The Rift Uprising audiobook

*EDIT TO THE EDIT* so, this IS being sold and shelved as adult SF in stores,which means i DON'T have to rewrite the review and this is all proof that sometimes procrastination pays off! whe!*EDIT* i am a lousy detective. this IS a YA title, which makes my review nothing more than the rantings of a lunatic. i'll rewrite it as soon as time allows, but for now, please enjoy it as an example of "me being wrong." for a million paragraphs.People always say, "Oh, I have to get my hair done," or "I have to pick up my dry cleaning." In reality there are only a few things you absolutely have to do: eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and, in my case, show up for my shift at work in front of an interdimensional Rift in time and space.i was 40 pages from the end of this book before i realized it wasn't YA. up until that point, reading this as YA, i'd intended to rate it a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars, because i'm a chronic uprounder. but now that i know that this is a book intended for older readers, it's really hard for me to give it more than a solid three stars, because i sort of factor into my star-ratings, "how successful is this book in serving its audience?," and leave it for the review to blab about my personal reaction. and this book is much better suited to a YA than an adult audience.you may feel free to dismiss all my complaints about audience and counter that with all the really sophisticated YA titles being written today and the trend of these crossover titles bringing adults hip-deep into the YA reading-world, do these age-based distinctions really matter anymore? but they do. of course they do. not only from a pricing perspective, where adult hardcovers run about 8 bucks more than YA, but also from an expectation of what the reading experience is going to deliver. i enjoy reading YA novels, both the actiony escapist diversion types and the more realistic issue-based books that continue to surprise me with how competently they tackle difficult subject matters, and how literary and ambitious they often are. but even the "best" YA has bits that appeal specifically to younger readers that a savvy adult reader accepts as being appropriate for the intended audience, but would not work as well in an adult novel. and as a savvy adult reader of YA books, you overlook certain shortcuts or situations that you wouldn't in a book for adults because you understand the priorities specific to the audience, and you make allowances for them. YA is typically faster-paced and able to get away with glosses because the audience is accustomed to and craving a particular style of storytelling which sucks them in and keeps those pages turning, while adult lit tends to be more descriptive and introspective and fills in more of the blanks that would slow down a teenager who's used to a faster-paced world with all the tweeting and texting we fogeys are still fumbling at with our palsied hands. there are situations in this book that i'd been excusing as YA-acceptable that, once i had to reexamine through the adult lit filter, became more glaringly weak. it's not that it's a bad book at all, but it definitely reads like YA, and i think it's doing itself a disservice by being marketed as an adult novel, because it doesn't hold up against other adult sci-fi books in terms of its science, its worldbuilding, or its themes, which are much more suitable for a younger audience, tending to appreciate character, romance, and action over all the scientific explanations or sociological import an older sci-fi crowd values.again, it's a fun book with a great premise: a near-future scenario in which scientists have created secret portals, or "rifts," into the multiverse in a bunch of different locations around the world, through which creatures from other pockets of the multiverse begin to emerge with varying degrees of communication-abilities, violent tendencies, and ability to exist in 'our' world. these 'immigrants," be they animals, humanoid types, unicorns, or vikings, are all taken to "the village" and kept in camps done up like little touristy gated communities and encouraged to acclimate to our ways for everyone's safety, even though they ain't never gonna integrate into the larger world, especially the ferocious karekins, who are automatically killed whenever they emerge from the rift, due to their hyper-aggression in all past experiences. one species, the roones, are helpful humanoid types, far surpassing us in their tech-skills, and these alone are allowed to work alongside our scientists to manage the risk the rifts present. to that end, scientists begin screening children and implanting specific types with chips giving them special abilities, forgoing the pesky matter of parental consent, and only telling the children themselves when they are activated as "citadels" at the age of fourteen, when they become responsible for guarding the portals and using their enhanced abilities to deal with whatever comes out. in a pleasantly chilling detail, only the most average and ordinary children are selected because scientists do not want to take a potentially bright future away from a gifted child and they want their "super" soldiers to appear as unremarkable as possible.these teenaged citadels have super healing abilities, increased stamina, athletic abilities, eidetic memories, and they are trained in languages, fighting techniques, wilderness survival skills, and weaponry, while their parents think they are just in school, being regular teenagers. along with having been 'improved' in so many ways, there is yet another thing preventing them from behaving as normal teenagers - they can never get their swerve on, nor even have too powerful feelings of a sexual nature. any time these lustful urges manifest, something called the "blood lust" comes over them, which always results in severe injuries to both parties, particularly if one of them isn't a citadel with magical healing abilities. ryn whittaker is a seventeen-year old-citadel based at the washington state rift, where she is the tactical leader of beta team, about to uncover all sorts of secrets surrounding the rifts and the nature of the citadels.i loved the portals and the "what will come out next?" aspect of it, and the idea of genetically-modified people in a secret organization forced to live double lives with strict limitations on their personal freedoms - all of this has great potential for tension and dramatic situations, and for the most part, it delivers on that potential, but now that i know this is for adults, it just puts all the things i was excusing as being "YA-ish" here into a context that i just don't see working as a book for older folks who've been around longer, who've read and experienced more.instalove. instalove, in YA, is very common. and of course it is - it resonates with the experiences of readers of that age - the heady adolescent period where you're testing the romantic waters, figuring out what you're attracted to - all young and full of curiosity and the novelty of being drawn to someone without knowing why. back when i was a young'un, i had all sorts of little crushes that were nothing more than,"that person is pretty, and i wanna kiss 'em." but adults have different priorities, and understanding why two characters would be attracted to each other gives the story plausibility and impact. we want to know why people are into each other - we want some basic attempt at character development. so, while i'm totally willing to overlook instalove in YA because i understand its appeal to that audience (while still rolling my eyes at it because it's trite), it just seems like a lazy elision to have a character fall for a boy on the sole grounds of him being her type of gorgeous, even when the character is herself a teenager. especially when she makes a point to say later, of another character: Does he think because he admitted to me that I was an actual girl, with boobs, that I want to confess my love to him or something? I don't know a lot about guys, but I know it doesn't take much to get one sexually attracted to you. Does he actually believe I'm naive enough to confuse normal teenage lust with real feelings? Is this his version of flirting?for all her awareness that attraction resides in something more than just proximity, she never provides a reason for falling for a newly-arrived-by-portal dude other than this "gorgeous," quality, which is certainly not enough to justify the solemn vow she makes to herself, the day they meet, that he will be the only person in the world I will never lie to.that's a lot of melodrama to put on such a flimsy foundation.the preoccupation with sex is also something that is, ironically, less suitable in an adult book than a YA title. i get it - you're all teenagers entrusted with a responsibility that would be taxing and stressful even for an adult, forced to lie to your families and train relentlessly, and there's a huge emphasis on physicality and adrenaline and all that free-floating energy, but you can never bone. and that's horrible and frustrating, i get it. but there's just such an emphasis upon wanting to have sex here, in all the citadel-characters, and simple horniness is responsible for so much of the plotting and for decisions that have really serious consequences. it's perfectly in keeping with the YA audience, who (hopefully) don't have as comfortable a relationship with their own sexuality as adults with decades of experience under their belts (oHO), when there's still all sorts of mystery and a little of the forbidden attached to sexuality, but an adult audience might want a bit more than just "me want sex" as a justification for the decisions of these characters. then there are situations straight out of james bond films, which have been parodied so many times, it's awkward to encounter them "straight," where a mutually-threatening conversation occurs between two adversaries while their heavily-armed and -trained people surround them with their fingers hovering over the triggers; people who shoot things all the time without hesitating, and yet, here - everyone's just standing around letting them talk it out, while ryn is (view spoiler)[not only spilling some really huge secrets, but also shooting people, all without consequence, despite the presence of a truly affectless killer, and oh my god, the EEEEYYYEEEE!!! (hide spoiler)] until it's like 'oooops, why didn't we shut this down instead of just standing here like the background props we are?' you can overlook little things like that in YA, for the sake of tension or whatever, but an adult is gonna raise an eyebrow at the standoff cliché, especially in a book that actually references james bond at least twice. and speaking of references. in place of actual worldbuilding, there's relentless name-dropping of stuff that exists for us, without a single introduction of something pop-cultural that may have occurred between "now" and 2020, when this book is set. (except for maybe Transformers 5, which is actually coming out in 2017, so - oops) so you have references to harry potter and buffy the vampire slayer and twilight and true blood and game of thrones and downton abbey and great british bake-off and josh groban and rent and the little mermaid and ender's game and bourne identity and liam neeson and mad max and dr who and the hunger games and converse and best buy and starbucks and hobbits and meryl streep and red dawn and voodoo doughnuts and star trek and martha stewart and ewoks and oprah and my little ponies and planet of the apes and the matrix and the exorcist and syfy and hbo and ipads and x-boxes and mp3s and larping and google and ben and jerry's and every comic book hero/ine from spiderman to wonder woman to the x-men to batman to captain america to the fantastic four but not ONE new thing between now and 2020. and some of the references seem dated even to someone reading this now, in 2016. is the gilmore girls still going to be a relevant show to teenagers in 2020? will friday night lights references be part of a teenager's snark, nine years after it was cancelled?"Don't you ever get sick of it?" I ask him sincerely. "Being so aloof and guarded…the Tim Riggins of it all?"would this conversation take place?"Okay, here we go, Ryn. Fuck, Marry, Kill: Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Christian Bale. Go."…."Are we talking American Psycho Christian Bale or The Machinist Christian Bale?" I manage to answer with a little smile on my face."Ohhh, that's a good question. And I like how you didn't bring Batman CB into the mix, 'cause it's so obvious.i don't know, but the constant barrage of name-droppery became both tiresome and bafflingly locked-in-time.it's a satisfying book, but it's so clearly YA. there's plenty of instances of ryn using her strength and wits to confront casual sexism and more serious girl-assaults, making her a great heroine for teen readers to cheer on, and she's got a good snap to her: He's like an enigma wrapped in a mystery wearing a smirk that makes me want to never stop slapping him, but even the assault scene lacks weight - it's see problem/solve problem/move on with no psychological component. everything is just too easy in general. for such a tightly-controlled seeecret experiment, ryn gets away with a lot of stuff she probably wouldn't have in adult dystopian sci-fi. she's going places she's not supposed to go and learning things she's not supposed to know and flagrantly flaunting this knowledge without serious consequences. and the ending? let's just say that she creates a huge game-changing situation with no indication that the aftereffects have been considered, which is absolutely fine for a YA first-book-in-a-trilogy cliffhanger, but an adult is going to have some questions. not about "what happens now?," because that's for book two to divulge, but "what did you expect to happen? were you just gonna make this mess and not clean it up - did you have no strategy or plan in place to deal with this fallout that's going to affect everything so fundamentally?"but then, impulsive behavior without considering the bigger-picture consequences, well - that's the best part about being a teenager, right?if this were YA, i would totally give it 4 stars, but i think adult readers who are expecting adult sci-fi are going to find it too slight.come to my blog!["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Ryn was selected to become a special soldier to guard the Rift. At 17, she has already seen more than her share of bloodshed and yearns for something more than just killing the unruly the Rift crossers and escorting the passive ones into captivity for the rest of their lives.When Ryn makes a special connection with an extremely intelligent young man, Ezra, that gets pulled through the the Rift , she makes a promises that she should never keep. She promises to see him again. She breaks into the secure holding facility and discovers there is a far sinister plot behind her special abilities to guard the the Rift. Ezra makes her question everything she believed as truth.The Rift Uprising was extremely intriguing, Foster has woven a tale that will have me coming back for more. I received this ARC copy The Rift Uprising from Harper Voyager in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication October 4, 2016.My Rating: 3.5 StarsWritten by: Amy S. FosterSeries: The Rift Uprising Trilogy (Book 1)Hardcover: 400 pagesPublisher: Harper Voyager Publication Date: October 4, 2016ISBN-10: 0062443127ISBN-13: 978-0062443120Genre: Scifi | Dystopian | AlienItune: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-...Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rift-Uprising-...Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-r...My Review:

Review on http://www.bookishrealmreviews.com/20...Let me start by saying that the premise for this book is ultimately amazing. The world is a version of earth set in the future; however, a "tear" in the universe allows creatures and "humans" from other worlds to come into this version of earth. As a result, children are implanted with devices to become defenders of the rift. All I can say is that is the most amazing concept that I have heard of in a long while. I'm not a huge science fiction fan, but for some reason the science aspects of this book were so easy to understand and I found myself getting totally absorbed in the world. Now lets move on to the parts of the book that I really really enjoyed.In the beginning it was hard to relate to Ryn as a character; however, after reading through the text for a while she began to grow on me and I definitely appreciated the strength and courage she had in becoming a leader of her team. She became easy to relate to and I definitely could appreciate how difficult it was for her to continuously lead a double life: one that focused on protecting the rift and one with her family. Foster's writing also was a key point of enjoyment for me. She wrote science fiction in a way that was understandable and enjoyable. I've never found myself so engrossed in a world before. In addition, she wrote with such ease and fluidity that I couldn't help but finding myself moving through the story at a quick pace. And she definitely gained bonus points in my book for writing such an amazingly strong female character.The only aspect of this book that I didn't enjoy was the romance. I've often noticed that a lot of YA novels seem to "need" to have some hint of romance to sell to readers; however, this book didn't need it. The characters were so well-developed and the action was so fast-paced that it seemed as though the romance was some what of a distraction. It felt too fast and too "insta-love" and I know that Ryn could have stood on her as a leading lady without the added romance.Overall, this was an enjoyable book. If you're into science-fiction and alternate universes I would definitely recommend trying this book. It contains so many interesting elements that I haven't seen YA touch in a fairly long time.

**I received a finished copy for review and this was originally published on my blog, Avid Reader**Plot: I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW MUCH THIS HAS MESSED ME OVER BECAUSE IT'S INSANITY IN A GOOD WAY. LIKE NOT AT ALL LIKE I EXPECTED AND OHMYGOD IT'S INSANE (i can't say much else or else it gives it all up but ya, it's INSANE)Characters: okay so main character was Ryn and can we pls discuss how 1) I imagined her as the Viner Lele Pons and 2) SHE'S FREAKING AWESOME like sure she has her flaws and she is built to be AMAZING but dude she thinks like a normal person and I was like, if I was Ryn, my thought processes would be literally the same. I also reallllllly like how the other characters were described and portrayed and how their relationship is with Ryn and it was just wonderful character wiseDescription/Dialogue: so remember back like 5 seconds ago when I said Ryn's thought processes were like a normal person's? SAME WITH THE DESCRIPTION AND DIALOGUE! I don't know what it is - were books not really like this before?! - but this was very refreshing! I love the realness factor to it! I might love it more than others do because I'm trying to figure out how to bring that same realness to my own book but I LOVED IT!!! TBH I just loved this entire book! Like enough that I read through the remaining 200 pages (leftover from after I read during dinner) in like an hour and a half no kidding (I timed myself)(literally started reading again at 10:30 pm and then finished at 12 am)(I might just be a Citadel myself)(okay I'll stop now)

Received in exchange for a honest review.Ryn is a strong character and very strong willed. I liked how she began to think for herself and sought to find out the truth. She is beginning to question the leadership and what they did to her and her friends.When does this occur?When one of the people who came through the rift isn’t what she thought. She goes on a journey of discovery. Of herself, her beliefs and the truth. And what she finds is truly disturbing but also riveting. the story is great in the world building and of what ryn and her friends are. Amy Foster builds up the suspense of the revealing of the truth and all that has been done and the truth behind everything. We get a suspensful story strife with tension, a group of friends that are loyal and honest but also a romance is begun. We see what could be a love triangle and also growth of each character as they see the reality of the situation in which they live. Foster has written a inventive story that is both captivating and suspenseful with characters who some are polarizing and others just grab you from the beginning. A plot that has many twists and turns and reveals that just at times shock you but keeps you on your toes as well. You cannot put down this story and want the next as soon as you finish.

More than 3.5 stars, but not quite 4.There were some bits not fleshed out enough ( I really wish there'd been more with Ryn's -the h- family, and I really wanted to get to know the secondary characters better....and I really wish this wasn't all from the heroines pov. I'd have loved getting Ezra's pov....what he goes through Is so distinctly different than what the heroine goes through, it feels like not getting his pov, means we're missing part of the story. But for the most part this was an amazing YA read :)On a side note, romance wise...there's not a lot. Getting the h and H together wasn't the focus of the book, so if that's what you're looking for you may be disappointed.

Ok so I'm really not good at writing reviews... this book is like a mix between Divergent and Hunger Games. It kept me reading from the start... I have literally been sneaking reading this book at work because I couldn't put it down! The concepts are great! Love the idea of multi universes, different species and trying to figure out who the villains are in this book. I'm just really sad that I don't have a sequel that I can dive into already... for that matter the first book isn't even released! I got lucky to win a Giveaway for the uncorrected proof copy and now will be dying to know what happens until the sequel comes out. When is that???? I'll definitely recommend this book to friends and family.

I hardly ever read sci-fi and when I do it's normally watered down so when I was sent a copy of The Rift Uprising for review I was skeptical at best. This seems to be targeted more towards Adult/Older Teens and man was it a great read! I'm seriously contemplating checking out more adult sci-fi if they are all as good as The Rift Uprising. Personally I though the twists were well done and the characters pretty likeable. I enjoyed the fact that the main character had to sneak around and leave her family in the shadows of it all.

One word: Incredible. Cannot wait to read the rest of the trilogy! This is going to be as HUGE as THG, GoT, Fifth Wave! I could not stop reading after I opened the first page, which is about the history, the rifts opening, and how the Citadels came to be. Must read!

“The Rift” is an exciting and gripping thrill-ride that begins when seventeen-year-old Ryn Whitaker an elite, genetically enhanced soldier guarding “the Rift”, a dangerous portal to alternate Earths meets brilliant scientist and traveler Ezra Massad. Thrust across time and space, arriving disoriented and lost only to be thrust into “the Village”, a comfortable prison for new immigrants Ryn promises to visit Ezra, the boy she’s physically attracted to and can’t forget.But after making a deal to be able to sneak into the Village to see Ezra, he begins to ask alarming questions that has Ryn questioning the chip in her head; the double life she’s forced to lead; and the Blood Lust that afflicts Citadels, stifling any kind of intimacy. As the lies unravel and the truth comes to light about the Rifts and the Citadels’ purpose, Ryn must make make a decision that will have her grappling with those in charge and her fellow Citadels as well as looking for answers that could take her beyond her world.Set in Washington DC at Battle Ground (Camp Bonneville Military Base) the Citadels who had a chip inserted in their heads as youngsters have been trained at age fourteen to run faster, jump farther and fight better than anyone in the military. Their duty is to guard one of fourteen Rifts, cosmic anomalies and gateways to different versions of Earth that have opened. The journey through the portal is only one way so any species -good or bad- that arrives is swept away to a “Village” a prison for the immigrants who can never return to their Earths. In a violent atmosphere where Citadels usually attack newcomers before asking questions, Ryn and her team never questioned their duty until she makes a tactical decision to talk to Ezra, a young man who looks confused and lost when he steps through the Rift.Fast-paced and gripping Amy S. Foster sweeps you into the story when Ryn makes a deal to enter the Village that’s restricted to most Citadels, discovering that the immigrants are coerced into adapting to an Earth that they can never leave. Intensity and suspense continually build as she and Ezra begin to unravel secrets to the ARC’s (Allied Rifts Coalition) and the alien Roones collaboration that provided a unique police force for the Rift at the expense of the children chosen to be implanted with the chip and indoctrinated at fourteen. In this story humor and romance diffuse the violence and intrigue especially when Ryn and Ezra uncover the secret of the Citadels’ Blood Lust and are able to display their deepening affection while Boone and Violet who have cared for each since their early teens, latch on to the remedy so they can be together. As events unfold and tension builds the plot quickly and smoothly progresses to a violent confrontation, a heartbreaking change in plans and a cliff-hanger that begs for a sequel.Ryn Whitaker is quick-minded and a natural tactician who is hypersensitive to each opening of the Rift. She’s a loyal leader who’s capable and respected by her team who include the sarcastic and humorous Boone; the feminine but skilled fighter Violet; and the strong, training obsessed and tense Henry. Drawn to eighteen-year-old Ezra Massad a Quantum Cryptologist and hacker, Ryn discovers that he’s not only cute and smart but is endowed with lots of self confidence and quiet strength. Like all the characters they inspire passion, depth and high-energy in a plot you can’t put down until the end.I thoroughly enjoyed “The Rift” and look forward to the sequel as Ryn and her team look for a way to thwart ARC and their sinister plan to not only control the Citadels but to control the alternate Earths beyond the portal.

The Rift Uprising is a sci-fi YA book where Divegent meets the Flash. The premise is that scientists had an experiment that went wrong, opening 14 Rifts on Earth that connects to different Earths or totally separate universes. Citadels, chosen for their averageness, are brought in as teens, implanted with a chip that gives them abilities such as heightened hearing and extreme intelligence, entrusted with guarding the Rift in their country all day. Overall I do recommend this book, even if you're not into sci-fi, because it contains all the aspects of YA bet retells it so that there are many twists and turns that from the first page it's not what you expect when opening up the cover.**THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD**Characters1. Ryn is a Citadel who is basically someone who when they were seven was implanted with a chip, giving her all sorts of capabilities. Her family knows nothing about her double life, believing that she attends a school for Accelerated Rate Curriculum instead of the Allied Rift Coalition. 2. Ezra, he's come from a different universe completely through one of the Rifts in America. We are not very sure where he is from (it's either that or that they said where he was from and I skimmed over it), only that it is a parallel universe to Earth.3. Violet, Boone, and Henry are Ryn's team. Together, they guard the Rift, being out in very different guarding positions throughout the book. Simply put Henry is gay though he's a very underdeveloped character which kind of sucks because it is stated clearly that he is a badass even though he is the strong and silent type, so I would have liked to see him explored more. Violet is Ryn's BFF who had always been said to have been there for Ryn, as Ryn has been there for her (even throughout their first murders) *insert the awwwww that's so sweet sigh here*. Violet and Boone just so happen to be in love with each other but can't be anywhere near each other. Boone, just like Henry and Violet (though Violet is a bit more developed), is an undeveloped character who I want to know more about, whether it's in a novella or in the next book. Boone always seems to be cracking a joke whether it's corny af, just plain stupid, or one that has you laughing very hard (which tbh happened rarely so let's stick with mainly corny af).4. Levi is Ryn's ex-BFF's brother who is also a Citadel, but his sister doesn't know about Ryn or Levi. To quickly sum up his sister, she throws a party, says somethings up with how weird Levi and Ryn are and that somethings going on that she would like to know about, gets very hammered very quickly, and escorts to guys to her room and passes out immediately, but before those guys could actually do anything, Ryn beats the sh*t out of them. Levi's original girlfriend is gone due to the Blood Lust (which I will explain later) and I don't remember if the girls dead or just was seriously injured and moved away from Levi by ARC. Levi is just kind of mad and angry all the time, with no main purpose except that he prevents a lot of things from happening but starts some things too. He helps Ryn break into the Village the first time, where Ezra and other Immigrants ( from snake people to humans) are kept away from the outside world. With constantly treating Ryn like a child, Ryn doesn't really like him or his attitude (which is understandable) but Levi, to me, was the definition. of "if a guy is mean to you, he likes you," but you only really see it at the end.RomanceI'm not gonna say romance is dead in this book, but it's definitely sitting on a hospital bed waiting. With Ryn and Ezra, Ryn automatically had a thing for him, and it was definitely returned with Ezra asking her to visit him at the Village. Personally with romance, I don't care how much the main character is in love with them within five minutes, it matters how much I fall in love with them. I need the build up. I need it to be, and no matter how cliche this is as an example, a tough guy who is constantly an asshole or feels he has nothing to live for, but with that girl, you slowly learn more about them, they open up. The reader needs to feel sympathy for them, with the characters being semi platonic and having banter, and then just have a moment where it clicks. It can't just be "you came out of this thing called the Rift but damn, you're fine and I'm into you" without KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT THE PERSON. It was bad to the point of being at the end of this book and Ezra basically saying (and I'm paraphrasing here, "I don't want my girlfriend to be out in danger" and Ryn gets all blushy. Let me tell you, it had been exactly 348 pages (and yes I looked), but I still thought in my head "You have no right to call her your girlfriend, you have not properly fallen in love." It's like when Ariel goes, "But, daddy, I love him." And you're just sitting there like "Girl, you are sixteen and don't even know what love is."Now let's talk about this thing with Levi. It did not exist. It did not exist until the last like ten or twenty pages where he sides with her against ARC and tells her "I don't think you're a child" and *spoiler* pushed Ezra into the Rift, won't let Ryn leave, yells at her, then when she asks why? he gives her the most bullsh*t answer ofwait for itwait for itwait for itHis answer was "because." this guy who has been berating the crap out the main character like she's a child (which she is) gives the answer of what I give when someone asks me why I like a book, and then I turn into myself, having a war in my head about whether I should go into detail or just say it "speaks to me" but in that two seconds of arguing with myself, the words are out of my mouth before I even think, and I say, "Because. Just because." Like no. You do not get to have barely any conversation with someone, see them being very close to having sex with their love interest and then go "well I kinda like you" but I'm not gonna say it, so "because."I have a feeling I might be mad about that till the end of my life.But Ryn's response is a million times worse because she gives the reaction of "I don't know what you're taking about" but a paragraph later, she's like I can't deal with your feelings for me... It also doesn't help her case where at one point she says something about his attitude and how she loves to hate it. For Levi and Ryn, it was too late in the game to think he could be another love interest because at that moment, even though I dislike Ezra, I think he is endgame for Ryn .With the Blood Lust, it means Citadels can't have any form of romantic relationship with someone without wanting to murder the other person. This is something Boone and Violet have a problem with, that Ezra and Ryn have a problem with, and the Levi originally had a problem with his previous girlfriend. Honestly, the aspect of the Blood Lust would have been interesting if it hadn't been engaged in reality so much and made a much bigger deal than it should have been. It took the focus off the bigger issues because all anyone ever talked about, at least it seemed that way, was "I wanna have sex...I'm happy you can have sex now how can I have it...You don't think I wanna hook up with people too?" It gave off the message that sex is all that's going on in teenagers minds but as a registered teenager myself, I'm not thinking about sex 24/7 because I have things to do. It's not my priority, but it is there sometimes in the back of my head, it does exist, but it depicts teenage boys as not able to want to keep their pants zipped up to keep anything from getting out or girls who are attracted to some boys instantly and want to f**k (Ryn to Ezra) but some guys (like Ryn did to Levi) where she grabbed him and he shook her off, made some comment about her books and she thinks "oh so he made a comment about my books and thinks I will immediately proclaim my love to him." It just made me cringe with how much of a hypocrite the characters could be and how quickly things became "love" for Ryn and Ezra.So overall, read the book. I may have conflicting emotions of with this book, a very much love-hate relationship. It's good but there are just a few things that I couldn't get past, but if you as a reader are able to do that, go for it.

Based on the reviews this book seems very polarizing but I didn't see that much of an issue with it. The story is somewhat reminiscent of Buffy and Ender's Game, two franchises the author calls out in the context of the story, mostly because of the children soldiers and "secret life" aspects. I also get that this would be hard to classify for American audiences; there's more of a focus on sex than a lot of US people would be comfortable with in a casual YA book (because teenagers in America don't have sex and they won't unless they read about it in books or see it in movies). Unlike a lot of the reviewers I don't think the plot points about sex were obnoxious or out of place because of the context where they came up. (view spoiler)[ They were the central focus of the behavioral control mechanism ARC used and, also, teenagers; sex is a pretty big deal. (hide spoiler)] I also appreciated that the author didn't default to "teenagers make stupid decisions" to drive the plot forward. A lot of YA titles tend to present otherwise capable protagonists and secondary characters who are teenagers and the biggest thing that causes conflict or disaster is the characters overlooking an obvious trap or risk but it's written off as "they're kids-ish, obviously they wouldn't be considering all the angles or outcomes; teenagers never plan ahead." This is especially frustrating when it runs contrary to the established personality and capabilities of the protagonist. In this case that didn't happen and I greatly appreciated it. Still, it's a YA book so the overarching plot isn't new or innovative, but Foster did a good job in forming the details and doing worldbuilding around the story, and by the end of it there are still a certain number of mysteries and plot points that need to be wrapped up but the answers don't appear obvious, at least not to me. I'll definitely be continuing on with this series.

Wow!This is the first time I'm experiencing Amy Foster's work and I am impressed. I have been on a romance bender the last few years and it has been a long time since a book has captivated my attention with anything other than erotica. Amy's world is so gripping, I couldn't put this book down; every spare moment I had, I just had to keep reading. I love the way the main character was built. I try to steer clear of teen-led FPV because I cannot relate to the naivety, or the lack of mature content as far as sacrifice and betrayal can go, but I was wow'd by how Amy was able to instill a sense of real grit and wisdom behind the main character. I felt like some things escalated too quickly, and some things didn't quite get explained as thoroughly as I wanted them too - but this is a trilogy and I have very high hopes for the next installment. This book was definitely worth the read, and I look forward to more of Amy's work.

I'm really beginning to enjoy science fiction more and more, well at least dystopian science fiction. This was an audiobook I listened to and it was pretty good. It kept me interested and gave me some much needed mental distraction during my workouts and busy work over the past week. I liked that it wasn't afraid to go dark sometimes (especially when getting into the backstory of how this version of our world came to be). I wish the next book wasn't already checked out to someone because it left me with a pretty stressful cliffhanger that I'm anxious to resolve. LOL I really loved the main characters of this book and can't wait to see what decisions they make in the next book! With everything coming to a head, it will be pretty interesting to see how it all ends up playing out!#4stars #amysfoster #awesomebooksbyawesomewomen #theriftuprising #theriftuprisingtrilogy #dystopianscifi #supersoliders #whenthegovernmentgoeswrong #jenireadabook #readingissexy

This book features a butt kicking female protagonist. Ryn is seventeen and a Citadel team leader. Citadels are enhanced humans who protect society from a trans-dimensional invasion. Rifts are breaks in reality allowing entry into this earth. The multi-dimension theory is that there are infinite earths that may have developed in different ways from the current earth. Citadels are enhanced teenagers who are tasked to guard the Rifts and prevent any cross over beings from running lose in our earth. Ryn discovers that ARC, the controlling entity of Rift guardianship, may not be truly forthcoming with what is actually happening. The enhancement process appears to have some seriously negative side effects. Ryn, her team and a Rift traveler are faced with the daunting task of discovering the truth about the Rifts and the Citadels. I enjoyed the book.

** spoiler alert ** YA for sure, but with some more bigger-than-me moral quandary than most of the YA I've read recently. Yes there is love-at-first-sight which is to be expected in YA, but there's enough relationship building as the story goes for me to forgive it.I wish there was a little more world building and less "I do this; I feel this way; I perform this action; I want this;" but overall I couldn't put the book down and I'm very excited to see what happens in books two and three.Honestly I hope for a flash forward to Ryn in her mid twenties where she doesn't have this constant second-guessing feed of self-consciousness and is instead completely sure of herself and her decisions and doesn't need to spoon feed the reader of her choices.