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Qualify

(The Atlantis Grail #1)

Vera Nazarian (Goodreads Author)

3.82 · Rating details · 7,974 ratings · 613 reviews

The Atlantis Grail has been optioned for development as a feature film series and/or TV series.

You have two options. You die, or you Qualify.

The year is 2047. An extinction-level asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, and the descendents of ancient Atlantis have returned from the stars in their silver ships to offer humanity help.

But there’s a catch.

They can only take a ti ...more

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Paperback, First, 600 pages

Published December 20th 2014 by Norilana Books

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Best YA Sci-Fi / Space Opera

173 books — 177 voters

Dystopian/Apocalypse With Romance

413 books — 879 voters

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· 7,974 ratings · 613 reviews

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Start your review of Qualify (The Atlantis Grail, #1)

Dec 29, 2014 Sherwood Smith added it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

The thing about Vera Nazarian's novels is that they never go where one expects. Some are more successful than others (and that sort of thing is completely subjective) but cookie-cutter, they are not.

Same with this YA dystopia. From the description it sounds like another Hunger Games or Divergent: teens fighting for their lives for a goal, as the world watches. But I think the relationships are largely smarter than those, especially Divergent, whose characters read to me like cardboard Types inst The thing about Vera Nazarian's novels is that they never go where one expects. Some are more successful than others (and that sort of thing is completely subjective) but cookie-cutter, they are not.

Same with this YA dystopia. From the description it sounds like another Hunger Games or Divergent: teens fighting for their lives for a goal, as the world watches. But I think the relationships are largely smarter than those, especially Divergent, whose characters read to me like cardboard Types instead of complex characters, and the relationships too much like TV-drama-rama. There are a couple of Types here, too, but the majority of the characters are interesting and unpredictable, and their character development is convincing. There are also a couple of interesting surprises, promising payoff in later books.

The initial setup sounds crazy: the advanced, peaceful Atlanteans (humans who were here when Atlantis was a continent) are back, and have only enough spacecraft to save a very small percentage of humanity by taking them to their planet when the asteroid heading toward Earth smashes into the planet.

Only teens are permitted to compete for qualification. The training is brutal, meanwhile unrest is rising in the rest of the world, which of course doesn't want to just sit by and wait for destruction. Central is Gwen Lark and her three sibs, who are all sent off by their professor dad and their mom who once was an opera singer before cancer ruined her health and her voice.

Singing turns out to be important, as Atlantean tech is sound based. Gwen is a teen nerd, making friends and enemies among the others in her training group. There are three levels of tests to endure, and the cost is death. Meanwhile, Gwen is learning about the Atlanteans, whose peaceful and superior pose hides some ambivalences, and some pretty cool tech. Above all, Gwen is learning about relationships.

The pacing, once the story gets going about a third of the way through, accelerates unrelentingly, and the Atlantean culture developed some promising twists.

I got sucked in and scarcely came up for air--now I hope that the second book won't be long in coming! ...more

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Jan 19, 2017 Maria V. Snyder rated it really liked it

I downloaded this book because I really liked the concept - a giant asteroid is heading for Earth and the people from Atlantis, who have left Earth thousands of years ago have returned to help out - but they can only rescue a million people. The powers that be decided those aged 12 to 19 can compete to qualify to be rescued. The main protagonists is a 16 year old girl who is smart and who pre-qualifies. There's lots of details about the training and her interactions with the other candidates. Th ...more

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Apr 19, 2015 ♚ ember rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mary-sue, oh-so-speshul-pawah, jerk-male-protagonist, young-adult, fantasy, ma-anche-no, fantatrash, sci-fi, dystopia, not-that-bad

2.5 stars.

Ma cosa ho appena letto...?
This sentence in Italian perfectly sums up my reactions to this book. I guess the rating says it all, but unluckily, I'm not done rambling.

description

Dear Qualify,
I really, really, really wanted to like you. Like, seriously, really.
The premises were promising and the setting quite original and unique, somehow different from the others dystopian novels I read.
It sounded awesome, right? Right.
And I really wished this book would be awesome. But, guess what?
Qualify wasn't a ...more

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Sep 15, 2015 carlita_is_probably_reading rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This book completely took me by surprise!!! At first I was comparing it to Red Rising...don't know why but it had that sort of feel. But damn!!!! This book was good! I can't wait to read the next book and be ready for book three when it drops in Feb!!! I cried at the end because I sure as hell wasn't expecting that crap!!! Come on Gee's you can do. Gee-two I know your ingenuity will overpower and hopefully prevail. PS: Aeson is out of this world hot..lol

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Jan 24, 2016 Nicole (Read Eat Sleep Repeat) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2016, genre-fantasy, genre-romance, genre-science-fiction, genre-young-adult, genre-dystopia, genre-post-apocolyptic, 2017

This book took me by complete surprise! I found it as a free nook book and the concept intrigued me, so I decided to try it out. From the very beginning, the story and its characters captivated me. It was like Interstellar meets The Hunger Games meets Divergent. Quite the combination.

Since I tend to love stories that include a bit of real history or myth in them, this book was right up my alley. Obviously the story of Atlantis is age old and has been used in stories aplenty, but Nazarian's inter ...more

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Mar 30, 2015 Eureca Laurice rated it it was ok

Shelves: apocalypse, scifi, aliens, fantasy

It’s a long story that could have been cut short.

I didn't skim, I swear by the old Gods and the new ones. Its part boring, I don't know if my friends here (in Goodreads) will read this, but I'm sure hell not.

The writing is atrocious, that on first few chapters they'll decide to dnfed this already. But not me, alas. Oh well, for the past few months, I am reading on cloud nine. All my read books is so good that it turns to just three stars in my shelf. I badly needed a not so well written book, yo ...more

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Jul 14, 2016 Dawn Moews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

I am not generally a fan of series because I usually find either the first book is clumsy in establishing the characters and plot and never gets into any real action or the subsequent books don't build well off the first one. However, I got an offer for this book free from for Amazon. I needed some good mindless escape literature, so I figured why not.

Well, I found this book to be entertaining and populated with fun characters. Gwen Lark is an awesome narrator. Her voice resonates in my head. S ...more

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Nov 09, 2017 Wealhtheow rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya, sci-fi

An asteroid is speeding toward Earth, and its impact will cause humanity's extinction. Shortly before impact, space ships carrying the descendants of Atlanteans (it really was a real place on Earth! except then they left for another planet!) appear above major cities and alert everyone that they can carry 10 million people to safety. It's only a tiny fraction of Terrans, but at least it means those who are smartest, fittest, and most likely to thrive on Atlantis will be saved. Gwenevere Lark is An asteroid is speeding toward Earth, and its impact will cause humanity's extinction. Shortly before impact, space ships carrying the descendants of Atlanteans (it really was a real place on Earth! except then they left for another planet!) appear above major cities and alert everyone that they can carry 10 million people to safety. It's only a tiny fraction of Terrans, but at least it means those who are smartest, fittest, and most likely to thrive on Atlantis will be saved. Gwenevere Lark is one of the few teens who qualify for training, in hopes of getting a place on one of the space ships. She survives music lessons, combat training, Atlantean culture lessons...and along the way demonstrates real ingenuity, bravery, and loyalty. (view spoiler)

Stuff I liked:
The alien metal that can be controlled by musical tones.
Actually demonstrating that Gwen comes up with imaginative solutions, as opposed to just telling us.
At times the sense of heartbreak and loss comes through well. The candidates are faced with a terrible choice: qualify and leave behind your family, friends, and parents to die on a doomed planet, or stay on Earth and probably die with everyone and everything you know.

Stuff I didn't like:
Laronda is such a stereotypical sassy black best friend that she made me uncomfortable. She says "girlfriend" after 99% of her lines, has no plot of her own, and exists entirely to talk about how great Gwen is and gossip about Gwen's love life.
The Semi-Finals were brutal, but in a way that felt far too similar to The Hunger Games, from the candidates being ranked in likelihood of success and the media interviewing the top candidates, to Gwen insisting on laying the body of a fallen competitor among flowers.
Speaking of which, I do not get the Atlanteans' decisions here. They've got an incredibly technologically advanced society, so why are they selecting people based on physical fitness? And why are they encouraging candidates to kill each other--that just means they're going to be stuck selecting a bunch of murderers! Atlantis is still mysterious, so maybe all this will be explained in a later book, but based on their stated priorities and values, the way they set up training and trials seems really illogical to me.
Gwen and her boyfriend make out every day all over training camp, even though getting caught will instantly DisQualify them. She's really that stupid? It also makes the Atlanteans look incompetent, since they're supposed to be constantly monitoring all the candidates, and Gwen and her bf even make out underwater in a swimming pool while Atlanteans are swimming laps.
I didn't like any of the romance subplots, actually. As soon as Gwen's bf tells her his secret mission, I wanted nothing to do with him. And Gwen obviously has a crush on the Super Best Pilot/Fighter/Crown Prince Atlantean, and he on her, but they're both unwilling to admit it. That felt like the author wanted to create love-triangle tension and plot for the next book, but it just made me impatient with everyone involved.
A big deal is made of being able to transfer points between candidates during Finals, but none of the bully characters every try to force anyone to transfer points. The point transfer thing serves no purpose. The Final competition was overall boring--(view spoiler) No strategy, no knowledge of culture or combat training, nothing required except a certain amount of stamina. Seems a bad way to choose who survives Earth's destruction and who doesn't.
There are new rules at every stage of training and testing, and they are always complex and confusing. My eyes glazed over reading them.

Overall, not the worst YA sf I've ever read, but it was too long, Gwen was not as believable as she could have been, and I wanted to edit out several plot lines and characters. ...more

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Jan 20, 2017 Darla rated it did not like it

DNF. I just can't with this book. I was SO excited to read it. It's such an intriguing idea!! An asteroid headed to Earth! Ancient Atlanteans living on their own planet come to rescue a selection of people from Earth that Qualify! It sounds amazing!

Stop getting excited. It's not.

First of all, it's terribly written. I get that the narrator is a teenager, and I appreciate keeping it real with the types of language and wording an author uses for teenagers, but honestly, this feels so slapdash and u DNF. I just can't with this book. I was SO excited to read it. It's such an intriguing idea!! An asteroid headed to Earth! Ancient Atlanteans living on their own planet come to rescue a selection of people from Earth that Qualify! It sounds amazing!

Stop getting excited. It's not.

First of all, it's terribly written. I get that the narrator is a teenager, and I appreciate keeping it real with the types of language and wording an author uses for teenagers, but honestly, this feels so slapdash and unpolished. It feels like a first draft. Phrasing like, "trying not to look over the edge down" kept making me stumble. She randomly starts calling the Earth students "Candidates" out of nowhere. Like, one second, there isn't an official name, and the next, Gwen refers to her classmates as "Candidates", and then it's used as a title like it was more naturally established, when it wasn't.

Secondly, the characters are a who's who of cliches. Gwen is supposed to be a totally brilliant brainiac, but she is flighty, flaky, and completely idiotic. She has zero common sense...to the extent, she would be too dumb to accomplish anything academically, because she's too dumb to figure it out. At one point, she says, "Holy moly, has it already come to this? The Atlantean Instructors already know me by name." She says it like, "Oh em gee, I am so smart, and such a stellar student, they know me!!! They know me!!" In reality, though, SHE JUST FREAKING TOLD THE TEACHER HER NAME.

Laronda, to me, was a really likable character. She's also black, in case the author doesn't make that clear enough with her repetitive mentions of her hair type. Don't worry, though, her incessant usage of "girlfriend" and stereotypical actions, such as doing "a side-to-side thing with her neck and wags her finger in the air" will incessantly remind you. And you can rest assured that ALL of the Earth People of Color in the book are treated in this manner.

Logan is Gwen's crush, and he's SO dreamy, and SO athletic, and SO perfect, and SO who effing cares?

The book is also incredibly boring. I read a quarter of the book - fully 25%. That's at least 150 pages. In that time, I only made it to Gwen's SECOND day of classes after qualifying. I can't drag myself through more of unlikable Gwen's bitching and moaning about how effing out of shape she is. She can't even run two freakin laps around the gym without practically collapsing. It's absurd.

I really wanted to finish this book and be absorbed enough to read the rest of the series. I wanted to learn more about Atlantis. But I can't stand the main character, all of the other characters are one dimensional cliches, and the story is so boring, I literally fall asleep reading it. ...more

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Jan 22, 2016 Literary Mouse rated it it was ok

I really wanted this book to be amazing!

But it's not...and that's upsetting, because now, instead there's a black hole burned into where my imagination should be.

sigh I guess I should start at the beginning, well not quite the beginning but close enough. I don't understand why there had to almost a minute by minute description of Gwen's first weeks of classes. I would have stopped reading right then and there were it not for the thought that had gone into creating the 'science' side of the Atla ...more

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May 04, 2018 Rebecca rated it really liked it

This was an amazing first installment in The Atlantis Grail Series!!! Even with 600 pages, I blew through it in 3 days, it was so good!
Vera has perfected her Storyteller voice and had me invested in the fate of the 4 Gees and all who are dear to them.
Several times, the plot twists had me seriously concerned about the outcome and when the unexpected actually did happen, all I could do was snuggle down and keep reading until I knew the Gees were all okay.
I bought the next 2 books in the Series af ...more

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Jan 30, 2019 Avril Martin rated it it was amazing

This is one of those books that I wanted to stay up late to read.
It reminded me a little bit of the Hunger Games in that teens have to compete - in this book it's to get a spot back to the planet Atlantis before a meteor destroys the Earth. The main character, Gwen, is a straight A student that hates PE, so how will she keep up when half of the training is physical? Her kindness and determination and nerdiness are all endearing.

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Jan 31, 2015 Amber-louise rated it it was amazing

WOW what a gripper!
Qualify is a dystopian, sci-fi and YA novel set in 2047 after the human race is all facing a fatalistic oncoming asteroid that will wipe out the Earth. The descendants of the historic and sunken Atlantis are the only hope as they offer to save humanity by taking them back to their new home on a different planet; the new Atlantis. What’s the catch? Only those between the ages of 12-19 can apply to be saved and they will ONLY be saved if they qualify.

We follow the protagonist G WOW what a gripper!
Qualify is a dystopian, sci-fi and YA novel set in 2047 after the human race is all facing a fatalistic oncoming asteroid that will wipe out the Earth. The descendants of the historic and sunken Atlantis are the only hope as they offer to save humanity by taking them back to their new home on a different planet; the new Atlantis. What’s the catch? Only those between the ages of 12-19 can apply to be saved and they will ONLY be saved if they qualify.

We follow the protagonist Gwenevere Lark through the trials and tribulations of the qualification challenges and through challenges of a more personal nature. Along with the remaining “Four Gees” (her siblings) she must learn all there is to know about Atlantis, how to fight, survive and the limits to which the body can reach before breaking. You either qualify, or you die.

This book… wow, this book! Even thought there are a LOT of dystopian YA novels out there at the moment, this is DEFINITELY worth the read. It’s kind of a combination between Hunger Games and Harry Potter… somehow. You are immersed into this world of space shuttles, sound controlled technology and hover boards and just FEEL like you’re experiencing everything along with the characters. It is incredibly well written with a pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and grips you in all the best ways.

Each and every character within this book is interesting as they all struggle through their own personal developments and battles. The Atlanteans add a touch of mystery and power, which somehow intimidates us through the words in the book in the same way as their interactions with the other characters.

We actually gain knowledge through the book too thanks to our very intelligent protagonist and can really believe in the sci-fi elements in the book, which is something I personally struggle with usually. I can’t wait to learn more about Atlantis in the next book and see how certain relationships develop!

For a 600 page book it was easy to read and digest and I was left wanting more at the end. Some of the best topics covered in this novel are: life and death situations, tests of ability and competence, overcoming bullying, combat and the fighting style Er-Du, sabotage and terrorist groups and a love that you don’t know if you can trust.

I had only a few niggles: (****SPOILERS****… kind of)
How quickly candidates were prepared to kill after a strict “No Violence” rule, how bullying within the dorms went unnoticed and how easy it actually seems to qualify (since most around the main character never seem to get hurt or struggle even when ranked lowly).

Overall a highly gripping, fast-paced book with lots to think about whilst eagerly waiting for the next instalment ☺
...more

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Jul 11, 2016 M. Jones rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scifi-fantasy-dystopian

Wow, what a ride! I think this is the first five star review I've given a book in a really long time, and it's definitely kicked me out of my low rating book slump. Like kicked me out of my slump with one of those awesome Jean Claude Van Damme roundhouse kicks.

And, what a headache I now have because I couldn't put down this book, but it was worth the two ibuprofen tablets I just took. Totally worth it.

This book was like an awesome mashup of Divergent, Ender's Game, and The Hunger Games, all rol ...more

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Oct 05, 2015 Seth Taplin rated it did not like it

I really tried to read this book. It was a free download so I thought I'd give it a shot. Three sentences in and I felt like I was in for a "Hunger Games" remake. By the second screen, I couldn't take it anymore. It was hard to read. I understand writing for a young adults audience, and enjoy many of those books. But I do not understand writing like a teenager speaks. If your characters use teen vernacular to describe a boy as "hot", that's understandable; the third person narrative should find ...more

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Sep 18, 2018 Amber M. McCarter rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: house-tyrell-medium-5

I'm not sure what it is about this book... It really isn't very well done - in terms of both content and composition - and yet, I feel compelled to continue reading this series. I could hardly put it down... I can't figure out why! It isn't terribly done, but certainly a far cry from quality literature, and not the sort of book I would normally be this hooked by... Baffling.

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Sep 03, 2017 Rnolter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The scene where Gwen levitates a shuttle is probably the most powerful prose I've read ever. I felt as I was there and could really feel the emotion of the situation. Fantastic read!!

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Mar 25, 2019 Debra Lally rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great Sci-fi Story

This is a page turned and hard to put down. Written from the view of a teenager, the world is on a collision course with disaster. Teenagers must qualify in order to leave Earth and join the Altantisian on their planet. This an enjoyable story.

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Apr 27, 2019 Emilie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-restricted-section, 2019

I so binge read these. So it had hints of Hunger Games, but I feel most survival competition books do. I loved the family connection between the 4 G's. And of course there was a love interest 😂 It was a definite twist with the Alantians and that kept my interest. Now to read the rest! Hurry up and finish the 4th book!

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Oct 30, 2017 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: on-my-kindle, towerteamvii

4.5 stars

Think Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games. With aliens.

It missed a half star because there was a concerted effort on the part of the author to establish a love triangle. Despite her best efforts, she didn't quite succeed! :)

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Dec 28, 2016 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ marked it as to-read

Shelves: ya-science-fiction, young-adult, science-fiction

Kindle freebie 12/28/16. YA SF novel that's been getting pretty good reviews.

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Jun 05, 2018 RUTH PERETS rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Amazing

Hands down my favorite series! It's addicting! Extremely recommended to anyone who likes reading! Can't wait until the fourth book comes out!

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Apr 28, 2020 Sara rated it it was amazing

Got this as it was a freebie, one of the best free books ever. I bought the next two right away and waited v e r y impatiently for the fourth book. Not disparaging the author, just really wanted to know what happened next.
Good Series.

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Apr 19, 2018 Sam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Captivating

Good sci fi book. Never a dull moment.
Well written, good read.
I recommend this for all sci fi lovers.

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Oct 06, 2018 Paul Reichman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

No doubt incredible and lots of fun

It was a thrilling read. As cliche as it is once I started I couldn't put it down and I look forward to reading the sequel

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Oct 07, 2018 Polly P Rowan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Had to stay up late to finish

Just the right blend of well drawn characters, action, and suspense. Definitely worth four stars and reading the next book.

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Jan 09, 2019 Stephen Andrews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Good read.

Excellent sci fi with a powerful young female from Earth who adapts quickly in amazing ways. The sci fi is almost as good as the storyline.

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Jan 09, 2019 Andrea Strohmeyer rated it it was amazing

probably one of my favorite books now. Clear your schedule, it is hard to put down.

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Feb 01, 2019 Christinabybarra rated it it was amazing

This was an excellent book. It is well written and it unfolded beautifully in my mind. You will truly forget you’re reading and become captivated in the world Vera builds.

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Oct 05, 2018 Kiki rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

want to read the other two books in the series

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About Vera Nazarian

Vera Nazarian

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Vera Nazarian is a two-time Nebula Award Finalist, award-winning artist, and member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, a writer with a penchant for moral fables and stories of intense wonder, true love, and intricacy.

She immigrated to the USA from the former USSR as a kid, sold her first story at the age of 17, and since then has published numerous works in anthologies and magazine ...more

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“Since when do you check out other girls, girlfriend?” Dawn shrugs. There’s a little shy smile on her face. “Since always.” Laronda gives a loud snort-laugh and puts her hand to her mouth. “Wait, are you—” — 2 likes

“The dreaded November 18, 2048, at around 2:47 PM Eastern Time, plus or minus a few minutes, is when we go Boom.” — 1 likes

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Qualify

(The Atlantis Grail #1)

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