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Undergrounders #1
Immurement
An alternate cover edition can be found here.
The Sweepers are coming. The hunt for humankind begins.
The year is 2069. Sixteen-year-old Derry and her brother live in perpetual fear of capture. They survive underground on a post-apocalyptic earth overrun by gangs and clones, and hunted overhead by mysterious hoverships. When her brother goes missing, Derry’s only hope of finding him is to strike a deal with a group of cutthroat subversives. Desperate to save her only sibling, she leads a daring raid to uncover the secrets behind the Sweepers’ hoverships, but she soon finds out the world she knows is a lie.
Keeping her brother alive may require trusting her enemy and opening her heart to someone scarcely human.
Immurement is the first book in The Undergrounders Series, a sci-fi dystopian thriller trilogy with a gritty heroine and twists you won’t see coming!
The Sweepers are coming. The hunt for humankind begins.
The year is 2069. Sixteen-year-old Derry and her brother live in perpetual fear of capture. They survive underground on a post-apocalyptic earth overrun by gangs and clones, and hunted overhead by mysterious hoverships. When her brother goes missing, Derry’s only hope of finding him is to strike a deal with a group of cutthroat subversives. Desperate to save her only sibling, she leads a daring raid to uncover the secrets behind the Sweepers’ hoverships, but she soon finds out the world she knows is a lie.
Keeping her brother alive may require trusting her enemy and opening her heart to someone scarcely human.
Immurement is the first book in The Undergrounders Series, a sci-fi dystopian thriller trilogy with a gritty heroine and twists you won’t see coming!
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2016
About the author
Norma Hinkens
15 books146 followersFor updates, new release info, giveaways and special offers join Norma's VIP READER CLUB https://normahinkens.com/
NYT and USA Today bestselling author Norma Hinkens writes twisty psychological suspense thrillers, as well as fast-paced science fiction and fantasy about spunky heroines and epic adventures in dangerous worlds. She’s also a travel junkie, legend lover, and idea wrangler, in no particular order. She grew up in Ireland, land of storytelling and the original little green man.
If you like heart-stopping sagas, gritty heroines, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love her turbo-paced thrill-rides!
NYT and USA Today bestselling author Norma Hinkens writes twisty psychological suspense thrillers, as well as fast-paced science fiction and fantasy about spunky heroines and epic adventures in dangerous worlds. She’s also a travel junkie, legend lover, and idea wrangler, in no particular order. She grew up in Ireland, land of storytelling and the original little green man.
If you like heart-stopping sagas, gritty heroines, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love her turbo-paced thrill-rides!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
February 7, 2017
In the not too distant future the world has overheated from the inside out. The devastation is horrendous and what is left of civilization has gone underground to avoid the brutal gangs and the Sweepers, unknown ships that come only in the daytime to spirit away humans, one by one. Who are these terrifying monsters, and what are they doing to their victims? It seems no one knows, but could that be possible?
Derry remembers her life before the big disaster, she lost her mother then and for all purposes, his father who now lives buried in a drunken stupor in their underground home. Except for her dog and her brother, she has nothing, so when her brother goes missing after being out during the day, sixteen-year-old Derry is determined to find him or die trying. What she discoveries is that the enemy she feared was no stranger to Earth, but she was hardly prepared for what evil was being wrought in the name of survival for the human race.
Humans were being stolen for science, mad science, insane science and the eternal search for longevity and immortality. Step one was to create a superior being, a clone of another and to infuse it with superior strength, mental capacity and oh yes, tracking chips. These clones would be their army, their protectors and their puppets and now Derry must decide to trust one of the enemy to bring her brother home.
How far is Derry willing to go to save her brother and the rest of humanity? She is ill-prepared to lead anyone on a certain-death mission, but with sheer grit, gut instinct and the help of both friends and enemies alike, she will go through hell and back to save her brother and the world.
You know that feeling of “I didn’t see THAT one coming…” I felt it from page one and it just kept getting better! No high angst sissies in this tale! This is a battle of life and death, survival and finding one’s inner strength to make hard decisions and live with them. Derry is mature beyond her years in so many ways and yet still so young to survive in a world that has become brutal and cold.
Norma Hinkens has created a tale of survival, love and determination that will have you cheering and sometimes near tears as the reality of what is happening KO’s your heart. Fast paced, intense and amazing, this is one read no one should miss! It is pure entertainment and escape, as well as a lesson in what it means to have heart.
I received this copy from Norma Hinkens in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Undergrounders - Book 1
Publisher: Dunecadia Publishing; 1 edition (December 9, 2015)
Publication Date: December 9, 2015
Genre: Post -apocalyptic | Scifi | YA-Teen
Print Length: 261 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Derry remembers her life before the big disaster, she lost her mother then and for all purposes, his father who now lives buried in a drunken stupor in their underground home. Except for her dog and her brother, she has nothing, so when her brother goes missing after being out during the day, sixteen-year-old Derry is determined to find him or die trying. What she discoveries is that the enemy she feared was no stranger to Earth, but she was hardly prepared for what evil was being wrought in the name of survival for the human race.
Humans were being stolen for science, mad science, insane science and the eternal search for longevity and immortality. Step one was to create a superior being, a clone of another and to infuse it with superior strength, mental capacity and oh yes, tracking chips. These clones would be their army, their protectors and their puppets and now Derry must decide to trust one of the enemy to bring her brother home.
How far is Derry willing to go to save her brother and the rest of humanity? She is ill-prepared to lead anyone on a certain-death mission, but with sheer grit, gut instinct and the help of both friends and enemies alike, she will go through hell and back to save her brother and the world.
You know that feeling of “I didn’t see THAT one coming…” I felt it from page one and it just kept getting better! No high angst sissies in this tale! This is a battle of life and death, survival and finding one’s inner strength to make hard decisions and live with them. Derry is mature beyond her years in so many ways and yet still so young to survive in a world that has become brutal and cold.
Norma Hinkens has created a tale of survival, love and determination that will have you cheering and sometimes near tears as the reality of what is happening KO’s your heart. Fast paced, intense and amazing, this is one read no one should miss! It is pure entertainment and escape, as well as a lesson in what it means to have heart.
I received this copy from Norma Hinkens in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Undergrounders - Book 1
Publisher: Dunecadia Publishing; 1 edition (December 9, 2015)
Publication Date: December 9, 2015
Genre: Post -apocalyptic | Scifi | YA-Teen
Print Length: 261 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
February 26, 2016
When I read about how people were taken I imagine this
Our heroine carries M16, wow, right???
Military clones!!!
The Rogue gang!!!
While imagining all that I was sooooo excited, this is me in the beginning
...and then, me on the 100 pages later
I hope for more.
It's not bad, but I hope for much, much MORE...
I didn't like love interest at all and I'm glad he isn't in the book, most of the time.
I did like the other men (who sadly isn't loved interest)
Then there are third men who I think IS love interest ????
For me, nb.1 shouldn't be mention at all and then everything would be much better...
This is the first book in the series and I think the second one will be better.
***I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley ***
October 5, 2021
Dystopia can hardly be disappointing, so this is another exciting story. Like the siblings fight for survival trope.
April 8, 2019
I had this on my tbr for a really long time, initially had added it because of the badass cover. Now I finally got around to reading it, and I really liked it!
Immurement is a post apocalyptic novel and while it wasn't outstanding or special in any way, it was still very entertaining and a fast and fun read! There's lot of action and exciting discoveries and the pages kept turning themselves.
I liked the MC Derry because for once she isn't one of these super badass weapon wielding teenage girl. Ok yes she's a teenager, and yes, she carries a gun, but she still felt real. She was unsure and doubted herself at times, yet the farther I read, the more her character grew. There was also a little romance and the hint of a love triangle, but it was ok. It wasn't a major plot point.
The post apocalyptic world in this felt believable, if only a little underdeveloped. Some more background information about the events that happened to the apocalypse would have been nice.
All in all a very entertaining little novel with good pacing, solid writing and also some quite sad moments! Also, if you like animals - there's a dog in this one, and it doesn't die :) 4 stars and I most likely will read the sequel!
Immurement is a post apocalyptic novel and while it wasn't outstanding or special in any way, it was still very entertaining and a fast and fun read! There's lot of action and exciting discoveries and the pages kept turning themselves.
I liked the MC Derry because for once she isn't one of these super badass weapon wielding teenage girl. Ok yes she's a teenager, and yes, she carries a gun, but she still felt real. She was unsure and doubted herself at times, yet the farther I read, the more her character grew. There was also a little romance and the hint of a love triangle, but it was ok. It wasn't a major plot point.
The post apocalyptic world in this felt believable, if only a little underdeveloped. Some more background information about the events that happened to the apocalypse would have been nice.
All in all a very entertaining little novel with good pacing, solid writing and also some quite sad moments! Also, if you like animals - there's a dog in this one, and it doesn't die :) 4 stars and I most likely will read the sequel!
August 17, 2017
Immurement (Undergrounders #1) by Norma Hinkens
Author: Norma Hinkens
Title: Immurement
Series: Undergrounders
Cover Rating:
Book Rating:
Buy This Book:
The year is 2069. Sixteen-year-old Derry and her brother live in perpetual fear of capture. They survive underground on a post-apocalyptic earth overrun by gangs and clones, and hunted overhead by mysterious hoverships. When her brother goes missing, Derry’s only hope of finding him is to strike a deal with a group of cutthroat subversives. Desperate to save her only sibling, she leads a daring raid to uncover the secrets behind the Sweepers’ hoverships, but she soon finds out the world she knows is a lie.
So it wasn't bad, it wasn't great. I felt like I read it before but most YA dystopian books are nearly interchangeable these days.
Cut and paste most of the basics change a few minor details and you basically have the same story with the same character traits and plot lines.
I think Immurement stands a better chance with someone who isn't burned out on these kind of reads.
But as for me I think I might have gotten a little too much of the YA teen angst love angle involving a young heroine who is supposed to be a lot braver and stronger than she actually is who is willing to sacrifice what should be important for a more than obvious compulsive obsession with a boy.
Until next time book lovers...
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from the author. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
If any of Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like my post or leave a comment to let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews
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Author: Norma Hinkens
Title: Immurement
Series: Undergrounders
Cover Rating:
Book Rating:
Buy This Book:
The year is 2069. Sixteen-year-old Derry and her brother live in perpetual fear of capture. They survive underground on a post-apocalyptic earth overrun by gangs and clones, and hunted overhead by mysterious hoverships. When her brother goes missing, Derry’s only hope of finding him is to strike a deal with a group of cutthroat subversives. Desperate to save her only sibling, she leads a daring raid to uncover the secrets behind the Sweepers’ hoverships, but she soon finds out the world she knows is a lie.
So it wasn't bad, it wasn't great. I felt like I read it before but most YA dystopian books are nearly interchangeable these days.
Cut and paste most of the basics change a few minor details and you basically have the same story with the same character traits and plot lines.
I think Immurement stands a better chance with someone who isn't burned out on these kind of reads.
But as for me I think I might have gotten a little too much of the YA teen angst love angle involving a young heroine who is supposed to be a lot braver and stronger than she actually is who is willing to sacrifice what should be important for a more than obvious compulsive obsession with a boy.
Until next time book lovers...
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from the author. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
If any of Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like my post or leave a comment to let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews has a QR code for your phone!
April 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this dystopian tale. It was action packed and full of adventure. I enjoyed learning about this new society and all its crazy inhabitants. Some of the revelations are jaw dropping as the MC learns what is really happening to the people who disappear. I am interested in knowing what happens next so I will be reading more of this series.
April 4, 2017
It is the year 2069, six years after the Earth’s core overheated, causing a meltdown. In the Sawtooth Forest of central Idaho, a group of survivors has formed an underground community which is split up between 8 bunkers that are connected by a shared tunnel. These are the Undergrounders.
Derry Connelly is 16 years old and she lives in one of these bunkers with 23 other survivors. Her mother died on the day of the meltdown and her father is the camp drunk who hasn’t been able to cope since. There is also her older brother, Owen, 18 years old. Owen has become a master hustler and a leader among those who keep the bunker running smoothly. Rounding out the family is Derry’s trusty dog. She doesn’t go anywhere without her collie, Tucker. One of the other people of importance in Derry’s life is Jakob Miller, her boyfriend. Jakob’s the same age and hails from a clan of Separatists aka Septites. The Septites are a non-violent religious sect who also reside in the underground bunkers. They are sure not to approve of the relationship between Derry and Jakob. Then there is Big Ed who is Derry’s closest friend. Big Ed is a mountain man with a troubled past. He moved off the grid decades ago; after the one world government with its sovereign leader was formed to supposedly tackle global warming. Mason is a recent newcomer among them, an ex-military man who seems to be hiding something. Derry doesn’t trust him.
The Undergrounders spend their nights hunting and scavenging and their nights in the underground bunkers hiding from the Sweepers. The Sweepers are those who come in eerily silent ships that hover over the mountains and suck people up inside, never to be seen again. They aren’t sure who or what the Sweepers are but they are sure they don’t want to find out. With the most recent disappearance haunting them, tensions are beginning to escalate among the Undergrounders. There are rumors of a snitch among them who is selling them out to the Sweepers. Soon Owen and Jakob have disappeared and it is feared that they have been taken by the Sweepers too. Derry feels she has no other choice… accompanied by Big Ed and Mason, she leaves the bunkers and sets out to find Owen and Jakob.
On their journey into the unknown, this small group will confront a great deal of danger, many unwelcome realities and possibly the final end of mankind. At a tender age, Derry has already been through some pretty tough losses. Now she will grow aware that there are many other fears to face down. She will need to examine her conceptions of good versus evil and she will struggle with her choices in a world where all this exists.
This is a well-written and fast-paced read featuring everything from rogue killers to mad scientists. If you read a lot of dystopia, you might wonder if this is just another blip on the radar. I know I did at first. No worries, this book turns out to be a great action-packed adventure with some unexpected twists. It crosses many genres and is sure to appeal to a wide audience from young adult to old. I really enjoyed the story and I’m looking forward to reading the second book.
Immurement is billed as the first book in a young adult dystopian trilogy and it is the 1st place Winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Fiction 2016.
I want to thank the author, Norma Hinkens for providing me with a copy of her book. This is a fair and honest review.
Derry Connelly is 16 years old and she lives in one of these bunkers with 23 other survivors. Her mother died on the day of the meltdown and her father is the camp drunk who hasn’t been able to cope since. There is also her older brother, Owen, 18 years old. Owen has become a master hustler and a leader among those who keep the bunker running smoothly. Rounding out the family is Derry’s trusty dog. She doesn’t go anywhere without her collie, Tucker. One of the other people of importance in Derry’s life is Jakob Miller, her boyfriend. Jakob’s the same age and hails from a clan of Separatists aka Septites. The Septites are a non-violent religious sect who also reside in the underground bunkers. They are sure not to approve of the relationship between Derry and Jakob. Then there is Big Ed who is Derry’s closest friend. Big Ed is a mountain man with a troubled past. He moved off the grid decades ago; after the one world government with its sovereign leader was formed to supposedly tackle global warming. Mason is a recent newcomer among them, an ex-military man who seems to be hiding something. Derry doesn’t trust him.
The Undergrounders spend their nights hunting and scavenging and their nights in the underground bunkers hiding from the Sweepers. The Sweepers are those who come in eerily silent ships that hover over the mountains and suck people up inside, never to be seen again. They aren’t sure who or what the Sweepers are but they are sure they don’t want to find out. With the most recent disappearance haunting them, tensions are beginning to escalate among the Undergrounders. There are rumors of a snitch among them who is selling them out to the Sweepers. Soon Owen and Jakob have disappeared and it is feared that they have been taken by the Sweepers too. Derry feels she has no other choice… accompanied by Big Ed and Mason, she leaves the bunkers and sets out to find Owen and Jakob.
On their journey into the unknown, this small group will confront a great deal of danger, many unwelcome realities and possibly the final end of mankind. At a tender age, Derry has already been through some pretty tough losses. Now she will grow aware that there are many other fears to face down. She will need to examine her conceptions of good versus evil and she will struggle with her choices in a world where all this exists.
This is a well-written and fast-paced read featuring everything from rogue killers to mad scientists. If you read a lot of dystopia, you might wonder if this is just another blip on the radar. I know I did at first. No worries, this book turns out to be a great action-packed adventure with some unexpected twists. It crosses many genres and is sure to appeal to a wide audience from young adult to old. I really enjoyed the story and I’m looking forward to reading the second book.
Immurement is billed as the first book in a young adult dystopian trilogy and it is the 1st place Winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Fiction 2016.
I want to thank the author, Norma Hinkens for providing me with a copy of her book. This is a fair and honest review.
February 22, 2016
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2016/02/2...
Publisher: Dunecadia
Publishing Date: December 2015
ISBN:9780996624817
Genre: SciFi
Rating:
Publishers Description: The earth’s core overheats. The sovereign leader vanishes. A young girl is the survivors’ only hope
Review: Not a lot of thought went into the world building of this novel. In this dystopian future the Earth’s core has overheated and disrupted or torn asunder the surface. Since matter can neither be created or destroyed, how is it that the core gets hotter? If anything, scientists have found that the Earth’s core is cooling 1 deg. C for every million years (thermodynamics). Why not have something realistic like pole shifts or massive earthquakes…a meteorite. In the novel, massive world wide volcanic eruptions would have cooled the Earth and left the atmosphere un-breathable but in this novel the air is clear and big game moved away but to where and as to why, no one knows. If big game moved out why do they see Elk shit, live deer and talk about making stag horn knife handles the next time they kill one?
I lived and worked in the Sawtooth Mountains for 5 years and have never heard of a Mule deer called a Stag in that area let alone in my 25 years as a wildlife biologist. Stag is a European referent for their deer. While some of the descriptions of the flora and fauna were accurate, a lot of it was not. Flash floods during a storm at high altitude in Southern Idaho does…not….happen, maybe in this dried out future it does, but who’s to say.
Derry (or staggy) is supposed to be growing into a leader but ends up being rescued by everybody because she’s so speshul. She’s not strong, resourceful and unrepentant but rather clingy, whiney, vindictive and myopic. EVERYTHING revolves around her little wants, needs and desires. Her brother in trouble? Bam, she’s on it with total concern and focus until Jakob (her tunnel buddy) is captured then Owen is dumped like a dirty shirt. She gives up easily when captured and mewls around like a lost kitten. The Rogue gang reads like the characters from Mad Max. Piercings, tattoos, badass names like Blade, Diesel, Rummy etc. and ruthless behavior that is unrelenting….not believable.
There was quite a bit of phrasing to expedite scene development. Derriere is either “shivering (x23)” down her “spine (x15)” or “Flushed, flush, flushing (x13)” to the beating of her “Pulse (x19)”. The dog growls a lot (x13) of the low and deep sort. The fight scenes lacked logical progression and at one point Ben&Derry pulls the charging handle of her M16, twice in the same scene. I don’t know about you but bullets pop out when you do that.
The definition for “Immurement” is ‘to imprison, build walls or…entomb in a wall’. Other than a cool title, I don’t see the relevance of the title to anything that occurs in the novel. Sure, the survivors are hunted but still have their freedom to move around in the open. Great storyline, poor execution.
Publisher: Dunecadia
Publishing Date: December 2015
ISBN:9780996624817
Genre: SciFi
Rating:
Publishers Description: The earth’s core overheats. The sovereign leader vanishes. A young girl is the survivors’ only hope
Review: Not a lot of thought went into the world building of this novel. In this dystopian future the Earth’s core has overheated and disrupted or torn asunder the surface. Since matter can neither be created or destroyed, how is it that the core gets hotter? If anything, scientists have found that the Earth’s core is cooling 1 deg. C for every million years (thermodynamics). Why not have something realistic like pole shifts or massive earthquakes…a meteorite. In the novel, massive world wide volcanic eruptions would have cooled the Earth and left the atmosphere un-breathable but in this novel the air is clear and big game moved away but to where and as to why, no one knows. If big game moved out why do they see Elk shit, live deer and talk about making stag horn knife handles the next time they kill one?
I lived and worked in the Sawtooth Mountains for 5 years and have never heard of a Mule deer called a Stag in that area let alone in my 25 years as a wildlife biologist. Stag is a European referent for their deer. While some of the descriptions of the flora and fauna were accurate, a lot of it was not. Flash floods during a storm at high altitude in Southern Idaho does…not….happen, maybe in this dried out future it does, but who’s to say.
Derry (or staggy) is supposed to be growing into a leader but ends up being rescued by everybody because she’s so speshul. She’s not strong, resourceful and unrepentant but rather clingy, whiney, vindictive and myopic. EVERYTHING revolves around her little wants, needs and desires. Her brother in trouble? Bam, she’s on it with total concern and focus until Jakob (her tunnel buddy) is captured then Owen is dumped like a dirty shirt. She gives up easily when captured and mewls around like a lost kitten. The Rogue gang reads like the characters from Mad Max. Piercings, tattoos, badass names like Blade, Diesel, Rummy etc. and ruthless behavior that is unrelenting….not believable.
There was quite a bit of phrasing to expedite scene development. Derriere is either “shivering (x23)” down her “spine (x15)” or “Flushed, flush, flushing (x13)” to the beating of her “Pulse (x19)”. The dog growls a lot (x13) of the low and deep sort. The fight scenes lacked logical progression and at one point Ben&Derry pulls the charging handle of her M16, twice in the same scene. I don’t know about you but bullets pop out when you do that.
The definition for “Immurement” is ‘to imprison, build walls or…entomb in a wall’. Other than a cool title, I don’t see the relevance of the title to anything that occurs in the novel. Sure, the survivors are hunted but still have their freedom to move around in the open. Great storyline, poor execution.
June 19, 2016
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I think I've reached the point where I should take a break from the Dystopian future. This is the newest reading experience in a growing string of books from the genre that I didn't like. I think I might have saturated my need for Dystopian stories for a while. At least for the ones that don't seem to make a lot of sense.
Derry and her family and friends live in underground bunkers out of fear for the Sweepers who abduct people into aircrafts. The description is not unlike alien abduction. When her brother is taken, Derry will do everything she can to rescue him, at least until the love interest shows up. A girl and her priorities, I guess?
There are certain things that could have saved the novel, but unfortunately didn't. One of which was Derry's character. She was rather annoying, and the easy way in which she seems to forget her goals doesn't speak for her either. She's supposed to be the kick-ass heroine familiar to the genre, but instead she usually gets into trouble and needs to be rescued by a group of strong men. Also, I was quite disappointed with the reveal about the Sweepers. It didn't make a lot of sense to me, but to be completely honest, I was past really caring at that point.
Immurement is the first book of the Undergrounders.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I think I've reached the point where I should take a break from the Dystopian future. This is the newest reading experience in a growing string of books from the genre that I didn't like. I think I might have saturated my need for Dystopian stories for a while. At least for the ones that don't seem to make a lot of sense.
Derry and her family and friends live in underground bunkers out of fear for the Sweepers who abduct people into aircrafts. The description is not unlike alien abduction. When her brother is taken, Derry will do everything she can to rescue him, at least until the love interest shows up. A girl and her priorities, I guess?
There are certain things that could have saved the novel, but unfortunately didn't. One of which was Derry's character. She was rather annoying, and the easy way in which she seems to forget her goals doesn't speak for her either. She's supposed to be the kick-ass heroine familiar to the genre, but instead she usually gets into trouble and needs to be rescued by a group of strong men. Also, I was quite disappointed with the reveal about the Sweepers. It didn't make a lot of sense to me, but to be completely honest, I was past really caring at that point.
Immurement is the first book of the Undergrounders.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
May 14, 2016
I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
There’s so much that I want to say about Immurement by Norma Hinkens that it’s been hard for me to take it all and bundle it up into an organized review. On one hand, the book had a lot of problems—some of them big problems—but on the other hand, it was a very solid read, and depending on how much certain aspects of the plot bother you, this may be a fantastic read, or a very “meh” one for you.
Technically speaking, the book was well written. There were maybe two typos in the whole book (missing words in sentences mostly), but nothing so big as to make me pause for more than a second. It was still easy to understand the narrative and what was happening, even with the errors. The narrative itself was well paced, the sentences flowing easily, and I liked the main character. She was interesting and placed in a very stressful situation that had me wanting to read more to find out how she was going to handle everything the author threw at her. The book was action-packed and kept me reading straight through in just a handful of hours.
But there were some pretty serious problems with the book as well. This was by no means a new plot. I saw bits and pieces of plot ideas thrown in from an array of dystopians I’ve read before—and I’m not saying that’s necessarily bad. I love dystopians, and there are very few original ideas out there anymore…but by the same token, I wish there had been more to this particular book that had made it stand out as something new to the genre. I won’t point out other series or authors, but I can say that the plot of this book was extremely similar to another dystopian series I’ve read, just minus a space-related central theme. The familiarity made me sit back and go “oh. okay.” rather than “wow! what’s going to happen next?”
One minor problem for me was the lukewarm romance sub-plot between Sven, Jakob, and Derry. There was no sexual or romantic tension in this love triangle, and although the author kept reassuring the reader that Derry had feelings and chemistry with Sven and Jakob… I wasn’t feeling it. It just didn’t seem genuine.
Another minor problem was the obvious casting of the dog, Tucker, as a plot device. I know, I know. It’s a dog! So cute! But it seemed like he knew an extraordinarily absurd amount of commands and hand signals for a dog that belonged to a pair of teenage suburbanites. When Derry got lost, the dog jumped in and showed her the way. When Derry couldn’t decide if someone was good or bad, the dog would give his opinion. Other than chime in to keep the plot moving by solving complications for Derry, the dog didn’t seem to exist for any other reason.
To be honest, some parts of the book left me with a rather “meh” feeling, but when it came down to it, I still liked it. Maybe it wasn’t as exciting or innovative as I’d hoped, but it was interesting, at parts, engaging, and I’m glad I read it. I’m interested in continuing with the series and seeing how the second book unfolds. Right now I can’t imagine this dragging on for a third book, but maybe the author will surprise me. If you’re looking for a decent dystopian read to while away an afternoon, I recommend you give this a try.
There’s so much that I want to say about Immurement by Norma Hinkens that it’s been hard for me to take it all and bundle it up into an organized review. On one hand, the book had a lot of problems—some of them big problems—but on the other hand, it was a very solid read, and depending on how much certain aspects of the plot bother you, this may be a fantastic read, or a very “meh” one for you.
Technically speaking, the book was well written. There were maybe two typos in the whole book (missing words in sentences mostly), but nothing so big as to make me pause for more than a second. It was still easy to understand the narrative and what was happening, even with the errors. The narrative itself was well paced, the sentences flowing easily, and I liked the main character. She was interesting and placed in a very stressful situation that had me wanting to read more to find out how she was going to handle everything the author threw at her. The book was action-packed and kept me reading straight through in just a handful of hours.
But there were some pretty serious problems with the book as well. This was by no means a new plot. I saw bits and pieces of plot ideas thrown in from an array of dystopians I’ve read before—and I’m not saying that’s necessarily bad. I love dystopians, and there are very few original ideas out there anymore…but by the same token, I wish there had been more to this particular book that had made it stand out as something new to the genre. I won’t point out other series or authors, but I can say that the plot of this book was extremely similar to another dystopian series I’ve read, just minus a space-related central theme. The familiarity made me sit back and go “oh. okay.” rather than “wow! what’s going to happen next?”
One minor problem for me was the lukewarm romance sub-plot between Sven, Jakob, and Derry. There was no sexual or romantic tension in this love triangle, and although the author kept reassuring the reader that Derry had feelings and chemistry with Sven and Jakob… I wasn’t feeling it. It just didn’t seem genuine.
Another minor problem was the obvious casting of the dog, Tucker, as a plot device. I know, I know. It’s a dog! So cute! But it seemed like he knew an extraordinarily absurd amount of commands and hand signals for a dog that belonged to a pair of teenage suburbanites. When Derry got lost, the dog jumped in and showed her the way. When Derry couldn’t decide if someone was good or bad, the dog would give his opinion. Other than chime in to keep the plot moving by solving complications for Derry, the dog didn’t seem to exist for any other reason.
To be honest, some parts of the book left me with a rather “meh” feeling, but when it came down to it, I still liked it. Maybe it wasn’t as exciting or innovative as I’d hoped, but it was interesting, at parts, engaging, and I’m glad I read it. I’m interested in continuing with the series and seeing how the second book unfolds. Right now I can’t imagine this dragging on for a third book, but maybe the author will surprise me. If you’re looking for a decent dystopian read to while away an afternoon, I recommend you give this a try.
January 30, 2016
"Immurement" a gripping dystopian novel set in a world devastated by tidal waves, fireballs, global volcanic eruptions and toxic ash clouds after a meltdown of the Earth's core begins when one of the network of underground bunkers hidden in the Sawtooth Mountains is raided, and sixteen year old Derry Connelly's brother is discovered missing. Afraid that Owen has been extracted by a Sweeper hovercraft Derry, mountain man Big Ed and enigmatic Mason set out to save him, facing subversive thugs called Rogues who escaped from a maximum security re-education centre and risking death when they penetrate the heart of an installation run by scientists who want to re-engineer humanity.
In an action-packed plot that mixes survival, and science- fiction with its futuristic themes of cloning, and cybernetic implants, tension and suspense escalate when a deal with the Rogues goes awry and Derry and her team are forced to infiltrate the facility alone. The pace never slows in this well-written, intoxicating story with twists that have Derry and her team facing gunfire, an explosion, a mad scientist, and human experimentation.
Into a story filled with violence, horrific experiments and death Norma Hinkens begins weaving a love triangle. Derry's feelings slowly become torn between Jakob Miller a Septite from her bunker and Sven, a clone with an expiration date. As the tale draws towards an exciting conclusion the attraction between Sven and Derry becomes more pronounced much to Jakob's consternation. It will be interesting to see how this romance develops especially as alliances begin to shift and change.
The characters are fascinating with all their flaws and faults as they grapple with unforeseen situations that have them risking their lives at every turn. Sixteen year old Derry Connelly the young leader appears callous and single-minded although she constantly wrestles with her conscience when making snap decisions that mean life or death for others. She listens to the wise counsel of her friend Big Ed an old but tough mountain man. In contrast Derry doesn't trust secretive and distant Mason at first until her harsh words and his action change her opinion of him. I loved the interaction between Derry and her dog Tucker who never strays too far from her side, warning her when danger is near. Yet it's the cold-hearted, sick brutality of the Rogues and the heartlessness of the brilliant but broken Dr. Lyong that add a terrifying chill to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Immurement" the first novel in the "Undergrounders" series and can't wait to see what Norma Hinkens has in store for her readers in the next book.
In an action-packed plot that mixes survival, and science- fiction with its futuristic themes of cloning, and cybernetic implants, tension and suspense escalate when a deal with the Rogues goes awry and Derry and her team are forced to infiltrate the facility alone. The pace never slows in this well-written, intoxicating story with twists that have Derry and her team facing gunfire, an explosion, a mad scientist, and human experimentation.
Into a story filled with violence, horrific experiments and death Norma Hinkens begins weaving a love triangle. Derry's feelings slowly become torn between Jakob Miller a Septite from her bunker and Sven, a clone with an expiration date. As the tale draws towards an exciting conclusion the attraction between Sven and Derry becomes more pronounced much to Jakob's consternation. It will be interesting to see how this romance develops especially as alliances begin to shift and change.
The characters are fascinating with all their flaws and faults as they grapple with unforeseen situations that have them risking their lives at every turn. Sixteen year old Derry Connelly the young leader appears callous and single-minded although she constantly wrestles with her conscience when making snap decisions that mean life or death for others. She listens to the wise counsel of her friend Big Ed an old but tough mountain man. In contrast Derry doesn't trust secretive and distant Mason at first until her harsh words and his action change her opinion of him. I loved the interaction between Derry and her dog Tucker who never strays too far from her side, warning her when danger is near. Yet it's the cold-hearted, sick brutality of the Rogues and the heartlessness of the brilliant but broken Dr. Lyong that add a terrifying chill to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Immurement" the first novel in the "Undergrounders" series and can't wait to see what Norma Hinkens has in store for her readers in the next book.
September 27, 2018
Apart from a brief setting of the scene right at the start, this book is all fast-paced action. The apocalypse has occurred (“All hell broke loose after a ring of volcanos around the globe erupted and the sovereign leader issued a thermal radiation warning. That was the last we heard from him”), and the tattered remains of humanity are now divided into three main groups: the Undergrounders; the Rogues; and the mad scientists in Craniopolis. The story is narrated by teenage Undergrounder, Derry. She can remember the world before it imploded, but now – along with her brother (Owen), dog (Tucker) and drunkard father – she lives in a communal bunker, trying to avoid extraction by the malign Sweepers or attack by the lawless Rogues. Unlike most of the women, who stay underground continually, Derry needs to go ouside, whatever the risks: “I can’t live squirreled beneath the dirt. I need to know the sun still rises. How else can I be sure the world hasn’t ended a second time?”
Her best friend in the bunker is Big Ed, an elderly mountain man who had been “living off-grid for decades before the meltdown. Like a lot of Preppers, who became suspicious of the sovereign leader and one world government, supposedly formed to tackle global warming.”
When first her boyfriend, Jakob, and then Owen are snatched by the Sweepers, Derry leads a mission to Craniopolis to rescue them. She is accompanied by Tucker, Big Ed and a mysterious ex-marine, Mason, who conveniently has contacts inside Craniopolis. Their mission is fraught with danger, and brings them into contact with potential enemies and potential friends, as well as Mason’s friendly contacts. Not everyone who helps them can be trusted, and not everyone, who has tried to kill them will always work against them.
The book has two main underlying themes – one of trust (where and when to trust, how that might change with circumstances), and the other of what it is to be human, and whether humanity can be ‘fixed’ and/or whether we should try. Derry meets Clones – who look human, but have expiration dates instead of ordinary deaths – and Deviations – who no longer look human. Each has a human desire to live and is capable of humane qualities such as mercy and friendship. Then there are the mad scientists, such as Dr Lyong, whose humanity is all but gone, in their Mengele style quest for perfected homo sapiens: “I’m only talking about fixing what’s broken. Subversives have deviant traits that turn them into criminals. … Murder entails malice. I, on the other hand, have sacrificed my life to provide a service to humankind.”
There are a few flaws in the book, and maybe some things that require a bit more back-story, but they do not detract from a really exciting post-apocalyptic story. If you have had no problems with “The 100”, “Revolution” or “Walking Dead”, then you will have no problems here. I look forward to the next book in the series.
I received this copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
Her best friend in the bunker is Big Ed, an elderly mountain man who had been “living off-grid for decades before the meltdown. Like a lot of Preppers, who became suspicious of the sovereign leader and one world government, supposedly formed to tackle global warming.”
When first her boyfriend, Jakob, and then Owen are snatched by the Sweepers, Derry leads a mission to Craniopolis to rescue them. She is accompanied by Tucker, Big Ed and a mysterious ex-marine, Mason, who conveniently has contacts inside Craniopolis. Their mission is fraught with danger, and brings them into contact with potential enemies and potential friends, as well as Mason’s friendly contacts. Not everyone who helps them can be trusted, and not everyone, who has tried to kill them will always work against them.
The book has two main underlying themes – one of trust (where and when to trust, how that might change with circumstances), and the other of what it is to be human, and whether humanity can be ‘fixed’ and/or whether we should try. Derry meets Clones – who look human, but have expiration dates instead of ordinary deaths – and Deviations – who no longer look human. Each has a human desire to live and is capable of humane qualities such as mercy and friendship. Then there are the mad scientists, such as Dr Lyong, whose humanity is all but gone, in their Mengele style quest for perfected homo sapiens: “I’m only talking about fixing what’s broken. Subversives have deviant traits that turn them into criminals. … Murder entails malice. I, on the other hand, have sacrificed my life to provide a service to humankind.”
There are a few flaws in the book, and maybe some things that require a bit more back-story, but they do not detract from a really exciting post-apocalyptic story. If you have had no problems with “The 100”, “Revolution” or “Walking Dead”, then you will have no problems here. I look forward to the next book in the series.
I received this copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
December 14, 2015
This futuristic, dystopian adventure has plenty of action and asks big questions about humanity and survival as we follow Derry on her journey into the wide world, which swiftly turns into rescue mission of a growing number of people. Caught between the dangerous Rogues (subversive criminal types) and the secretive Sweepers (who kidnap people for unknown, though most probably nefarious reasons) with only a small band of friends and possible foes for company, Derry’s definitely got her work cut out for her in this book.
The setting is an unspecified amount of years in the future and six years after Earth’s core has overheated and caused volcanic devastation. Although, to be honest, I’m not quite sure why or what level of damage it left behind, since the atmosphere seems clear and breathable (when I’d have expected ash clouds to have caused major climatic cooling at the very least) and although the population’s taken a hit, the world itself seems fine (apart from a lack of big game… for some never explained reason). There was also a single Sovereign leader of the world before the apocalypse, but I have no idea why or how that came about. So the world building could use a little work.
Then there’s Derry. I found her rather underwhelming as a lead character, and the idea of her being the one everyone else looks to for leadership was baffling. Not only because she’s the youngest, but also because she just isn’t a good leader. She doesn’t listen to Mason’s excellent advice, she frequently zones out when she’s on watch – putting everyone else in danger on numerous occasions – and she flip-flops between being hard and determined, and oddly sanctimonious. She also has a really spiteful moment that came out of nowhere and on more than one occasion vows all kinds of blood-thirsty revenge that she swiftly forgets about.
Baffling. I also found her emotions hard to tap into. This is mostly because the plot drives this story rather than Derry’s personality – which is a very good thing, since I didn’t like her much, all thing’s considered.
Oh, and there’s a love triangle. I knew all along that it would be coming, thanks to the general uselessness of romantic interest #1, but I have to admit the second part of the triangle wasn’t who I expected and felt off to me. It just didn’t fit when there was a much better alternative available, if there had to be a love triangle at all. It was also really sudden. One moment she hadn’t really noticed the guy, then, suddenly, Oh! He makes her feel all funny inside. Meh.
It might also have been nice to have had another decent female character. The two that are given names don’t have much of a voice, and the others that come and go in a blink are just set dressing. Otherwise it’s Derry and her band of not-very merry men, who either think she’s wonderful or are plotting her downfall, which disappointed me a little.
However, there are things that I enjoyed in this book. Big Ed was great, the old mountain man with serious survival knowledge and important wisdom to impart. Then there was Mason, who I found the most interesting character in the book, and he definitely goes through the most changes, from aloof, arrogant ex-Marine to… well, you’ll have to see for yourself. And I loved Tucker the dog, even if I couldn’t quite work out how he managed to get in and out of the bunkers, since everyone else climbs ladders. I know collies are amazingly intelligent dogs, but that did leave me scratching my head.
The plot itself is also interesting, roaming here and there. Yes, Derry’s habit of veering off-course did irritate me (not much of a leader if she can’t stick to a goal), but it certainly allowed for plenty of action and intrigue. A little more world-building would definitely help to make sense of everything, but the story itself has plenty of interest for readers to latch onto. As for the ending… well, I wanted to smack Derry on the head several times, but it was certainly exciting.
Leaving plenty of room for more, the first book in this series is an attention-grabbing, fast-paced read. If you love a dystopian adventure, then you’ll probably find stuff to enjoy here. I did, though I don’t think Derry and her love triangle alone would be enough to draw me back for more. Here’s hoping that Derry continues to live in interesting times.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
The setting is an unspecified amount of years in the future and six years after Earth’s core has overheated and caused volcanic devastation. Although, to be honest, I’m not quite sure why or what level of damage it left behind, since the atmosphere seems clear and breathable (when I’d have expected ash clouds to have caused major climatic cooling at the very least) and although the population’s taken a hit, the world itself seems fine (apart from a lack of big game… for some never explained reason). There was also a single Sovereign leader of the world before the apocalypse, but I have no idea why or how that came about. So the world building could use a little work.
Then there’s Derry. I found her rather underwhelming as a lead character, and the idea of her being the one everyone else looks to for leadership was baffling. Not only because she’s the youngest, but also because she just isn’t a good leader. She doesn’t listen to Mason’s excellent advice, she frequently zones out when she’s on watch – putting everyone else in danger on numerous occasions – and she flip-flops between being hard and determined, and oddly sanctimonious. She also has a really spiteful moment that came out of nowhere and on more than one occasion vows all kinds of blood-thirsty revenge that she swiftly forgets about.
Baffling. I also found her emotions hard to tap into. This is mostly because the plot drives this story rather than Derry’s personality – which is a very good thing, since I didn’t like her much, all thing’s considered.
Oh, and there’s a love triangle. I knew all along that it would be coming, thanks to the general uselessness of romantic interest #1, but I have to admit the second part of the triangle wasn’t who I expected and felt off to me. It just didn’t fit when there was a much better alternative available, if there had to be a love triangle at all. It was also really sudden. One moment she hadn’t really noticed the guy, then, suddenly, Oh! He makes her feel all funny inside. Meh.
It might also have been nice to have had another decent female character. The two that are given names don’t have much of a voice, and the others that come and go in a blink are just set dressing. Otherwise it’s Derry and her band of not-very merry men, who either think she’s wonderful or are plotting her downfall, which disappointed me a little.
However, there are things that I enjoyed in this book. Big Ed was great, the old mountain man with serious survival knowledge and important wisdom to impart. Then there was Mason, who I found the most interesting character in the book, and he definitely goes through the most changes, from aloof, arrogant ex-Marine to… well, you’ll have to see for yourself. And I loved Tucker the dog, even if I couldn’t quite work out how he managed to get in and out of the bunkers, since everyone else climbs ladders. I know collies are amazingly intelligent dogs, but that did leave me scratching my head.
The plot itself is also interesting, roaming here and there. Yes, Derry’s habit of veering off-course did irritate me (not much of a leader if she can’t stick to a goal), but it certainly allowed for plenty of action and intrigue. A little more world-building would definitely help to make sense of everything, but the story itself has plenty of interest for readers to latch onto. As for the ending… well, I wanted to smack Derry on the head several times, but it was certainly exciting.
Leaving plenty of room for more, the first book in this series is an attention-grabbing, fast-paced read. If you love a dystopian adventure, then you’ll probably find stuff to enjoy here. I did, though I don’t think Derry and her love triangle alone would be enough to draw me back for more. Here’s hoping that Derry continues to live in interesting times.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
February 21, 2016
This is very engaging with action, danger, courage and sci fi elements. My Rating 4.5.
Derry Connelly is curious and brave. She and her older brother, Owen, live in a bunker with others who have survived an earth meltdown. There are several communities all struggling to scavenge supplies while ducking hovership sweepers that suck up teens and removes them to Craniopolis, a research facility. That is the prime danger but there are dangers from rouge subversives who take what they want and kill without a second thought.
Derry has a mentor in an older woodsman, Big Ed. He is her closet friend after her romantic interest, Jakob, who is from a family that lives apart and eschews all violence. Derry is unsure of one man who has joined the ranks of the bunker inhabitants. Mason claims to be former military; he is big and strong and shows no emotion which causes Derry to distrust him.
When Jakob and Owen disappear, Derry is determined to break into Craniopolis and free them before they become nothing more than genetic resources and body parts. Big Ed and Mason agree to help her… once they evade the rogues who want the hidden hovership.
There is plenty of action as the heroes struggle first against the brutal subversives and then have to face the security guards within Craniopolis. The head scientist is clearly a mad man and he is determined to continue his work no matter what lives he has to ruin.
Derry has to face the horrors in the facility and find her courage along the way. I became engaged with Derry, her friends, and her dog, Tucker, early and remained engaged throughout the story. There is aid from some surprising sources that gives hints to allies for the next book in the series. This read very quickly and I am eager to read the next book. I recommend this to those who enjoy action in a dystopian setting.
I received this title through Expresso Book Tours for an honest review.
Derry Connelly is curious and brave. She and her older brother, Owen, live in a bunker with others who have survived an earth meltdown. There are several communities all struggling to scavenge supplies while ducking hovership sweepers that suck up teens and removes them to Craniopolis, a research facility. That is the prime danger but there are dangers from rouge subversives who take what they want and kill without a second thought.
Derry has a mentor in an older woodsman, Big Ed. He is her closet friend after her romantic interest, Jakob, who is from a family that lives apart and eschews all violence. Derry is unsure of one man who has joined the ranks of the bunker inhabitants. Mason claims to be former military; he is big and strong and shows no emotion which causes Derry to distrust him.
When Jakob and Owen disappear, Derry is determined to break into Craniopolis and free them before they become nothing more than genetic resources and body parts. Big Ed and Mason agree to help her… once they evade the rogues who want the hidden hovership.
There is plenty of action as the heroes struggle first against the brutal subversives and then have to face the security guards within Craniopolis. The head scientist is clearly a mad man and he is determined to continue his work no matter what lives he has to ruin.
Derry has to face the horrors in the facility and find her courage along the way. I became engaged with Derry, her friends, and her dog, Tucker, early and remained engaged throughout the story. There is aid from some surprising sources that gives hints to allies for the next book in the series. This read very quickly and I am eager to read the next book. I recommend this to those who enjoy action in a dystopian setting.
I received this title through Expresso Book Tours for an honest review.
June 26, 2016
INITIAL THOUGHTS
I am looking forward to reading this one, and checking out the bunker map etc. This one sounds like a great post apocalyptic read and as I recently joined Norma Hinkens Street Team it was about time I read one of her books!"
THOUGHTS WHILST READING
9% "Instantly hooked!"
14% "Oh no! where is Owen? ... Can the mountain man prepper Big Ed, ex military man Mason help Derry to find n rescue her brother Owen?"
31% "What is up in the rafters and will it lessen the danger Derry is in or male things worse and increase. I think I know who/what it could be.....?"
50% "Oh no! **** shot! What a tear jerker scene."
65% "so much action in this book.....but sad parts too...I keep thinking What now? What else can happen to Derry..."
74% "So where are Owen & Jakob, can they trust anything the revolting. decaying Dr Lyong tells them, is he giving away any truthful information, or is he merely playing mind games with them?"
84% "Whose hand is giving Derry tingles?? Jacob's? Mason's ?or Sven's maybe?"
REVIEW
I downloaded a free via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. The cover has a female dressed in practical trousers and clothes in colours that fade into the landscape. She also has her hair fastened back in plait, and has her hand up to her head looking off into the distance. The surrounding landscape looks desolate and there's smoke from a possible fire in the distance. Would the cover make me pick this book up to learn more about it? I'd be sure to pick this one up from a bookstore shelf after looking at the post apocalyptic feel of the cover.
The over view of the book is that a "meltdown" occurred and now society is separated. There are two main types of humanity still in existence the undergrounder's, and the sweepers.
The undergrounder's have a fairly bleak existence, living in underground bunkers in small communities and only really going above ground at night to hunt for food etc when the skies are free of the air crafts that carry the dreaded sweepers.
The sweepers reside in Craniopolis, a place of scientific work and experimentation. There are lots of rumours and tale tales about what actually does go on there. The sweepers use their special aircraft (called Hovermedes)to fly around the areaand spot and capture any young (teenaged) remaining human survivors. When one is spotted, the unlucky teen is targeted by a sedation dart and then a long tube is sent down from the hovermedes toliterally suck up their body.
The main characters are 16 year old Derry Connolly who lives in the under ground bunker in her families section of the bunker with her 18year old brother Owen, her Da and their fiercely loyal and protective dog Tucker. Derry's mother died and her father has never been the same turning to drink and really leaving the difficulties of this life to Owen and Derry.Other occupants of their bunker are a group of Sephites, who are a peace loving, quiet, traditionalist race of religious people used to living an "off grid" simplistic lifestyle. Derry has been having a secret flirtation/relationship with Jakob Miller. Her brother Owen teases her about the fact she has grown her hair and now wears it in a plait because Jakob likes her with long hair. The leader of their bunker is a young teenager called Prentice Carter (Prat behind his back!) who was guaranteed his place in the bunker due to his families financial status prior to the meltdown.
It is a precarious and tough existence that faces any survivors of the "meltdown". There's a sort of simmering tension all the way through the book. The thing that really sparks off the chain of events that give this book is great story is that a young teen called Sam who lives in a nearby bunker has been taken by the sweepers! It seems that there are more and more sweepers that are catching and kidnapping increasing numbers of teens. In fact it's almost like these sweepers know exactly where to go to find the teens. Could they be being tipped off by a "bunker snitch"?. That is what Frank also from Sam's bunker has come to discuss with Derry's bunker occupants. It's decided that Frank will return to his bunker and will be followed later by a group of people from Derry's bunker to discuss the latest developments.It is this planned trip that begins the chain of events that will change Derry's life forever as she learns of her brothers disappearance and she then finds herself to be part of a mission to Craniopolis she wouldn't have thought she would have dreamt of undertaking.
So I guess I should tell you a little about Craniopolis . . . it's a large settlement, with scientists at the helm of it. These scientists have been given permission by the government to find a way for humanity to go on in some form.
The scientists have been experimenting with genetics and the like creating extra strong beings that form a kind of army which enables the scientists to capture more subjects to work on and in their opinion improve. Another source of "being" to be experimented on was also supplied by the government (but you'll read about them in the book for yourself). Not all the scientists experiments work which lead to a society of "deviations" who exist in Craniopolis.
The final type of survivor in this book are the Rogues which are the "bad guys" out for themselves, looking to steal, kill or do whatever is necessary for them to have an easier life in general.
There is a growing necessity for something to be done to stop the sweepers and in turn the scientists. Who will band with who for the greater good? Can such an alliance ever work? Can Craniopolis ever be beaten? Is it possible to enter Craniopolis to rescue those who have been kidnapped? And if you do find them will they still be human enough to want to escape?Lots and lots of questions raised throughout the book that have clues to the answers within the action packed chapters of this book. The pace of the book is fast, there is always something happening as well as the scene being set for the next event to take place. I became hooked into this book after a mere 9%. I was sure I was going to love it and I did. I smiled, chuckled, smirked, puzzled and teared up on more than one occasion. I do love the dystopic & post apocalyptic genre's but this book doesn't just slot in to those genre's. The book has action, adventure, betrayal, danger, emotion, some romance, as well as also having futuristic, sci-fi elements too. The book also has everyone different backgrounds, their lives, the reasons why they are what they are.
If I were to choose favourite characters (well I can't just choose only one!!) who would they be and why? The first and main favourite would have to be .....Derry, the girl trying to keep her family together and alive, still too young for the responsibilities of the world after the meltdown. Derry is both a tough kick butt character who does still have a soft emotional side as well as a well defined sense of what is right and wrong. I love her relationship with her brother Owen, thinking she knows everything about him and what he does. She is both younger sister to him, yet at the same time tries to look after him as their mother is no longer around. I even teared up at Derry's relationship with her father.
Finally I also love the character's of Mason and Sven who appears tough, capable, a great fighter, yet is there a softer side to them. I also cannot end my review without mentioning the most loyal,protective,, mood lifting Tucker.
Did I enjoy this book? Totally adored the book. This book made me want to put off those chores, turn off the TV and curl up and read! Would I recommend the book? Definitely and you really don't have to be a big dystopic or post apocalyptic fan/reader. I think there are many readers that this book will suit. Would I like to read more of this Series? Yes, I have to read more of this series!I have BK2 on my kindle ready to read and Bk3 is right there on my WTRW/MH List (Want To Read Wishlist/ Must Have List). Would I want to read other books by this author? I would always take a closer look at anything written by this author, after reading this book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Highly addictive, action packed, drama & emotion filled read! Highly recommend reading this one. Loved it! I now need to organise some time to read the next book in this series!
I really could go on and on and on about this book.
I am looking forward to reading this one, and checking out the bunker map etc. This one sounds like a great post apocalyptic read and as I recently joined Norma Hinkens Street Team it was about time I read one of her books!"
THOUGHTS WHILST READING
9% "Instantly hooked!"
14% "Oh no! where is Owen? ... Can the mountain man prepper Big Ed, ex military man Mason help Derry to find n rescue her brother Owen?"
31% "What is up in the rafters and will it lessen the danger Derry is in or male things worse and increase. I think I know who/what it could be.....?"
50% "Oh no! **** shot! What a tear jerker scene."
65% "so much action in this book.....but sad parts too...I keep thinking What now? What else can happen to Derry..."
74% "So where are Owen & Jakob, can they trust anything the revolting. decaying Dr Lyong tells them, is he giving away any truthful information, or is he merely playing mind games with them?"
84% "Whose hand is giving Derry tingles?? Jacob's? Mason's ?or Sven's maybe?"
REVIEW
I downloaded a free via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. The cover has a female dressed in practical trousers and clothes in colours that fade into the landscape. She also has her hair fastened back in plait, and has her hand up to her head looking off into the distance. The surrounding landscape looks desolate and there's smoke from a possible fire in the distance. Would the cover make me pick this book up to learn more about it? I'd be sure to pick this one up from a bookstore shelf after looking at the post apocalyptic feel of the cover.
The over view of the book is that a "meltdown" occurred and now society is separated. There are two main types of humanity still in existence the undergrounder's, and the sweepers.
The undergrounder's have a fairly bleak existence, living in underground bunkers in small communities and only really going above ground at night to hunt for food etc when the skies are free of the air crafts that carry the dreaded sweepers.
The sweepers reside in Craniopolis, a place of scientific work and experimentation. There are lots of rumours and tale tales about what actually does go on there. The sweepers use their special aircraft (called Hovermedes)to fly around the areaand spot and capture any young (teenaged) remaining human survivors. When one is spotted, the unlucky teen is targeted by a sedation dart and then a long tube is sent down from the hovermedes toliterally suck up their body.
The main characters are 16 year old Derry Connolly who lives in the under ground bunker in her families section of the bunker with her 18year old brother Owen, her Da and their fiercely loyal and protective dog Tucker. Derry's mother died and her father has never been the same turning to drink and really leaving the difficulties of this life to Owen and Derry.Other occupants of their bunker are a group of Sephites, who are a peace loving, quiet, traditionalist race of religious people used to living an "off grid" simplistic lifestyle. Derry has been having a secret flirtation/relationship with Jakob Miller. Her brother Owen teases her about the fact she has grown her hair and now wears it in a plait because Jakob likes her with long hair. The leader of their bunker is a young teenager called Prentice Carter (Prat behind his back!) who was guaranteed his place in the bunker due to his families financial status prior to the meltdown.
It is a precarious and tough existence that faces any survivors of the "meltdown". There's a sort of simmering tension all the way through the book. The thing that really sparks off the chain of events that give this book is great story is that a young teen called Sam who lives in a nearby bunker has been taken by the sweepers! It seems that there are more and more sweepers that are catching and kidnapping increasing numbers of teens. In fact it's almost like these sweepers know exactly where to go to find the teens. Could they be being tipped off by a "bunker snitch"?. That is what Frank also from Sam's bunker has come to discuss with Derry's bunker occupants. It's decided that Frank will return to his bunker and will be followed later by a group of people from Derry's bunker to discuss the latest developments.It is this planned trip that begins the chain of events that will change Derry's life forever as she learns of her brothers disappearance and she then finds herself to be part of a mission to Craniopolis she wouldn't have thought she would have dreamt of undertaking.
So I guess I should tell you a little about Craniopolis . . . it's a large settlement, with scientists at the helm of it. These scientists have been given permission by the government to find a way for humanity to go on in some form.
The scientists have been experimenting with genetics and the like creating extra strong beings that form a kind of army which enables the scientists to capture more subjects to work on and in their opinion improve. Another source of "being" to be experimented on was also supplied by the government (but you'll read about them in the book for yourself). Not all the scientists experiments work which lead to a society of "deviations" who exist in Craniopolis.
The final type of survivor in this book are the Rogues which are the "bad guys" out for themselves, looking to steal, kill or do whatever is necessary for them to have an easier life in general.
There is a growing necessity for something to be done to stop the sweepers and in turn the scientists. Who will band with who for the greater good? Can such an alliance ever work? Can Craniopolis ever be beaten? Is it possible to enter Craniopolis to rescue those who have been kidnapped? And if you do find them will they still be human enough to want to escape?Lots and lots of questions raised throughout the book that have clues to the answers within the action packed chapters of this book. The pace of the book is fast, there is always something happening as well as the scene being set for the next event to take place. I became hooked into this book after a mere 9%. I was sure I was going to love it and I did. I smiled, chuckled, smirked, puzzled and teared up on more than one occasion. I do love the dystopic & post apocalyptic genre's but this book doesn't just slot in to those genre's. The book has action, adventure, betrayal, danger, emotion, some romance, as well as also having futuristic, sci-fi elements too. The book also has everyone different backgrounds, their lives, the reasons why they are what they are.
If I were to choose favourite characters (well I can't just choose only one!!) who would they be and why? The first and main favourite would have to be .....Derry, the girl trying to keep her family together and alive, still too young for the responsibilities of the world after the meltdown. Derry is both a tough kick butt character who does still have a soft emotional side as well as a well defined sense of what is right and wrong. I love her relationship with her brother Owen, thinking she knows everything about him and what he does. She is both younger sister to him, yet at the same time tries to look after him as their mother is no longer around. I even teared up at Derry's relationship with her father.
Finally I also love the character's of Mason and Sven who appears tough, capable, a great fighter, yet is there a softer side to them. I also cannot end my review without mentioning the most loyal,protective,, mood lifting Tucker.
Did I enjoy this book? Totally adored the book. This book made me want to put off those chores, turn off the TV and curl up and read! Would I recommend the book? Definitely and you really don't have to be a big dystopic or post apocalyptic fan/reader. I think there are many readers that this book will suit. Would I like to read more of this Series? Yes, I have to read more of this series!I have BK2 on my kindle ready to read and Bk3 is right there on my WTRW/MH List (Want To Read Wishlist/ Must Have List). Would I want to read other books by this author? I would always take a closer look at anything written by this author, after reading this book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Highly addictive, action packed, drama & emotion filled read! Highly recommend reading this one. Loved it! I now need to organise some time to read the next book in this series!
I really could go on and on and on about this book.
April 30, 2017
Humans have done a better job than usual in most dystopian fiction and have destroyed the planet's core, somehow, I don't really remember. I'm not sure the author knew either. The survivors live in small numbers in underground encampments, hiding from some form of machine or being that patrols the surface and attempts to steal them.
The whole stealing people thing is weird. We're told it's only young folk who get taken, and yet the older folk don't take advantage of their age-related safety. Consequently it's the children who are left to tend crops/flocks etc up above, just hoping that they'll get back under cover in time.
Sadly this sort of inconsistency continues. I normally love YA fiction. Sure I roll my eyes occasionally when the teenagers behave like actual teenagers and so are brash, or stupid, or crazy in love, but it's okay, teenagers should be teenagers, even if they've had to grow up before their time.
Derry (apparently 16) morphs between being an actual teenager and someone more canny and better at people than not only most real adults, but all the adults around her (sometimes even on the same page). She has unknowable knowledge about the internal motivations of most of the characters who oppose her and has skills/learns things faster than is humanly possible given her situation. As far as I can tell this is because of bad writing rather than some supernatural gift. Despite showing no leadership skills whatsoever, all the more experienced and skilled adults (and even young people) defer to her judgement by general consensus (except her brother, I guess, but he doesn't entirely count). Unfortunately she needs rescuing in practically every chapter.
Derry can't pick a goal and stick with it. "Argh, my brother has been taken, saving him is the most important thing ever! Oh no, now my boyfriend has been taken, saving him is the most important thing ever. Oh no, now it's my dog!"
The main romance plot seems to be thrown in at the last moment with pretty much nothing to suggest it belongs.
The book is also racist/anti-Asian, in a way that suggests that all of the other main characters are probably homogeneously white (although it doesn't matter if they are not). The Asian scientist who has lived for at least 10 years in a close-knit, small community of (presumably) English-speaking scientists still has halting and imperfect English. He's the only character who gets such disparaging personal descriptions such as "flashes a row of yellow, uneven teeth", "scrawny neck", "busy shoveling down food, his plate held tight to his chin", "yellow-toothed grin", "glistening yellow face", "shifty-eyed", "beady eyes".... even the characters Derry actively dislikes don't get that treatment.
These things aside, the story is generally enjoyable so long as you are willing to take a deep breath every now and then, roll your eyes and then continue.. I read to find out what happened next. I won't be seeking book two.
The whole stealing people thing is weird. We're told it's only young folk who get taken, and yet the older folk don't take advantage of their age-related safety. Consequently it's the children who are left to tend crops/flocks etc up above, just hoping that they'll get back under cover in time.
Sadly this sort of inconsistency continues. I normally love YA fiction. Sure I roll my eyes occasionally when the teenagers behave like actual teenagers and so are brash, or stupid, or crazy in love, but it's okay, teenagers should be teenagers, even if they've had to grow up before their time.
Derry (apparently 16) morphs between being an actual teenager and someone more canny and better at people than not only most real adults, but all the adults around her (sometimes even on the same page). She has unknowable knowledge about the internal motivations of most of the characters who oppose her and has skills/learns things faster than is humanly possible given her situation. As far as I can tell this is because of bad writing rather than some supernatural gift. Despite showing no leadership skills whatsoever, all the more experienced and skilled adults (and even young people) defer to her judgement by general consensus (except her brother, I guess, but he doesn't entirely count). Unfortunately she needs rescuing in practically every chapter.
Derry can't pick a goal and stick with it. "Argh, my brother has been taken, saving him is the most important thing ever! Oh no, now my boyfriend has been taken, saving him is the most important thing ever. Oh no, now it's my dog!"
The main romance plot seems to be thrown in at the last moment with pretty much nothing to suggest it belongs.
The book is also racist/anti-Asian, in a way that suggests that all of the other main characters are probably homogeneously white (although it doesn't matter if they are not). The Asian scientist who has lived for at least 10 years in a close-knit, small community of (presumably) English-speaking scientists still has halting and imperfect English. He's the only character who gets such disparaging personal descriptions such as "flashes a row of yellow, uneven teeth", "scrawny neck", "busy shoveling down food, his plate held tight to his chin", "yellow-toothed grin", "glistening yellow face", "shifty-eyed", "beady eyes".... even the characters Derry actively dislikes don't get that treatment.
These things aside, the story is generally enjoyable so long as you are willing to take a deep breath every now and then, roll your eyes and then continue.. I read to find out what happened next. I won't be seeking book two.
May 16, 2017
The story was set in a post apocalyptic world where the remaining civilization is forced to hide underground in bunkers in order to avoid the "Sweepers" and the "Rouges". The Sweepers are a group of mad scientists who are trying to replenish the Earth's population by making clones and performing experiments on young humans they extract. The Rouges are a bunch of escaped convicts from a high security reeducation centre, who doesn't hesitate to kill anyone they come across. The heroine Derry has to set out to rescue her brother from the Sweepers when he gets abducted and the story takes on form there.
I enjoyed the fast pace of the book as well as the plot. But I feel like this story is not new. Also, I didn't like the love interests at all. The guy I shipped her with wasn't even considered as a love interest, and towards the end of the book she started having a crush on the most random person, out of no where. This felt forced and out of place. Also, there was no chemistry between her boyfriend and her. Their relationship was talked about very little and was very poorly represented.
A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.
I enjoyed the fast pace of the book as well as the plot. But I feel like this story is not new. Also, I didn't like the love interests at all. The guy I shipped her with wasn't even considered as a love interest, and towards the end of the book she started having a crush on the most random person, out of no where. This felt forced and out of place. Also, there was no chemistry between her boyfriend and her. Their relationship was talked about very little and was very poorly represented.
A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.
October 13, 2017
Leuk en spannend verhaal. Hoop dat ik deel 2 ook ergens online kan vinden.
November 29, 2015
Today We Did
When the core of the Earth overheats and causes major volcanic activity, much of the world’s population is lost. The remaining survivors take shelter in underground bunkers in the less populous areas, and become known as Undergrounders. They are not the only survivor groups though, there are also roving bands of subversives that are happy to raid and kill for fun, known as Rogues. And from the sky, come the Sweepers, who snatch up people from the ground in their hoverships. Derry Connolly, along with her Da and her brother, Owen, are Undergrounders living in the Sawtooth Mountains, just trying to survive. Then a nearby camp is attacked, and Owen is taken. Derry finds herself on the trail with her bunker mates, Big Ed and Mason. Despite her young age, Derry must rise to the task of rescuing her brother, facing Rogues and Sweepers, doing anything necessary to stay alive.
Immurement is the first book in The Undergrounders Series, a YA dystopian/sci-fi saga. It is a fast action packed ride of survival suitable for middle to upper high school students. This story is about survival, but there are also science fiction and futuristic themes, including cloning and artificial intelligence. There is also a lot of violence, weapon use and death. It all felt appropriate for this story though.
The flow of the story was pretty fast, with lots of action. It was well written and descriptive, though I am still a little murky on exactly what happened to cause the devastation of the core overheating. I also didn’t quite follow how the world went from individually run countries to a sovereign leader, or why. I could have done with a little more background to the situation at hand, but I ploughed on and still enjoyed the story. The ending wrapped up the story nicely, while setting the stage for the sequel.
Most of the characters were quite complex. As the story progresses, we get to know the characters and their backgrounds, and watch them develop. In particular Derry grows quite a lot during the story, from a dreamy kid into a leader, a transformation that is not without its bumps. She had some tough decisions to make, but she did her best. I liked her. I also liked most of the other characters. Mason was a very interesting character; he seemed so cold and tough at the start, but a gentler side appeared later on. And Big Ed was a tough old cookie, though discovering his past surprised and saddened me. Blade and Rummy were suitably despicable as Rogues, cut-throat, violent and very very scary! The leader of the Sweepers was a hideous person inside and out. Him and his work gave me shivers! He reminds us why the responsibility of scientific development should not be given carte blanche to a single person. The bodyguard clones were blood-chilling too, but I also felt bad for them as they were made to be like that, with no life of their own.
Overall, this was a complex read with lots happening. At times it was sad, but it was always exciting and engaging. Immurement is set to be released on the 16th December 2015, with the second installment scheduled for January 2016. I hope the next book is as exciting as the first!
*I received this book as a digital advanced reader copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
When the core of the Earth overheats and causes major volcanic activity, much of the world’s population is lost. The remaining survivors take shelter in underground bunkers in the less populous areas, and become known as Undergrounders. They are not the only survivor groups though, there are also roving bands of subversives that are happy to raid and kill for fun, known as Rogues. And from the sky, come the Sweepers, who snatch up people from the ground in their hoverships. Derry Connolly, along with her Da and her brother, Owen, are Undergrounders living in the Sawtooth Mountains, just trying to survive. Then a nearby camp is attacked, and Owen is taken. Derry finds herself on the trail with her bunker mates, Big Ed and Mason. Despite her young age, Derry must rise to the task of rescuing her brother, facing Rogues and Sweepers, doing anything necessary to stay alive.
Immurement is the first book in The Undergrounders Series, a YA dystopian/sci-fi saga. It is a fast action packed ride of survival suitable for middle to upper high school students. This story is about survival, but there are also science fiction and futuristic themes, including cloning and artificial intelligence. There is also a lot of violence, weapon use and death. It all felt appropriate for this story though.
The flow of the story was pretty fast, with lots of action. It was well written and descriptive, though I am still a little murky on exactly what happened to cause the devastation of the core overheating. I also didn’t quite follow how the world went from individually run countries to a sovereign leader, or why. I could have done with a little more background to the situation at hand, but I ploughed on and still enjoyed the story. The ending wrapped up the story nicely, while setting the stage for the sequel.
Most of the characters were quite complex. As the story progresses, we get to know the characters and their backgrounds, and watch them develop. In particular Derry grows quite a lot during the story, from a dreamy kid into a leader, a transformation that is not without its bumps. She had some tough decisions to make, but she did her best. I liked her. I also liked most of the other characters. Mason was a very interesting character; he seemed so cold and tough at the start, but a gentler side appeared later on. And Big Ed was a tough old cookie, though discovering his past surprised and saddened me. Blade and Rummy were suitably despicable as Rogues, cut-throat, violent and very very scary! The leader of the Sweepers was a hideous person inside and out. Him and his work gave me shivers! He reminds us why the responsibility of scientific development should not be given carte blanche to a single person. The bodyguard clones were blood-chilling too, but I also felt bad for them as they were made to be like that, with no life of their own.
Overall, this was a complex read with lots happening. At times it was sad, but it was always exciting and engaging. Immurement is set to be released on the 16th December 2015, with the second installment scheduled for January 2016. I hope the next book is as exciting as the first!
*I received this book as a digital advanced reader copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
January 4, 2016
I would like to thank the author of this book, Norma Hinkens for reaching out to me and giving me the chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review!
Immurement is a dystopian story that follows our main character, Derry Connelly as she tries to live and survive in a world that has been plunged into chaos and is fraught with danger.
I haven’t read a dystopian book in what feels like quite some time so it was really refreshing to be plunged back into the chaotic of environment of a dystopian world. I had alot of fun reading this book and getting lost in it, running through the forests alongside Derry and her dog, Tucker. When I first started the book it sort of gave me the feeling I had when I first started reading The Maze Runner. While I didn’t end up liking The Maze Runner, I ended up really loving Immurement.
As far as characters go, I loved Derry. I love that she’s flawed and that it’s obvious that she’s a character who is growing into herself and her position in her world. I love Derry’s development through the story. When I first started reading it she seemed to me like every teenage girl worried about the normal teenage girl things like boys and her dog but obviously in a more hostile setting. But when we get to the end she has just changed so much and because she has gone through tragedy and has had to make extremely hard decisions in order to survive she has grown up alot, become harder and more of a survivor. It’s interesting to see her try to balance her will to survive with her innate sense of compassion that seems to be missing from alot of people in her world. I appreciate her relationship with Tucker so much and alot of the time it was really endearing to witness their interaction with each other. I also loved a few other characters like Mason and am intrigued by Sven. I’d say I’m pretty intrigued at the love triangle we have brewing. I cannot wait to see how that develops as there is some definite friction between the three people involved.
There are alot of other things that happened in this book with various characters that we meet that I am SO pumped to see resolved in subsequent books. I don’t want to spoil anyone so I won’t mention them but yeah…I can’t wait.
Overall, I am giving this book a five star rating and I am super excited to be giving my first five star rating of the year! I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. I savored it. It was dangerous and fun, definitely action packed. I feel like it had a little of everything that I like in dystopian stories – the danger, the suspense, the science, the rebels, the battles, the tragedies and the romance! Ugh so good and I cannot wait to continue the series which I believe is due out this month so we don’t even have a long time to wait ahhh! Fans of Dystopian (or even just Sci Fi), this one is for you!
Immurement is a dystopian story that follows our main character, Derry Connelly as she tries to live and survive in a world that has been plunged into chaos and is fraught with danger.
I haven’t read a dystopian book in what feels like quite some time so it was really refreshing to be plunged back into the chaotic of environment of a dystopian world. I had alot of fun reading this book and getting lost in it, running through the forests alongside Derry and her dog, Tucker. When I first started the book it sort of gave me the feeling I had when I first started reading The Maze Runner. While I didn’t end up liking The Maze Runner, I ended up really loving Immurement.
As far as characters go, I loved Derry. I love that she’s flawed and that it’s obvious that she’s a character who is growing into herself and her position in her world. I love Derry’s development through the story. When I first started reading it she seemed to me like every teenage girl worried about the normal teenage girl things like boys and her dog but obviously in a more hostile setting. But when we get to the end she has just changed so much and because she has gone through tragedy and has had to make extremely hard decisions in order to survive she has grown up alot, become harder and more of a survivor. It’s interesting to see her try to balance her will to survive with her innate sense of compassion that seems to be missing from alot of people in her world. I appreciate her relationship with Tucker so much and alot of the time it was really endearing to witness their interaction with each other. I also loved a few other characters like Mason and am intrigued by Sven. I’d say I’m pretty intrigued at the love triangle we have brewing. I cannot wait to see how that develops as there is some definite friction between the three people involved.
There are alot of other things that happened in this book with various characters that we meet that I am SO pumped to see resolved in subsequent books. I don’t want to spoil anyone so I won’t mention them but yeah…I can’t wait.
Overall, I am giving this book a five star rating and I am super excited to be giving my first five star rating of the year! I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. I savored it. It was dangerous and fun, definitely action packed. I feel like it had a little of everything that I like in dystopian stories – the danger, the suspense, the science, the rebels, the battles, the tragedies and the romance! Ugh so good and I cannot wait to continue the series which I believe is due out this month so we don’t even have a long time to wait ahhh! Fans of Dystopian (or even just Sci Fi), this one is for you!
Read
March 30, 2016Sixteen-year-old Derry Connelly, her brother Owen, her Dad and a few other people all live in together in an underground bunker in separate rooms. They don’t go out much in the daytime because they are afraid that the Sweepers will get them and take them away for cloning.
Derry’s brother Owen is one of the first to be taken by the Sweepers. Derry will do what she must to save her brother even if it means making deals with some rough characters. She will have to trust people that she doesn’t know or is not sure how truthful they are. She always has her guard up hoping no one will stab her in the back. But she really doesn’t have much choice in the matter if she wants to get her brother back alive. And to get him back alive she has be quick about it. They need to get there, get in and out in a matter of minutes or they all may end up dead or cloned.
But Derry has one friend that she can truly trust and that is her old dog Tucker. Tucker is the most loyal dog around. He stays right beside Derry warning her of any danger that may be in the area. Tucker loves Derry so much that he will put himself in danger to save her.
Derry and her friends have a long journey ahead of them to save her brother and they just may lose their life in the process. They have a lot of battles to fight and deaths to face as they travel down that long road to save her brother and maybe others too. Derry finds out that she has one good friend at least a mountain man, Big Ed and a few others as well. Derry finds herself as the leader of their small group of friends out to help her in her fight against the Sweeper.
Immurement will keep you on your toes wanting to know what is going to happen next. Who is going to make it and who will fall by the wayside? I loved following along with Derry and her friends and getting to know her and all the other characters and finding out who was who and who you could trust and who you couldn’t.
I loved the hoover crafts and how they would come looking and searching for someone to extract. I also loved finding out about a little bit about what happen to the Earth and all the people and about what the Sweepers are trying to do. I can’t wait for the next book in the Undergrounders to see how the Sweepers deal with Derry and her friends. I want to know more about Derry and her lifer as a Undergrounder.
Derry’s brother Owen is one of the first to be taken by the Sweepers. Derry will do what she must to save her brother even if it means making deals with some rough characters. She will have to trust people that she doesn’t know or is not sure how truthful they are. She always has her guard up hoping no one will stab her in the back. But she really doesn’t have much choice in the matter if she wants to get her brother back alive. And to get him back alive she has be quick about it. They need to get there, get in and out in a matter of minutes or they all may end up dead or cloned.
But Derry has one friend that she can truly trust and that is her old dog Tucker. Tucker is the most loyal dog around. He stays right beside Derry warning her of any danger that may be in the area. Tucker loves Derry so much that he will put himself in danger to save her.
Derry and her friends have a long journey ahead of them to save her brother and they just may lose their life in the process. They have a lot of battles to fight and deaths to face as they travel down that long road to save her brother and maybe others too. Derry finds out that she has one good friend at least a mountain man, Big Ed and a few others as well. Derry finds herself as the leader of their small group of friends out to help her in her fight against the Sweeper.
Immurement will keep you on your toes wanting to know what is going to happen next. Who is going to make it and who will fall by the wayside? I loved following along with Derry and her friends and getting to know her and all the other characters and finding out who was who and who you could trust and who you couldn’t.
I loved the hoover crafts and how they would come looking and searching for someone to extract. I also loved finding out about a little bit about what happen to the Earth and all the people and about what the Sweepers are trying to do. I can’t wait for the next book in the Undergrounders to see how the Sweepers deal with Derry and her friends. I want to know more about Derry and her lifer as a Undergrounder.
January 28, 2016
4.5 stars
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review free of persuasion from the author or anyone else affiliated with this book.
**Spoiler alert
The earth's core overheats and pushes through all volcanoes and any other weak spots it can find. Pushing skyscrapers up and over in its quest to expand. Unknown to most is a massive research facility researching and combining DNA to make people to repopulate the earth. The research testing done by some scientists goes beyond just the re-population efforts. They are creating specialized beings with super powers in certain areas for military and other uses. Their efforts are less than ethical. Humans that are free live in underground bunkers to avoid being captured and their DNA or organs or entire body being used to create new humans through torturous means.
This book brings to the front the idea of creating clones, growing organs and using DNA. It really makes you think about the possibility of this becoming common place. Do scientists have the power to do what they deem necessary? How much technology is too much? You really think about how much you would be comfortable with.
This story makes you think about things in general if a world wide catastrophe were to take place. I'm not sure how many people would survive and what would be the best route to take. The folks in the story come from several different walks of life. In order to stay alive, they must band together. Could I do that? Could I accept and trust them? Although it is a very good story, it really makes you ponder things if this were to happen to you.
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review free of persuasion from the author or anyone else affiliated with this book.
**Spoiler alert
The earth's core overheats and pushes through all volcanoes and any other weak spots it can find. Pushing skyscrapers up and over in its quest to expand. Unknown to most is a massive research facility researching and combining DNA to make people to repopulate the earth. The research testing done by some scientists goes beyond just the re-population efforts. They are creating specialized beings with super powers in certain areas for military and other uses. Their efforts are less than ethical. Humans that are free live in underground bunkers to avoid being captured and their DNA or organs or entire body being used to create new humans through torturous means.
This book brings to the front the idea of creating clones, growing organs and using DNA. It really makes you think about the possibility of this becoming common place. Do scientists have the power to do what they deem necessary? How much technology is too much? You really think about how much you would be comfortable with.
This story makes you think about things in general if a world wide catastrophe were to take place. I'm not sure how many people would survive and what would be the best route to take. The folks in the story come from several different walks of life. In order to stay alive, they must band together. Could I do that? Could I accept and trust them? Although it is a very good story, it really makes you ponder things if this were to happen to you.
April 3, 2016
I was pulled into Immurement right from the start! There were so many questions to get answers to and so many mysteries to solve.
I really liked the story and the characters. The characters are diverse and interesting. Each character has his/her good qualities -- with maybe the exception of Dr. Lyong -- and all have flaws. There is no clear "good" and "bad" -- which gives the story depth. I liked Derry and Owen and enjoyed their sibling dynamics, but I was just as interested in the other characters as well, particularly Mason, Sven, Jakob, Kat, Rummy, Won, and Big Ed.
I didn't much care for the ending. It seems inconsistent with Derry's character not try to get answers immediately from Won. It doesn't make much sense for Derry to organize a vote about whether or not to go back in and rescue Owen without first getting all the information she can from Won. What does Won mean when he says he saved Owen? Maybe that was before Derry and her group went in to Craniopolis to save him, maybe afterward... Why not ask Won before making major decisions? Won seems more than willing to talk.
Keeping the reader in the dark about Owen seems to be more of a ploy to keep the reader in suspense than part of the natural flow of the story. But because the rest of the story kept me utterly captivated, I am willing to excuse this one minor discrepancy.
I found Immurement to be creative, exciting, and suspenseful, with diverse, interesting characters and an intriguing story line. I will definitely be reading the sequel as soon as possible.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the story and the characters. The characters are diverse and interesting. Each character has his/her good qualities -- with maybe the exception of Dr. Lyong -- and all have flaws. There is no clear "good" and "bad" -- which gives the story depth. I liked Derry and Owen and enjoyed their sibling dynamics, but I was just as interested in the other characters as well, particularly Mason, Sven, Jakob, Kat, Rummy, Won, and Big Ed.
I didn't much care for the ending. It seems inconsistent with Derry's character not try to get answers immediately from Won. It doesn't make much sense for Derry to organize a vote about whether or not to go back in and rescue Owen without first getting all the information she can from Won. What does Won mean when he says he saved Owen? Maybe that was before Derry and her group went in to Craniopolis to save him, maybe afterward... Why not ask Won before making major decisions? Won seems more than willing to talk.
Keeping the reader in the dark about Owen seems to be more of a ploy to keep the reader in suspense than part of the natural flow of the story. But because the rest of the story kept me utterly captivated, I am willing to excuse this one minor discrepancy.
I found Immurement to be creative, exciting, and suspenseful, with diverse, interesting characters and an intriguing story line. I will definitely be reading the sequel as soon as possible.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 13, 2016
Sixteen year old Derry Connelly grows up quickly when placed in the position of making life and death decisions that affect her family and friends. She’s been living in a prepper Undergrounder bunker with her brother, Owen, and their father for the past six years after the earth’s core suffered a meltdown causing a ring of volcanoes to erupt. They along with the other Undergrounders of their bunker and the surrounding bunkers have a distrust of the one world government and its sovereign leader. With rogue subversives murdering other survivors and strange hovercrafts snatching up those unfortunate enough to be caught outside their bunker, Derry and her group are barely surviving. When Owen disappears she is put in the unlikely position of leading a search and rescue team.
Hinkens‘ first book in The Underground Series, Immurement, is a dystopian based science fiction thriller. It is very well edited and the young adult storyline is a fast read full of action. The post-apocalyptic world is vividly described and its characters well developed. Twists and turns are well placed and somewhat surprising. There is an interesting mixture of characters, young and old, clone and deviations, and survivors and scientists.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Having a strong female lead who wasn’t bogged down in teenage angst was refreshing. Derry isn’t perfect and her mistakes weigh heavily upon her shoulders. She has more grit and smarts about her than Katniss Everdeen ever thought about having. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment of her story.
Hinkens‘ first book in The Underground Series, Immurement, is a dystopian based science fiction thriller. It is very well edited and the young adult storyline is a fast read full of action. The post-apocalyptic world is vividly described and its characters well developed. Twists and turns are well placed and somewhat surprising. There is an interesting mixture of characters, young and old, clone and deviations, and survivors and scientists.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Having a strong female lead who wasn’t bogged down in teenage angst was refreshing. Derry isn’t perfect and her mistakes weigh heavily upon her shoulders. She has more grit and smarts about her than Katniss Everdeen ever thought about having. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment of her story.
March 27, 2016
So the blurb sums up the plot and I'm not adding anything else in case I spoil something, so I'll get straight to my thoughts.
Character wise, while there is a lot of them, they were all well written and developed. Derry is spontaneous, ready for anything and will to do what's needed. She comes across at times as kind of selfish but as the story progresses we she her struggling with her thoughts, and indeed, her feelings for certain characters. She has had a tough life, but I admired her willingness to rescue her brother no matter what.
Plot wise, it's fast paced and action packed, especially the second half. I loved the world the author has created and look forward to delving deeper in the next one. We have clones, elite clones, Mad max type gangs, preppers and an assortment of awe inspiring things in what's an interesting and unique world.
This is book one of what's sure to be a great series, and as with a lot of book ones, it's setting the scene for future books. While this didn't impact on the overall setting, I did think that the characters didn't progress as much as I'd like. Also, I found the relationship between Derry and Jakob to be a little lackluster and nothing special.
Other than the little niggles above, this was a thoroughly entertaining read. I found myself enjoying the story and rooting for Derry to find her brother. The author and series has promise and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
Character wise, while there is a lot of them, they were all well written and developed. Derry is spontaneous, ready for anything and will to do what's needed. She comes across at times as kind of selfish but as the story progresses we she her struggling with her thoughts, and indeed, her feelings for certain characters. She has had a tough life, but I admired her willingness to rescue her brother no matter what.
Plot wise, it's fast paced and action packed, especially the second half. I loved the world the author has created and look forward to delving deeper in the next one. We have clones, elite clones, Mad max type gangs, preppers and an assortment of awe inspiring things in what's an interesting and unique world.
This is book one of what's sure to be a great series, and as with a lot of book ones, it's setting the scene for future books. While this didn't impact on the overall setting, I did think that the characters didn't progress as much as I'd like. Also, I found the relationship between Derry and Jakob to be a little lackluster and nothing special.
Other than the little niggles above, this was a thoroughly entertaining read. I found myself enjoying the story and rooting for Derry to find her brother. The author and series has promise and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
February 29, 2016
This was one that I really enjoyed, but grew on me as I got farther into the book. Derry is a little inconsistent in her approach to problems, but despite that I still found her relatable. My one complaint with her as a main character would be that at the end I was a bit confused as to what the love interest triangle was supposed to be. I’m not sure who the focus was.
I like Big Ed a ton, he’s a great character who adds some consistency to the situation no matter where they end up. I have some guesses as to how things are going to work out in the next book, but there were enough twists and turns in this one I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. I would like a little more detail during the conflict scenes in future books, but other than that, this was a great exciting read full of non-stop action!
Warning: Contains violence
Who should read it? Dystopian fans looking for a read where “Hunger Games” meets “Maximum Ride”.
Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Enchanted Book Promotions.
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
I like Big Ed a ton, he’s a great character who adds some consistency to the situation no matter where they end up. I have some guesses as to how things are going to work out in the next book, but there were enough twists and turns in this one I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. I would like a little more detail during the conflict scenes in future books, but other than that, this was a great exciting read full of non-stop action!
Warning: Contains violence
Who should read it? Dystopian fans looking for a read where “Hunger Games” meets “Maximum Ride”.
Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Enchanted Book Promotions.
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
May 24, 2017
I generally liked this story, although there were some problems with it. Throughout the book there were minor details that didn't add up. Often the characters reactions to things didn't make sense. I found the main character, Derry, the most problematic because she couldn't make up her mind, yet for some reason she was the leader. She wasn't very consistent and I hope that she grows and becomes more reliable as the story progresses.
The world and how it got to the condition it's in is not explained much. I wished that the book went into more details about the post-apocalyptic world.
What I do like about this story though, is that it's fast-paced and action-packed from start to finish. Each chapter ended in way that made me wonder what would happen next, which made me want to keep reading. I also appreciated that romance was kept to a minimum and did not steal the focus away from the action.
I think this book is great for people who don't care about all the details that go into explaining worlds or character backstories and those who just want to jump into the action and keep the story moving along.
The world and how it got to the condition it's in is not explained much. I wished that the book went into more details about the post-apocalyptic world.
What I do like about this story though, is that it's fast-paced and action-packed from start to finish. Each chapter ended in way that made me wonder what would happen next, which made me want to keep reading. I also appreciated that romance was kept to a minimum and did not steal the focus away from the action.
I think this book is great for people who don't care about all the details that go into explaining worlds or character backstories and those who just want to jump into the action and keep the story moving along.
July 28, 2016
Immurement, is a dystopian filled tale. Including Clones, sweepers who are trying to distract pure blood in order to save cloning.
Derry has been hiding in an underground bunker. But things start to unravel and slowly she comes to realize there's more to everything, then she ever knew.
I wanted to love Immurement because it has so much promise. But for some reason, I couldn't really get into the story fully. There's nothing wrong with the writing. Hinkens portrays this world perfectly and it is entertaining. There's a lot of danger and there's also action, throughout.
I think this is a good story. But I don't think it was for me. Now this is a story, that if you love this genre. You would easily fall into.
Overall, I give this book Three Boundless Stars. It was a good and enjoyable....Lissa
http://www.boundlessbookreviews.com
https://www.facebook.com/BBReviews
Derry has been hiding in an underground bunker. But things start to unravel and slowly she comes to realize there's more to everything, then she ever knew.
I wanted to love Immurement because it has so much promise. But for some reason, I couldn't really get into the story fully. There's nothing wrong with the writing. Hinkens portrays this world perfectly and it is entertaining. There's a lot of danger and there's also action, throughout.
I think this is a good story. But I don't think it was for me. Now this is a story, that if you love this genre. You would easily fall into.
Overall, I give this book Three Boundless Stars. It was a good and enjoyable....Lissa
http://www.boundlessbookreviews.com
https://www.facebook.com/BBReviews
February 21, 2016
Oh yeah, do I love a really good Dystopian! Immurement is excellent. It gave me more than my craving for a good end of the world story. I can't wait for more of the Dystopian series by Norma Hinkens.
The end of the world is looking bleak but leave it to this one teenage girl, her dog, and her friends. She is pretty cool and regardless of teenage angst and hormones, she matures quickly in time to become an extraordinary young lady.
Author Norma Hiniens brings us, survival, adventure, romance, and love, at the end of the world.
****I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.****
Laura Redmon
Cutting Muse Blog Review
The end of the world is looking bleak but leave it to this one teenage girl, her dog, and her friends. She is pretty cool and regardless of teenage angst and hormones, she matures quickly in time to become an extraordinary young lady.
Author Norma Hiniens brings us, survival, adventure, romance, and love, at the end of the world.
****I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.****
Laura Redmon
Cutting Muse Blog Review
February 13, 2016
The story moves very fast, I like fast flowing stories but this was way too fast. There was no time to connect with any character, especially the lead female Derry. There was no chemistry between her and Jacob and the whole thing was rushed, there was no development. I couldn't care less who lived or died. I ended up skimming in places.
The dialogue wasn't great, the world building was ok but could have been better. I felt a little let down.
The story line is promising, so book 2 may be better.
I was given a copy of the book by Netgalley so I could write an honest review.
The dialogue wasn't great, the world building was ok but could have been better. I felt a little let down.
The story line is promising, so book 2 may be better.
I was given a copy of the book by Netgalley so I could write an honest review.
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