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Toxic Treacle: No. 1

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 12 ratings · 5 reviews

This is a world without parents. There are nurturers – women who bear and raise children, and breeders – men whose only obligation is to produce three offspring and then leave. No responsibilities, no involvement, no contact. This is a world devoid of paternal relationships, of parental homes, of families.

Micky “Monkey” Gibbon is counting down the days until graduation – u...more

Paperback, 207 pages

Published March 22nd 2012 by Golden Guides Press Ltd

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Mar 06, 2012 Jessica (Booked Up!) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Toxic Treacle is a novel that introduces us to a different world in a later time. A world full of single mothers and men that aren't allowed to be involved in their children's upbringing. Except some men are not content with this sort of life, and when people make a stand, things can only get more and more dangerous.
When I read the blurb for this book, I was pretty intrigued. It seemed like a unique plot, one that I'd never encountered before, and I was looking forward to reading it. It was qu...more Toxic Treacle is a novel that introduces us to a different world in a later time. A world full of single mothers and men that aren't allowed to be involved in their children's upbringing. Except some men are not content with this sort of life, and when people make a stand, things can only get more and more dangerous.
When I read the blurb for this book, I was pretty intrigued. It seemed like a unique plot, one that I'd never encountered before, and I was looking forward to reading it. It was quite hard to get into this novel straight away, but got better and better as I read on.
Echo had grasped todays teen rivalry spot on, and explained it all perfectly. She described brotherhood rivalry so well, and it really related to teens now. To be honest, I didn't even feel that it was all entirely different from today; 14 and 15 year olds going around carrying knives, guns and other weapons, different groups in different areas hating one another for no reason other than where they lived, kids injuring and even murdering members from an opposite hood, and not even thinking twice about it. Like Echo explained in this book, it needs to change. I just have to add how Echo's new made up swear words that the groups used in this novel, such as "Shiltz" and "Fegg" had me laughing.
I'd gotten quite attached to Monkey and thought he was a worthy hero, always thinking of the people he loved in his life and trying to protect them. I found I admired him for the way he stood up for everyone and wouldn't be put down. I also felt so sorry for him at times when he was betrayed, abandoned and utterly alone. Yet still, he pushed on with courage and determination. At first I also liked Tragic, but found I started to dislike him because of the way he starts to treat Monkey in the middle of the story.
When she was first introduced, I wasn't too keen on Angel, and found her rather annoying and not a huge role in the book, but near the end of this novel I found I had actually grown on her quite a lot. I just wished that in the middle of this novel she expressed her feelings for Monkey a bit more and was a stronger character. Still, by the end, I thought their relationship was lovely, and Monkey's clear feelings for her were actually very sweet and heartwarming.
I did notice quite a few misplaced commas in the writing, but that's not a big problem, just maybe something that could of been corrected before being printed.
Toxic Treacle would be a great read for both boys and girls (13-15), maybe some may actually learn something from this. I'm not really sure that this was totally for me, and probably not something I would pick up in a book shop, but I know I will be looking out for more of Echo's debut novels. I think it deserves a 3.5/5. But who knows, you may enjoy it more than I did, and it might suit others better. Big fan of the graffiti title on the front cover, by the way!(less)

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Mar 14, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have not heard of Echo Freer before, but when I was contacted for a review request and after reading the press release I said yes immediately.

Toxic Treacle is set in dystopian world were males are breeders and after having 3 babies they can live the life of luxury in their own apartments while the females, the nurturers, are left to raise the children alone, with no interference from the males. This way of living has slowly resulted in gangs and street fights and our main protagonist, Monkey,...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Misty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, recieved-for-review

As a big fan of Dystopian books I've read a lot of them and whilst I wouldn't say Toxic Treacle is the best Dystopian book I've read, it's definitely up there in my favourites.

Right away you're sucked into this futuristic world where society is a lot different to it is now, men are just only for breeding, then sent away to be providers, without male role models boys have started gangs, or Brotherhoods and are fighting in the streets and becoming out of control. They even have their own slang whi...more As a big fan of Dystopian books I've read a lot of them and whilst I wouldn't say Toxic Treacle is the best Dystopian book I've read, it's definitely up there in my favourites.

Right away you're sucked into this futuristic world where society is a lot different to it is now, men are just only for breeding, then sent away to be providers, without male role models boys have started gangs, or Brotherhoods and are fighting in the streets and becoming out of control. They even have their own slang which I loved and still find myself saying 'Shiltz' a day after reading. I like when a book has it's own slang like that, it gives it something of it's own and it's memorable to the story or series, and even with this new 'street speech' I didn't find it difficult to understand what the characters were talking about, it's easy enough to figure out what they mean and follow the story.

I did like Monkey (Micky) though sometimes, I'll admit he kind of annoyed me, he didn't seem to understand the risks people were going to for him and was only focused on what he wanted which made him feel a bit selfish, though he was more grown up by the end of the book, I didn't feel he'd grown up enough considering what he'd learnt and been through, but then I forget, he was only 16.

I also found the ending to be rushed, I'd happily have read another hundred pages to see more of the resistence and how the ending came to pass and more of what happened after.

But all in all, it was a really enjoyable book that was easy to read, I really loved the premise and think it ended well. I'm not sure if this is the start of a new series but I'll be reading the next book if it is as I'd love to see how the world has changed since the actions at the end of the story.

Favourite quotes

'Angel's hair was so close to his face, it brushed against his skin and her breath was warm against his cheek. God, he fancied her! If she didn't choose him for breeding, he didn't know what he'd do.'

''We've got no one to aspire to - except females; no one to teach us how to act; what we're supposed to do, what we're supposed to enjoy. That sort of thing.' He was expecting a response from his father, but none came. 'When I was at alpha-school I tried to sit in the urinals because I didn't know what they were for. You know, there're even some pres who can't piss standing up - because no ones ever taught them! No one can show us how to be adult males - and we don't see any until we graduate.' - Monkey.
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Apr 02, 2012 Kai (Amaterasu Reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teens, 2012-tbr-pile, for-review

Review posted at Amaterasu Reads

Imagine living in a society where the males were separated from the females, and each one had their own specific role in society to follow. One "breeds", the other "nurtures". Sounds ideal and orderly, but a society like this isn't what it all looked like.

Echo Freer's novel takes us into a society where "love conquers everything" and "respect breeds respect" isn't enough.

Believe it or not, a world without parents is a world in chaos. Echo Freer shows us in this b...more Review posted at Amaterasu Reads

Imagine living in a society where the males were separated from the females, and each one had their own specific role in society to follow. One "breeds", the other "nurtures". Sounds ideal and orderly, but a society like this isn't what it all looked like.

Echo Freer's novel takes us into a society where "love conquers everything" and "respect breeds respect" isn't enough.

Believe it or not, a world without parents is a world in chaos. Echo Freer shows us in this book just how much society can break down without a functioning family to guide and teach children how to become good, upstanding citizens of the world. Hoods rule the streets at night, brotherhoods composed of 15 year old kids, even younger, who fight and kill each other. This is the world Monkey has been born into. In a matter of weeks he's going to be a "breeder" when he turns 16, copulate with a "nurturer" who he hopes will be his crush Angel and live his life as an adult, playing football and partying whenever he wants to. But Monkey's bestfriend Tragic thinks the government isn't telling them the whole story about being breeders and nurturers. One night Tragic disappeared and in Monkey's search for his bestfriend, he starts discovering things that might just change his outlook of the world.

Michael (Monkey is his street name) has been brought up to believe whatever T.R.E.A.C.L.E. has told him ever since he was little. He doesn't even know what love is, or how to kiss, or to even have a father figure in his life. All he knows is he needs to procreate, and he can't wait for it. But one glimpse of Tragic's life shatters all his future plans. So what if he ran away from the government? At least he has a loving mother and a doting father. Maybe it was important to know who your father was instead of just having one parent raise you. A dad who can guide you through the years on how to be a man, heck, to even pee properly instead of going out every night killing each other because you have no clue how to behave like a guy. In an instant, Monkey becomes an advocate of P.A.R.E.N.T. to bring back the basic unit of society instead of being the nasty, pre-teen, bad tempered kid that he was. Monkey's not a perfect character, but through his experiences we get to know what society is like. Stubborn, but definitely determined to make a change and make amends for the wrongs he had done, Monkey's character transformation definitely endeared him to me.

It's interesting how Echo Freer wrote the book through a male point of view, yet Angel's character is just as important as Monkey is. She's one of the biggest motivations why Monkey was looking forward to 'graduating', to being a breeder because he's looking forward to being with her. But everything Monkey felt and believed suddenly went on a deeper level when Angel became involved. She, who is just as ignorant as Monkey of a family, of love, and yet her curiosity, her desire to know that something is beyond the robotic way of life they are living fueled a series of event that led to the change everyone secretly desired. It was her who made Monkey the 'accidental hero'. I loved how she had her own beliefs and things to fight for. In a society where women received the full responsibility of raising a child single handedly, it's no wonder Angel has a good head on her shoulders. She has to be independent, learn how to make it on her own.

Toxic Treacle tackled a lot of relevant themes and topics we should read about. Segregation, the blatant dictating of what roles one can perform can create far more problems than it can solve. Humans needed affection and love, it's a fact. Survival might be important, but you can never factor out a person's feelings. We are not things that can only breed and not feel anything about the life we bring into this world. Children needs guidance while growing up, to show them what's right and wrong, to have someone to look up to, to respect, to love and the Hood and Monkey's experiences as part of it shows how the lack of a family can shape and mold a person's character and what one can become in the future in all the wrong ways.

Echo Freer did a great job presenting a society divided by gender and defined solely by the roles they play in it. How will a society function properly if the most basic part of it isn't even existing? Find out through Monkey and Angel's experiences as they try to discover what it's like to be free of a government hell bent on controlling its citizens and getting rid of all the things that makes us what we are, humans.

Over-all, Toxic Treacle is a book I would recommend to everyone. A short, provocative look in a society where love is just a word used to entice people and false truths dictates the lives of its people. Monkey and Angel are great characters and the fast paced action all throughout the book will make you feel a variety of emotions in each of the 200 pages this book has. You will want more of everything! Good writing, amazing pace and a very, very interesting story, give Toxic Treacle a try!
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Mar 22, 2012 Donna {Book Passion for Life} rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-publishers, for-review, ya-dystopian-scifi-thriller

I had not heard of this book or the author before so when I was asked to review it by the publishers, I said yes straight away because I had been on a high dystopian kick a few weeks ago and I’ve been looking for the next big thing since then. And while I think Toxic Treacle is a fast paced, fun and intriguing novel, it wasn’t my favourite dystopian this year but it was still worth a read.

I won’t go into to many details about the book because if you’ve read the blurb above, your’ll pretty much...more I had not heard of this book or the author before so when I was asked to review it by the publishers, I said yes straight away because I had been on a high dystopian kick a few weeks ago and I’ve been looking for the next big thing since then. And while I think Toxic Treacle is a fast paced, fun and intriguing novel, it wasn’t my favourite dystopian this year but it was still worth a read.

I won’t go into to many details about the book because if you’ve read the blurb above, your’ll pretty much know what the story is about, but what intrigued me about Toxic Treacle is that the males are breeders and the women are left to raise the children on their own with no help from the males. This was like nothing I’ve ever read before and it had a very strong fountain and as I read each page, the stronger and stronger the story got. It was a very unique story and I felt the author did a great job trying to creating some fresh and new.

With Monkey – ergh, I’ll be honest, I hate that name and I much prefer Micky…but anyway with him nearly being at the age to start breeding, I liked that he started to question things and this was mainly because of his friend’s disappearance but also for her his love for Angel. He always liked to go off a play football which is forbidden but he was a little bit of a rebel, so I think he was the perfect person to start investigating. Deep down he really wants to shape his life and do the things he wants to do rather than have someone dictating to him and him and Angel really worked well together as a team. Now I really liked Angel, she was a sweet character and I loved how dedicated she was to Monkey. Their romance was really touching and I loved them together.

Even though I really liked the story, I did feel there was something missing…hence the three star rating but the problem is, I can’t quite put my finger on the problem. I did feel the ending was slightly rushed and with the book only being 200 pages maybe it could have been longer…umm…even now I’m not sure but overall, it was a good read and I’ll look out for more work by this author in the future. (less)

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Jan 02, 2013 Amy Alice is currently reading it

Nov 06, 2012 Eman Farooq rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Mar 24, 2012 Sammee (I Want to Read That) marked it as to-read

Shelves: for-review, tbr-pile

Feb 29, 2012 John A Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Feb 21, 2012 Joanne marked it as to-read

Shelves: ya-dystopian

Mar 08, 2012 Ria [The Beaucoup Review] rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 07, 2012 Steph marked it as to-read

Shelves: for-review, books-i-own, save-for-later-date

Mar 08, 2012 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Feb 17, 2012 Hannah (Jaedia) marked it as to-read

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, dystopia, received-for-review, whats-in-a-name

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