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Reliance on Citizens Makes us Great! #1
Price of a Bounty
Keira Maddock has never considered herself a lady. In fact, she often acts in ways that would be considered downright un-ladylike. A hired killer and thief whose only goal is to provide the necessities of life for herself and her sister, she has learned to be brutally effective in her trade, with skills as sharp as the weapons she prefers. And when the head of a huge, shadowy corporation hires her to remove a powerful and wealthy opponent, Keira is happy to oblige. Until she meets him... Scott Maddock is a hardened Terenian soldier-for-life. His job, to uphold the motto of the realm: "Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!" Soldiers work for the Gov, and the Gov is run by heads of corporations. But where do Scott's loyalties really lie? Only he and his best friend know for sure. April Maddock is trying to make it on her own and has taken a job with a wealthy family. She has chosen not to fight the system like Keira, nor to fight for the Gov like Scott. Unlike her siblings, she recognizes the good in everyone. Even so, outside appearances can be deceiving. April knows that better than most. Infested with greed and divided by power, the realm of Terene bears remarkable resemblance to our own society. But opposite despair, there is always hope. Whereas Keira Maddock brings destruction, Guy Bensen brings promise. Wealthy and powerful, yet thoughtful and caring, he is an anomaly who throws her completely off guard. When she learns of his connections to Scott and April, Keira knows she has made the right decision in not only sparing his life but in joining his cause. In book one of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy, S. L. Wallace introduces a world divided in which not everyone is who he seems to be. In a seamless blend of action, sci-fi, romance and political suspense, we are encouraged to consider the bonds that makes us human.
285 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2011
15 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
About the author
S.L. Wallace
5 books40 followersS.L. Wallace is a teacher and life long writer who is a descendant of the famous William Wallace. Like him, she believes in freedom and independence. Unlike him, she fights her battles with the pen, most recently taking a political stand against recent changes in government at the local and state levels.
The Reliance on Citizens trilogy is her first published series.
The Reliance on Citizens trilogy is her first published series.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 7, 2011
Price of a Bounty was a fast paced, fun read that kept me intrigued and hooked. Please note, this book is not my normal genre, and I was hesitant at first about reading it, but I am very glad I did.
To summarize, this is the story of a world changed, a world where Terene is dominated by the government and the lower classes are left to fend for themselves, to do without good medical treatment, and who must depend on the Elite/the upper class for their survival.
Price of a Bounty follows four main characters: Keira, Scott, Guy, and April. I love books written in first person, but I will admit that I am fairly intimidated by first person point of view when it switches back and forth between characters. Each chapter in this book is the first person account of one of these four characters. That said, and my intimidation with this method revealed, I must point out that this book did SO well in this respect that I was never confused. This is the first time reading a book that switched between characters that I have not been frustrated with point of view change. I never got lost and confused. You have no idea what a big deal that is for me.
The story itself was fantastic. Very well developed. In a book like this, an author who writes about a world this different from our own has to put a lot of work into setting up governments, class divisions, institutions without being over descriptive. This is not an easy task, and is often not done well. I was impressed with Wallace's ability to do this. She made it seem effortless, and her world spoke to me. By the end of the book, I was part of Wallace's world, I was a part of her characters' lives, and I was wishing desperately to be a part of the Resistance.
And let's not forget that, as a huge romantic, this story has romance! I loved that. I also loved that she developed the conflicting emotions of each character so well. I felt everything they felt. That is important in a story.
For the first time in a long time, I have not been disappointed treking into new territory, into a genre that I tend to overlook. I highly recommend this book. I have a bad tendency not to review books that I couldn't get into while I review the ones I love. I know I need to review both. This book is among the books I enjoyed immensely. I am still surprised by how much I enjoyed it. That is a credit to Wallace. I look forward to it's sequel.
To summarize, this is the story of a world changed, a world where Terene is dominated by the government and the lower classes are left to fend for themselves, to do without good medical treatment, and who must depend on the Elite/the upper class for their survival.
Price of a Bounty follows four main characters: Keira, Scott, Guy, and April. I love books written in first person, but I will admit that I am fairly intimidated by first person point of view when it switches back and forth between characters. Each chapter in this book is the first person account of one of these four characters. That said, and my intimidation with this method revealed, I must point out that this book did SO well in this respect that I was never confused. This is the first time reading a book that switched between characters that I have not been frustrated with point of view change. I never got lost and confused. You have no idea what a big deal that is for me.
The story itself was fantastic. Very well developed. In a book like this, an author who writes about a world this different from our own has to put a lot of work into setting up governments, class divisions, institutions without being over descriptive. This is not an easy task, and is often not done well. I was impressed with Wallace's ability to do this. She made it seem effortless, and her world spoke to me. By the end of the book, I was part of Wallace's world, I was a part of her characters' lives, and I was wishing desperately to be a part of the Resistance.
And let's not forget that, as a huge romantic, this story has romance! I loved that. I also loved that she developed the conflicting emotions of each character so well. I felt everything they felt. That is important in a story.
For the first time in a long time, I have not been disappointed treking into new territory, into a genre that I tend to overlook. I highly recommend this book. I have a bad tendency not to review books that I couldn't get into while I review the ones I love. I know I need to review both. This book is among the books I enjoyed immensely. I am still surprised by how much I enjoyed it. That is a credit to Wallace. I look forward to it's sequel.
September 14, 2012
Original review at my blog.
I stuck with this ebook to the end, but am not going to pick up the next in the series.
Price Of A Bounty, the first in S.L. Wallace's trilogy, is about a dystopian future in which the Resistance steals from the rich in order to help the poor: Robin Hood with more violence, basically, and better technology. This is not a favorable comparison; I cheered for the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The first thing that annoys me about Price Of A Bounty is the poor formatting. While things look all right in Amazon's Kindle for PC software, some kind of error or oversight on the formatter's part puts a blank line between every paragraph on my Kindle, which is where I do ninety-something percent of my reading.
The point of view, which is always first person, changes with every section or chapter; a different character describes or tells me what happened just a few pages previously, if that far back. Lots of these repetitions, especially in the first half of the ebook or so, include copied-and-pasted dialogue that I just read a few pages back.
As the book progresses, the copy-paste jobs taper off and I start to see how the POV decisions Wallace made are useful. Too bad she didn't edit the earlier parts to reflect what she'd learned as she kept writing.
Still, I think I would have liked this book more if Wallace had used the third-person omniscient POV. The author could have shown/told us plenty of things that way and, in fact, would have retained the ability to go from one character to another—as long as she didn't head hop, i.e. switch right in the middle of a section, it could have been an effective technique.
Now, about the actual story, which is decent but loses points for the WTFery that occurs throughout.
Keira Maddock, the main character, is an outlaw. As a Freelancer, she does very-bad things to people, including killing and stealing from them, because that's how she survives. Cool, right? I like cheering for heroes and heroines who're trying to make things right—even when that involves heavy-duty violence, which this book includes in generous doses.
What Keira doesn't know at the beginning of this book is that the Resistance is a more-organized, larger group of people trying to accomplish certain things, like kicking ruling-class ass. At some point, she has to decide if she wans to join them or keep Freelancing on her own. Either way, she's going to keep doing violent, usually awesome things.
Overall, that storyline's good. In fact, this could be great because the Resistance is growing and learning—trying to educate and ignite as many people as possible so they'll overthrow their oppressors. If enough subjects in Tkaron catch on, their world will change for the better.
Oh. Yeah. The region's named "Tkaron" even though the overwhelming majority of this ebook is written in current, American English. The hell? Tkaron? Another region's named Mediterra or something—very similar to "Mediterranean," which makes perfect sense—but the area Keira and her sibs call home gets a difficult-to-pronounce name right out of a sci-fi novel that takes place on a spaceship.
Some of the characters' actions make no sense whatsoever:
-One character, after a lifetime of poverty, is told at the last-possible minute to act like she belongs in the wealthy class. Somehow, she pulls off this charade without flaws—even when she's confronted by authority figures. Bull. Crap. She's in an entirely new environment, was just told how to act, and manages to perfectly execute this plan? Sure. Considering that, up until that point, she was a physically beaten, emotionally abused, blue-collar worker with no apparent qualms about being treated like crap, I'm not buying it.
-Some side stories and events don't add much, if anything, to the ebook. These elements pad the word count and, well, that's about it. Going into details would involve spoilers, which I'm trying to avoid.
-A significant revelation that doesn't happen until the eighty-something percent mark (but steers the rest of the book) comes as an unpleasant surprise to everyone, character and reader alike. I'm stuck in first person, so I know precisely what the characters know about this, which is nothing.
Before that comes up, though, I'm already bored and am just finishing the ebook so I don't have another "DNF" title for my readers, who just got one last time.
Then there's the dialogue, which is so unnatural it belongs in a B movie:
Yes, "turbulent adolescence," indeed.
Worse, Wallace has a nearly insatiable need to write less-than-believable dialogue and then, because she's writing in first-person POV, tell us what the character's thinking:
Most of the book uses weak, loose writing along those lines. In my experience (I'm a freelance writer, by the way), writers can't often edit our work to professional standards. We need other peoples' eyes, perspectives, and knowledge to make our work truly great, which is why publishing houses still spend so much money on full teams of editors. Price Of A Bounty could use that kind of editing; the story's interesting, and I like Keira enough to stick with her to the end of Book One to see what happens, but the execution is lacking enough to be frustrating.
I stuck with this ebook to the end, but am not going to pick up the next in the series.
Price Of A Bounty, the first in S.L. Wallace's trilogy, is about a dystopian future in which the Resistance steals from the rich in order to help the poor: Robin Hood with more violence, basically, and better technology. This is not a favorable comparison; I cheered for the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The first thing that annoys me about Price Of A Bounty is the poor formatting. While things look all right in Amazon's Kindle for PC software, some kind of error or oversight on the formatter's part puts a blank line between every paragraph on my Kindle, which is where I do ninety-something percent of my reading.
The point of view, which is always first person, changes with every section or chapter; a different character describes or tells me what happened just a few pages previously, if that far back. Lots of these repetitions, especially in the first half of the ebook or so, include copied-and-pasted dialogue that I just read a few pages back.
As the book progresses, the copy-paste jobs taper off and I start to see how the POV decisions Wallace made are useful. Too bad she didn't edit the earlier parts to reflect what she'd learned as she kept writing.
Still, I think I would have liked this book more if Wallace had used the third-person omniscient POV. The author could have shown/told us plenty of things that way and, in fact, would have retained the ability to go from one character to another—as long as she didn't head hop, i.e. switch right in the middle of a section, it could have been an effective technique.
Now, about the actual story, which is decent but loses points for the WTFery that occurs throughout.
Keira Maddock, the main character, is an outlaw. As a Freelancer, she does very-bad things to people, including killing and stealing from them, because that's how she survives. Cool, right? I like cheering for heroes and heroines who're trying to make things right—even when that involves heavy-duty violence, which this book includes in generous doses.
What Keira doesn't know at the beginning of this book is that the Resistance is a more-organized, larger group of people trying to accomplish certain things, like kicking ruling-class ass. At some point, she has to decide if she wans to join them or keep Freelancing on her own. Either way, she's going to keep doing violent, usually awesome things.
Overall, that storyline's good. In fact, this could be great because the Resistance is growing and learning—trying to educate and ignite as many people as possible so they'll overthrow their oppressors. If enough subjects in Tkaron catch on, their world will change for the better.
Oh. Yeah. The region's named "Tkaron" even though the overwhelming majority of this ebook is written in current, American English. The hell? Tkaron? Another region's named Mediterra or something—very similar to "Mediterranean," which makes perfect sense—but the area Keira and her sibs call home gets a difficult-to-pronounce name right out of a sci-fi novel that takes place on a spaceship.
Some of the characters' actions make no sense whatsoever:
-One character, after a lifetime of poverty, is told at the last-possible minute to act like she belongs in the wealthy class. Somehow, she pulls off this charade without flaws—even when she's confronted by authority figures. Bull. Crap. She's in an entirely new environment, was just told how to act, and manages to perfectly execute this plan? Sure. Considering that, up until that point, she was a physically beaten, emotionally abused, blue-collar worker with no apparent qualms about being treated like crap, I'm not buying it.
-Some side stories and events don't add much, if anything, to the ebook. These elements pad the word count and, well, that's about it. Going into details would involve spoilers, which I'm trying to avoid.
-A significant revelation that doesn't happen until the eighty-something percent mark (but steers the rest of the book) comes as an unpleasant surprise to everyone, character and reader alike. I'm stuck in first person, so I know precisely what the characters know about this, which is nothing.
Before that comes up, though, I'm already bored and am just finishing the ebook so I don't have another "DNF" title for my readers, who just got one last time.
Then there's the dialogue, which is so unnatural it belongs in a B movie:
“Yes, for the past 11 years. I was 16 when we moved to Tkaron. It was during my turbulent adolescence, and I was more than a little upset about leaving all of my friends. But, when your father gets a better paying job in a big city with more opportunities… Well, I didn't have much of a choice. It ended up being a wise move.”
Wallace, S. L. (2011-08-18 02:00:00-05:00). Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (Kindle Locations 223-225). Kindle Edition.
Yes, "turbulent adolescence," indeed.
Worse, Wallace has a nearly insatiable need to write less-than-believable dialogue and then, because she's writing in first-person POV, tell us what the character's thinking:
I softened my tone, “Your answer. Please, tell me what the money is for.” My eyes pleaded with him to tell me. Something inside me whispered that the answer was important.
He looked at me steadily for a moment, calculating, and then shared just a little. “All right, that money was meant to help people, the sick, the needy, those the Elite step upon or push out of the way. People like your father, I suspect.”
I felt a catch in my throat. Could he possibly understand? Why did he refer to the Elite as if he wasn't one of them? Isn't Richard the type of person who steps on people to get ahead? Aren't they all?
Wallace, S. L. (2011-08-18 02:00:00-05:00). Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (Kindle Locations 546-555). Kindle Edition.
Most of the book uses weak, loose writing along those lines. In my experience (I'm a freelance writer, by the way), writers can't often edit our work to professional standards. We need other peoples' eyes, perspectives, and knowledge to make our work truly great, which is why publishing houses still spend so much money on full teams of editors. Price Of A Bounty could use that kind of editing; the story's interesting, and I like Keira enough to stick with her to the end of Book One to see what happens, but the execution is lacking enough to be frustrating.
November 5, 2012
I quite enjoyed that book, I generally don't read a lot or write a lot with different POV, so I was surprised how I truly enjoyed this one, most of the time I can be left feeling confused and lost. But this book is written very well. There are a few spots where see a lot of repeated information, but I didn't mind this very much. It was fast paced and kept me flipping the pages. I still really don't the multiple POV and wish it would have been done in 3rd person but that being said that really doesn't distract one from the story line and the plot, which is great! I love the characters and I love the storyline. Some of the wording seemed a bit redundant or a bit forced, but that can be easily overlooked. I give this a 3 1/2, rounding up to 4 for review sites.
June 18, 2015
Although this story has a familiar premise, in that it reflects today's world with regard to corruption, greed and those awful people who rule with psychopathic glee, it is filled with action and themes to keep interest.
A fast(ish) pace and written to suit the genre and characters.
Worth a look.
A fast(ish) pace and written to suit the genre and characters.
Worth a look.
May 7, 2014
Meet Keira, or is her name Madeline or even Kendra?
This woman of many guises has many difficult decisions to make as she meets someone who forces her to take a good look at the world and herself.
Now she must decide whether or not to turn her specialist skills to aid the common good, but does the common man even deserve her help?
The divide between rich and poor has always been wide, ever since the war, and although everyone looks out for number one in this cut throat environment they are still better off than any other nation, or are they?
As Keira lifts the slimy rocks of her world to see what's under them she discovers things are far more crooked than she suspected and as her family are dragged under she decides that whatever happens she must not lose what is left of her family or who she is.
Although this story follows several characters the one I stuck with most was Keira. She is the first we are introduced to but soon we are introduced to other characters.
In fact the first few chapters cover over the same points from several perspectives and, whereas I personally don't like to go back over things, I can see why; so that we could better get to grips with these new characters.
This book is very character driven, all the people in it come across as very real, extremely compelling and carry the story very well (from other works I've read of Wallace's she always manages to create very real characters)
However I would love to explore this land more as I haven't formed a very strong picture of the surroundings; other than the rich are rich and have gardens and posh cutlery and the poor are poor.
I will be reading the next one as I can't wait to see where this story goes and to find out what it was that sparked the war that sent everything spiralling into chaos.
All in all a very readable and intriguing read with a twist that I just did not see coming. Would recommend to anyone over the age of 16.
This woman of many guises has many difficult decisions to make as she meets someone who forces her to take a good look at the world and herself.
Now she must decide whether or not to turn her specialist skills to aid the common good, but does the common man even deserve her help?
The divide between rich and poor has always been wide, ever since the war, and although everyone looks out for number one in this cut throat environment they are still better off than any other nation, or are they?
As Keira lifts the slimy rocks of her world to see what's under them she discovers things are far more crooked than she suspected and as her family are dragged under she decides that whatever happens she must not lose what is left of her family or who she is.
Although this story follows several characters the one I stuck with most was Keira. She is the first we are introduced to but soon we are introduced to other characters.
In fact the first few chapters cover over the same points from several perspectives and, whereas I personally don't like to go back over things, I can see why; so that we could better get to grips with these new characters.
This book is very character driven, all the people in it come across as very real, extremely compelling and carry the story very well (from other works I've read of Wallace's she always manages to create very real characters)
However I would love to explore this land more as I haven't formed a very strong picture of the surroundings; other than the rich are rich and have gardens and posh cutlery and the poor are poor.
I will be reading the next one as I can't wait to see where this story goes and to find out what it was that sparked the war that sent everything spiralling into chaos.
All in all a very readable and intriguing read with a twist that I just did not see coming. Would recommend to anyone over the age of 16.
November 30, 2012
I loved this book. And this was free. Is this still free? You might want to grab it, because I would've paid for it.
This book has shifting POVs, but i was not distracted at all. In fact, I rather liked it, and I thought I wouldn't.
Some parts were a little disturbing and if you've read it, you'll probably know what I mean, with April and Keira with that Cole guy.
*shudder*
I liked that this was different, it was a nice change from all the romantic suspense I've been reading lately. Speaking of romance, I loved that although this was not plainly a romance book, romance was still a pretty huge part of it, and I loved every freaking bit of it.
Heroine was very independent and kick-ass, in her own way. Even when she has killed people in her line of work, she is still vulnerable and you can't help but like her.
Guy. <3 I love him.
Scott, felt sorry for him towards the end.
April.. she could totally have her own story. Wonder if she'll have a love interest. She deserves one.
I like the whole discrete operation thing. It's just plain fun to read about them able to do stuff without the baddies knowing about it. Ending was satisfying, although I really felt for April and wish it didn't end that way. She shouldn't have to go through all that. :'(
Overall this was awesome. It was fast-paced and each chapter was very short and I found myself thinking "just one more chapter", until I've read several. (The kindle's 'time to read' feature may not be such a good thing after all. xD)
This book has shifting POVs, but i was not distracted at all. In fact, I rather liked it, and I thought I wouldn't.
Some parts were a little disturbing and if you've read it, you'll probably know what I mean, with April and Keira with that Cole guy.
*shudder*
I liked that this was different, it was a nice change from all the romantic suspense I've been reading lately. Speaking of romance, I loved that although this was not plainly a romance book, romance was still a pretty huge part of it, and I loved every freaking bit of it.
Heroine was very independent and kick-ass, in her own way. Even when she has killed people in her line of work, she is still vulnerable and you can't help but like her.
Guy. <3 I love him.
Scott, felt sorry for him towards the end.
April.. she could totally have her own story. Wonder if she'll have a love interest. She deserves one.
I like the whole discrete operation thing. It's just plain fun to read about them able to do stuff without the baddies knowing about it. Ending was satisfying, although I really felt for April and wish it didn't end that way. She shouldn't have to go through all that. :'(
Overall this was awesome. It was fast-paced and each chapter was very short and I found myself thinking "just one more chapter", until I've read several. (The kindle's 'time to read' feature may not be such a good thing after all. xD)
April 7, 2014
Summary of story: A dystopian future world, which may or may not be earth. (There were not any realms with earth names, I think.) The rich and powerful elite run everything, and control information in the poor realm of Tkaron.
But there is a Resistance that is working to overthrow the system. The story focuses on three siblings, Kiera, Scott, and April, who take on different roles in this society. Kiera is a Freelancer, doing anything for money to survive. Scott is a soldier who is, supposedly, working for the government. And April is a civilian trying to survive as a poor worker for a rich family.
They all get caught up in the Resistance and have to make some hard choices, and suffer the consequences. Will they beat the system, or will it beat them?
The Good: It had a few surprises. The subject matter was interesting and futuristic. As a sci-fi fan, this is the type of subject that I like. It was a combination of futurism and realistic action thriller. The main POV character, Kiera, is well-formed and believable. It had truthful, gritty violence in some parts, without gore. The last 10-15% of the book was the most interesting, with some surprises and twists.
The OK: It is a good book, with the world and some of the characters well developed. The book has a changing POV in each chapter. Each of the four main characters describes events in 1st person POV. Sometimes I had to pause to remember who was thinking and saying "I" at a few chapters.
Recommended for fans of sci-fi, and dystopian worlds, and action/adventure.
But there is a Resistance that is working to overthrow the system. The story focuses on three siblings, Kiera, Scott, and April, who take on different roles in this society. Kiera is a Freelancer, doing anything for money to survive. Scott is a soldier who is, supposedly, working for the government. And April is a civilian trying to survive as a poor worker for a rich family.
They all get caught up in the Resistance and have to make some hard choices, and suffer the consequences. Will they beat the system, or will it beat them?
The Good: It had a few surprises. The subject matter was interesting and futuristic. As a sci-fi fan, this is the type of subject that I like. It was a combination of futurism and realistic action thriller. The main POV character, Kiera, is well-formed and believable. It had truthful, gritty violence in some parts, without gore. The last 10-15% of the book was the most interesting, with some surprises and twists.
The OK: It is a good book, with the world and some of the characters well developed. The book has a changing POV in each chapter. Each of the four main characters describes events in 1st person POV. Sometimes I had to pause to remember who was thinking and saying "I" at a few chapters.
Recommended for fans of sci-fi, and dystopian worlds, and action/adventure.
May 17, 2013
This is a fast-paced and entertaining dystopian novel written for young adult readers, but with adult characters. Teenagers will appreciate the spirit of protagonist Keira and the other narrators, Guy, Scott, and April, as they struggle against the malevolent plans of members of the rich Elite. Price of a Bounty builds slowly, getting to know the characters through a shifting first-person narration that is heavy on dialogue. Who can be trusted? Everyone has multiple names and identities, and friendship, loyalty, and love are all hard to establish in a world of betrayal and suspicion. In time, however, this sorts itself out, and really intense action starts. The novel has a series of dramatic surprises at the end -- I had no idea what was coming at any point in the final third of the book.
The feel is somewhere between Orwell and present-day America. The powerful and influential Elite oppress everyone else with their selfish desire and ability seemingly to kill at will -- but there are still an active yet untrustworthy government and even a semi-independent media, making this a story about deadly maneuvers in the shadows and behind the scenes. In a particularly fine sequence of painful contrasts, two characters go on a romantic retreat, while another is subject to brutal mistreatment. I felt this part most keenly.
On to book two!
The feel is somewhere between Orwell and present-day America. The powerful and influential Elite oppress everyone else with their selfish desire and ability seemingly to kill at will -- but there are still an active yet untrustworthy government and even a semi-independent media, making this a story about deadly maneuvers in the shadows and behind the scenes. In a particularly fine sequence of painful contrasts, two characters go on a romantic retreat, while another is subject to brutal mistreatment. I felt this part most keenly.
On to book two!
July 14, 2013
A future world run by the rich elite feeding off the poor and oppressed, with a secret Resistance movement working to make things better, makes for an interesting tale. The story follows three siblings as their lives, though completely different, come together to aid this Resistance. There was quite a bit of action as you would expect from a tale like this; but unfortunately, that alone, was not enough to keep the story afloat. Although the idea for this story grabbed me in the beginning, I felt there was quite a bit lacking in the actual story told. This could have been an amazing book, but instead it was just good. Don’t get me wrong, it was an entertaining book; it just really disappoints me when an author doesn’t reach their full potential in a story. I do have to mention one annoying aspect of the writing. The author uses first person, but changes POV with each chapter. I didn’t mind the changing of POVs, but what I didn’t like was the author repeating the same scenes with the same dialogue over again. Luckily this only happened a few times, because it was quite annoying. I haven’t quite decided yet if I will venture into the next book of this series.
February 10, 2013
A very entertaining read. I really love distopian stories and thoroughly enjoyed `Price of a Bounty'. Set in a realm that has gone to ruin after the preceding war, this is a fast paced story about the stranglehold one group of people, in this case the Gov, or government, run exclusively by the very wealthy, have over the general population; denying them even basic necessities and information about the outside world in order to hang on to their own power.
Keira, Scott and April; siblings who's parents died in fishy circumstances are left struggling to survive. Scott, the eldest, joins the military, Keira, the heroine of the story becomes an assassin and April, the youngest works as a servant for one of the Elite. When one of Keira's marks turns out to be a leader of the secret resistance, she becomes involved in the struggle. What follows is an intriguing plot with many interesting twists and turns and quite a few surprises. I do not want to inadvertently post a spoiler so I will only say that I was intrigued enough to start the second in the series.
Keira, Scott and April; siblings who's parents died in fishy circumstances are left struggling to survive. Scott, the eldest, joins the military, Keira, the heroine of the story becomes an assassin and April, the youngest works as a servant for one of the Elite. When one of Keira's marks turns out to be a leader of the secret resistance, she becomes involved in the struggle. What follows is an intriguing plot with many interesting twists and turns and quite a few surprises. I do not want to inadvertently post a spoiler so I will only say that I was intrigued enough to start the second in the series.
October 30, 2012
This book is out of my normal genre of reading material but I liked it. In the beginning, I got a little confused with the POV changing from character to character to character but fell into pace rather quickly after the first few "chapters."
There are 4 people you experience but 3 that are really strong story tellers. Keira is a Freelancer, Richard is a Guide and Scott is an undercover Shepherd. And there's April, Scott and Keira's sister.
This story is set in the future although I'm not too sure how far ahead. It's like a futuristic Robin Hood with a twist. I really liked how SL didn't just make it about stealing from the rich to give to the poor. She added illegal experiments to a corrupt government and made the story much more enjoyable. I really liked the read once I got into the groove of the changing POVs. I'd like to continue on with this series to see what is in store for our futuristic heroes.
There are 4 people you experience but 3 that are really strong story tellers. Keira is a Freelancer, Richard is a Guide and Scott is an undercover Shepherd. And there's April, Scott and Keira's sister.
This story is set in the future although I'm not too sure how far ahead. It's like a futuristic Robin Hood with a twist. I really liked how SL didn't just make it about stealing from the rich to give to the poor. She added illegal experiments to a corrupt government and made the story much more enjoyable. I really liked the read once I got into the groove of the changing POVs. I'd like to continue on with this series to see what is in store for our futuristic heroes.
September 14, 2013
Action, Suspense, and Romance
This is one of my new favorite reads. It has so many of the elements I enjoy - a strong female character, danger and action, a plot that keeps you turning pages to see what happens, and plenty of romance.
Kiera has had a rough life, so the life of a paid assassin works for her. She only takes contracts on those that deserve to die, and when one of her targets isn’t what he seems, she gives him a second chance.
She’s never trusted others, for good reason, and when she gets drawn into the “Resistance” it isn’t easy to change her ways. Working against the “Elite” in a society totally controlled by the upper class, Kiera discovers hidden secrets everywhere she turns.
S.L. Wallace is skilled at keeping each point of view unique and insightful. I’m looking forward to the next book in the trilogy, and have a feeling I’ll need more from this author when I finish the third book.
This is one of my new favorite reads. It has so many of the elements I enjoy - a strong female character, danger and action, a plot that keeps you turning pages to see what happens, and plenty of romance.
Kiera has had a rough life, so the life of a paid assassin works for her. She only takes contracts on those that deserve to die, and when one of her targets isn’t what he seems, she gives him a second chance.
She’s never trusted others, for good reason, and when she gets drawn into the “Resistance” it isn’t easy to change her ways. Working against the “Elite” in a society totally controlled by the upper class, Kiera discovers hidden secrets everywhere she turns.
S.L. Wallace is skilled at keeping each point of view unique and insightful. I’m looking forward to the next book in the trilogy, and have a feeling I’ll need more from this author when I finish the third book.
January 3, 2012
Price of a Bounty by SL Wallace –Review.
‘Price of a Bounty’ is a fast-paced novel with plenty of action. With main protagonists that all have their own secrets and inhabit an unequal world where; as they are all drawn together into a web of intrigue, they have to decide who they can and cannot trust.
Around this, with an assassin, resistance movement, murder, theft and a dash of romance, SL Wallace deftly takes us on their journey with surprising twists and turns that keep you wondering what is going to happen next; right up to the last chapters.
Her skilful style of telling the story through the viewpoints of different characters giving insights into the personality and logic of each persona, gives the reader a chance to get to know and care about them.
Well written and thoroughly enjoyable. I am genuinely looking forward to the sequel ‘Canvas Skies’.
‘Price of a Bounty’ is a fast-paced novel with plenty of action. With main protagonists that all have their own secrets and inhabit an unequal world where; as they are all drawn together into a web of intrigue, they have to decide who they can and cannot trust.
Around this, with an assassin, resistance movement, murder, theft and a dash of romance, SL Wallace deftly takes us on their journey with surprising twists and turns that keep you wondering what is going to happen next; right up to the last chapters.
Her skilful style of telling the story through the viewpoints of different characters giving insights into the personality and logic of each persona, gives the reader a chance to get to know and care about them.
Well written and thoroughly enjoyable. I am genuinely looking forward to the sequel ‘Canvas Skies’.
August 8, 2013
The action starts right away. Within seconds you are in the middle of a suspenseful story that carries through the entire book. I was glued to the pages and careful to pay close attention to the clues. I didn't want to miss a thing.
This story shares the point of view of more than the main character which I really enjoyed. It makes you feel like you are taking a trip inside everyone's brain. The writing was crisp and sharp and the story was clever and intriguing. It was easy to indulge myself into the unpredictable plot.
"I hurried through the hall, down the stairs and into the bright sunlight. Once on the street, I projected an air of confidence as I walked along, joining the flow of pedestrians and cyclists. Eventually, I paused and knocked on the window of the cab. It was a rusty old blue wagon. Hopefully, it would get me more than a few blocks before breaking down."
This story shares the point of view of more than the main character which I really enjoyed. It makes you feel like you are taking a trip inside everyone's brain. The writing was crisp and sharp and the story was clever and intriguing. It was easy to indulge myself into the unpredictable plot.
"I hurried through the hall, down the stairs and into the bright sunlight. Once on the street, I projected an air of confidence as I walked along, joining the flow of pedestrians and cyclists. Eventually, I paused and knocked on the window of the cab. It was a rusty old blue wagon. Hopefully, it would get me more than a few blocks before breaking down."
February 14, 2014
S. L. Wallace has nailed it here! She's got style and ability, and it shines through in her writing.
The book read very smoothly. Well constructed verse in like that; easy to read and easy to follow. It's written in multiple first person and that's not easy. But S. :. pulls it off well.
I did not find a single grammatical error in this novel. And a bonus, I never had to reread a sentence because it didn't make sense.
Here's the only reason I (personally) didn't give it 5 stars - romance. And too much of it for this old sour-puss. I love dystopian (and S. L. does it well), but I like very , very little romance in my dystopian novels. She had more, which is fine, just not my personal liking so much.
Otherwise this is a must read for all dystopian lovers. You will NOT be sorry! lake
The book read very smoothly. Well constructed verse in like that; easy to read and easy to follow. It's written in multiple first person and that's not easy. But S. :. pulls it off well.
I did not find a single grammatical error in this novel. And a bonus, I never had to reread a sentence because it didn't make sense.
Here's the only reason I (personally) didn't give it 5 stars - romance. And too much of it for this old sour-puss. I love dystopian (and S. L. does it well), but I like very , very little romance in my dystopian novels. She had more, which is fine, just not my personal liking so much.
Otherwise this is a must read for all dystopian lovers. You will NOT be sorry! lake
April 17, 2013
My kind of a book!! This book appealed to me right from the beginning. I found myself picking it up at every opportunity possible – I simply had to know what happened to the characters in the story. The author’s creativity and ability to write the story from 4 different people’s perspectives totally held my attention. There are four lives entwined through fate. The story takes place in the future when the world is divided into two distinctive groups, the rich who are powerful and the poor. Even in such dangerous times there are people who want to make their ‘country’ a better place to live. It is easy to visualise the characters in this book and I became totally absorbed in the adventure. Definitely my kind of read, in fact I loved it!
September 7, 2013
When the Wind Blows by James Patterson meets Robin Hood wrapped up in a lovely dystopian package. Price of a Bounty by S.L. Wallace is all of that and more. Told in first person and changing point of views it is very easy to connect and relate to Keira and the rest of the main characters. The only minor complaint I have is the repetition of dialogue when you switch views.
Shortened vocabulary for words we know give the world a new, vivid feel: techno for technology, vid for video, and so on.
Keira is a strong female lead, but she has her vulnerabilities. That makes her plight all the more believable. If she didn't need help every now and then...where would the suspense be? Price of a Bounty is a fast, smart, awesome read and I can't wait to start Canvas Skies.
Shortened vocabulary for words we know give the world a new, vivid feel: techno for technology, vid for video, and so on.
Keira is a strong female lead, but she has her vulnerabilities. That makes her plight all the more believable. If she didn't need help every now and then...where would the suspense be? Price of a Bounty is a fast, smart, awesome read and I can't wait to start Canvas Skies.
February 12, 2013
Price of a Bounty is an original novel that blends action, sci-fi, romance and political suspense. Although slightly confusing at the start, I very much enjoyed the story being told from the main characters’ points of view. It worked well. I also liked the fact that S. L. Wallace ‘drip fed’ the reader with details about the world she was writing about. It kept the story fresh and created suspense. The underlying plot turned out to be more sophisticated than I would have guessed at first, which I found gratifying and rewarding, and I liked the clean, fresh and simple writing style. I definitely want to read the rest of the books in this series!
June 6, 2013
Price Of a Bounty
reviewed By Dab10
The writing in this book comes to life. It's a great roller coaster highs and lows. The writing is smooth and captivating. Told in the first person, that person changes with each chapter(not easy to pull off but done well here). In a future where there is a two class system some lines get crossed, a freelance (thief/assassin) hired to retrieve money and kill the thief set off an adventure of secrets and lies; mystery and mayhem; murder and intrigue; love and loss; and even a few explosions. This is a great page turner. Strap in and go for a little ride.
reviewed By Dab10
The writing in this book comes to life. It's a great roller coaster highs and lows. The writing is smooth and captivating. Told in the first person, that person changes with each chapter(not easy to pull off but done well here). In a future where there is a two class system some lines get crossed, a freelance (thief/assassin) hired to retrieve money and kill the thief set off an adventure of secrets and lies; mystery and mayhem; murder and intrigue; love and loss; and even a few explosions. This is a great page turner. Strap in and go for a little ride.
January 2, 2012
I found this book even more interesting after a second read. I tend to read too fast sometimes and miss things on the first pass... so reading it a second time brought new light to the story. The author creates realistic, believable characters that keep the reader intrigued. I'm very anxious to read the sequel and learn where this story is going. A very well-crafted piece!
November 17, 2013
Got about 20% through before I decided that the book was not worth going all the way through. My first hint was this bit early on:
"I could swim in the deep blue of those eyes. Stop! No distractions, Keira, not while you're working."
There's a lot of tell don't show, a lot of repetition--there's promise here, but it's mediocre enough that I didn't want to push through.
"I could swim in the deep blue of those eyes. Stop! No distractions, Keira, not while you're working."
There's a lot of tell don't show, a lot of repetition--there's promise here, but it's mediocre enough that I didn't want to push through.
September 2, 2012
Another contest for this book is currently being held at http://smartweiters2.blogspot.com/201... Read the interview, post a comment, and you could win a signed copy!
Good luck!
Good luck!
October 21, 2012
I really liked this book and have the next one on my list of books I want to read. Normally I am confused by books that jump from character to character, changing points of view, but this was still easy to follow and I liked that a lot.
July 23, 2014
Not the worst book I've ever read but it is damn far from the best. Ham handed writing style, a plot that relies on more coincidences than a soap opera, and it is completely populated by two dimensional unbelievable characters.
August 19, 2013
I tried I came to 55% in the book, but it is boring, there's almost no action, to much talk.
Characters are flat.
The book cover does look great.
Characters are flat.
The book cover does look great.
July 9, 2016
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of twists and turns, and I enjoyed Kiera as the bounty hunter/freelancer--reminded me a bit of a female James Bond. Interested to see what happens in the next book!
October 11, 2011
A fast paced sci-fi adventure with strong characters and good twists.
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