From New York Times bestselling authors Krista and Becca Ritchie, comes The Raging Ones, an edge of your seat sci-fi romance with twists and turns that you will never see coming! In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds. Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, … she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday.
Until the day she does.
Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him.
Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court–which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny.
With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space–against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.
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I am usually not a fan of Sci-Fi stories, but after hearing such amazing things about The Raging Ones, I decided to give this one a chance and I am SO glad I did. Krista and Becca have created one heck of a world and characters that are real and complex. I adored seeing the interactions between Franny, Court, and Mykal with their link and distinctly different personalities. The story was perfectly paced and written in a way that had me attached to my Kindle for hours.
I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
What a fantastic story! The Raging Ones is a uniquely captivating tale that kept me enthralled from the first page to the last. Krista and Becca Ritchie have created a world I loved getting lost in and I cannot wait to go back!
But it just wasn’t just the world I loved, it was the characters most of all! Court, Mykal, and Franny were such compelling personalities, I have a soft spot for each of them. Each so strong in their own ways, yet deeply vulnerable as well.
Court and Mykal thought it was them against the world, the only 2 people with a soul deep connection and an unbreakable bond, until they cross paths with Franny and realize she’s one of them, in more ways than one. Having “dodged” their death days, the three must now figure out how to survive in an unforgiving world, without giving away their secrets. With a plan in mind, Court is determined to save the three of them so that they can live life free and safe. And this is where the story really shines. The world building was incredible and I felt like I was right there with Court, Mykal, and Franny as they fought so desperately to escape the life they were previously destined to live.
I really was completely enchanted by this story and the characters. It was a slow-burn, yet action packed fascinating tale. I loved the subtle undercurrent of the romance between Court and Mykal, you could feel it there, simmering just below the surface. But what was most important in this story was the friendship and trust they all had to have for one another. They needed that connection in order to survive.
I’m so anxious for book two, as the Ritchie sisters really know how to pull off a cliffhanger! Well done ladies, well done. This is definitely a favorite of 2018.
I have been a fan of the Ritchie sisters for years now. I was a little wary of a YA book, but OMG they hit another one out of the park. Just nailed it out of the park.
We meet Franny first on the day before her death-day. My heart broke for her and I wanted to rage at that bank teller. We think we’ve seen the last of her in the alley.
Then we meet Court, can I say I think I liked his POV is the best? We learn him and Mykal have survived their death-days. They have been together for a year and are linked together, which I find so fascinating. The rest of the story revolves around these three being linked and the only thing they have in common is that they all survived their death-days.
They are trying for 3 of 5 spots on the StarDust ship so they aren’t found out. Court seems to be the one that has the most desire to escape as he feels someone is out to kill him. So he teaches Mykal and now Franny how to act like an Influential. (one of three classes of their time)
Not only do you fall in love with Mykal, Court, and Franny; but the side characters as well. Kindred, Zimmer, Gem, etc.
This book lays the foundation for a great series.
~~I was provided an advance readers copy by NetGalley
I don’t read many YA/Scifi novels, however I trust Krista and Becca unconditionally so I didn’t hesitate picking up this book. I was not disappointed! The world they created was very original and intrigued me a lot. I was looking forward to learning more and more about the characters and their lives. I loved the idea of a bond/link between Court, Franny and Mykal. But I also enjoyed that all three had a very different personality. They come from different ‘worlds’ and grew up in different circumstances. The characters grow significantly in this book, and I am looking forward to seeing they grow even more.
One of my pet peeves in Scifi or Fantasy books is that the world-building is too complicated, and that the author dumps a lot of information at the reader at once. I was glad that the authors didn’t do that in this book, however there were times that I wanted more information. For example, I wanted more details on how the worlds were created and how the people differed from one another. So that left me a bit wanting more, however I am hopeful that Krista and Becca will go more into depth in the next book. The twist at the end was super unexpected, and I am so excited to get my hands on the sequel and to see what will happen next. The Raging Ones is a successful YA/Scifi novel by Krista and Becca Rithie, and I can’t wait to see with what they will come up in the future.
***I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.***
Where to begin?! The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie is the first in a sci-fi/fantasy duology that left my heart racing. On a frozen world where everyone knows the day they will die, three people dodge their deaths and become inextricably linked. They feel each others emotions, they taste what the other is tasting, smell what the other smells. To save one another, they apply for a chance to win a seat aboard the Stardust (think NASA meets CIA) mission. Full of twists and turns that will leave the reader guessing The Raging Ones has found a place on my favorites list.
Meet Franny, Court, & Mykal
The book begins with Franny’s deathday. She is a Fast-Tracker (meaning someone that will die between the ages of 13-29). Fast-Trackers, or FTs for short, live every day like it is their last day. They party, drink, smoke. They are this world’s workers. FTs are waiters, concierge, taxi drivers. They are the working class. Franny embodies what an FT is. When we meet Franny, she uses the last of her money for pills that will give her a peaceful high on her deathday. Except death doesn’t come for Franny. She wakes up, freezing, someone is stealing her clothing off her, and it is the day after she was supposed to die. Everything Franny knows, her faith and need to rejoin her mother, is now in question. Then two boys save her.
Court is my favorite character in the book, even if he can be prickly at times. His past is a mystery. His last name however brands him as someone who spent time at Vorkter (prison). Every convict receives the last name and is stripped of their own. Court also took a new first name, severing all ties to his past. His reasons are shrouded. He doesn’t let Franny or Mykal in on his secrets. These secrets eat him alive. He can’t sleep, barely eats, and even his posture is tight and rigid. Despite all these things, or maybe because of them, I love him. Beneath the ice surrounding him, he is fragile. Something Franny and Mykal recognize as they feel his emotions, even if they don’t always understand the motives behind them. Court is driven and laser-focused on finding a way off the planet because he fears what will happen to them if the government knows they dodged their deathdays.
Mykal is a brute, but kind. He brings levity to the group and keeps them grounded. Raised in Grenpale (basically as I read I pictured this as an extremely rurally area), he doesn’t quite fit in the city. He was a Babe (someone that was supposed to die before 12 years of age), but that didn’t stop him from learning to hunt and fend for himself. When he didn’t die, he left his village and lived alone on the ice fields, until a bleeding, near-death Court found him. They’ve been together two years when they feel Franny and bring her into the fold. He doesn’t question what doesn’t have answers which makes him a breath of fresh air. I love his POV chapters. He isn’t complicated to understand. What you see is what you get with Mykal.
Deathdays, Empaths, and Stardust
The Raging Ones is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the empathic connection among Franny, Mykal, and Court. It explores the whys and hows allowing the reader to adjust to their strange situation. When I first started reading, I was kinda dreading this dynamic thinking the authors had set up a love triangle. But it isn’t that at all! Their love for one another runs deeper than that. They care for each other in a way that none of them have felt except from family. The second part deals with their attempts to win a seat on Stardust. This is where the action is. The first part is a slow building, introducing the reader to the world and characters. The second part is fast-paced action as they deal with other contenders, classes, and what the Stardust mission really is.
Final Thoughts
Overall I really enjoyed The Raging Ones. I love the mix of characters, their dynamic with one another and how it affected them. I love the world-building and can’t wait for more! And that ending I need more ASAP! I need to know what’s going to happen and what to expect from here. I feel like the authors ripped the rug out from under me after I’d just got a grip on what was going on. Now I’m lost again and need answers! If you enjoy fast-paced science fiction with a mixture of fantasy and touch of dystopia, I highly recommend you grab a copy.
I won an advanced copy of this novel, and I love the cover and the title! The opening quote is a Dylan Thomas classic: “Do not go gentle into that good night.” This naturally leads to the title because the rest of it is, “Rage, rage against the dawning of the light.” And this book is definitely raging against death in some strange ways. You have all these people walking around knowing exactly when they are going to die, but it apparently goes totally haywire once in a while. This is a pretty cool premise, and fantasy lovers will enjoy the world building!
So I started reading this book last year. I was bored with the first part of the book so I put it down for months before I picked it back up again. Well I just finished reading it and wonder to myself why I stopped. Overall the book was good and interesting. I am still trying to wrap my head around the whole being one thing.It is an interesting premise the book and the planet is not like Earth that’s for sure. If you feel like it is a little boring at the beginning of this book I encourage you to read through it because it gets more complicated and far more interesting. I can’t wait for the next book.
*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
This novel suffers from one major problem: that fact that it is far too long. This is quite a shame considering that the concept of the book is quite impressive by itself, but the problem is that there is too much exposition, too much narrative, that it slows down the pace of the novel to a crawl, making the reader very much aware of the length of the novel. There’s nothing wrong with long books, the problem is that the story, the action has to keep the reader engrossed enough that it doesn’t feel so long. I’ve read Tolkien, the classics, and those are long novels, but there’s something about the narrative, about the uniqueness of the story that allows the reader to lose track of the page number. This novel fails to do that, which is quite unfortunate.
Part of the problem is that the authors, they spend too much time on exposition. This shouldn’t be a problem, and typically it’s not, but the problem is that there is so much of it. For about half the novel, the reader is going back and forth on the same subject, the same subject of how these three characters have dodged their death days, thus forming a link between the three. A mention once or twice is enough for the novel, the reader understands that this information is essential, but the authors begin to hit the reader on the head with that knowledge, repeating that information again and again. There’s more information that could have been provided for the reader, more backstory on the characters themselves. If the authors are going to be spending this much time on exposition, it would have better benefited them to expand on this exposition, to expand on the characters and their pasts than on the fact that these three characters are tied together.
Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t some fun moments in the beginning. These are three very different characters, two men and one female, who have been thrown into this situation they have no control over, a position they are trying to navigate as much as they can. This leads to some humorous moments for the reader that allows for some character development and growth in the dynamics. If there is one thing the authors know how to do, it’s how to build characters. Their voices, the internal narrative of the characters, they are all distinct and powerful. The reader is able to get to know who these characters are, their struggles, and the fears they don’t want to face. Sure, everyone is afraid of death, that’s for sure, this novel sort of builds on that in the way it builds up the internal narratives and personalities of these characters.
The pace is what kills the novel. It goes much to slow and doesn’t pick up the pace until halfway through the story. Even after the halfway mark, the speed does linger on the slow slide, the change of situation keeps the reader interested because the tension rises, after much exposition, the pressure in the novel finally begins to increase, giving the reader a reason to be invested in the story and characters.
So original! Loved it!
The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie is an interesting alternate future novel. When everyone knows when they will die it effects how they live. Those who will have long lives are considered influential, while those who won’t be around long are the dregs of society. But what happens when the ultimate impossibility happens? What happens when death doesn’t come on the scheduled date?
Franny Bluecastle’s plans for her last goodbye get messed up when she can’t get he deathday funds. Then to top things off she wakes up the day after. Which is not supposed to happen and that is just the beginning of how crazy her life, which was supposed to be over, is becoming. Court Icecastle was not the kind of person who was supposed to die young, but his fate said he would, until he didn’t and when he finds himself bonded somehow to Mykal Kickfall who wasn’t supposed to make it past childhood he starts to plan an escape from those who object to those who dodge the plan. Escape to space.
When Franny gets connected to Court and Mykal’s bond things get even more complicated. They want to get off the planet, but leaving one of their trio behind is just not possible. As Franny comes to grips with her new reality and the quest that Court and Mykal have set, the adventure they undertake is one of finding who she really is and what she really could become.
Krista and Becca Ritchie have created an intriguing world with fascinating characters to match. The vivid descriptions are counter point to the harsh reality all around. Franny, Court and Mykal are all unique characters who add to the whole of their bond. Overall I very much enjoyed The Raging Ones and recommend this book as a fascinating and complex read.
(I voluntarily reviewed an advance review copy of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)
I don’t read all that many fantasies, but when I heard Krista and Becca Ritchie were writing a YA Fantasy series, I was immediately excited. The Raging Ones has a unique storyline that grabs your attention immediately. In a frozen world, where you spend your life knowing exactly when you will die, what happens when you somehow survive your deathday? Franny, Court and Mykal all have survived their deathday, which links them and also puts their lives in danger. No one can know that they are connected or that they have lived past their preordained expiration date. To survive, they need to get off their planet, which means trying to win one of the five coveted spots of the newest space mission. Members of the crew get to live without worrying about deathdays. Beating the completion will not be easy and hiding how they are connected through their sense and emotions.
This was such a refreshing and highly addictive read. I’ll admit, like most people, I initially assumed this would have the typical love triangle element so many YA books contains, but the relationship between Court, Mykal and Franny was completely different than I expected. The dynamics are what made this such an interesting read and the ending threw me for a complete loop. It was completely unexpected and has me anxious for the next book.
Holy freaking plot twist!!!!
I have been rooting, griping, and frustrated by these three in more ways than one. But I love them through their flaws, their faults, and their “inadequacies”. There just something unique about Court, Franny, and Mykal. Once you learn exactly what it is, your heart will lurch, your jaw will drop and any doubt you had about how awesome this book is…it will all drift away.
So buckle up, hold on to your possessions, and keep your fingers crossed. Remember to stand up straight, do not use vulgar language, and always guard your emotions because where you are going the rules are different.
Whether you believe in the gods or not, you will need to hold onto something because this flight gets bumpy!!!!
What an amazingly epic journey! Mykal, Court and Franny are unique and captivating characters. This book was unlike any other book I’ve ever read. It was engaging and spellbinding. I was entranced from the very first page. The characters are complex, flawed and loveable. The story arc moved at a quick pace without distraction or hesitation. Throughout the whole book, I kept trying to figure out what was going to happen next, but I literally could not. The story moved at a breakneck pace yet was still able to keep me engaged and invested. The bond between the three main characters, was intense and in-depth. I could actually feel their pain, their grief and their love. This book will have you reeling until the very last word. The cliffhanger was brutal yet beautiful in it’s brutality. I am in awe of the writing, character development and finesse in which this book was written. The passion and heart at the core of this story is breathtaking, real and raw. I cannot wait until the sequel!