The Sandcastle Empire audiobook

This book kept me up all night with a fast-beating heart. It had so many twists, turns, secrets, scares, and romantic moments. I don't want to give anything away, because I think it's best to go into this book blind. If you liked LOST, you'll definitely love this book. I predict that it will be the next big dystopian novel!

I devoured this book and loved every last second of it! From the very first chapter, when Eden stands on a boardwalk near a mine-littered beach, planning to make a break for it and escape the Wolves who stand guard, the story grabbed hold of me and didn't let go until the very end.The main character, Eden, was the perfect mix of strong/bad-ass and flawed/scarred to make her super loveable, the secondary characters all popped out of the page, and the entire book was an action-packed, non-stop page-turner set in a cool (but terrifying) slightly futuristic world that combined nature and technology.What really blew me away about THE SANDCASTLE EMPIRE, though, was the writing. It's rare to find a book that’s action-packed and riveting, that also boasts gorgeous writing, but TSE excels at both. With lines like “It's so cold the stars start to look like shards of ice that have chipped from the iceberg moon,” and “Death starts like this: hope dies first,” the writing regularly took my breath away. The writing was somehow consistently contemplative and poetic, without ever slowing down the can't-put-it-down pace.The combination of the action-packed story, loveable characters, and gorgeous writing made me absolutely adore this book. I can't recommend it enough.

"No one ever prepared me for hope to be so tangled with fear."And this book is flush with both, in the best possible way.First of all--the writing. The prose is beautiful. Olson's words shimmer like the lush jungle setting she's created, and the plot slithers, curves, and strikes. I loved the descriptions--gorgeous lines like "trees [are in] all shades of green until shadows stain them black." The main character, Eden, takes this book beyond simply boasting a killer plot--which it does in spades--to something deeper with her poignant, piercing insights. This book has everything: adventure, suspense, stunning writing, twists and turns, inventive futuristic science and technology elements, and complex characters with shifting motives--not to mention several passages that pulled hard on my heart strings. SANDCASTLE EMPIRE is a striking look at people pushed to their psychological and moral limits as the world edges closer to its physical ones; an elegantly written thriller, and an instant classic that I couldn't put down.

The writing in this book is just so fantastic and captivating, and along with the amazing imagery, you'll be transported into this world where nobody is safe. An excellent debut to start off the new year, hitting shelves this June!

It has been so long since I've read a dystopian book, and I have to say, I've been really missing the genre. I always get so excited when I am finding out about the post-apocalyptic world and how the things are, who is in charge and what's there left of the normal world. The Sandcastle Empire had a pretty slow beginning and only at around 30% did it really pick up in speed. After that, the action was full on. We started finding out what is happening on that island, what is happening in the world, and what is happening with the characters. I loved every minute of this book. The only thing I wish was done differently is the romance. I loved Lonan and Eden, I just felt their relationship wasn't explored to the full potential. Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Anything can happen to anyone, whether they deserve it or not.You know when you pick up a book, you're two pages in, and you can visualize everything? When you immediately know a world like your own skin? That's The Sandcastle Empire. It's a deeply immersive experience, and I can absolutely see why the film rights got snatched up so quickly. Lost comparisons are totally accurate. This book really has everything: suspense, intrigue, futuristic (yet scarily realistic) technology, love, family, betrayal, plot twists... I could go on for days.The writing is astoundingly good. Olson has a particular way of describing sky that perfectly captures the mood of each scene. I especially loved her descriptions of Birch, who I fell head-over-heels for, and also Lonan! The Sandcastle Empire has two boys. Two different, very attractive boys. I mean, honestly, that was enough for me, but let's add in suspense that makes the hairs stand up on your arms, and flashbacks of Before that are so beautiful, they knock you sideways.I actually don't want to go too much into the plot, because there are so many cool scenes that I'd be afraid of spoiling a single thing. Instead, let me just say that Eden, the main character, is everything that I wanted her to be: sympathetic and kick-ass and smart. You're going to love her, too. Above all, this book represents a deep exploration into the global effects of rising sea levels, and besides wanting to read it, I think we need to read it. One of my top picks for 2017.

Oh my god, this book was CRACK.Seriously, from the moment I started reading I was addicted to the story. Olson creates a world so vivid, so rich with detail, that it's almost impossible not to be sucked in almost immediately. This is the kind of book where too many of my favorite moments are tied up in spoilers, but suffice it to say that I devoured the incredibly well-thought-out world, the fascinating, unique characters, and the all-too-plausible plot like a hungry......I'd say wolf, but yeah, no. ;)

Review to come!

Y'all, put this book on your Must Have list, because this book is special!! The plot is exciting & fast paced, the stakes high, and yet, on a prose level, the writing is GORGEOUS. Truly beautiful writing. I'm sincere when I say I loved this ms and Kayla is very talented and I expect Big Things in her future.

Some books are worth reading because of gorgeous writing. Some because of a brilliantly original plot. Some because they challenge us to think critically about the world we live in... And then every once in a while, a book comes along that has all three of these rare qualities in equal measure. The Sandcastle Empire is one of those books. This one is special, folks. You don't want to miss it.

I am not gonna lie, I didn't expect to like this book. Well, I didn't like it, I ended up loving it!! It's nothing I think I would have picked up for myself, I got it in an OwlCrate and I don't normally go for this type of Dystopian. This book though, this book! It was exactly what I needed. I loved the characters and the setting. I cannot recommend this book enough! :)

Soooo good! I couldn’t put this one down. Beautiful prose and such a unique story. I was totally captivated!

Read this book! It’s a little bit Hunger Games, a little bit Indiana Jones, and a whole lot of completely unique-ness. The Sandcastle Empire takes place in a terrifyingly possible near future where environmental catastrophe and economic disparities have caused a world war. You won’t know who’s telling the truth as you go on an edge-of-your-seat journey across the very scary island. Set aside a block of time; you won’t want to put this down!

This island is cooler and creepier (and just as mysterious) as the one on LOST- and this story is no less twisty-turny. I loved it!

5 starsOoooh boy, this book gave me both the chills and the heart-stopping that I never knew I needed (probably didn't need my heart stopped, tbh).Dystopian books are a rarity nowadays. The fad pretty much faded with the flop of the Divergent movie in 2014 and now publishers are much more reluctant to publish dystopians because of how the readership has poofed away. Which should be a good indicator that if a dystopian is published, it must be pretty good to make it past all the skeptics and reluctant publishing professionals who are hesitant to publish a possible flop. Luckily, The Sandcastle Empire was a fantastic dystopian that didn't have a silly premise and kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of its pages. The best place to start would be the premise and everything that makes this a dystopian. It's around 2057 and the world had suffered from water-based natural disasters--contaminated water systems, floods, tsunamis, and more--but a corporation was on the rise to help citizens find safe places to live in the engineered housing units on the ocean. The catch? Only those who could afford the spots could go, leading to a revolution that struck out of the blue. The Wolves. The Wolves are now dictators across America and Eden is living under their harsh rule, forced to work like hundreds of thousands of others. Everyone who was mildly well-off has taken a 360 and Eden's father is now dead. If the chilling glow on the cover isn't enough to convince you that this is going to be one of those spooky dystopians, I don't know what will (yes I do. it's this review). Eden manages to escape and then is faced with the dangers of the island that she and three other girls find, combatting the psychological games the island and its unknown residents play with them as well as the physical horrors there. Eden won't only try to survive, but she'll end up trying to take the whole system down. The plot is so compelling and very similar to Castaway & other survival island stories for the part of the novel when the girls are on the island. There's this element of mystery embedded within, teasing you with possible reasons for why the world has become what it is through the slow reveal of clues. Besides that, the mystery of the island adds another layer to the plot. I was engaged throughout the whole novel from the very beginning when Eden is hoping to make a run for it--away from the wolves and to the island her dad always spoke of. It kept me sucked in until the very end with the plot twists and all sorts of delicious developments. I really like the positive friendship theme that formed throughout the novel as Eden forms a pretty good relationship with the other girls, even the coldhearted Alexa. It was awesome to see them working together instead of trying to tear each other's hair out. Eden was a cool MC and I did relate to her on some aspects. Creating relatable SFF characters is hard because a lot of the time, they're in positions we'd never imagine being in, but I think Eden was a good MC who had a healthy dose of struggle whether it was with what was facing her or her own cowardice. I was very suspicious of the arrival of men (aka potential love interests) on the island because I didn't want this book to fall into the pit of "books that were ruined because of romance." Luckily, that didn't happen and they helped the plot more than they hindered it. The romance was still there a little bit, but none of the L-word being thrown around, thank goodness. It was more subtle and didn't really affect the plot besides spurring motivation in the characters. (Motivation good. Distraction bad.)I think the dudes that arrived were all cool and helpful and led to a very important shift in the plot from "stranded on an island" to "overthrow the system."The atmosphere was such a highlight for me because of that spooky feel that was very well emphasized by that glowing green of the cover. (I own the white Owlcrate version which is just as spooky). The chills associated with bloodthirsty beetles, mind games, and more helped shaped the unique mood. Overall, The Sandcastle Empire was a great dystopian that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I never knew I wanted to read this, but it was a lovely surprise and I'm happy to have read it. If you like dystopian, horror, or suspenseful, chilling novels, I would definitely recommend you check out Olson's debut novel! I'll be keeping an eye out for any more work she publishes. Blog | Instagram | Twitter