Review: Arclight

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller
Reading Level: Young Adult
Recommended for: Anyone!
Trigger Warnings: violence, torture

My Thoughts: I had just read about this very interesting-sounding book on John Scalzi's Big Idea blog post when I found it in my Amazon Vine newsletter, so I was very excited to have the chance to read this one so quickly (even though there were others I should have read first).

Scalzi did not steer me wrong. This book was just awesome! You're thrown right into the situation with no understanding of what's going on. What are the Fade? What is the Dark? The Grey? Explanations are sparse; you simply have to keep up. The beginning is wonderful. “Someone's attention shouldn't have a physical weight, but it does. Hate's a heavy burden; hope is worse.” Wow, huh? I love a great beginning, and this one jumps right in and keeps you running.

In the end, this book is very much about obsession, how people use fear to keep control, and how fear often leads to much worse consequences than understanding. It's fast-paced, excellently plotted, and the characters are wonderful. I can highly recommend this book to anyone to whom it appeals.

There is a sequel planned for this book. Honestly I'm not sure where it will go, because this book wrapped up just perfectly, but I really did enjoy this world, so I'm sure I'll be following along to see what's next. Meridian is the title of book 2, but no release date has been set.

Disclosure: I received a paperback ARC/Galley from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.

The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.

When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?



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