On the morning of her 16th birthday, Hollis Timewire receives the worst possible news She can’t become a citizen of the world. She’s a Diseased One. Born with a biomarker that bestows dangerous, brain-altering powers, Hollis is forced to hide underground with other Diseased Ones, who believe the government falsified history to cover up their genocide. Now Hollis must discover the truth, and is … willing to risk anything, including her powers, to go back home.
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In the year 2647, humans do not show emotion. They don’t touch others outside of their family unit. They’re raised to serve the government, and upon their 16th birthday, they’re given a test for the biomarker that determines if they are a diseased one. Humans loathe the diseased ones, people who had powers fought against the government 100 years ago. Upon Hollis’s 16th birthday, she doesn’t pass her test. She learns she is a diseased one. Whisked away to safety from the government intent on killing her, she can’t resolve the two vastly different worlds considering the brainwashing she’s received her entire life.
There was only one thing that I had trouble with in reading this and that was the idea that people could repress emotions. I have trouble picturing the changes over 600 years down the road, but it seems impossible that they could wipe out something so very core to our being.
But I loved this storyline. Once I started it, I didn’t want to put it down, and it turned into a quick read for me. The characters were fun, even Hollis who sometimes drove me nuts with her refusal to see what was in front of her. But that’s typical of a teenager, which makes her even more endearing. The world-building is fantastic, and Harrington has done an excellent job of drawing the reader into the storyline. I’m looking forward to reading what’s in store for this group of friends. A super fun, YA read.
(I received this novel as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
‘The Diseased Ones (The Hollis Timewire Series Book 1)’ by Danielle Harrington is an urban dystopian story about a society that is basically all about a ‘purity’ and ‘cleansing’ of its people. A lot of metaphors can be drawn here, but I really don’t feel like it’s driven by some need to make a statement about things going on in the real fabric of our lives.
It’s basically a painfully eye-opening experience for the main character, Hollis. After years of what she believes is a society free of these genetic anomalies, on Testing Day, she discovers she’s carrying the anomaly herself.
Thrust into the middle of the conflict between the government, who seems to only want her and her kind dead, and others like herself that are in hiding.. she doesn’t know who to trust. Everyone seems to have their own agenda and no one seems to want to be completely honest about what they know, but as far as she can tell.. they’re trying to help her anyway. Even if it’s just so they can help themselves.
As the story goes, it may not be spectacular, but it’s decent. Aside from the fact, any really pertinent information moment by moment has a convenient way of falling into the lap of both Hollis and the reader, it really doesn’t suffer from any major pitfalls.
I felt a bit too much time was devoted strictly to Hollis learning how to manage her powers. I get that it was her story and the author felt her development was important, but it felt unnecessary and was the only part I got a bit restless reading.
Possibly the most interesting aspect of the story though, isn’t the abilities any of The Diseased Ones carry, or the bit of intrigue regarding which side is actually the good.. and which is the bad. It’s a pair of twins. They appear late in the story and really should have been given more page time.
Their story is actually the most moving, and the knowledge gained about them is impactful. It’s a shame we only see them briefly.. but perhaps in the future.. in another part of the series.
All in all, I did read it all in one sitting and it was a bit of a page-turner. So, if you’re looking for a quick read with some likeable characters (Jonah, Keith, Tiffany) and a bit of high stakes action, this is probably worth picking up.