Laura in Bookland: Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Polaris Uprising by Jennifer Ibarra

The Polaris Uprising by Jennifer Ibarra

Series: Polaris, #1
Release Date: October 30^th 2013
Publisher: Tiwala Books
Format: ebook
Pages: 328
Genre: Young Adult – Sci-fi, Dystopia
Source: Blog Tour – Xpresso Reads
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

In less than seven years, eighteen-year-old Ryla Jensen will succeed her father as the president of Neress, a nation where all citizens are cared for from the moment they’re born. Fed, sheltered, even educated—every need of theirs is met.

The only price they pay is their free will.

Groomed since childhood to take on a role she’s not even sure she wants, Ryla’s only escape from the pressures of duty is her sister, Alanna. But when her eyes are opened to the oppressive regime her father built, she begins to question everything she’s set to inherit—and finds herself at odds with her sister’s blind allegiance to their father.

Torn between loyalty to her family and the fight for freedom, Ryla must decide just how far she’s willing to go to make a stand and risk losing the person she loves most in the world: Alanna.

Ryla and Alanna Jensen are the daughters of the President of Neress. Those who love in Neress are taken care of from birth. “No citizen shall be left behind.” However, everything is not as great as it seems. Ryla is set to take over for her father in the next few years. She is not even sure she wants this job. Alanna is a doctor and has opened her own practice. In Neress every citizen’s occupation is chosen for them based on aptitude tests and other factors. Even the president’s daughters aren’t exempt from this. So after Alanna is passed over for taking over the presidency, she is chosen as Doctor.

The prolog of the story talks about a scary scene at a factory that has just had a horrendous accident. Lots of people are either dead or injured. Groups have gathered around to find out about their relatives. One person in particular is looking for his son. When he finds him he finds out he can’t feel his legs. He is trying to reassure him that the government will help them and everything will be fine. The deal is that they do what they are supposed to and the government takes care of them. Ryla’s father tells her that everything will be taken care of and they don’t want the press to talk about the factory. During a very important event to honor Alanna’s arranged engagement, Ryla is confronted by a crazed man who is claiming that the president has failed them. The man is quickly taken care of and Ryla is told to not worry about what she has heard.

Ryla asks her father to tell her when important things happen so that she can know how to react to them when it is her turn. Soon she is pulled into the world of her father and she finds out there are riots ensuing. This goes against everything she thought about her world.

This book was just ok to me. I can see that according to other reviews I am definitely different but I really just thought it was ok. This is a science fiction, dystopian novel and I have been reading some dystopian novels lately so this book had a lot to live up too. If I had read this at some other time then I might have a totally different take on it. It wasn’t because it was bad, I just couldn’t get into it and I will be picking it again at some point when I am in the mood for it. There could be a good chance that my rating could change.

The beginning, the first 50 pages or so, was a little slow for me but after that it picked up a little more. The conversations were nicely paced and I had no problems with the writing style. The fact that this dystopian takes place on a different planet and not in US makes it easier to examine why the world the way it is. There is no “how did the US ge this way” which is what I struggle with sometimes. I enjoyed reading the scenes between the sisters. Their relationship was really well written.

If you enjoy science fiction and dystopian then this would be a good book for you to try out.

My Rating:

*This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review.

If you would like to check out other stops on the blog tour click HERE!

{About the Author}

Jennifer Ibarra grew up on a steady diet of books, Star Wars, and other fantastic feats of the imagination. Her debut novel, The Polaris Uprising, is the first book in a trilogy and mixes dystopia with family drama, romance, and political intrigue.

She lives in Silicon Valley, where she does marketing for a tech company and spends her time running, cooking, baking, and keeping up with celebrity gossip.