New Release: Runners by Sharon Sant

Elijah is nothing special. He’s just a skinny kid doing his best to stay one step ahead of starvation and the people who would have him locked away in a labour camp – just another Runner. But what he stumbles upon in a forest in Hampshire shows him that the harsh world he knows will become an even more sinister place, unless he can stop it. As past and present and parallel dimensions collide, freedom becomes the last thing on his mind as he is suddenly faced with a battle to save his world from extinction. But before Elijah can find the courage to be the hero the world needs, he must banish his own demons and learn to trust his friends. And all the while, the sinister figure of Maxwell Braithwaite looms, his path inextricably bound to Elijah’s by a long dead physicist, and hell bent on stopping Elijah, whatever the cost.

Released June 2013 


Here is my review:
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I have to give it 2 stars which seems a bit harsh. The only thing that was 'wrong' with this book is that it didn't fully appeal to me personally.

There were things that I did like about the book. Characters like Rosa and Jimmy were interesting, though I'd have liked Jimmy to feature a bit more. The plot was interesting-the idea was a bit different from other dystopian books I've read. It was not over descriptive, the writing style was smooth and uncomplicated, and you could certainly place yourself in that grim world very easily. I think that the author did a good job in telling the story, and involving the reader in what was happening. The world building was also well done and you really didn't want to be living that kind of existance like the kids had to. The first half of the book was slow but the second half moved along at a rapid pace. I also liked the fact that it was set in the UK as I don't see many of them on my book travels.

The issues that prevented me from giving it a higher star rating were personal preferences and no fault of the author or her storytelling ability. For example I did not like Elijah, our hero. I found him frustrating and annoying because he didn't listen to what he was told, didn't share what he had with the group and got everyone into trouble time and time again. This was how the character was written for plot reasons so I can't blame the author just because I didn't like him. I also found the first half of the book too slow, taking a while to get to the main action. This was perhaps to allow for some in depth character building and world building. As an impatient reader of action packed urban fantasy, this is an issue that I have quite often with the YA genre in general. So I think you can see why I mean that my issues are personal preferences. Most people who read this book will not be affected by these things.

This book will certainly appeal to the YA dystopian fans and I think it will have wide appeal across the genre.
 


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Where can I buy this book?

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/330006 

http://www.amazon.com/Runners-Sharon-Sant/dp/1907737529/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374582221&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Runners-Sharon-Sant/dp/1907737529/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374582405&sr=1-3&keywords=Runners

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/runners-sharon-sant/1115472334?ean=9781907737527