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

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 ...more
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 ...more

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

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.

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

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
...more

Excellent dark science fiction.
The premise of the story is that earth is going to wiped out by an asteroid and only the children could qualify to go on rescue ships to the planet of Atlantis. The story is told from the point of view of Gwen and her siblings and from that we learn that Qualification is a brutal process.
Excellently written with dark themes running throughout, the story is gripping. The cliffhangar at the end of the story is expected but still leaves any reader wanting to read the ...more
The premise of the story is that earth is going to wiped out by an asteroid and only the children could qualify to go on rescue ships to the planet of Atlantis. The story is told from the point of view of Gwen and her siblings and from that we learn that Qualification is a brutal process.
Excellently written with dark themes running throughout, the story is gripping. The cliffhangar at the end of the story is expected but still leaves any reader wanting to read the ...more

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
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

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
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

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
...more

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
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

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
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

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
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

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 ...more
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 ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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.
...more

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. ...more
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. ...more

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
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

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

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!!
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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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!
...more

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! :) ...more
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! :) ...more

Dec 28, 2016
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽
marked it as to-read
Kindle freebie 12/28/16. YA SF novel that's been getting pretty good reviews.
...more

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

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 ...more
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 ...more

I don't even write reviews. But i had to for t.his one. This book was the best I've read since the hunger games and divergent. I could not put this series down. Even my husband loved it.
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Are you Red, Blue, Yellow or Green? | 4 | 23 | Mar 04, 2020 02:46AM | |
Shut Up & Read: {Read It & Reap 472} Qualify (The Atlantis Grail #1) by Vera Nazarian | 39 | 194 | Oct 05, 2015 06:52PM |
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
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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