This is my stop during the book blitz for Slip (Slip #1) and Grip (Slip #2) by David Estes. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 1 till 5 December, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.
Slip (Slip #1)
By David Estes
Genre: Dystopia
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 1 December, 2014
Blurb:
Someone must die before another can be born…As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip.
But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone?
And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip?
In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.
My Review
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
I am a big fan of David Estes his books and the blurb of this book sounded really good and I couldn’t wait to read it. I was lucky enough to receive a copy for review. Slip is a book about a dystopia society where someone has to die before a new one can be born and what happens when someone’s Slip through that system.
The story is was really carries the most weight in this book. This book is plot-driven and it was the story that wanted to keep me reading. I read this book in a few days as I just wanted to keep reading and there where all these multiple point of views and I kept wondering how it was all connected, trying to make sense of it all. And then seeing them connecting later on in the story was awesome, it suddenly all came together. There are some great plot twists and revelations and I liked those scenes where everything suddenly started to make sense and get connected.
The first part of this story was a bit slow and confusing, later on I realized just how important that first part was, but when you read that part it just doesn’t make sense. And I couldn’t get a grip on the world or the character, I also felt a bit distanced from it all due to the way it was written. Luckily that all changes in the second part, the third person persective felt a lot more natural and things where starting to make sense, there was still a lot of mystery, but I could get a grip on the world and the characters. And the fist part suddenly makes sense when reading more.
While the story is what kept me reading, Slip also has a lot of interesting characters. It was a bit difficult to connect to them at first, as these characters live a hard live and they aren’t the most likeble characters especially at first. When I got to know them better I did started to like them. Harrison was one of my favourite characters, he doesn’t seem that interesting at first, but some events later on in the story made me really like him. Michael Kelly was by far the most interesting character in this book, he’s in such a difficult position and I actually understood his descision and what he did. While it might not have been the best choice, he did what he thought was best and I could actually see the logic in what he did. Benson and his friends are nice characters as well, although I would’ve liked to get to know them better, but I am hoping that might happen in the next books in this series. There was a small bit of romance, but it wasn’t that important, more a side plot. I did like how it was incorporated in the story, without getting too much weight, although sometimes it still felt a bit off considering all what was going on around them. I did think the romance was sweet and I would like to see it develop a bit more in the second book.
I liked the world building, although I myself think such a population controlling law would never get accepted. Such a system just doesn’t work and people would rebel against if the government even would try to etablish it. If you do accept that it’s there and think form there on, most of the world building makes sense, but the way this world came to be just felt a bit off to me. I did like that there are some technological advancements that make it feel more real and futuristic, like the hoverboards and holo ads. It was a fun addition to the otherwise sad and dark world building. There are also some newspaper articles at theend of soem chapter which add to the world building as well and I really liked how these helped build the world and give an idea of what the world was like.
To conclude: I really enjoyed Slip. The story kept me reading and I just had to know what would happen next and how everything was connected. The first part of the story was a bit confusing and I felt a bit detached from the story, but that changed in the second part. This book is filled with interesting characters, although it was a bit hard to like them at first. The world building was doen well and I liked the technological advancements like the holo ads. All in all a great start of a new series and I can’t wait for the sequel Grip!
You can find Slip on Goodreads
You can buy Slip here:
– Amazon
Grip (Slip #2)
By David Estes
Genre: Dystopia
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 1 December, 2014
Blurb:
In a tumultuous world of population control, one illegal child has slipped through the cracks. Now, as a teenager, Benson Kelly has escaped certain deaths at the hands of the Department of Population Control, only to find himself the symbol of a rebellion, something he never intended.While trying to survive one day at a time, Benson seeks to unravel the tangled knot of secrets left behind when his father died, the key to which has something to do with his mother, Janice Kelly, recently escaped from the insane asylum.
As the rebel group known as the Lifers continue to use brute force to send a message to the government, Benson’s twin, Harrison Kelly, seeks to exploit a loophole that could be the key to freedom for his brother. All that’s required is a simple act of murder.
Meanwhile, Population Control’s attack dog, a sadistic cyborg known as The Destroyer, closes in on Benson and his family. His directive: Kill them all.
Faith, family and love will be pushed to the limits in the GRIPping sequel to Slip.
You can find Grip on Goodreads
You can buy Grip here:
– Amazon
About the Author:Join 2,400+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes’ official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/70863-david-estes-fans-and-ya-book-lovers-unite
David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. David grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. They now live together in their dream location, Hawaii. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children’s and YA markets in 2010, and started writing full time in June 2012. Now he travels the world writing with his wife, Adele. David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.
You can find and contact David here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Slip. These are the prizes you can win:
– Winners choice of book to the value of $15.00 U.S. from The Book Depository
– A signed copy of SLIP plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
– A signed copy of BREW plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
– 3 ebook packs with three David Estes ebooks of your choice
– 4 signed packs of bookmarks
You can enter the blitz wide giveaway here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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