Memory-wiped teens find themselves on a communal farm. They are, in essence, slave labor as they have no freedom, no reprieve from the work, and are under constant guard by the Enforcers. Their goal - to become one of the Elite Seven - means they survive past their 19th birthday. All are fitted with a wrist watch that tells them, to the exact second, how long they have to prove their worth. Those not selected...die. Those in power have little affinity or compassion for the children and see them more as a means to an end. Why 19? This is fleshed out in the story. Also, their situation is described in full detail, less one bit - their individual past. Since they'd all have back stories, perhaps they'd come about in following books. What you ultimately get from this debut author is a YA, dystopian story surrounding a core group of teens. This group sets off to destroy the relay that controls the countdown-to-death, but what they find is something much larger and unsettling. To divulge more would lead to spoilers. The book could stand-alone, but definitely ends as a launch to follow-up works. For me, this book was a slow start and a bit to young on the YA scale. It is pretty clean and does have some violence and death. I'd be fine having my teen read this book. When it comes to books, three-stars isn't a critical rating. It simply means there was some entertainment value, but doesn't stand out.
3 of 5 Stars
From the Publisher:
Be prepared for a fast paced thrill ride. The day the world ended began like any other day…that is until eighteen-year-old Ethan Lakenestor is taken to a lab only to be strapped down, his memory wiped clean, and a deadly timer placed on his wrist. He’s transported to a farm, commissioned to work, and surrounded by other teens–each wearing the same timer. No one knows what lies beyond the farm, but everyone that ran away in the past has been killed. Compelled to defend a fierce girl named Jade, Ethan urges those he befriends to escape. They have a chance at freedom, except for one minor detail—each timer counts down the hours until they reach their nineteenth birthday and only seven chosen teens will live. Ethan, Jada, and the others have a desperate choice to make: work hard to become one of the chosen seven or destroy the timer and escape into the vast unknown. Every…second…counts.
