Title: New America Awakenings
Author: Tyler Davis
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Book Blurb:
After a polarizing election, America breaks into a civil war, followed by a failed foreign invasion. Winning is not the end! New America divides into projects based on race and religion. Citizens who protest or break the laws are labeled an "enemy of peace." An enemy of peace quickly loses their head to the guillotine. Colt Jenkins resides in the New Bethlehem Project, where New American youth must navigate between Country, God, Survival, Love, Family, and Friends. Surviving daily attacks from Broken Mecca is not the only challenge. Katherine Shay, New Bethlehems keeper of the law, terrorizes citizens using the red phone, turning them into the government as enemies of peace. In a world with intermittent electricity, the President makes decrees from the television. The government controls the news and all information. The rising tension in the country and the Project puts Colt in Katherine’s and the government's crosshairs. After being publicly humiliated by Katherine, Colt discovers the government is not what it appears. Colt will have to decide what kind of man he will be and what he will choose to leave behind in his race to save his family and his love.
My Review:
The author has both created a fanciful dark world of dystopian horror and skewered 21st century America.
The parallels are not as farfetched as some may think. The theme of nonstop war in the book differentiates from today. The issue of civil unrest after someone loses the election in November isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Here in New America: Awakenings, Colton is the hero. Faced with a life hardly worth living he goes on. This is a clarion call for the strength of the human spirit. Many of the deprivations faced by Colton or witnessed in this society are eerie.
You do not have to get too far into this book without odd images coming to mind. Babies being torn from screaming mother's arms, Children kept in cages with no medical care, unmarked vans sweeping innocents off the street in the middle of the night. Is Colton's world that far out of whack?
Rarely has there been a book that is so wrought with emotion and impact that the reader can't wait for part two. This is one of those rare gems. This is a cliffhanger nonpareil, and this reader can't wait for the second part of this incredible story.
My Rating: 5 stars
Buy it Now:
Barnes and Nobles: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-america-awakenings-tyler-davis/1137932043?ean=9781646548736
Author Biography:
47-year-old Tyler Davis is an indie author from Oregon whose state is most famous for The Oregon Trail, and no not the 1971 computer game version, but the real deal. The Oregon Trail lead pioneers to settle out West, leaving their homes, families, and all they knew back East. A scene that well fits the genre Tyler writes since he puts his characters into a futuristic and very different country from the one we know today.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: tylerdavisbooks
Reviewed by: Mr. N