Hello Friends!
If you are following me on my Instagram account you may have already seen my quick review of this book. Yet, I wanted to post a bigger one on my blog.
“Republic of Ruin“, written by L. Blaise Hues, is a YA Dystopian novel, the first book in the Legacy of Debris Series, that will be published on February 2nd 2021, by Aethon Books.
I want to thank L. Blaise Hues for the eCopy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Synopsis
Forget life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness… Surviving is a feat in and of itself.
Seventeen-year-old Ellie Hudson immerses herself in the few things the Supply Wars haven’t destroyed—her ranch work and secret baseball games with her best friend.
But her power-hungry stepmother is leading a group of domestic terrorists in an effort to start another Civil War and frame Ellie as the instigator.
Ellie’s lost her father, her home, and her country, but nothing can rob her of her need to preserve the American dream…or what’s left of it.
Don’t miss Book 1 in a post-apocalyptic survival series with a dark, fairy-tale spin. It’s a home-run read for fans of The Maze Runner, The Lunar Chronicles, and The Selection Series.
Preorder Link: Amazon
Don’t forget to add the book to your TBR on Goodreads: Republic of Ruin.
About the Author
Lara Blaise Hues as been writing young adult fiction for over a decade. Inspired by the dozens of places she has been privileged to call home and her incredibly vivid dreams and relentless imagination, she mingles fantasy with the constant string of nearly-fictitious events of life.
She is happily married to a Foreign Area Officer for the United States Army and together, with their two daughters, they move around the world. Lara has lived in Utah, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Idaho, Arizona, Kentucky, Texas, California, Brasilia, Brazil, and Maryland; in that order. She speaks English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Lara writes the sort of books she likes to read; young adult fiction in everything from science fiction to dystopian to fairy-tale retellings. She delivers strong, smart, and audaciously honest characters who have no qualms about making themselves vulnerable to readers.
Her interest in cultures, people, and languages guided her to BYU-Hawaii, where she majored in Cultural Anthropology and earned a TESOL certificate. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing from National University.
Social Media Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads
My Review
“Republic of Ruins” is not only my introduction to L. Blaise Hues, it was also my attempt to read more dystopian novel. And what a lovely way to keep going deeper into the genre, than with this novel.
The book has this fairytale retelling element to it that I absolutely love. I haven’t read many novels that are retellings, but I enjoyed the elements added by the author, which made the story unique and just perfect.
In this first novel we are introduced to a lot of amazing characters. Firstly, to Ellie, the stepmother and stepsisters, and of course to Ellie’s BFF – Johnny. Then, as we enter more into this post-apocalyptic world, we learn more about this new society, and meet new characters. Like Jack (I know he prefers his full name, but I love Jack more) and the bad guys in the story.
Although it was just the beginning of the series, I already feel a connection with the characters, thanks to the brilliance of the author in crafting realistic characters. For example, I loved that Jack wasn’t a caveman/alpha/macho type of male character. He was kind and charming, and I could see a lot of his emotions, which is something I appreciated.
Then there were the bad guys. They surprised me, although I knew one of them from the very beginning, the reasoning being the acts and all the planning was fantastic and exciting.
And lets not forget… Baseball! Not that I know much about the sport, I can appreciate the love the characters have. It’s an added element of connection between them, and also a pillar in Ellie’s life. Plus, how many books can say they are retelling, post-apocalyptic dystopian stories WITH a sport as an important feature? If that just doesn’t immediately catches your attention, I have no idea what you are doing.
The book is filled with action. In my notes to the author, when I acted like a fangirl sending lots of messages, I referenced the first Alien movie while trying to describe ho much my heart was beating at certain key points. I wasn’t sitting, so no “at the edge of my seat” reference. But my heart certainly was beating fast, I almost feared it would jump out of my chest (like that alien creature in the movie… get the reference now?).
I was mentally screaming at the characters. I was excited. I was sighing. I was falling in love. I needed to hug Ellie. And I mind blown.
Overall, I loved the book and 100% recommend it. It had action. It had danger. It had a good page of the storytelling. Can’t wait to start the second book and see here this world is going to develop. Because L. Blaise Hues has created a fantastic world building and society that with everything that has happened, I wonder what’s in store for the next book.
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Love,
Jess
Jess Bookish Life 