Title: THE DENOUNCED – A GREY SUN
Series: THE DENOUNCED – BOOK ONE
Author: S.J. SHERWOOD
Genre: YOUNG ADULT FICTION, DYSTOPIAN FICTION, SCIENCE FICTION
Publisher: SELF-PUBLISHED – To find out why this author chose to self-publish, read his explanation HERE.
Type of Book: EBOOK
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: NOVEMBER 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-9997929-0-9
Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
In a future divided into Secular and Non-Secular Quadrants, a crime punishable by death is to cross Quadrants and become a Denounced.
When sixteen-year-old Ned is wrongly convicted and kidnapped to a secret location, he meets ninety Denounced, and a terrifying truth begins to unfold — one that will change the world forever.
Forced to lead a Pod of five, Ned begins to realise thousands of lives could depend upon him. A survivor by nature, he now has to face his past, confront his destiny, and fight a System that has never lost.
MY REVIEW:
“In less than an hour my life will end.”
Thus begins THE GREY SUN, the first book in THE DENOUNCED TRILOGY.
I dare anyone to read that opening line and not be drawn into this book.
Who is this person that will die within an hour? What is happening? How does the person know he or she is going to die? Is this person a male or a female? How old are they? What is the reason they are going to die? Are they sick? How are they going to die? Is it a natural death? Is it murder? Who is going to kill him/her? Why? How does he/she know they are going to die? How do they know when they are going to die?
All these questions flash through the readers mind, and all of them (and more) are prompted from a sentence containing a mere nine words.
As we read a bit further, some of our questions begin to be answered, but each answer only spawns more questions, piques more curiosity and sucks the reader further into the story. The ability to achieve this is the mark of a talented author.
I love books that draw my attention immediately, and more importantly, are able to maintain my attention page after page. THE GREY SUN does exactly that.
It is difficult to believe that this is author S.J. Sherwood’s first ever attempt at writing Young Adult Fiction. He writes with the perfect voice for young adult audiences. In fact, if you were unaware of the above fact, you would think he has been writing fiction for teens for years.
Sixteen year old Ned is a character that will appeal to both teenage boys and teen girls. The guys will look up to him as a smart, tough protagonist that they would want to be friends with, young women will also look up to him, but they will also want him to be their new book-boyfriend.
How can a normal, red-blooded young woman not want to soothe Ned’s tortured soul and show him that he doesn’t need to be alone in the world any more? Add to that the fact that he would make an awesome protector and is both intelligent and resourceful, and you have the perfect recipe for a YA heartthrob.
Don’t let what I wrote above to take anything away from the story itself. Yes, Ned is “hot,” but that is only one tiny part of this tale.
The Dystopian world that S.J. Sherwood has imagined is revealed in small snippets and readers learn about Ned’s world as he learns about it. Although there is a resolution at the end of this book, there are also many unanswered questions which I am excited to find out the answers to. For some reason I do not feel cheated, even though I did not receive all the answers. Leaving questions unanswered without angering your readers is a difficult task to achieve, but this author somehow makes it seem easy.
I have read literally hundreds of Dystopian novels, for both Young Adult and Adult readers and this reality that S.J. Sherwood has created is one I will not forget. I think that part of the reason why I feel this way is because there is still so much to learn about Ned’s world. The possibilities are endless. I rate this book as 4 out of 5 Stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you enjoyed A GREY SUN – BOOK ONE of the DENOUNCED SERIES, you need to add SHIFTING HORIZONS to your watch list as it is the soon-to-be-released as the second thrilling instalment of this wickedly interesting Young Adult Dystopian series.
*** Thank you to NETGALLEY for providing me with a free copy of this book.***
QUOTES:
“It’s dangerous to let yourself dream when you’re in the System.”
“People will either come to you or they don’t, and if they don’t, you generally don’t want them anyway.”
“… I have to do something that I’m not good at, that I think none of us are good at, which is to work together. Be a team.”
“In the few days of being here, we’ve already become brainwashed … You start to become what they impose upon you. I have a natural urge to rebel against it … I ache so badly to be free.”
“Freedom is something you don’t dare talk about when you’re in the System.”
ABOUT THE REST OF THE DENOUNCED TRILOGY:
Book Two will be titled SHIFTING HORIZONS.
Pod Fifteen has escaped to an unknown Quadrant. Who do they trust and where do they go next?
If the rumours are true, thousands of orphans are heading toward Ilse’s trap. If Ned and the rest of Pod Fifteen are to save the orphans, they would need to return home and fight a System that wants Ned dead.
With time working against them and tough decisions to be made, hard-fought friendships will be put to the test. Loyalties will be cut to the bone. Character flaws will be further exposed.
What will Ned and Pod Fifteen ultimately do?
Find out in the next explosive instalment of The Denounced, available in the first half of 2018 with the final instalment, Book 3, CREAKING DAWN, set for later in the year.
If you would like a sneak preview, as well as additional information about the release dates, please sign-up for The Denounced Newsletter HERE.
ABOUT AUTHOR S.J. SHERWOOD:
S.J. Sherwood grew up in a small town in rural England and spent most of his youth dreaming of escaping to the bright lights of a metropolis.
His dream came true in the form of winning a Scholarship to Drama School. He was an actor for a short time. At various times in his life, he was a construction worker, a waiter, and an ice-cream man to name a few. He then went back to school and entered the corporate world.
The one constant in his life has been a passion for storytelling.
When he is not writing and spending time with those he loves, you’ll find him in a wetsuit, splashing in the sea, where he will be dreaming up his next story. He currently lives in London, England.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
Amie's Book Reviews 