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Riser (The Riser Saga #1)

by Becca C. Smith (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 101 ratings · 39 reviews

Black swirling holes churning madly in the center of every corpse. This is how eighteen-year-old Chelsan Derée sees the deceased. Her ability to connect to the black spinning holes allows her to control every dead thing within a four-mile radius.

But that's the least of her problems. It's 2320 and Chelsan Derée has to survive another year of high school, which for her is p...more

Kindle Edition, 370 pages

Published June 5th 2010 by Red Frog Publishing

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Community Reviews

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Jul 02, 2012 Wicked ♥ (Wickedly Bookish Reviews) aka Bat-Jess rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, arc-or-galley, dystopia, first-in-series, indie-self-published-books, series-ya, summer-reads, supernatural, series-dropped, author-asshatery

Wickedly Bookish Reviews
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/

Chelsan is a young girl with the power to raise the dead. When tragedy strikes, she finds herself in the midst of a frightening conspiracy and discovers the truth about her past. Along with her gang of friends, Chelsan tries to uncover the whole truth and reveal it to the world.

I really thought this was going to be my kind of book. All the reviews have described it as a dark and gritty dystopia novel. While there is darkness involved, i...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Taryn at My Secret Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, reviewed-by-nadine

Reviewed by Nadine for My Secret Romance.

Chelsan Derée is not your average teenage girl. She has a special ability. She can connect with the dead. No, not the ghost whisperer kind of connection. She can animate them; make them her personal cadaver puppets. Chelsan does not know where this ability comes from. She's kept it secret from her mother and best friends. Until, one day, her mother and everyone else in her trailer park are murdered. As her mother lays dying, she connects with Chelsan and...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Lissette rated it 3 of 5 stars

From the moment she could walk and understand the world around her, Chelsan Derée has known she was different from those around her. She's a necromancer who can bring back the dead within a four mile radius. The black holes surrounding the dead allow her to sync up with what essence remains within their bodies, thus giving her control over their every movement. While this ability terrifies her to no end, it's one she's learned to manipulate throughout the years.

Her life has never been easy, but...more From the moment she could walk and understand the world around her, Chelsan Derée has known she was different from those around her. She's a necromancer who can bring back the dead within a four mile radius. The black holes surrounding the dead allow her to sync up with what essence remains within their bodies, thus giving her control over their every movement. While this ability terrifies her to no end, it's one she's learned to manipulate throughout the years.

Her life has never been easy, but she's done her best to make do with the cards life has dealt her. The prep school she goes to is anything but fun. Jill Forester, one of her schoolmates, revels in the fact that she can torture her each and every day. Her daddy has money and she's not afraid to make that known every chance she has. Unfortunately, there's something, Jill never truly counted on, Chelsan's absolute retaliation.

When her mother is brutally murdered, Chelsan realizes there's more afoot than she ever knew. The circumstances of her birth come to the light in the most horrific of ways, causing her to acknowledge the fact that her existence was never meant to be. A fact her grandfather will do everything in his power to wipe away, once and for all.

Chelsan, on the other hand, isn't going to make that easy for him. She's intent on fighting back with every ounce of her being. She wants retribution for the pain and heartache she's been dealt this entire time. Her grandfather may have caused her parent's demise, but he will never cause her own. Although it's not for lack of his trying, mind you.

Never-the-less, she's willing to butt heads with him in order to take him down. Gathering a small group of supporters, Chelsan is determined to bring her grandfather's wrong-doings into the public's knowledge, something he does his best to keep from happening. Chelsan realizes that they're a force her grandfather never reckoned with, a certainty he never saw coming from the get-go.

This was a quick and a good read, aside from the minor punctuation and grammar errors. It's certainly a different take on all things necromancy, that's for sure. This is a series that certainly has the potential to become a very good one in and of itself. It'll be very intriguing to know where the story takes Chelsan, Nancy, Ryan, Bill, and Jason next. I definitely look forward to it.(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Kayla Beck marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: 2012-read, 2012-release, paranormal, post-apocalyptic, romance, review-tour, science-fiction, young-adult

Review Originally Posted at Bibliophilia, Please*

Riser is a science fiction novel by Becca C. Smith that is aimed at a young adult audience. It tells the story of Chelsan Derée, a young girl who lives in the United States in the year 2320. Although aging has been cured, people (and other animate creatures) still die of other causes – and Chelsan can raise the dead. While she tries to discover herself and the source of her powers, she has to overcome betrayal, heartache, and figure out why someon...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Jessica(WonderlandReviews) rated it 3 of 5 stars

OK, so there is one thing that pushed me into reading this, apparently there was some drama in an earlier addition where a guy punched a girl and a huge fuss was made over it. To the point that after reading the version where the guy does punch her, I honestly didn't find it a big deal. I felt bad for the author because she actually went back and changed it because of people being unable to take a book, that is obviously not real, and deal with it. I hate to say it but women get punched, more an...more OK, so there is one thing that pushed me into reading this, apparently there was some drama in an earlier addition where a guy punched a girl and a huge fuss was made over it. To the point that after reading the version where the guy does punch her, I honestly didn't find it a big deal. I felt bad for the author because she actually went back and changed it because of people being unable to take a book, that is obviously not real, and deal with it. I hate to say it but women get punched, more and more girls get punched. Girls go into war and fight guys, so why raise such a fuss?

I want to make it absolutely clear that I am in no way advocating it, I don't think violence is OK for anyone nor does it solve anything but I didn't see the huge problem that seemed to cause people to see red. I wanted to give the author props though, she handled it very delicately and professionally.

The book was fairly good, sure it was rough but that is how it starts out sometimes, obviously it is an ARC considering there was a re-write, but what grammatical error's I spotted, they didn't take away from the story at all.

I liked how shallow she made some of the rich girls, I know that some of you will read this in the future and think, how could they want to shop, or how could they be thinking about something as simple as a crush at an important time as running for their lives. But honestly, think back when you were young, back then, those things were more important then breathing sometimes, sad but true for the most part. I loved that the characters seemed realistic because of those flaw's.

The whole concept of the book was intriguing, the swirling black holes over, where I pictured, a major chakra point, didn't go unnoticed. I liked that by tapping into it and controlling it she was able to raise the dead.

There isn't really much bad I could say about this book, it wasn't for me, but I didn't dislike it, I certainly would recommend it to someone who asked but it won't be a re-read for me.

It was just kinda simple, I don't really care what happens next.
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Jun 29, 2012 Tabatha added it

Unique + Suspenseful = Riser

Riser is a fast paced novel that takes place in the year 2320. Where since Chelsan was a little kid she had control over the dead. Anything dead. Not just humans - animals, bugs, even plants. She keeps this a secret from everyone, including her mom for fear of being seen as freak. (Even though she already is considered a leech by her classmates because she lives in a trailer park with her mom and step-father.) She can make the dead do whatever she wants- walk, talk, e...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Marni rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm a college English instructor. I've been one for over 15 years. I've got a couple of master's degrees and a couple decades of writing and editing experience under my belt, too.

We like to teach kids to write like they speak. It's a great method for getting kids to enjoy the writing process. Unfortunately for me - a grammar geek and language nerd - most people don't speak properly.

Isn't it ironic that I'd want to read a YA fiction?

I picked "Riser" because of its subject matter. I love books a...more I'm a college English instructor. I've been one for over 15 years. I've got a couple of master's degrees and a couple decades of writing and editing experience under my belt, too.

We like to teach kids to write like they speak. It's a great method for getting kids to enjoy the writing process. Unfortunately for me - a grammar geek and language nerd - most people don't speak properly.

Isn't it ironic that I'd want to read a YA fiction?

I picked "Riser" because of its subject matter. I love books about dystopic futures and I love the idea of living forever. I'm also interested in psychic powers. Three interests in one book! Why wouldn't I want to read it?

Ms. Smith created a vibrant world for us. America in the future is much greener, with hovering cars and tons more trees. It's also much darker, with secret methods of population control (with everyone living forever, it should get awfully crowded, right?). But what makes "Riser" so extraordinary real for me was that Chelsan, the main character and heroine, narrated this story in her own words... as if she were speaking.

As a teacher of language, I pay abnormal attention to how things are written or spoken. As much as my English teacher alarm went off as I read this novel, I absolutely LOVED the natural way Ms. Smith captured the voice of the "typical" teenager. For some reason, lots of people think that if it's a novel, it should be written in some formal, Dickensian prattle (If you understood what I just said, you're probably a literary snob :-D).

Let me be clear: I'm talking about writing style. Ms. Smith captured a voice in the style she obviously consciously chose for "Riser." Like 99% of every novel on this planet, there are bound to be one or two editing oversights. Heck, if I red-lined any of the first four books of the "Harry Potter" series, no one would be able to read it. Again, I'm talking about an expertly executed writing style that anyone who knows or is a teen should identify with immediately.

Along with the YA language in "Riser" is the angst we all remember when we were in high school. These aren't adults who are suddenly thrust into life-threatening situations; on the contrary, these characters are high school students who, although quite wealthy (besides Chelsan), have lived up to this point in a typical, protected environment. All they knew before this moment was how much they liked each other and how intimidating the teachers can be. With this in mind, Chelsan and her friends face the sudden realization that the very forces that designed their safe, everlasting world were also destroying populations en mass with surprisingly typical reactions.

To make matters even more traumatic, Chelsan reveals to her friends that she can control the dead. How would you absorb that kind of news from your best friend? If you were a teenager, you run to the nearest form of "normalcy" for you, which could be shopping.

Brilliant, if you think about it.

For me, as an over-seasoned English language arts instructor, "Riser" is a refreshing novel. I've never been a literature fiend, mostly because too much of the literary canon represents the snobbery of the high classes. "Riser" is fun, exciting and real (for a sci-fi, horror, futuristic story). I've read the other reviews and, frankly, some people are just too full of themselves. There's nothing to pick apart here. Ms. Smith obviously had a great time writing "Riser" and she wanted her readers to have a great time, too. She wasn't aiming for the Pulitzer or to be the newest edition of the literary canon. She was, plainly and simply, telling a story.(less)

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Jun 09, 2012 Mary Loesch rated it 5 of 5 stars

Riser Review for All Things Writing

Okay, not only did I get to interview Becca Smith about her book Riser, but I get to review it as well. Ah, some days I'm just too spoiled….

So let's get to it. Here is the book synopsis.

Black swirling holes churning madly in the center of every corpse. This is how eighteen-year-old Chelsan Derée sees the deceased. Her ability to connect to the black spinning holes allows her to control every dead thing within a four-mile radius. But that's the least of her prob...more Riser Review for All Things Writing

Okay, not only did I get to interview Becca Smith about her book Riser, but I get to review it as well. Ah, some days I'm just too spoiled….

So let's get to it. Here is the book synopsis.

Black swirling holes churning madly in the center of every corpse. This is how eighteen-year-old Chelsan Derée sees the deceased. Her ability to connect to the black spinning holes allows her to control every dead thing within a four-mile radius. But that's the least of her problems. It's 2320 and Chelsan Derée has to survive another year of high school, which for her is pure and utter torture, mainly due to the fact that her schoolmate Jill Forester's favorite activity is making Chelsan's life a living hell. If that isn't enough, Chelsan's impossible crush on Ryan Vaughn makes her brain do somersaults on a regular basis, especially since she is positive he doesn't know she exists. And being eighteen Chelsan has to deal with the pressure of whether or not she should take a little pill called Age-pro, which cures aging, making the world eighteen forever and highly over-populated. When Chelsan's mother, Janet, is brutally killed, along with everyone else in her trailer park, Chelsan finds out that she was the intended target. Chelsan must use her power to raise and control the dead to save herself, protect her friends and take down the man responsible for murdering her mother.

Riser rocked. That's all there is to it. It's a fast paced, futuristic YA that touchs on something many people worry about at one point or another in their life: aging. In Ms. Smith's future, they've created a handy dandy little pill called Age-pro which if you take it at the right age makes you look around nineteen or so forever. Pretty sweet, right? Um….well, kind of. Like anything Age-pro has its drawbacks as Chelsan (our heroine) discovers. But then again, aging is the least of Chelsan's worries. She has an extraordinary talent for raising dead things--and not just dead people. Dead spiders, dead plants, some really pissed off bees, and cockroaches are just a few of the things she works with.

I thought this was a clever idea and a new twist on necromancy. All the characters are well developed, and the bad guy is pretty darn bad. The world the author created (futuristic L.A.) was creative and I suppose if you are from that area, it's filled with landmarks the reader would recognize. As someone who just released a book that deals with voodoo, I thought it was interesting to see how voodoo might be used in the future.

The other thing I liked about this book was the eye catching cover. Nice work!

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Apr 15, 2012 Natasha Troop rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a high school teacher, I'm always looking for new fiction to get my students excited about reading. While I was not a big fan of the Twilight series, I was just happy my students were reading books. A friend of mine gave me a copy of this to read because she thought I might like to share it with my students. I was a little skeptical, but once I started reading this, I had a hard time putting it down. Ms. Smith shows a great deal of maturity in her first work, spinning a compelling tale that c...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Nadine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for http://www.mysecretromancebookreviews...

Chelsan Derée is not your average teenage girl. She has a special ability. She can connect with the dead. No, not the ghost whisperer kind of connection. She can animate them; make them her personal cadaver puppets. Chelsan does not know where this ability comes from. She's kept it secret from her mother and best friends. Until, one day, her mother and everyone else in her trailer park are murdered. As her mother lays dying, she connects with...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Sharon Stevenson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-sci-fi

'Riser' is the story of Chelsan, a trailer park dwelling teenager with the talent to raise the dead. This book is set in the future where anti-aging pills keep everyone looking young and holographic technology is commonplace.

I really liked the idea of a necromancer story set against a sci-fi backdrop, and the story itself is facinating and well constructed, as is the futuristic world Smith has brought to life. Chelsan's powers were entertaining to read about and the villains were truly evil maki...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, ya

“Riser” had me from the moment I saw the cover. It is the first novel in a saga by Becca C. Smith about a 18 year old girl who is a senior in high school who has the ability to connect with things that are dead (including humans and plants) and control them. The story takes place in the year 2320. Life for an 18 year old in 2320 isn’t much different than present day. Chelsan Deree lives on the wrong side of the tracks but goes to an elite private school on scholarship where she is treated with d...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Mindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dream-reader-dreamer2229-blo

Ohmygosh, can you imagine having to live with having killed and then revived that same person at the age of 7? Most 7 year olds have difficulty grasping the concept of death and often refuse to go to funerals because it freaks them out. But then Chelsan isn’t home one day and the unthinkable happens and everyone at the trailer park exterminated. Then she is hounded by her grandfather who is trying to kill her. Talk about your messed up family.

This is a clever premise. I loved the whole idea of...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-books, fiction, sci-fi, young-adult, 3-stars-books, ebook, immortals, humans, necromancy, io-book-tours, sagas

Chelsan is an 18 year old living in L.A. in the year 2320. Although some technology breakthroughs have allowed civilization to have some wicked technology, life pretty much remains the same. Except for one tiny detail… Immortality comes in the shape of a pill. You read it right; the secret for immortality has been breached and encapsulated for public consumption.

But Chelsan, our protagonist, has other things on her plate to be worrying about looking youthful forever. A high school student, Chel...more Chelsan is an 18 year old living in L.A. in the year 2320. Although some technology breakthroughs have allowed civilization to have some wicked technology, life pretty much remains the same. Except for one tiny detail… Immortality comes in the shape of a pill. You read it right; the secret for immortality has been breached and encapsulated for public consumption.

But Chelsan, our protagonist, has other things on her plate to be worrying about looking youthful forever. A high school student, Chelsan has to deal with the everyday hassle of being the “poor” scholarship kid at an elite, private school. And if that isn’t enough to give nightmares to most people, Chelsan has to also deal with a dark secret, a power that she knows little about, the ability to raise the dead.

I could’ve done better with less angst. Personally I don’t enjoy love triangles, I cannot think of a single one that hasn’t frustrated me (in a “I want to stop reading” kind of way). They just make characters feel shallow, even if they are not. I love romance in books; PNR is one of my favorite genres. That said, when you are in a character’s head and said character keeps debating the proverbial “loves me, loves me not” it distracts you from the story.

However, the thing that I enjoyed the most about the story was its social critic. Chelsan lives in a future where everyone can effectively live forever. They are lucky that society discovered Age-Pro (the miracle pill) when there was still time to save our ecosystems. The major issue, society wise, is overpopulation; and there are some serious drastic measures in place to ensure “quality” living worldwide.

Although this is a sci-fi novel, let’s remove the fiction elements for a bit and see what we are left with. Worldwide population has reached such an all-time high placing such a strain on natural resources that the priorities of all nations have irrevocably shifted.

Some quotes from the book:

“Once the International Law of 2142 was passed requiring the planting of a tree every twenty feet, most people decided to re-plant near extinct trees like the California Oak.”

“The first law to be passed was in 2068 that outlawed anything printed on paper.” “Only e-books were legal. But it just wasn’t enough. There just wasn’t enough plant life on the Earth to sustain the amount of people inhabiting it so they had to make planting more trees a worldwide law.”

For this and more reviews, visit my blog: Journey with Words(less)

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Sep 08, 2011 iamjenai rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book very much. The author wove a unique futuristic storyline that definitely grabbed my attention. I think writing a futuristic storyline can be hard as there are so many things to consider.

In this book, in the year 2020, anti-aging pill or Age-pro was invented and by taking this pill anyone could be eighteen forever. You can actually determine whether a person is rich or poor by their looks since Age-pro is quite expensive. People who had money can start taking the pill at eigh...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, book-reviews, fiction, fantasy, futurist-scinece-fiction, futuristic, paranormal, mystery, romance, romantic-fantasy, science-fiction-fantasy, ya, suspense

Article first published as Book Review: Riser by Becca C. Smith on Blogcritics.

Recognizing death by the black swirling holes located at the center of each corpse she can see, Chelsan Deree finds she has the ability to manipulate the dead. However, not only can she manipulate these once live bodies, but she can also see those that are re-animated by others of her bent.

Chelsan learned at a young age that she has a strange and macabre talent when she killed her brutal and malevolent stepfather. Usi...more Article first published as Book Review: Riser by Becca C. Smith on Blogcritics.

Recognizing death by the black swirling holes located at the center of each corpse she can see, Chelsan Deree finds she has the ability to manipulate the dead. However, not only can she manipulate these once live bodies, but she can also see those that are re-animated by others of her bent.

Chelsan learned at a young age that she has a strange and macabre talent when she killed her brutal and malevolent stepfather. Using her own talent of re-animation, she has maintained the facade not only for her mother but also in order to live a seemingly normal family life. Finding she could not be very far from the corpse though, she found herself quite restricted, including in her choice of schools. The only school close enough to keep up this charade, was a wealthy private school. Understanding she would be out of her element, she is accepted to attend.

Living in a trailer park, barely eking out an existence, she and her family do not have the type of money that those from her new school find necessary. Befriended by two different students, Nancy and Bill, she is relieved. They like her and are not ashamed to be with her. Nancy, because she can and does not care what others think, and Bill, while he has the same motivation, is also one of the richest kids, and makes his own rules. It is Ryan Vaughn though that really intrigues Chelsan. While he tutored her, he was kind and considerate, and just a bit shy. Once the tutoring was completed though, he then barely seemed to acknowledge she existed.

In Riser by Becca C Smith, we follow the lives of Chelsan and her friends. When Chelsan’s life is turned upside down by the death of her beloved mother and her already dead stepfather, she feels as though she has nowhere to turn. In an odd dream like state her mother is able to communicate to her how she was killed as well as how Chelsan became the way she is. It is only now that Ryan makes a stand to stick with her, but Bill and Nancy rally around as well. However, one student in the school, Jill, continues to mimic and create problems for Chelsan, setting her up for trouble at every turn.

Now hunted by the man responsible for her mother’s death, she must make some decisions, and utilize the help and ingenuity of her friends. Death and danger seem to follow them everywhere, and Chelsan finds she must take a stand. Can she and her friends end the killing and find a way for others to hold those responsible, accountable for their actions? Using her skills and talent, can she overcome one of the most powerful men in the world?

Smith has found an interesting and unique talent to highlight her heroine. She brings us a futuristic world, and yet maintains a realistic verve, by creating a very life like rendition of high school as a backdrop. She introduces many of the same games and hazing that occurs in schools everywhere, an used this spring board to catapult our characters into danger and despair.

The characters are wonderful, very much like those we encounter at school and at home, although coming from a high-end lifestyle. They have the same fears and prejudices that create many of the same problems world over, and it is easy to understand the insecurities. Even Jill our protagonist engenders a bit of sympathy at times, based on the information we learn about her own background.

This is a fast paced book full of energy, but with a unique blend of both the believable and unbelievable. We have a form of zombies, a bit of transference, a futuristic world, great friendships, and romance.

This is a fun and frenetic YA read, and if you are your family enjoy fantasy with any of the above mixtures this will be a hit. The action is exciting, the story is both sad and yet a bit strange and the romance is fun. Throw in some re-animation of not just dead people, but bugs and plants as well, you get a generous helping of this unique and strangely credible talent. Smith has written a distinctive and compelling story full of generous and interesting characters, with just that blend of evil and destruction that keeps you guessing.

This book was received through the Cadence group. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
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Nov 23, 2012 Brianna Lee Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arr, fantasy, futuristic, high-school-age, r2r, rtb, science-fiction, ya, supernatural

“Riser” by Becca C. Smith

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a good Young Adult, Paranormal/Science Fiction novel; there is suspense and mystery involved in the story as well. I recommend "Riser" by Becca C. Smith to readers, both teenagers and adults. I would rate this book 4 STARS overall.

"Riser" is about a teenage girl named Chelsan who can raise and control everything dead within a four mile radius. She sees black swirling holes in the center o...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Franjessca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: july-blog-tour, blog-tour, books-read-in-2012

Review also posted on Book Lovin' Mamas
I love the dystopian genre. I find myself not getting enough of this genre after reading "The Hunger Games". When Innovative Online Book Tours introduced the Riser tour, I knew I had to read this book.
I definitely was not disappointed with Becca C. Smith's writing style and the world she created in "Riser". I love reading books where the author comes up with an alternate future. This future entails a girl who can raise the dead and actually control the dea...more Review also posted on Book Lovin' Mamas
I love the dystopian genre. I find myself not getting enough of this genre after reading "The Hunger Games". When Innovative Online Book Tours introduced the Riser tour, I knew I had to read this book.
I definitely was not disappointed with Becca C. Smith's writing style and the world she created in "Riser". I love reading books where the author comes up with an alternate future. This future entails a girl who can raise the dead and actually control the dead she rises. Where you can take a little pill called Age-pro and never grow old once you take the pill at a certain age. (Here's the catch though, you can't take it until your 18 (if you are the rich)...age 30 for others). If your caught taking the pill sooner..you will regret it.
You have the Population Control Center where they study and regulate the population. This future the population is getting out of hand....Age-pro has made it where no one dies (except if you are in a freak accident you can die). What happens when the world is over-populated? You'll definitely find out when you read Riser.
The main character, Chelsan is the one who can raise the dead. She's part of the lower class in the future. She goes to a rich school where no one likes her except for her two best friends, Bill and Nancy. Chelsan is put into a predicament where she's being hunted by people she has ever met. Her Mom is killed one day at their trailer park and reveals the truth about what happened in the past with Chelsan and her Dad...and who is out to kill Chelsan.
It's up to Chelsan and her friends to find out the truth about what really is going on at the Population Control Center and who is out to kill her.
I do not want to spoil this book...so that's all I'm giving you. =)
My thoughts on "Riser" is I could not put my Kindle down when I was reading it. Becca took me into a world where I was scared for the characters and also thrilled to find out more about this world she created. I do not think I would ever want to take Age-pro after reading this book if it was a real product. If you read "Riser" you'll find out why. I would rather grow old and pass away like I'm supposed too. I would not want the government controlling me like they do in this book.
I felt terrible for the character, Chelsan when she does find out the truth. The people who are trying to kill her are people who should love and take care of her once her Mom is killed.
The mean girl, Jill who gives Chelsan grief when she is school...Grr!! My thoughts on her is that hate her and I wanted to go through the book and beat her butt. She was a "mean girl" to Chelsan. I'm glad Chelsan had friends to help her out with Jill.
This book will take you on a rollercoaster from the minute you read the first chapter to the last chapter.
Just to let the readers know I read the original "Riser" where one of the characters punches a certain character and I did not take offense to it. If you've read "The Hunger Games", you'll understand how the dystopian genre is. In "The Hunger Games", kids were killing kids. Riser just had minor violence in it.
"Riser" is well-written for the dystopian genre. I did not find myself confused at all by what Becca was writing.
Yes I did get annoyed at first with Chelsan pining over Ryan and not being able to really control how she talked around him. (She's a high school girl...and I bet every reader out there understands how a crush can make you feel when they talk to you). I know it reminded me how I was in high school, whenever my crush talked to me. I had butterflies and ended up blurting out stuff that I never would have. That is how the character Chelsan is with Ryan. I finally got over her annoying factor with Ryan, once Ryan admitted his feelings of her. Awwww!!! =) He was one of my FAVE characters in the book.
I could go on and on, what I loved about this book, but I do not want to spoil this book for anyone who wants to read it or who is thinking about reading it.
I recommend this book to dystopian genre readers out there and readers who enjoy the YA genre.
You'll definitely enjoy this future world Becca has written and you'll have a hard time putting it down. You'll want to know what happens next to the characters and if Chelsan will ever have something "happy" happen to her. (less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Redheaded Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

A dark dystopian novel that kept me wanting more. There is a lot going on in this book. Chelsan has to deal with bullying, teen love triangle, being an outcast, an abusive step father, her mother's death, and her strange gift all while surviving high school. I really liked this book. The characters are great. I was rooting for them all through the book. Fast paced and very well written. Jill, Chelsan's nemesis, was a great villain that you love to hate. There are twists that you don't see coming...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Alis Bookshelf rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first agreed to read/review Riser by Becca C. Smith for this tour, I was a bit skeptical, I had heard some drama about this book and wasn't sure it would be for me. I am so glad I didn't listen to what everyone else said and just took the leap. I loved this book!

In this incredibly written book Becca C. Smith brings us a beautiful world to picture in out heads as we read.

To read more of my review visit: Ali's Bookshelf

(This book was giving to me for my honest review. It was also part of...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Karielle Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blog

Riser by Becca Smith
Release Date: June 5th, 2010
Publisher: Red Frog Publishing
Page Count: 361
Source: Free copy provided by author, via Innovative Online Book Tours in exchange for an honest review, as part of the Riser book tour

Black swirling holes churning madly in the center of every corpse. This is how eighteen-year-old Chelsan Derée sees the deceased. Her ability to connect to the black spinning holes allows her to control every dead thing within a four-mile radius.

But that's the least of h...more

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Dec 17, 2012 M. Sembera rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series-i-love

Let me start by saying from chapter zero this book had me. So much so I just down loaded Reaper#2 and will be anxiously awaiting the release of Ripper#3.
Riser held my interest from beginning to end. The characters are completely belivable though unbelivable circomstances. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the building of relationships, making this book about more than just a girl who can raise the dead.
The only things I didnt like were the hover cars(I know its silly) and I wished through all of book...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

I feel like I might have enjoyed this book more had I been 12 and reading it. I read a lot of YA books, but most don't seem like you have to be young to read it. There was way too much stupid teen drama that made no sense and was just annoying. Like they were on the run and ducked into the mall to try and get away from someone and the main characters bff just cannot not shop for some new shoes! I mean who cares that people are trying to get your bff - there are shoes to buy! What? Really? I don'...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Robertfleet rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a published sci-fi/fantasy writer myself, I am impressed by "Riser" and it's blend of future technology with the probable realities of human nature: same old traffic congestion, social classes, and rivalries -- "the more things change..."

And that makes "Riser" a must-read in this genre of fiction: the fun is still there, in plenty, but it has a core of "this could be" that keeps its characters (and our involvement with them) firmly grounded in the reality of the story.

And, as I wrote above, i...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Michelle Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, loved-it, own-it

Book Talk Reviews:
http://www.facebook.com/VampiresBite2012
http://www.michelle808205.blogspot.com/

First thing I want to say about this book is that it was AWESOME!!!

eighteen-year-old Chelsan Derée sees Black swirling holes in the middle of dead people and can connect with it and bring the dead back? I love how the author describe this,in other books about Necromancy i'v read it just tells about how they have this feeling and they bring the dead back,the same goes for here but it also does into h...more

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Jun 18, 2012 S.f. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have to say, teen/tween fiction isn't normally my thing... but, this book rocks! The thing that made it work for me was the voice of the lead character. That and the incredibly unique world that Mrs. Smith created. First the voice: the book is written in first person, almost like a diary or a stream of consciousness entrance into the mind of a young teen named Chelsan. She's gifted with some rather unique powers, and in this volume, we get to learn the origin of her powers and ride along with...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Jas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just an amazing story, the main character Chelsan is a fascinating teenager with a special gift. And our forseeable future as a society obsessed with living forever and the consequences of that obsession. Kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end! Excellent, I would recommend this to anyone who loves sci-fi/adventure and teen fiction...

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Sep 11, 2012 Toni Sinns rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to love this book as much as everyone. And it is a fantastic book. But I just couldn't enjoy it as much as the hype lead me to believe I would. Sometimes I think the hype destroys the book in a way that it has to live up to a high expectation that most things can't.

Riser shows the truth about high school and the struggle. It brings the bully side of high school up front and in your face. And if high school isn't enough trouble you have to know that your mother dies because someone was...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can agree with how the author expected the future to be. The story was full of thrills, changes, drama, and sci-fi, fantasy, etc.

They only part that was left unfinished in this first book was an explanation of how her grandparents got their abilities. However, this is a series, so book two may provide that clarification.

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Oct 04, 2011 Daisy marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia

This does not look like my kind of thing really, but it does take place in LA, I think. I got it at the West Hollywood Book Festival from the author who gave it to me in a hand-printed little cloth bag she made herself. It has her redfrogpublishing.com logo on it. So I'll give it a try, she was so nice.

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About Becca C. Smith

Becca C Smith received her Film degree from Full Sail University and has worked in the Film and Television industry for most of her adult life. In 2010 Becca published her first novel, Riser. She also wrote the sequel, Reaper, the following year. In 2012 Becca released the YA book, Alexis Tappendorf and the Search for Beale's Treasure. She is also the co-author of the teen graphic novel Ghost Whis...more

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