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Dissidence

(Dissidence #1)

Jamie Canosa (Goodreads Author)

3.80 · Rating details · 312 ratings · 33 reviews

In dystopian America, sixteen-year-old Kaleigh finds out quickly what having a big mouth and not enough brains to keep it shut can earn you. A one-way ticket to the work camps that no one even knows exists.

Nuclear war has ravished the nation, and a century later, the survivors are living in an entirely new world. In a society where everything is decided for you, from where ...more

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Paperback, 364 pages

Published November 26th 2012 by Prose by Design (first published November 25th 2012)

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YA Dystopia Novels

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Nov 28, 2012 Kendall {Book Crazy} rated it it was amazing

Shelves: blog-tours, arc

Dissidence is now one of my favourite dystopian books! I loved everything about it! It had great characters, an amazing plot and also it was original! I have to say though that I had my own ideas about the plot when I got about 6 chapters in but I was so wrong! The plot surprised me with where it went because I wasn't expecting it but I loved it! Kaleigh Matthews was the main character of Dissidence and I really liked her! She stood up for what she believed in and I envied her for that! Peter wa ...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Cambria rated it it was amazing

Title: Dissidence
Author: Jamie Canosa
Genre: Young adult, Dystopian, Fiction
Format: ARC for review

Synopsis (provided by author)
In dystopian America, sixteen year old Kaleigh finds out quickly what having a big mouth and not enough brains to keep it shut can earn you. A one-way ticket to the work camps that no one even knows exists.

Nuclear war has ravished the nation, and a century later, the survivors are living in an entirely new world. In a society where everything is decided for you, from wher ...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Books rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed

I’m a huge fan of dystopian fantasy, so of course I was eager to get into this book. A beautiful cover and an intriguing premise – I was instantly hooked.

The book started out really well and I was quickly drawn into Katniss Kaleigh and Peeta’s Peter’s world. I liked her feisty character and some of the supporting characters too even though it had a distinctly The Hunger Games feel to it. But what really drew me deeper into the story was the author’s snarky writing that had me grinning.

Then I re I’m a huge fan of dystopian fantasy, so of course I was eager to get into this book. A beautiful cover and an intriguing premise – I was instantly hooked.

The book started out really well and I was quickly drawn into Katniss Kaleigh and Peeta’s Peter’s world. I liked her feisty character and some of the supporting characters too even though it had a distinctly The Hunger Games feel to it. But what really drew me deeper into the story was the author’s snarky writing that had me grinning.

Then I reached a point in the book where Katniss Kaleigh had to go for her first branding and - *insert screeching brakes here* - I think to myself, what the heck? She received a branding on the back of her neck only a few chapters earlier and now the author’s pretending like this is her first? Wouldn’t this then be her second branding? I was thoroughly confused. So I backtracked and reread the chapter in which she received her first prisoner branding – and there it is. A huge, gaping hole in the plot. I was utterly disappointed as this was not the only discrepancy. Katniss Kaleigh refuses to get into a car because she’s never been in one before and she’s afraid she might not be able to deal with the speed the car is traveling at, but a few minutes later she gets into a train that moves at lightning fast speed, looks out the window at the landscape rushing by, and this doesn’t bother her at all. Strange.

You see, tiny details are important to me as reader. I appreciate it when an author isn’t dumping info all over the place, but leave a lot to the reader’s imagination. However, it just made no sense to me that it is never mentioned that prisoners ever got the opportunity to shower or wash themselves or use the bathroom. The prisoners’ daily routine consisted of waking up, having breakfast, going down to the mines to slave away, coming back up for dinner and then going straight to bed. It was blatantly clear that the everyday-routine task of cleaning themselves or getting dressed in a clean set of clothes was overlooked in the writing of the prisoners’ daily rituals, and I was left under the impression that Katniss Kaleigh and her friends never had a shower, brushed their teeth, combed their hair, or put on clean underwear in three months. Gross. The first mention of a bathroom (at the prisoner camps) only occurs nearly halfway into the book and that was when a wound needed to be cleaned. Now this might seem as petty things to complain about, but I was having such a great time reading this book, especially enjoying the author’s way of thinking, that I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that such obvious things were being overlooked by the author and/or editor. Even in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the characters’ daily cleaning rituals were mentioned.

Aside from my disappointment in important details being disregarded, I think this is a terrific book. The story isn’t really unique as far as dystopian novels go, but it is an immensely enjoyable one, if you overlook the abovementioned points. The similarities with elements from The Hunger Games were observable (from unintentionally inciting a rebellion and overthrowing the system, the ever popular-in-YA-novels love-triangle, to using a train as the main form of transport), but the author has her own distinct writing style which bears no resemblance to that of Suzanne Collins. I loved the ending and it got me curious as to what will be happening in the next book. I would love to give it five stars for great writing, suspense, and the fact that I simply couldn’t put it down until I got to the exhilarating cliffhanger ending, but I feel let down by the gaping holes in the story and therefore only give it a worth-your-time-reading three stars.
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Nov 26, 2012 Wanda Hartzenberg rated it it was amazing

Dissidence by Jamie Canosa 2012.
This post apocalyptic story at first reminded me of The Hunger Games, the blind faith and acceptance of the populace in particular.
Kaleigh the protagonist of the series in both the sense of the lead character as well as the hero is a wonderfully fluffed out character. Displaying dimension upon dimension and real growth within the story line. She is humanly flawed and thus her actions are all the more admirable while Peter, her love interest is literally a dream b ...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, owned-e-books

Check out the book tour, click banner below to read all about it, and enter the giveaway!! 8 Chapters can be read for free as well. Come on by.

5 out of 5 BIG stars from me!

I see this amazing dystopian to be the next big thing. Fans of Divergent and Hunger Games will fall in love with this book! I will say, the ending will absolutely shake you to your core! I am glad there will be another book, or I would have been very upset! This book was all sorts of amazing, and I am still in shock!

This book is told from the perspective of a young girl, just turning 16, who is very opinionated, and really does not like the strict rules of the `Security' of this aftermath of war. This book is like a mix of the `factions' type in Divergence, and Hunger Games mixed. Except with this one, if a person if found to protest against the officials of this world are punished, in other words if they are `dissidence'. They are sent to what is called `work camps', in other words prison, but have to work your butt off, and they are violent in making you do your part, getting punched in the face for not wielding a pick axe well enough warrants this.

It was full of action, non-stop just about, and the main character Kaleigh, is someone I was easily able to connect with. I enjoyed her easy friendship with Peter, and how she risked so much to help him. I really liked Conner a lot, and really though Kaleigh and Conner would have been a great couple. I loved how he called her "Girlie", it was cute.

I do not want to spoil anything, so won't say much. But I will say, I had about the same reaction to the ending of Insurgent, that I just had to this one, but won't say why, lol.

Well written, and a great original idea. I am very pleased with the writing and the style of it, as well as the story as a whole.

I highly recommend this book to all ages. It's intense, exciting, emotional, and has its funny parts too.
I was provided a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the author, for my honest review. This is that honest review.

...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Maren Dille rated it liked it

Jamie's writing first impressed me when I read her short story, "Our Own Worst Enemies." That story was part of the halloween anthology I also participated in, Screams in the Night. It stood out to me for its depth, fun characters, and suspenseful plot.

Dissidence is even better! Good enough that for the past week I've been sneaking upstairs every night to take a bath with my kindle, just so I could read it with no distractions. If I really like a book, that's how you know. It means I liked somet Jamie's writing first impressed me when I read her short story, "Our Own Worst Enemies." That story was part of the halloween anthology I also participated in, Screams in the Night. It stood out to me for its depth, fun characters, and suspenseful plot.

Dissidence is even better! Good enough that for the past week I've been sneaking upstairs every night to take a bath with my kindle, just so I could read it with no distractions. If I really like a book, that's how you know. It means I liked something enough to take time away from my family and writing and housework, and anything else that should take up my time, to read it!

Here is a short description of Dissidence:

"In dystopian America, sixteen-year-old Kaleigh finds out quickly what having a big mouth and not enough brains to keep it shut can earn you. A one-way ticket to the work camps that no one even knows exists.

Nuclear war has ravished the nation, and a century later, the survivors are living in an entirely new world. In a society where everything is decided for you, from where you work to who you marry, dissidence is not taken lightly.

But, even inside the camps, Kaleigh’s fiery spirit refuses to be extinguished. In a single moment of defiance, she manages to spark a riot that ignites into a full-blown rebellion.

With growing numbers counting on her, not just for their freedom, but for their very lives, two different boys vying for her heart, and trouble brewing from within the camp itself, can Kaleigh find a way to step up and become the leader everyone is counting on her to be, or will even the most carefully laid plans come crashing down around her?"

The main character, Kaleigh, is hilarious. Witty, sarcastic, and real about her circumstances as a sixteen-year-old. My favorite quote from the book is from her:

"Conner hands shiny black guns to both me and Peter. I'm pretty sure that if the best description of the weapon I can come up with is black and shiny, then I probably shouldn't be handling it."

The characters were well developed. I really liked how despite a love-triangle being present, it didn't distract from the story. There was no gushy or cheesy love scenes, and it only added to the complexity of Kaleigh's character. However, one boy won Kaleigh's heart, and the other totally won mine. I'm going to have to wait until the sequel to find some closure, because the end is a HUGE cliffhanger. A great cliffhanger!

For those of you looking for a fun, YA read, try this one. ...more

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Jun 04, 2013 Lori rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: end-of-the-world, must-read, favorites, young-adult, blew-me-away, review-book, kindle, indie

Kaleigh lives on her own. She's a bakers assistant, but is not so good at the walking, mixing, physical things needed for the job. So the baker puts her on the register. Where she deals with idiots day in and day out. Her only friend is Peter, he is the only person she feels comfortable being herself with. Kaleigh has a big mouth, a mouth that ends up getting her in trouble. She is found Dissident, and sent to a work camp to toil in an iron mine. It's slave labor and everyone is there because th Kaleigh lives on her own. She's a bakers assistant, but is not so good at the walking, mixing, physical things needed for the job. So the baker puts her on the register. Where she deals with idiots day in and day out. Her only friend is Peter, he is the only person she feels comfortable being herself with. Kaleigh has a big mouth, a mouth that ends up getting her in trouble. She is found Dissident, and sent to a work camp to toil in an iron mine. It's slave labor and everyone is there because they questioned the way things were. But Kaleigh has a plan to get out, and she does. Little does she know that her actions are the beginning of something big.

This book was awesome. It's like the Hunger Games, Divergent and a whole lot of other dystopians rolled into one! It has action, adventure, a lot of feels, and very very light romance.
Kaleigh is a very likable character. She reminds a lot of myself. I hate people too. She's opinionated and lacks filter. Yep, and Yep.

The action sequences are the best! Jamie's writing really shines while she is writing the action. They are easy to follow, but yet still fast paced and exciting. A lot of times when writers write action scenes I have a hard time following. I am not a visual person. When I read a movie does not show in my head. So sometimes I sit there and think, huh, how is their hand doing that? But that was not the case here.

The romance is so light in this book. So if you are sick of books that poor on the kissing then this is the book for you! It's not overkill, it doesn't saturate every aspect of the story. Sure we all know there is a love triangle going on, but because the MC doesn't know it we get to play oblivious too! I can't make any promises how book two will play out, because I haven't read it yet.

Now to address the four star rating. The ending. That one word. Well let's just say I was so "Gahhh" at it that I had to only give it a four star rating. I do random subjective stuff like that. It has nothing to do with the quality of the work, or even my enjoyment. I just feel like Jamie is torturing me. I want to know what happened!!!!
So there you have it. Loved the book ...more

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Jun 28, 2013 CeCe rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, romance, dystopia

We meet Kaleigh. She has had to learn to survive in the world all by herself at a young age without her parents. Kaleigh lives in a society where everything is decided for you.

She is strong and independent and has one friend, Peter. Peter is loyal and just everything wonderful.

In this society, everyone on their 16th birthday gets a card where they are informed of the name of their mate that has been chosen for them. Kaleigh gets the name of her mate the day after her 16th birthday. Even though ...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Beth rated it it was amazing

When I read the synopsis of this book, I could not wait to get my hands on it. Being a big fan of this genre, it did not take me long to completely devour the book. Ms. Canosa brilliantly blends duty, honor, and love in this unforgettable story making it a "must read" for 2013!

First of all, I cannot tell you how much I love the protagonist, Kayleigh. She is daring, dangerous, snarky, and incredibly brave. Kayleigh is willing to risk everything for her friends and for justice. After finding herse ...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Nancy rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-dystopian

I've been meaning to review this for a couple days, but life isn't awesome right at this moment. I've finished two more books since I finished this one, so hopefully I can remember enough to review properly.

Dissidence is set in the US, over a hundred years in the future. After a nuclear war - World War III, I assume, since Kaleigh briefly mentions World War IV being a possible outcome of her rebellion - the US is split into 26 colonies, A through Z. The government controls major life decisions ...more

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Jul 18, 2014 Jenna rated it really liked it

16 year old Kaleigh has a big mouth and if she could shut up for once instead of keeping everyone posted on her thoughts she wouldn’t have ended in a work camp.

The world has fallen apart after nuclear wars, now the government makes all the choices who to marry, what kind of job you get, where you get to live.

In one off those not thinking about the consequences moments Kaleigh can’t stop herself from acting upon injustice and before she knows it, she has started a rebellion.

Now her best friend Pe ...more

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Jun 23, 2013 Maria's Book Blog rated it it was amazing

I don't even know where to begin, so right off the bat I'll just say that this was one hell of a dystopian YA novel! I was hooked from the very beginning and finished this book the same day I started. I was seriously intrigued reading the synopsis and can say without a doubt that this novel does NOT disappoint. It's action packed from beginning to end and despite the seriousness of its contents, Ms. Canosa offers comedic relief in the form of witty banter between the main characters and a heroin ...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Erin Strain rated it it was amazing

I started reading this book late at night on Jamie's Facebook and two hours later I had to buy it so I could read it on the go. I find myself wanting to reread it already just so I know I haven't missed a thing about it. The lead character has such a laugh out loud sass about her that I adore and a natural strength that isn't often found in female characters. Every character was put together perfectly, I love them and love to hate a few. The story flows so quick, smooth and natural and the only ...more

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Dec 06, 2015 Sparkles0421 rated it did not like it

Honestly, I thought this book would be different. The beginning was pretty original, but then it turned out to be just like any other dystopian.
Personally, Kaleigh was WAY to sarcastic for me. She would use sarcasm in almost every sentence she spoke and it got annoying pretty quickly. Then the characters agreed to stuff too quickly and just got boring and predictable. Being a big fan of dystopians and books, this was a let down.

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Dec 02, 2012 Cyndi Tefft rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, favorite-books, own, dystopian

A snarky heroine, two sweet guys that make you melt inside, a world run amok in desperate need of saving. What's not to love? Fans of Divergent will devour this dystopian YA novel. And don't even get me started on that ending! I was frantically swiping the screen to get to the next page. Breathless doesn't begin to describe it.

If you love a good dystopian tale, Dissidence will delight you! ...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Keenan Smith rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way that the story flowed, how the characters interacted and how it made me feel. That's usually how I rate a book. Based on the feelings it invokes in me. And this invoked great feelings. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Also, check out her other works. You won't be disappointed ...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Colleen Ray rated it it was amazing

YA dystopian novel that kept me riveted from beginning to end. The main characters and plot are well developed, and the story moves along non-stop. The author concentrates on the post-societal realities of the story, without getting preachy about the whys of the world's downfall -- no political or moral preaching, which is very refreshing. Highly recommended! ...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Jeanette rated it really liked it

The book started a little slow for me . It did however pick up quickly and cought my interest. The story seemed a little familiar but with a twist. Jamie does a good job of painting a picture in your mind of whats going on. Over all it is a good book and worth a read.
I would deffinatly recomend it to a friend

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Jul 30, 2013 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction-dystopia, ya, series

Good overall story, but I found the writing a bit lacking. Maybe I just didn't care too much for the author's style. The action sometimes felt rushed as details were ignore or glazed over. It did have one heck of a cliffhanger though, so if you pick this one up, be prepared to rush out and get its sequel. ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Tifani Clark rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

No annoying characters here!

I hate it when I read a book and have to cheer for the bad guy because the main character is so annoying. That didn't happen here. Kaleigh was witty, sarcastic, and fearless. The book had many action scenes that kept it moving along. Definitely read this one if you are looking for a good dystopian novel. ...more

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Oct 07, 2015 Marketa Jefferson rated it liked it

I honestly thought this book would have been better. I really like dystopian novels and I really thought this one would have potential. I got about halfway through the book and lost interest in the plot. I just wanted to hurry up and finish this book to start another. Kaleigh was a very interesting character, with here sarcastic attitude. Overall the book could have been better.

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Dec 04, 2012 Danielle rated it it was amazing

An amazing story that engulfs you in within pages! The characters are deep, understandable and feel like old friends. Before you know it, the action starts taking you on a wild ride full of twists and your heart is racing until the final page. Can't wait to continue the journey in book #2!!! ...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Anne rated it really liked it

Shelves: zread-dystopia

This book is a fast-paced read. It fits fully into the YA genre as well as being dystopian. It is a coming of age story with the main character facing internal and external conflict as everything she has ever known turns out to be false.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

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Jun 14, 2016 Helen King rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love this book!

It sort of reminds me of the Divergent series, but totally different. I love the characters' development. I would certainly recommend one of the production companies make a movie of this series. Kudos Jamie Canosa! ...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Julie Rassa rated it it was amazing

Could not put the book down finshed it in one day........My 11 year old daughter read it after me and absolutley loved it.

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Mar 31, 2013 T. Jackson rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopia, military-government, action-adventure, hard-copy, two-book-series, young-adult

It was ok. Not sure I will continue the series.

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Jun 11, 2013 Alaina-Jeneesbookblog rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopian

Received ARC for honest review.

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Jul 29, 2013 Brande rated it it was amazing

Good book. Very easy read

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Dec 10, 2013 Kelli Lamkins rated it it was amazing

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May 20, 2014 Zoe rated it it was amazing

OMG

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About Jamie Canosa

Jamie Canosa

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Jamie Canosa is a full time author of YA literature, which she absolutely loves. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found with her nose in a book. She currently resides in Ravena, NY with her wonderful husband and three crazy kids . . . plus the cats, the bird and the rabbit.