Tag: Collective Underground

Congratulate yourselves, Elites, for you have endured until the end.

Book Review | Flight (Collective Underground #3) by Kristen Young

I read an early draft of Flight several years ago. I very much enjoyed the story, but found parts of it confusing, as it felt like I’d been dropped in the middle of something bigger with no idea what the character’s history was. Kristen Young took that feedback on board, and wrote Apprentice and Elite. The characters now feel much more rounded, and the story is stronger for it.

If you haven’t read Apprentice and Elite, I recommend you do.

Otherwise, you’ll probably find Flight as confusing as I did the first time around.

This time, the whole story made a lot more sense because I had the background. Apprentice Kerr Flick (aka Cadence) is only weeks away from graduation when what seemed like a random assignment reveals information that could get her killed. Cadence escapes, but will the Muse protect her and help her find refuge, or will her enemies betray her and get her killed?

Flight picks up where Elite left off, but picks up both the pace and the tension. the story moves quickly (which is why it’s advisable to read the earlier stories first). Cadence is thrown into new situations where she comes face to face with an old enemy and has to figure out who to trust. Her life depends on making the right decision. And I don’t want to say any more because of potential spoilers.

The Collective Underground trilogy has strong underlying Christian themes.

The Muse is clearly the Holy Spirit, and the songs Cadence is tasked with remembering are the scriptures. At least, that’s obvious to me, reading as a Christian. Science fiction and fantasy novels often build their own religion, so a nonChristian reader might think the Muse and the songs are simply the religion created for the story. But I hope they’ll be able to see the underlying allegory.

Kristen Young has created a fascinating and scarily believable dystopian society in which children are raised in government-run dormitories which make the average prison look welcoming and flexible. The children then graduate to participate in a society where citizens are encouraged by their leaders (called “Lovers”) to turn in anyone they suspect of being a “Hater”. It’s a twisted system of doublethink that’s rather Orwellian.

The trilogy is unique in Christian fiction, and recommended for fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games, or similar Young Adult titles with dystopian themes.

Thanks to Enclave Publishing for providing a free ebook for review.

About Kristen Young

Kristen YoungKristen Young was born (and spent a memorable first few months of her life) in the UK, grew up in Sydney, but now lives in the Central West of NSW with her husband, three children, and slightly neurotic dog. She has been involved in church-based ministry for over 20 years, and loves helping people of any age to see how awesome Jesus is.

Kristen has had a number of books published, beginning with The Survival Guide series of devotions for teens. What if? Dealing with Doubt is a book for anyone from high school age onward, and aims to help anyone struggling with doubts about God, Jesus, or faith. In more recent years she has been writing fiction. Apprentice is her first published novel.

Find Kristen Young online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Flight

The fight for what is right is also a fight to survive

On the cusp of graduation, Cadence is finally feeling in control. She’s about to become one of the prestigious Elites working in the Hall of Love. Plus she can take her place as a full member of the underground Sirens who meet secretly in Love City. She’ll finally be able to use her memory skills for good, instead of reporting people as a Watcher.

But a dangerous trap is set, throwing Cadence into unwelcome and unfamiliar territory. Someone in the Collective remembers things that could very well get her killed. The Muse is by her side, after all, but will she be protected when someone powerful wants her dead?

Cadence just wants to be normal, free from politics or squad intimidation. Will she be able to achieve her Elite dreams, or will sinister forces leave her running for her life?

Find Flight online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads

 

I am Kerr Flick, Elite Apprentice. But I also used to be a small girl called Cadence.

Book Review | Elite (Collective Underground #2) by Kristen Young

If you are interested in Elite but haven’t read Apprentice, the first book in Kristen Young’s Love Collective series, then please stop reading now and read Apprentice first.

Why? Because Elite starts almost exactly where Apprentice ends, so it’s impossible to write this review without including some information that’s going to be a spoiler for Apprentice.

Click here to read my review of Apprentice.

Still here? Then I’m going to assume you’ve read Apprentice.

As I said, Elite starts where Apprentice ends: with Kerr Flick aka Cadence about to have her memories of her first five years restored. She discovers she didn’t fail her Watcher exam, and has been accepted as a Watcher.

Now she has to navigate endless training under the direct supervision of a senior official, balance that against her newfound knowledge about the Love Collective, the Haters and Lyric, and work out what her new dorm-mate is thinking … Who can she trust?

Sometimes the truth gets hidden when the powerful want to tell a different story.

It’s a fast-paced and compelling story set in a dystopian future that pretends it’s utopian, and keeps the masses quiet with an endless diet of apps and entertainment (bread and circuses, anyone?). As with Apprentice, the story has clear parallels with our own world, and the ending is both an end and a beginning. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Elite by Australian author Kristen Young is the second book in the Collective Underground series, a fast-paced and compelling story set in a dystopian future that pretends it’s utopian. #ChristianFiction #BookReview Click To Tweet

Thanks to Enclave Publishing for providing a free ebook for review.

About Kristen Young

Kristen YoungKristen Young was born (and spent a memorable first few months of her life) in the UK, grew up in Sydney, but now lives in the Central West of NSW with her husband, three children, and slightly neurotic dog. She has been involved in church-based ministry for over 20 years, and loves helping people of any age to see how awesome Jesus is.

Kristen has had a number of books published, beginning with The Survival Guide series of devotions for teens. What if? Dealing with Doubt is a book for anyone from high school age onward, and aims to help anyone struggling with doubts about God, Jesus, or faith. In more recent years she has been writing fiction. Apprentice is her first published novel.

Find Kristen Young online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Elite

Where do you find safety when your world is falling apart?

Apprentice Flick thought the Elite Academy was the answer to all her problems. But the revelation of her past turned everything upside down. Now, she is caught between two worlds set on a collision course.

Will she embrace the chaotic memories that flood her every waking moment? Or will she run to the security of her Elite training?

Discovering her parents’ identities takes her to a secret underground bunker where she finds new friends, opportunities, and maybe even love. But Flick must decide where her allegiances lie soon, or the Triumph of Love festival might bring about her demise.

Find Elite online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Somehow I have been rescued from a furnace only to be thrown into the sun.

Book Review | Apprentice (Collective Underground #1) by Kristen Young

Apprentice Kerr Flick is a teenager about to sit the selection exams which will lead to her future career. Kerr isn’t like the others in her class. She has a perfect memory, which means she can remember everything she’s ever read or seen, and every conversation she’s ever had. That is, she can remember everything since the age of five. Trying to remember before that isn’t a blur. It’s physical pain …

Kerr is part of the Love Collective, ruled by Supreme Lover Midgate. Teachers are called Lovers, and everyone has to speak in the approved lexicon, memorise a range of catechisms (no problem for Memory Freak Kerr), and be on the lookout for Haters so they can be reported to the Collective and sent to Embracement.

The worldbuilding is strong, and puled me in immediately.

This is partly because the novel utilises some familiar speculative fiction tropes, like the Chosen One (well, I assume Kerr is going to end up in that role), and a testing procedure to assign people to occupations or further education (as in Divergent or The Giver).

Apprentice isn’t set on an overt Earth like, say, The Hunger Games or Divergent. In fact, the location is never made clear. But it could be our Earth. Or not. Wherever it is, there are chilling reminders of Nazi Germany, of people being brainwashed into reporting their friends and family as enemies of the state.

In Apprentice, Kristen Young paints a convincing and chilling portrait of a 1984-eque world, and I’m looking forward to the next instalment.

Thanks to Enclave Escape for providing a free ebook for review.

About Kristen Young

Kristen YoungKristen Young was born (and spent a memorable first few months of her life) in the UK, grew up in Sydney, but now lives in the Central West of NSW with her husband, three children, and slightly neurotic dog. She has been involved in church-based ministry for over 20 years, and loves helping people of any age to see how awesome Jesus is.

Kristen has had a number of books published, beginning with The Survival Guide series of devotions for teens. What if? Dealing with Doubt is a book for anyone from high school age onward, and aims to help anyone struggling with doubts about God, Jesus, or faith. In more recent years she has been writing fiction. Apprentice is her first published novel.

Find Kristen Young online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Apprentice

The Love Collective is everywhere.
It sees everything.
Be not afraid.

Apprentice Flick remembers everything, except the first five years of her life. And for as long as she can remember, Flick has wanted to enter the Elite Academy—home to the best, brightest, and most loyal members of the Love Collective government.

Flick’s uncanny memory might get her there, too … even if it is the very thing that marks her as a freak. But frightening hallucinations start intruding into her days and threaten to bring down all she has worked so hard to accomplish. Why is she being hijacked by a stranger’s nightmare over and over again?

Moving to the Elite Academy could give Flick the future she’s always wanted. But her search for truth may lead to a danger she cannot escape.

You can find Apprentice online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 153 | The Apprentice by Kristen Young

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

Some things should never be forgotten—at least, that's what they tell me.

I read an early version of The Apprentice, and it was excellent—recommended for fans of YA dystopian novels like The Hunger Games or Divergent. Yes, I’m going to read The Apprentice again and write a full review (I have to. I’ve read two versions of the end, and I need to know which one got the final tick!) I’ve also read a draft of #3 in the series. Now I’m anxiously awaiting #2!

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About The Apprentice

The Love Collective is everywhere.
It sees everything.
Be not afraid.

Apprentice Flick remembers everything, except the first five years of her life. And for as long as she can remember, Flick has wanted to enter the Elite Academy—home to the best, brightest, and most loyal members of the Love Collective government.

Flick’s uncanny memory might get her there, too … even if it is the very thing that marks her as a freak. But frightening hallucinations start intruding into her days and threaten to bring down all she has worked so hard to accomplish. Why is she being hijacked by a stranger’s nightmare over and over again?

Moving to the Elite Academy could give Flick the future she’s always wanted. But her search for truth may lead to a danger she cannot escape.

You can find The Apprentice online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!