is a hint of sexual violence, but only the briefest of hints.
I will be reading the next book in the series.
Author Heather Carson, in her debut novel Project Dandelion, paints a stark picture of life just before and during a nuclear fallout. The government has prepared for a nuclear disaster, one that would result in the complete and utter desolation of all of humanity. A fallout bunker exists for a group of humanity’s best and brightest teens charged with braving the aftermath of the disaster and picking up where humanity left off. The story begins with Katrina, along with her peers, waking up after being drugged and not knowing where they are and what they are supposed to do. Well, everyone except for Katrina, who is far more prepared than the others to not only survive but thrive in the brave new world ahead of them.
Heather Carson does a marvelous job of crafting a plot and characters that engage the reader. I would compare Carson’s storyline to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (minus someone dying) in that after the initial shock wears off, the teens ultimately form their cliques and, at the insistence of a self-appointed leader, attempt to prepare for their utopian society. Much like Lord of the Flies, this story is also more about surviving the interpersonal conflict that will occur between individuals confined in closed spaces than it is about surviving the natural elements.
Carson’s Project Dandelion doesn’t follow the “hero’s journey,” especially since this isn’t an adventure story. However, the story ends with a cliffhanger that promises a dystopian adventure that will test the protagonist as she, along with her friends, struggle to survive.
I absolutely loved this book. I have never ever read a book this good. I couldn’t put the book down.
Project Dandelion by Heather Carson
This was a really good YA dystopian read! It was quick tho and the ending was kind of abrubt. I did like Katrina’s quiet and reserved strength! I want to know more and I will definitely be following up with the next book.
Really enjoyed this YA post-apoc read!
My first time reading Heather Carson and she grabbed me with the start of a great series.
The story line is interesting and entertaining enough to make me want to continue to read.
Stacy Glemboski did a excellent job narrating.
I received a free audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review.