What do you think?
Rate this book
Reintegration #1
Reintegration
A perfect citizen. A captured rebel. One decision could destroy them both...
As a Regulator, seventeen-year-old Katherine Holliday’s duty is to protect the people of the Federation from a group of violent rebels who have exiled themselves to the mysterious wilderness. When one of these rebels is captured within the Federation, the government leaders propose an alternative to execution, a procedure they call Reintegration. The procedure involves erasing the rebel’s memory and attempting to make him a member of society. The rebel, a young man named Matthew, is not the violent criminal Katherine expects, and she can’t help but befriend him. A few weeks after Matthew’s Reintegration, Katherine realizes the procedure failed and she is now presented with a choice no one else can help her make. Can she warn her superiors that Reintegration failed, which could mean death for Matthew? Or will she defy everything she knows to help him escape—and risk her own execution?
As a Regulator, seventeen-year-old Katherine Holliday’s duty is to protect the people of the Federation from a group of violent rebels who have exiled themselves to the mysterious wilderness. When one of these rebels is captured within the Federation, the government leaders propose an alternative to execution, a procedure they call Reintegration. The procedure involves erasing the rebel’s memory and attempting to make him a member of society. The rebel, a young man named Matthew, is not the violent criminal Katherine expects, and she can’t help but befriend him. A few weeks after Matthew’s Reintegration, Katherine realizes the procedure failed and she is now presented with a choice no one else can help her make. Can she warn her superiors that Reintegration failed, which could mean death for Matthew? Or will she defy everything she knows to help him escape—and risk her own execution?
340 pages, Paperback
Published August 15, 2017
About the author
Ashley Bogner
3 books69 followersAshley Bogner is a nerdy author whose nerdy theologian husband may possibly own more books than she does. She is a homeschool graduate who wrote her first “novel” when she was in fifth grade (which was really a thirty page story about talking cats she is grateful no one will ever read). It’s a rare occasion when she isn’t writing—she works as a technical writer at her day job and writes novels in her spare time.
In 2017, she published her debut novel, Reintegration, a dystopian novel for teens. The sequel, Underground, is scheduled for release later in 2019. Ashley writes young adult science fiction and fantasy novels that explore themes of sacrifice, redemption, and hope.
Ashley may or may not be the stereotypical author who loves fancy coffee drinks, chocolate, and lengthy chats about her favorite books.
In 2017, she published her debut novel, Reintegration, a dystopian novel for teens. The sequel, Underground, is scheduled for release later in 2019. Ashley writes young adult science fiction and fantasy novels that explore themes of sacrifice, redemption, and hope.
Ashley may or may not be the stereotypical author who loves fancy coffee drinks, chocolate, and lengthy chats about her favorite books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 19, 2017
This wasn't a 'whop 'em sock 'em', 'get the bad guys' kind of book. This wasn't an 'every single character dies' dystopian. No, it wasn't any thing like that. But it was amazing because it WASN'T like that. The focus was a lot more on the characters and their inner struggles, than on "getting the bad guys". It is vastly different than any other book I've read in this genre, yet I loved it.
The characters: Katherine was a spectacular main character. Somehow, even though we are pretty different, I connected instantly with her character. I 'felt' the struggles she went through, and the pain of the decisions she had to make. Matthew was also a great character. While some may perceive him as "too perfect", I feel like it really worked. His innocence was incredibly endearing. Just everything about him was so sweet and innocent. I also loved Thompson! He was great! That plot twist in the end I kind of saw coming, but nonetheless, it was still really good! Haynes made a great villain - calm, cool, calculating.
The story line was pretty well done. Throughout some of the middle third, I felt like there was a lot of rehashing of things that was rather unnecessary, but it didn't bother me a ton, and I was still very deeply invested in the story. There were lots of parts where I just couldn't put it down! I finished it in about a day's time. The moral theme was portrayed very well, and was very thought-provoking.
A couple of beefs I had: the romance. A lot of people are probably going to disagree with me on this, but I REALLY didn't like that aspect of this book. If the characters' relationship had been kept platonic, this would have been golden, in my mind. That's not really a true issue with the book, more just my personal feelings.
Also, there was a fair amount of typos smattered throughout. Everything from grammatical errors, to homonym errors, such as affect\effect, then\than, etc. Most of it didn't drag me out of the story too much, though.
All in all, this was a great debut novel! Bogner crafts a intriguing, and unique story that pulls at your heart strings. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Recommended for ages 15+ for some mild romance\attraction, semi-graphic death, medical procedures to wipe a person's memory, etc.
The characters: Katherine was a spectacular main character. Somehow, even though we are pretty different, I connected instantly with her character. I 'felt' the struggles she went through, and the pain of the decisions she had to make. Matthew was also a great character. While some may perceive him as "too perfect", I feel like it really worked. His innocence was incredibly endearing. Just everything about him was so sweet and innocent. I also loved Thompson! He was great! That plot twist in the end I kind of saw coming, but nonetheless, it was still really good! Haynes made a great villain - calm, cool, calculating.
The story line was pretty well done. Throughout some of the middle third, I felt like there was a lot of rehashing of things that was rather unnecessary, but it didn't bother me a ton, and I was still very deeply invested in the story. There were lots of parts where I just couldn't put it down! I finished it in about a day's time. The moral theme was portrayed very well, and was very thought-provoking.
A couple of beefs I had: the romance. A lot of people are probably going to disagree with me on this, but I REALLY didn't like that aspect of this book. If the characters' relationship had been kept platonic, this would have been golden, in my mind. That's not really a true issue with the book, more just my personal feelings.
Also, there was a fair amount of typos smattered throughout. Everything from grammatical errors, to homonym errors, such as affect\effect, then\than, etc. Most of it didn't drag me out of the story too much, though.
All in all, this was a great debut novel! Bogner crafts a intriguing, and unique story that pulls at your heart strings. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Recommended for ages 15+ for some mild romance\attraction, semi-graphic death, medical procedures to wipe a person's memory, etc.
June 30, 2018
Five stars to this gem!!! I read this every second I could, and it did not disappoint!!
Rundown:
-Violence: a good bit of fighting , details of someone being shot
-Blood/Gore: details of someone dying after losing a lot of blood, being cut open to take out a tracking device
-Romance: several kisses, hugging/holding, forehead kisses, and hand-holding
-Language: NO bad language!!
The whole storyline is so interesting! I would never come up with the idea Ashley did. I love the characters so much!!!
-Katherine: such a witty, brave character! It was so cool to see her transformation after she knew the truth. I admire her bravery to *spoiler* love Matthew!
-Matthew: WOW. Can all books have characters like Matthew, please? He was so sweet and caring! Even after Reintegration, he knew what he believed in and he held fast to that. I also loved the real reason that he came into the city. And his response to Chelsea trying to flirt with him— YES!!
-Thompson: umm… SPEECHLESS. His courage to stand up against the Federation was incredible. And his secret? WOW. I only wish he could’ve been with Katherine longer.
Overall, this story was so good. I did find a few typos in the beginning half of the book, but other than that, I loved it!! Matthew and Katherine’s relationship is so sweet.
My only regret is that I don’t have the others in the trilogy!
I recommend to lovers of books like the Matched Trilogy and dystopian romance. Ages 13+.
Rundown:
-Violence: a good bit of fighting , details of someone being shot
-Blood/Gore: details of someone dying after losing a lot of blood, being cut open to take out a tracking device
-Romance: several kisses, hugging/holding, forehead kisses, and hand-holding
-Language: NO bad language!!
The whole storyline is so interesting! I would never come up with the idea Ashley did. I love the characters so much!!!
-Katherine: such a witty, brave character! It was so cool to see her transformation after she knew the truth. I admire her bravery to *spoiler* love Matthew!
-Matthew: WOW. Can all books have characters like Matthew, please? He was so sweet and caring! Even after Reintegration, he knew what he believed in and he held fast to that. I also loved the real reason that he came into the city. And his response to Chelsea trying to flirt with him— YES!!
-Thompson: umm… SPEECHLESS. His courage to stand up against the Federation was incredible. And his secret? WOW. I only wish he could’ve been with Katherine longer.
Overall, this story was so good. I did find a few typos in the beginning half of the book, but other than that, I loved it!! Matthew and Katherine’s relationship is so sweet.
My only regret is that I don’t have the others in the trilogy!
I recommend to lovers of books like the Matched Trilogy and dystopian romance. Ages 13+.
Want to read
July 18, 2017There's a cover, y'all! *fangirls*
https://livkfisher.blogspot.com/2017/...
https://livkfisher.blogspot.com/2017/...
October 4, 2017
Rarely do I give a book 5 starts. This book gets 5 stars.
To start off, I hate Sci-fi books. I loved this book. It's honestly one of THE BEST books I have ever read. New writer? Unbelievable. This was amazing! I HIGHLY recommend this book. A tight plot, honest feelings, the gospel, action and adventure AND it's a trilogy!! It doesn't get much better then that!
Guys... read this book!!
To start off, I hate Sci-fi books. I loved this book. It's honestly one of THE BEST books I have ever read. New writer? Unbelievable. This was amazing! I HIGHLY recommend this book. A tight plot, honest feelings, the gospel, action and adventure AND it's a trilogy!! It doesn't get much better then that!
Guys... read this book!!
August 3, 2017
Caution: Review is very detailed and may contain minor spoilers. Major spoilers will be in spoiler tags. Basically, don't read this review if you want to go into the book knowing nothing. :D
Oh. My. Goodness. Where to start with this review????? There are so many things I loved!
Plot
I loved the plot of this book! It was super exciting and kept me reading, but there was also a lot of slower spots where there was a lot of character development, which was sooo good. And just the whole idea of a dystopian society like this (I'm trying to fangirl without spoiling!) and trying to erase someone's memories to make them fit into society.... It was so good, and such a fun ride!
I also loooooved the plot twists, too. I saw some of them coming, but it was the kind of "seeing it coming" that was really satisfying when I was right.
Characters
I absolutely have to do this in list form. XD
- Katherine: I usually tend to like side characters more than main characters, but I actually really liked Katherine. She was multi-layered, and her doubt over everything she'd been taught was portrayed in a realistic and believable way. I loved her progression from perfect student to doubt and beyond. You can tell from the blurb that she begins to question things, but it wasn't done in a cliche or forced way, and her inner conflict was portrayed SO WELL. There were a few times I didn't like things Katherine did . Despite that, I really liked her!
- Matthew: Oh my goodness, I loved Matthew! He was so sweet and innocent, especially post-Reintegration, and I loved his reaction to Chelsea flirting. Also, his morals were great and I loved how they were portrayed as something natural and normal. Also he is adorable and I want to hug him. <3
- Chelsea: At first I thought she was just going to be a foil to Katherine and a side character, but I like what happened with her.
- Haynes: I knew her role in the story as soon as we first met her, and she was sooo good! Honestly, she was very chilling and a good villain, although she did fall into monologuing/revealing evil plan mode a few times.
- Thompson: AHHHH THOMPSON. Basically he is awesome and I very much want to hug him and protect him. That is all.
All of the characters were so we'll developed, and I loved all of them (except for the evil ones). I think the only thing I didn't like was that some of the characters (Haynes and Thompson, for example) were referred to by their last names most of the time, so I don't even remember their first names. It's mostly a personal preference because last names seem more distanced to me, but that didn't really bother me much at all when I was reading. :)
Theme
I don't usually talk about themes much when I review books, but this book... The terms were at the root of the plot, so I can't really mention one without mentioning the other. This dystopian society was so realistic because their views on tolerance we're so similar to those of our society today--these people had just taken this to the next level. I loved the portrayal of right and wrong as absolute (in spite of what society said). Plus, the way guilt was described without being called guilt was just amazing!!! Overall, this book portrayed its theme so well, and I immensely enjoyed it!
Theories
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it. It's a fun, clean story, with great Christian themes and an awesome plot, not to mention well-developed, relatable characters! Basically, go read it. :D
Oh. My. Goodness. Where to start with this review????? There are so many things I loved!
Plot
I loved the plot of this book! It was super exciting and kept me reading, but there was also a lot of slower spots where there was a lot of character development, which was sooo good. And just the whole idea of a dystopian society like this (I'm trying to fangirl without spoiling!) and trying to erase someone's memories to make them fit into society.... It was so good, and such a fun ride!
I also loooooved the plot twists, too. I saw some of them coming, but it was the kind of "seeing it coming" that was really satisfying when I was right.
Characters
I absolutely have to do this in list form. XD
- Katherine: I usually tend to like side characters more than main characters, but I actually really liked Katherine. She was multi-layered, and her doubt over everything she'd been taught was portrayed in a realistic and believable way. I loved her progression from perfect student to doubt and beyond. You can tell from the blurb that she begins to question things, but it wasn't done in a cliche or forced way, and her inner conflict was portrayed SO WELL. There were a few times I didn't like things Katherine did . Despite that, I really liked her!
- Matthew: Oh my goodness, I loved Matthew! He was so sweet and innocent, especially post-Reintegration, and I loved his reaction to Chelsea flirting. Also, his morals were great and I loved how they were portrayed as something natural and normal. Also he is adorable and I want to hug him. <3
- Chelsea: At first I thought she was just going to be a foil to Katherine and a side character, but I like what happened with her.
- Haynes: I knew her role in the story as soon as we first met her, and she was sooo good! Honestly, she was very chilling and a good villain, although she did fall into monologuing/revealing evil plan mode a few times.
- Thompson: AHHHH THOMPSON. Basically he is awesome and I very much want to hug him and protect him. That is all.
All of the characters were so we'll developed, and I loved all of them (except for the evil ones). I think the only thing I didn't like was that some of the characters (Haynes and Thompson, for example) were referred to by their last names most of the time, so I don't even remember their first names. It's mostly a personal preference because last names seem more distanced to me, but that didn't really bother me much at all when I was reading. :)
Theme
I don't usually talk about themes much when I review books, but this book... The terms were at the root of the plot, so I can't really mention one without mentioning the other. This dystopian society was so realistic because their views on tolerance we're so similar to those of our society today--these people had just taken this to the next level. I loved the portrayal of right and wrong as absolute (in spite of what society said). Plus, the way guilt was described without being called guilt was just amazing!!! Overall, this book portrayed its theme so well, and I immensely enjoyed it!
Theories
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it. It's a fun, clean story, with great Christian themes and an awesome plot, not to mention well-developed, relatable characters! Basically, go read it. :D
Read
July 2, 2017Release date: August 18, 2017!
January 17, 2019
This book glued the Kindle to my hand. I’d been looking forward to it for a while and finally bought myself an ebook copy. :D (Isn’t the cover amazing?!!)
The characters were the biggest thing this book had going for it. I found them compelling, and I was really invested in seeing what happened to everyone. Katherine’s compassion was so unusual for her culture (and I think I know why now), and Matthew’s enigmatic character was a great portrayal of how “other” Christians are. He was defiant but not violent, cared about people but was unwilling to compromise the truth. Really good. (Can we talk about what he broke into the city for, please?)
Thompson was my favorite. So loving and gruff and quietly not going with the flow. He wins an award for Best Mentor Character with Actual Personality and Goals. (I was reeeaaallly curious about what his mysterious “crime” was. I had a totally different theory about it, but I liked what it ended up being.)
Um, the villain was really smart? Like terribly so. All the politics in this were surprisingly well crafted, and even the council members names seemed realistic. A+ for that.
The theme I really liked was the concept of our consciences not being able to be erased. Very in tune with Romans 1. ;)
The Gospel presentation was great and apropos for its audience, though I wish it had been a little less drawn out. Not exactly good pacing for the situation… I also wished parallels had been drawn between Matthew’s forgiveness of her and Thompson’s love for her and the Gospel, but that’s just me making connections. ;)
The dystopian world was pretty classic, which wasn’t a problem for me. It might have been nice to see a little more of it.
The one big downfall of this book for me was how repetitive Katherine’s internal thoughts/questioning got halfway. It was worded almost the same sometimes which got stale and dragged the story pacing down. :(
Just a note, there were many mentions of executions and some medical experimentation involving memory-altering drugs. Also,
Best quote: “Was anyone else hurt in the accident?” Unbelievable. Matthew suffers from memory loss and believes he survived a near-death event, but he stops to ask about the other workers?
Altogether, this was a great debut, and I’m looking forward to the sequel. ;) And I’m pretty happy with where my ship got to. :D
The characters were the biggest thing this book had going for it. I found them compelling, and I was really invested in seeing what happened to everyone. Katherine’s compassion was so unusual for her culture (and I think I know why now), and Matthew’s enigmatic character was a great portrayal of how “other” Christians are. He was defiant but not violent, cared about people but was unwilling to compromise the truth. Really good. (Can we talk about what he broke into the city for, please?)
Thompson was my favorite. So loving and gruff and quietly not going with the flow. He wins an award for Best Mentor Character with Actual Personality and Goals. (I was reeeaaallly curious about what his mysterious “crime” was. I had a totally different theory about it, but I liked what it ended up being.)
Um, the villain was really smart? Like terribly so. All the politics in this were surprisingly well crafted, and even the council members names seemed realistic. A+ for that.
The theme I really liked was the concept of our consciences not being able to be erased. Very in tune with Romans 1. ;)
The Gospel presentation was great and apropos for its audience, though I wish it had been a little less drawn out. Not exactly good pacing for the situation… I also wished parallels had been drawn between Matthew’s forgiveness of her and Thompson’s love for her and the Gospel, but that’s just me making connections. ;)
The dystopian world was pretty classic, which wasn’t a problem for me. It might have been nice to see a little more of it.
The one big downfall of this book for me was how repetitive Katherine’s internal thoughts/questioning got halfway. It was worded almost the same sometimes which got stale and dragged the story pacing down. :(
Just a note, there were many mentions of executions and some medical experimentation involving memory-altering drugs. Also,
Best quote: “Was anyone else hurt in the accident?” Unbelievable. Matthew suffers from memory loss and believes he survived a near-death event, but he stops to ask about the other workers?
Altogether, this was a great debut, and I’m looking forward to the sequel. ;) And I’m pretty happy with where my ship got to. :D
October 20, 2017
I really enjoyed Reintegration. It was definitely a page-turning, riveting adventure! The storyline was excellent and the plot twists were unexpected, to say the least. I would definitely recommend it!
I'm not giving it 5 stars more for preference reasons than for the book itself. Ashley did a phenomenal job carrying out the story. I can't deny that! The only aspects keeping it from perfection in my mind is mere opinion. I'm sure others feel differently!
Katharine was a little sappy to me. I'm not nit-picky about romance in books as long as it isn't inappropriate or morally wrong. Which it wasn't. Sometimes she would say or think something about Matthew and I would think, "Haha, okay, she's in love." XD But it wasn't ever bad! Just... a tiny bit awkward.
Also, I felt that Matthew was dehumanized a little bit. He was perfect in every way- described multiple times as handsome, sweet, and charming. The guy had no faults. Which, I know, this is a complete work of fiction. Matthew was great- he's my favorite character! But he's not real, and sometimes girls will hold guys up to a standard of perfection because that's how fictional guys are often portrayed. As long as everyone remembers that perfect guys of the books and movies aren't real people, everything is fine and dandy! 😄
So, Reintegration was amazing! I'm so glad I read it. I totally recommend putting it on your TBR list!
I'm not giving it 5 stars more for preference reasons than for the book itself. Ashley did a phenomenal job carrying out the story. I can't deny that! The only aspects keeping it from perfection in my mind is mere opinion. I'm sure others feel differently!
Katharine was a little sappy to me. I'm not nit-picky about romance in books as long as it isn't inappropriate or morally wrong. Which it wasn't. Sometimes she would say or think something about Matthew and I would think, "Haha, okay, she's in love." XD But it wasn't ever bad! Just... a tiny bit awkward.
Also, I felt that Matthew was dehumanized a little bit. He was perfect in every way- described multiple times as handsome, sweet, and charming. The guy had no faults. Which, I know, this is a complete work of fiction. Matthew was great- he's my favorite character! But he's not real, and sometimes girls will hold guys up to a standard of perfection because that's how fictional guys are often portrayed. As long as everyone remembers that perfect guys of the books and movies aren't real people, everything is fine and dandy! 😄
So, Reintegration was amazing! I'm so glad I read it. I totally recommend putting it on your TBR list!
November 22, 2017
Reintegration by Ashley Bogner
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars
My Review
Ashley Bogner's debut novel, Reintegration, calls to mind some of the best dystopian books of our age--books such as Ally Condie's Matched trilogy, Nadine Brandes' Out of Time Trilogy, and The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron. It also follows the dystopian pattern of three, being the first of a trilogy. The sequel is set to release in 2018.
Reintegration's strongest suit is its characterization. The reader is deeply immersed in Katherine Holliday's point of view, and experiences the entire plot through her eyes. It was impossible for me not to connect with Katherine on some level, because while reading this book, I was Katherine. I was thinking her thoughts, feeling her emotions, and following along with all of her actions and reactions.
The deep characterization did lead to some drawbacks, however--for the first 60% of the book or so, I felt like the plot was spinning its wheels a bit. Katherine rehashed the same issues over and over, without coming to any real conclusions. It wasn't until she decided to stop worrying and start acting that the book hit the ground running. Once the plot stopped revving its engine and got started for real, it took off at light-speed and never looked back.
The last quarter or so of the book was especially phenomenal. I could not read fast enough to find out what was going to happen! Bogner packs a lot of punches into those last few pages, making up for the slow beginning several times over. There are a lot of secrets hinted at through out the book that weren't explained by the final page, and some major surprises that I wasn't expecting. Miss Bogner has chosen to play her cards close to her chest, and there's no telling what will happen in the following books. I'm rating Reintegration 3.75 stars out of 5. While Reintegration dragged some through the beginning and middle, the end made up for it with non-stop action and surprises. I'm hoping that the sequels will keep the action going, and get off to a flying start.
Recommended for Ages 13 and up
Cultural Elements
None.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Some light kissing, hand-holding, and hugging.
Spiritual Content
Matthew is a Christian, and shares his faith with other characters in the book, resulting in one or more conversions. The Federation teaches relative morality (that there is no "right" or "wrong," and everything is a matter of opinion), and intolerance is a punishable crime under the Federation.
Violent Content
One violent death. Several injuries (some by use of a "stunner"--a taser-like weapon, and others by fist fights.)
Drug Content
Matthew is drugged to forget his past. A character takes a medical drug later, and experiences painful side effects.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Buy Here: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble -- Createspace
Cross-posted on The Story Sanctuary on August 18th, 2017.
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars
My Review
Ashley Bogner's debut novel, Reintegration, calls to mind some of the best dystopian books of our age--books such as Ally Condie's Matched trilogy, Nadine Brandes' Out of Time Trilogy, and The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron. It also follows the dystopian pattern of three, being the first of a trilogy. The sequel is set to release in 2018.
Reintegration's strongest suit is its characterization. The reader is deeply immersed in Katherine Holliday's point of view, and experiences the entire plot through her eyes. It was impossible for me not to connect with Katherine on some level, because while reading this book, I was Katherine. I was thinking her thoughts, feeling her emotions, and following along with all of her actions and reactions.
The deep characterization did lead to some drawbacks, however--for the first 60% of the book or so, I felt like the plot was spinning its wheels a bit. Katherine rehashed the same issues over and over, without coming to any real conclusions. It wasn't until she decided to stop worrying and start acting that the book hit the ground running. Once the plot stopped revving its engine and got started for real, it took off at light-speed and never looked back.
The last quarter or so of the book was especially phenomenal. I could not read fast enough to find out what was going to happen! Bogner packs a lot of punches into those last few pages, making up for the slow beginning several times over. There are a lot of secrets hinted at through out the book that weren't explained by the final page, and some major surprises that I wasn't expecting. Miss Bogner has chosen to play her cards close to her chest, and there's no telling what will happen in the following books. I'm rating Reintegration 3.75 stars out of 5. While Reintegration dragged some through the beginning and middle, the end made up for it with non-stop action and surprises. I'm hoping that the sequels will keep the action going, and get off to a flying start.
Recommended for Ages 13 and up
Cultural Elements
None.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Some light kissing, hand-holding, and hugging.
Spiritual Content
Matthew is a Christian, and shares his faith with other characters in the book, resulting in one or more conversions. The Federation teaches relative morality (that there is no "right" or "wrong," and everything is a matter of opinion), and intolerance is a punishable crime under the Federation.
Violent Content
One violent death. Several injuries (some by use of a "stunner"--a taser-like weapon, and others by fist fights.)
Drug Content
Matthew is drugged to forget his past. A character takes a medical drug later, and experiences painful side effects.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Buy Here: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble -- Createspace
Cross-posted on The Story Sanctuary on August 18th, 2017.
October 22, 2017
This was a good 3 1/2 star read!
Anybody looking for a similar book to the Anomaly Trilogy by Krista McGee would like this book.
The parts of the book that made me excited were:
Obviously the world building--Super cool scientific world with different Cities. The premise and the concept behind the Tolerance Act and over-all thought of the plot was what really intrigued me the most. Those four aspects made the book very believable and Ashley did a great job achieving that. I also LOVED how clean this book was and God-centred. Yes!!!! Loved that.
Some downfalls were:
I would have liked to read the story, maybe in third person, not first? I think some things were lost that I would have loved to know and learn about and could have gotten through third person rather than in first. There was a lot of speculation throughout the text. It felt a bit exhausting to read in spots and there were places I completely skipped over because of that. A lot of history between characters were told and not shown, including key backstories...
Except ONE!
Which was BRILLIANTLY done at the end of the book and had me in tears :D
This story plot twist was a great addition and reminded me of Divergent. YAY!
As for characters, there was also an awesome sense of intrigue behind her Mentor's character, which I really enjoyed. I think because we got to experience some of Thompson's backstory (some was told too), I felt much more invested in his character. Also, I would have loved to know more of the background of Matthew to feel as invested in him. Though I totally understand it was hard given that he lost his memory. I felt they all could have been developed a bit more, but I had a great connection with our main character Katherine.
I was given this book by the author in exchange for my personal opinion and I really hope Miss Bogner continues writing because I did enjoy this book and can't wait to get the next one called Underground!!
Recommended as a Christian YA Dystopian Novel
12+
Anybody looking for a similar book to the Anomaly Trilogy by Krista McGee would like this book.
The parts of the book that made me excited were:
Obviously the world building--Super cool scientific world with different Cities. The premise and the concept behind the Tolerance Act and over-all thought of the plot was what really intrigued me the most. Those four aspects made the book very believable and Ashley did a great job achieving that. I also LOVED how clean this book was and God-centred. Yes!!!! Loved that.
Some downfalls were:
I would have liked to read the story, maybe in third person, not first? I think some things were lost that I would have loved to know and learn about and could have gotten through third person rather than in first. There was a lot of speculation throughout the text. It felt a bit exhausting to read in spots and there were places I completely skipped over because of that. A lot of history between characters were told and not shown, including key backstories...
Except ONE!
Which was BRILLIANTLY done at the end of the book and had me in tears :D
This story plot twist was a great addition and reminded me of Divergent. YAY!
As for characters, there was also an awesome sense of intrigue behind her Mentor's character, which I really enjoyed. I think because we got to experience some of Thompson's backstory (some was told too), I felt much more invested in his character. Also, I would have loved to know more of the background of Matthew to feel as invested in him. Though I totally understand it was hard given that he lost his memory. I felt they all could have been developed a bit more, but I had a great connection with our main character Katherine.
I was given this book by the author in exchange for my personal opinion and I really hope Miss Bogner continues writing because I did enjoy this book and can't wait to get the next one called Underground!!
Recommended as a Christian YA Dystopian Novel
12+
March 25, 2019
People who don't read self-published books are really missing out. Because some indie books are just as awesome as traditionally-published ones, man.
This book was epic. It was heart-wrenching. It was breath-stealing, pulse-racing action and adorably huggable romance. And I loved it so much. It's been awhile since I read a straight-up dystopian novel, and I forgot how much I enjoy the genre. It's more intense than what I normally read (I have a tendency, somehow, to fall on the fluffier side of things?) but in a way that just keeps me on the edge of my seat. I have to know what happens because if I don't know what happens, I will think of nothing else until I figure out what happens. This is my history with dystopian.
Now, as for this book, it was amazing. I already want to re-read it. Matthew is my sweet baby darling and Katherine is such an awesome character and Thompson is awesome and I'm still emotional about these characters and it's been several months now since I read it.
Did it have a slow start? Yes. Was it a little laggy in the middle? Yes. Did I still adore it? OH yes. The plotline was so cool (the DRAMA of it all), the world was fascinating, the characters (as I've mentioned) were amazing, the faith content was perfect and so well-handled, AH I just loved it a lot, okay? Tell me not to re-read it because I have a huge TBR pile but also don't tell me that because I want to re-read it.
4 stars!
This book was epic. It was heart-wrenching. It was breath-stealing, pulse-racing action and adorably huggable romance. And I loved it so much. It's been awhile since I read a straight-up dystopian novel, and I forgot how much I enjoy the genre. It's more intense than what I normally read (I have a tendency, somehow, to fall on the fluffier side of things?) but in a way that just keeps me on the edge of my seat. I have to know what happens because if I don't know what happens, I will think of nothing else until I figure out what happens. This is my history with dystopian.
Now, as for this book, it was amazing. I already want to re-read it. Matthew is my sweet baby darling and Katherine is such an awesome character and Thompson is awesome and I'm still emotional about these characters and it's been several months now since I read it.
Did it have a slow start? Yes. Was it a little laggy in the middle? Yes. Did I still adore it? OH yes. The plotline was so cool (the DRAMA of it all), the world was fascinating, the characters (as I've mentioned) were amazing, the faith content was perfect and so well-handled, AH I just loved it a lot, okay? Tell me not to re-read it because I have a huge TBR pile but also don't tell me that because I want to re-read it.
4 stars!
May 5, 2018
I'm not really a Dystopian fan, but since I follow Ashley Bogner's blog, I wanted to read this. I've been hearing about it since before it came out.
What I liked:
1. Katherine was rather out of the ordinary in one way: she likes the rules. I loved this about her. It made her really lovable.
2. And wow that dialog! The author did such a perfect job at everyone having different speaking styles! Dialog is my favorite thing, so having it just pop of the page in here was amazing.
3. I thought the pacing was really good. You figure out just enough to keep you asking questions, but there was never really an info dump.
4. Thomson and Matthew. <3 Thomson (I hope I got that name right) though only in a small part of the book, was an awesome character and extremely well built on. Matthew was pretty awesome. Though maybe a bit perfect, I didn't really mind. He was amazing, and I loved how caring he was.
5.
6. If you had taking God out of this book, it would have fallen apart, which is my classification for a good message. I was very happy about how essential it was to the plot.
What I didn't like:
1. I'm sorry to say it, but this book was very cliche dystopian. I pretty much guessed most stuff before it happened.
2. Along the lines of #1, Katherine has something all YA main girls have; a shallow, boy crazy best friend who really has no personality or purpose. *Headdesk* I really got annoyed with how pointless Chelsea was.
3. I was personally a little uncomfortable with how much kissing there was. While it never went beyond kissing, there was a bit to much of that was for my tastes.
4. While I thought the Christian elements were pretty good, it felt like Katherine latched onto the concepts a little to quickly. She's never heard any of this before, but she accepts it all pretty quickly.
5. Do not read this spoiler unless you have read the book. It contains major spoilers.
So overall, this book was pretty good. 3.5 stars. I will probably read the next book just to figure out what happens to the characters.
What I liked:
1. Katherine was rather out of the ordinary in one way: she likes the rules. I loved this about her. It made her really lovable.
2. And wow that dialog! The author did such a perfect job at everyone having different speaking styles! Dialog is my favorite thing, so having it just pop of the page in here was amazing.
3. I thought the pacing was really good. You figure out just enough to keep you asking questions, but there was never really an info dump.
4. Thomson and Matthew. <3 Thomson (I hope I got that name right) though only in a small part of the book, was an awesome character and extremely well built on. Matthew was pretty awesome. Though maybe a bit perfect, I didn't really mind. He was amazing, and I loved how caring he was.
5.
6. If you had taking God out of this book, it would have fallen apart, which is my classification for a good message. I was very happy about how essential it was to the plot.
What I didn't like:
1. I'm sorry to say it, but this book was very cliche dystopian. I pretty much guessed most stuff before it happened.
2. Along the lines of #1, Katherine has something all YA main girls have; a shallow, boy crazy best friend who really has no personality or purpose. *Headdesk* I really got annoyed with how pointless Chelsea was.
3. I was personally a little uncomfortable with how much kissing there was. While it never went beyond kissing, there was a bit to much of that was for my tastes.
4. While I thought the Christian elements were pretty good, it felt like Katherine latched onto the concepts a little to quickly. She's never heard any of this before, but she accepts it all pretty quickly.
5. Do not read this spoiler unless you have read the book. It contains major spoilers.
So overall, this book was pretty good. 3.5 stars. I will probably read the next book just to figure out what happens to the characters.
July 24, 2019
I really liked this Christian dystopian novel. I'd give the writing strength a 3 out of 5 stars, mostly because it was a bit slower in the beginning. However I *really* liked the theme throughout... it's not far off from our current times, but just enough to be believable and realistic. It's crazy to think about. I also really appreciated the underlying smaller themes as well, that address many issues that our culture is blindly running into, forgetting the way things really should be. The book also had great, well-rounded characters. There was one cliche thing about some of them revealed in the end, but I still enjoyed it. :) Looking forward to the next book in the trilogy!
Second Read-Through:
I decided to reread this in preparation for the release of book two next month. This wasn't as wonderful as the first time I read it, I found some of the flaws and also realized stuff about the writing and plot, etc. However, I still enjoyed this and it kept my attention. And I enjoy the characters. This was a lot more introspective with less action than I remember it. And there were parts that could be stronger. And the MC often went in endless mental circles. (Which is realistic, but not the best reading material.) Having also read a lot of dystopian since I read this the first time, I saw some tropes that I'd not recognized before. And the setting reminded me a big of The Giver. But overall, I still enjoyed this book and look forward to the release of book two. I have some guesses about characters and such that I need to know if I'm right about! XD And plus, two certain people's relationship is still very new! And all this hype about the Outlands has me curious.
Second Read-Through:
I decided to reread this in preparation for the release of book two next month. This wasn't as wonderful as the first time I read it, I found some of the flaws and also realized stuff about the writing and plot, etc. However, I still enjoyed this and it kept my attention. And I enjoy the characters. This was a lot more introspective with less action than I remember it. And there were parts that could be stronger. And the MC often went in endless mental circles. (Which is realistic, but not the best reading material.) Having also read a lot of dystopian since I read this the first time, I saw some tropes that I'd not recognized before. And the setting reminded me a big of The Giver. But overall, I still enjoyed this book and look forward to the release of book two. I have some guesses about characters and such that I need to know if I'm right about! XD And plus, two certain people's relationship is still very new! And all this hype about the Outlands has me curious.
September 8, 2017
Where do I even start with this book??? It was absolutely amazing. It seriously might be my favorite book of 2017 so far. Yep, that good.
The plot was amazing. There was a lot going on in the story, but it never got confusing. It was so thought out and I loved reading how every little detail went into place. It was great and there was never a dull moment.
I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Matthew and Katherine are just so perfect for each other. *grins* It was great to see their friendship grow throughout the story. Matthew was just so sweet, and was definitely my favorite character. Chelsea was also great. She had such a fun personality, and I'm thinking that she's going to be the leader of you-know-what to anyone who has read this book. ;) ( Trying to not spoil anything here ) AND THOMPSON... he was the perfect mentor. AND THE PLOT TWIST AT THE END?? I don't not see that coming.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Seriously, y'all need to read this one! I cannot wait for book two!
The plot was amazing. There was a lot going on in the story, but it never got confusing. It was so thought out and I loved reading how every little detail went into place. It was great and there was never a dull moment.
I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Matthew and Katherine are just so perfect for each other. *grins* It was great to see their friendship grow throughout the story. Matthew was just so sweet, and was definitely my favorite character. Chelsea was also great. She had such a fun personality, and I'm thinking that she's going to be the leader of you-know-what to anyone who has read this book. ;) ( Trying to not spoil anything here ) AND THOMPSON... he was the perfect mentor. AND THE PLOT TWIST AT THE END?? I don't not see that coming.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Seriously, y'all need to read this one! I cannot wait for book two!
April 2, 2018
I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed Reintegration. After all, it’s written in first person present tense (Noooo! Not another one!) and I read on the author’s blog that the main character differed from typical dystopian MC by being a rule-following type. I was pretty wary of that point, not typically understanding rule-following types, but it wasn’t too bad.
I found the first half of this book particularly enjoyable. Most of my complaints are from later on, but overall, I liked it.
Things I Liked:
• Very clear worldbuilding It was easy to grasp how things worked within the Federation. It’s a very neat organized world and life and society has been simplified in many ways. The concept of cities being walled off against the outside world has been done a lot, but the way Bogner showed the control the power-structure exercised over the citizens was unique and vivid. Society in the Federation is basically a machine making parts for itself.
• High-concept The concept for the plot was simple and powerful. The cast was small enough to keep things pretty focused. There was a lot of suspense with Katherine constantly keeping an eye and an ear on everything that Matthew did or said, always watching out for signs that his wiped memory might be returning. The transition she took from wanting to simply do her duty and pass her test to her giving in to overwhelming curiosity and desire for something more than her preprogramed restricted life was surprisingly seamless and almost subconscious. That worked well conveying the theme, which I’ll also talk about in a moment.
• Katherine Holliday Katherine herself was more relatable than I expected. I was surprised at how I found her sympathetic even when her thinking was heavily influenced by the Federation. She didn’t seem stupid for believing their lies, and that made it all the more compelling when her views were challenged. Overall, I appreciated her resolve and willingness to do harder things if they seemed to be for the greater good.
• Matthew Braddock Writing a memory-wiped character is probably kind of weird. I liked Matthew’s personality and he made a good foil for Katherine. I liked how oblivious he was, and how he managed to just kind of float through the motions of living in the Federation, trusting Katherine weather he should have or not. He was cleverly-written.
• Phillip Thompson Probably my favorite character hands down. I occasionally write characters in this archetype. I call it the Old Rebel. He’s somebody, on either side, that is a bit of a threat to the structure he’s in. He’s a bit morally gray, or at least appears to be for some of the story. It’s odd for me to like a mentor character. Typically, I don’t, but I liked Thompson.
• Good handling of theme I was afraid that, with the main character getting introduced to Christianity over the course of this story, the author might try to stuff every possible Christian moral, life-lesson and personal conviction into the story. She didn’t. She stuck mostly to one main theme—you can’t erase morality. She did this both with Matthew’s reintegration and in a parallel way, with Katherine herself. Katherine who all her life has been shielded from the idea of absolute right and wrong (it’s against the Tolerance Act to even use the words) can’t suppress the scruples and innate convictions she finds coming up in her own mind. In a way, she’s in the same place Matthew is. She knows things her society believes science says she shouldn’t.
Things I Didn’t Like:
• The romance If you follow my reviews, you probably notice I’m becoming a little predictable on this. I really don’t think the romance was necessary in this book. This is going to be a trilogy, I think, it could have been just barely hinted at and it wouldn’t have affected the plot. I actually think it might have been stronger if we hadn’t gotten that far yet. This story plays out over a few weeks, and Katherine supposedly isn’t the fast type. She didn’t need to be in love with Matthew to have a powerful bond with him, or care enough to fight for him. It could have been her first encounter with totally selfless love—no butterflies. The accusations her superiors made about her having a crush on him could have been false and that would have added more tension, in my opinion. If she wanted them to fall in love in the later books, I would be open to that.
• A couple of implausible moments Once the action kicked in, I was a bit frustrated by a couple of coincidences that played rather unrealistically in Katherine’s favor…to be specific, nobody leaves their mobile device behind when they exit the room. Not even to go to the restroom. Especially if there’s sensitive information on the device. And there would probably be some sort of a lock. What’s worst about it is, it would have been so easy to fix. The device could have not been mobile and she could have had some sort of training in her Regulator work that she could have used to hack in. Argh.
• Fast conversion this happens all the time in Christian fiction—the flash conversion. It’s hard to fit all the stuff that it takes to get from nonbeliever to believer in one book. The fact that it takes a three-minute pitch (the Plan of Salvation Pitch) to turn things all around is kind of shocking. I see why she did it—she wanted it in place for the climax, but it was pretty abrupt. Also, whenever I see the Plan of Salvation Pitch written out in a novel, I start skimming. It can take a page or two, and I want to get back to the story.
• Telling characteristics this is something new authors, and even some who have been writing a while need to remember. When the narrator uses words like “compassionate,” “optimistic,” “trusting,” “cold,” “selfless,” etc. it doesn’t mean nearly as much as when the reader is able to make those kinds of observations themselves. In this case, we had first-person narration, which justifies the telling a bit—the main character is coming to these conclusions about the other characters herself—but I still wished the author had leaned more toward showing these character traits in action rather than telling us they were there.
Things I thought were weird:
• Last names? So, if families are routinely split up by the government…are these last names randomly assigned?
• Why Chelsea? I can’t help but wonder why Chelsea was chosen for her occupation. She seemed to have all the wrong personality and background for it.
I found the first half of this book particularly enjoyable. Most of my complaints are from later on, but overall, I liked it.
Things I Liked:
• Very clear worldbuilding It was easy to grasp how things worked within the Federation. It’s a very neat organized world and life and society has been simplified in many ways. The concept of cities being walled off against the outside world has been done a lot, but the way Bogner showed the control the power-structure exercised over the citizens was unique and vivid. Society in the Federation is basically a machine making parts for itself.
• High-concept The concept for the plot was simple and powerful. The cast was small enough to keep things pretty focused. There was a lot of suspense with Katherine constantly keeping an eye and an ear on everything that Matthew did or said, always watching out for signs that his wiped memory might be returning. The transition she took from wanting to simply do her duty and pass her test to her giving in to overwhelming curiosity and desire for something more than her preprogramed restricted life was surprisingly seamless and almost subconscious. That worked well conveying the theme, which I’ll also talk about in a moment.
• Katherine Holliday Katherine herself was more relatable than I expected. I was surprised at how I found her sympathetic even when her thinking was heavily influenced by the Federation. She didn’t seem stupid for believing their lies, and that made it all the more compelling when her views were challenged. Overall, I appreciated her resolve and willingness to do harder things if they seemed to be for the greater good.
• Matthew Braddock Writing a memory-wiped character is probably kind of weird. I liked Matthew’s personality and he made a good foil for Katherine. I liked how oblivious he was, and how he managed to just kind of float through the motions of living in the Federation, trusting Katherine weather he should have or not. He was cleverly-written.
• Phillip Thompson Probably my favorite character hands down. I occasionally write characters in this archetype. I call it the Old Rebel. He’s somebody, on either side, that is a bit of a threat to the structure he’s in. He’s a bit morally gray, or at least appears to be for some of the story. It’s odd for me to like a mentor character. Typically, I don’t, but I liked Thompson.
• Good handling of theme I was afraid that, with the main character getting introduced to Christianity over the course of this story, the author might try to stuff every possible Christian moral, life-lesson and personal conviction into the story. She didn’t. She stuck mostly to one main theme—you can’t erase morality. She did this both with Matthew’s reintegration and in a parallel way, with Katherine herself. Katherine who all her life has been shielded from the idea of absolute right and wrong (it’s against the Tolerance Act to even use the words) can’t suppress the scruples and innate convictions she finds coming up in her own mind. In a way, she’s in the same place Matthew is. She knows things her society believes science says she shouldn’t.
Things I Didn’t Like:
• The romance If you follow my reviews, you probably notice I’m becoming a little predictable on this. I really don’t think the romance was necessary in this book. This is going to be a trilogy, I think, it could have been just barely hinted at and it wouldn’t have affected the plot. I actually think it might have been stronger if we hadn’t gotten that far yet. This story plays out over a few weeks, and Katherine supposedly isn’t the fast type. She didn’t need to be in love with Matthew to have a powerful bond with him, or care enough to fight for him. It could have been her first encounter with totally selfless love—no butterflies. The accusations her superiors made about her having a crush on him could have been false and that would have added more tension, in my opinion. If she wanted them to fall in love in the later books, I would be open to that.
• A couple of implausible moments Once the action kicked in, I was a bit frustrated by a couple of coincidences that played rather unrealistically in Katherine’s favor…to be specific, nobody leaves their mobile device behind when they exit the room. Not even to go to the restroom. Especially if there’s sensitive information on the device. And there would probably be some sort of a lock. What’s worst about it is, it would have been so easy to fix. The device could have not been mobile and she could have had some sort of training in her Regulator work that she could have used to hack in. Argh.
• Fast conversion this happens all the time in Christian fiction—the flash conversion. It’s hard to fit all the stuff that it takes to get from nonbeliever to believer in one book. The fact that it takes a three-minute pitch (the Plan of Salvation Pitch) to turn things all around is kind of shocking. I see why she did it—she wanted it in place for the climax, but it was pretty abrupt. Also, whenever I see the Plan of Salvation Pitch written out in a novel, I start skimming. It can take a page or two, and I want to get back to the story.
• Telling characteristics this is something new authors, and even some who have been writing a while need to remember. When the narrator uses words like “compassionate,” “optimistic,” “trusting,” “cold,” “selfless,” etc. it doesn’t mean nearly as much as when the reader is able to make those kinds of observations themselves. In this case, we had first-person narration, which justifies the telling a bit—the main character is coming to these conclusions about the other characters herself—but I still wished the author had leaned more toward showing these character traits in action rather than telling us they were there.
Things I thought were weird:
• Last names? So, if families are routinely split up by the government…are these last names randomly assigned?
• Why Chelsea? I can’t help but wonder why Chelsea was chosen for her occupation. She seemed to have all the wrong personality and background for it.
June 11, 2021
A unique, hope-filled dystopian story
Wow. Reintegration was an amazing book. The main character, Katherine, goes through a crazy transformation from the perfect citizen in the beginning to who she is at the end. Her character was well-developed and I could empathize with her. I could completely understand her confusion about the world, too, considering her circumstances.
Matthew was a sweet character. Sometimes he seemed a little too perfect, but overall he was pretty great. I wish we could’ve actually known more about him before the end, but it makes sense why we couldn’t.
The Federation was also very well built. It was a bit similar to other dystopian cities, but there were enough differences. The occupations that we got to hear about were different from other books. I wish we got to hear some of the others.
I loved this because unlike other dystopians, this story has hope. Matthew tells Katherine The Good News and she is saved. She immediately wants the rest of her city to know about God and His Son. I love seeing the gospel in YA (but it’s a rare occasion I do), and this was perfect.
Also, the whole concept of the world is SO POSSIBLE, ITS CREEPY. I can SO see this forming. Basically the Federation passed “the tolerance act”, which forbids anyone to believe things are right and wrong. Saying those words could result in a violation. Three violations and you’re executed. The intolerant s who live outside the city wall are taught to be violet, reckless terrorists. The intolerants oppose the intolerance act, continuing to believe in right and wrong, and in the case of many of them, spread the gospel. The tolerance act is something I can sadly see people rooting for today. This future was scary, but realistic.
I recommend to all teen/YA readers.
Wow. Reintegration was an amazing book. The main character, Katherine, goes through a crazy transformation from the perfect citizen in the beginning to who she is at the end. Her character was well-developed and I could empathize with her. I could completely understand her confusion about the world, too, considering her circumstances.
Matthew was a sweet character. Sometimes he seemed a little too perfect, but overall he was pretty great. I wish we could’ve actually known more about him before the end, but it makes sense why we couldn’t.
The Federation was also very well built. It was a bit similar to other dystopian cities, but there were enough differences. The occupations that we got to hear about were different from other books. I wish we got to hear some of the others.
I loved this because unlike other dystopians, this story has hope. Matthew tells Katherine The Good News and she is saved. She immediately wants the rest of her city to know about God and His Son. I love seeing the gospel in YA (but it’s a rare occasion I do), and this was perfect.
Also, the whole concept of the world is SO POSSIBLE, ITS CREEPY. I can SO see this forming. Basically the Federation passed “the tolerance act”, which forbids anyone to believe things are right and wrong. Saying those words could result in a violation. Three violations and you’re executed. The intolerant s who live outside the city wall are taught to be violet, reckless terrorists. The intolerants oppose the intolerance act, continuing to believe in right and wrong, and in the case of many of them, spread the gospel. The tolerance act is something I can sadly see people rooting for today. This future was scary, but realistic.
I recommend to all teen/YA readers.
August 18, 2017
I very much loved the transformation of the main character, Katherine, in this story. I found it to be encouraging and inspiring as she sought to truly overcome fear and be bold in her actions. Though I can't go into much detail about it, I will say that her "awakening" was pretty amazing. It was interesting to read to say the least.
Matthew was such a sweet guy! He made my heart smile despite everything that was going on.
Katherine's world was one that very closely reminded me of our own world. Granted, we don't have Regulators per say or a certain law, but what's to say were not too far from that? The book definitely doesn’t seem extreme with what could happen one day.
I'm excited to see what happens next in book two! That ending wasn’t necessarily a cliff hanger, but I'm pretty sure things are about to go down and it's not going to be pretty when it does. Also, there are a few unanswered questions I think that the author purposefully left open because it leaves me curious as to what certain things mean and why someone wants to do what they’re doing.
Overall, I loved this book's message and how encouraged I felt with Katherine overcoming fear. I recommend this book to YA readers and dystopian lovers.
*(I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own and was not required to write a positive review.)*
Matthew was such a sweet guy! He made my heart smile despite everything that was going on.
Katherine's world was one that very closely reminded me of our own world. Granted, we don't have Regulators per say or a certain law, but what's to say were not too far from that? The book definitely doesn’t seem extreme with what could happen one day.
I'm excited to see what happens next in book two! That ending wasn’t necessarily a cliff hanger, but I'm pretty sure things are about to go down and it's not going to be pretty when it does. Also, there are a few unanswered questions I think that the author purposefully left open because it leaves me curious as to what certain things mean and why someone wants to do what they’re doing.
Overall, I loved this book's message and how encouraged I felt with Katherine overcoming fear. I recommend this book to YA readers and dystopian lovers.
*(I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own and was not required to write a positive review.)*
January 19, 2019
This was a very interesting dystopian setting which felt unsettlingly plausible, based on certain directions our culture is heading. I loved the "Intolerant," Matthew, from the moment I met him, and seeing Katherine's beliefs change as she got to know him better and better was great, too. I appreciated the focus on certain things--morality, truth, family--being embedded into our nature rather than random societal constructs.
There were a lot of times I questioned why Katherine (or others) seemed to be getting away with certain things in a society that was so highly regulated and monitored, but later developments in the story answered most of those questions for me. The fact that certain crucial tasks/devices didn't seem to require any kind of password or clearance seemed a bit odd at times, but overall it didn't bother me too much. The only thing that really jolted me toward the end was being reminded how short a time frame the entire book took place in. There was so much that happened that remembering that it had only been two weeks was a bit shocking. Especially with all the changes in Katherine's perspective--it just seemed a bit fast for that many developments. That said, Katherine's journey to learning the truth about her society was definitely compelling, even if it did feel rather quick at times.
I liked the character of Thompson and his relationship with Katherine, although it took me a while to figure out what was going on with him or how he'd managed to hold the job he had for so long. Chelsea was another interesting puzzle; I'm still not sure what all is going on there. And the main villain was definitely very slimy. Ugh! The story took some interesting twists--things that happened much faster than expected along with things I didn't see coming at all.
I did notice a scattering of editing errors, but nothing too terribly distracting, and there was one scene where Katherine was not present that felt a bit odd with the choice of third-person present instead of past, but again, it wasn't a major issue. I'll definitely be interested to see where the rest of this series goes!
3.5 stars
Content--talk of memory wiping and other experimental medical procedures; talk of executions; some fighting, including use of various weapons; a few very quick kisses
There were a lot of times I questioned why Katherine (or others) seemed to be getting away with certain things in a society that was so highly regulated and monitored, but later developments in the story answered most of those questions for me. The fact that certain crucial tasks/devices didn't seem to require any kind of password or clearance seemed a bit odd at times, but overall it didn't bother me too much. The only thing that really jolted me toward the end was being reminded how short a time frame the entire book took place in. There was so much that happened that remembering that it had only been two weeks was a bit shocking. Especially with all the changes in Katherine's perspective--it just seemed a bit fast for that many developments. That said, Katherine's journey to learning the truth about her society was definitely compelling, even if it did feel rather quick at times.
I liked the character of Thompson and his relationship with Katherine, although it took me a while to figure out what was going on with him or how he'd managed to hold the job he had for so long. Chelsea was another interesting puzzle; I'm still not sure what all is going on there. And the main villain was definitely very slimy. Ugh! The story took some interesting twists--things that happened much faster than expected along with things I didn't see coming at all.
I did notice a scattering of editing errors, but nothing too terribly distracting, and there was one scene where Katherine was not present that felt a bit odd with the choice of third-person present instead of past, but again, it wasn't a major issue. I'll definitely be interested to see where the rest of this series goes!
3.5 stars
Content--talk of memory wiping and other experimental medical procedures; talk of executions; some fighting, including use of various weapons; a few very quick kisses
August 27, 2019
As soon as I ran across this book, I knew I had to read it! It's been at the top of my to-read list for a while now. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed by this book!
This book is different than any other dystopian I've read. This wasn't an action-packed, let’s beat people up and escape kind of book. The story focused more on character and world-building. I actually really enjoyed that aspect of it. It was a nice change compared to all of the other dystopian books I’ve read. Now, it wouldn’t be a dystopian without at least a little bit of action. The ending does have a lot of action going on and I found that it did work well with the pace of the story. It didn’t just all happen at once, but gradually got to the action parts.
The characters were great in this book and while I thought sometimes Katherine's questions got repeated a lot, it was understandable since she hadn't yet found the answers to them. The romance in this book was so clean and I loved the light romance between Katherine and Matthew.
The faith content is very light in this book. Katherine does live in a society that doesn't mention God at all. So, I get that it didn’t have a lot of faith content considering Katherine had never even heard of God. I knew there would be faith content though, and there was! Matthew teaches Katherine about God and Jesus and I loved how he explained it! I loved the fact that Katherine knew right away that what Matthew was teaching her was the truth. Once Katherine was taught about God, her faith became a big part of the story. So, I don’t mind that there wasn’t a ton of faith content because I know that the second book should have a pretty good bit.
Overall, this book was super clean and I'm excited to read the second book!
Full Review: https://readitorleaveitblog.blogspot....
**I received this book for free from the author for this honest review.
This book is different than any other dystopian I've read. This wasn't an action-packed, let’s beat people up and escape kind of book. The story focused more on character and world-building. I actually really enjoyed that aspect of it. It was a nice change compared to all of the other dystopian books I’ve read. Now, it wouldn’t be a dystopian without at least a little bit of action. The ending does have a lot of action going on and I found that it did work well with the pace of the story. It didn’t just all happen at once, but gradually got to the action parts.
The characters were great in this book and while I thought sometimes Katherine's questions got repeated a lot, it was understandable since she hadn't yet found the answers to them. The romance in this book was so clean and I loved the light romance between Katherine and Matthew.
The faith content is very light in this book. Katherine does live in a society that doesn't mention God at all. So, I get that it didn’t have a lot of faith content considering Katherine had never even heard of God. I knew there would be faith content though, and there was! Matthew teaches Katherine about God and Jesus and I loved how he explained it! I loved the fact that Katherine knew right away that what Matthew was teaching her was the truth. Once Katherine was taught about God, her faith became a big part of the story. So, I don’t mind that there wasn’t a ton of faith content because I know that the second book should have a pretty good bit.
Overall, this book was super clean and I'm excited to read the second book!
Full Review: https://readitorleaveitblog.blogspot....
**I received this book for free from the author for this honest review.
October 11, 2017
Well after finishing this I am left with one question.... WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK COMING OUT!?
I loved this! If you are a fan of Krista McGee Anomaly then you must read this! The fatih elements are excellent, the content is clean, the action and story are well written! I'm excited to see where Ashley's writing is going to take her I really enojoyed this and I can't wait to continute to serise! I plan on doing a review soon and we have a live show that will be anonounce for our book club!
I loved this! If you are a fan of Krista McGee Anomaly then you must read this! The fatih elements are excellent, the content is clean, the action and story are well written! I'm excited to see where Ashley's writing is going to take her I really enojoyed this and I can't wait to continute to serise! I plan on doing a review soon and we have a live show that will be anonounce for our book club!
February 12, 2018
So Good!
This book was recommended by a friend and I’m so glad it was! This book is exactly what you want in a dystopian thriller, well worth the read! I can’t wait to read Underground!
This book was recommended by a friend and I’m so glad it was! This book is exactly what you want in a dystopian thriller, well worth the read! I can’t wait to read Underground!
September 7, 2017
A clear debut that shows the author's potential.
Reintegration is one of the few books nowadays that immersed me in the reading experience. I read the book in one sitting. The writing style is clear and communicative, and I enjoyed the change of a dystopia with hope. I also enjoyed the main character, Katherine, and how different she is from the usual YA female main character.
These good points are necessary to remember, because now I'm going to talk about Reintegration's thematic flaw.
The concept of Reintegration is built around the Tolerance Act, which states that citizens are not allowed to push their beliefs on others. In the book, the main character Katherine explains, "People were violent, causing harm to others for having different beliefs than they did. The Tolerance Act ensured people could believe what they wanted without facing persecution from others." (24%) The captured rebel Matthew proposes a different viewpoint: That morality is not subjective, that right and wrong exist, and that some things should not be tolerated.
While this concept is relevant to today's social issues, Reintegration's development of the theme falls short because it does not acknowledge the potential for good in the Tolerance Act, and the potential for bad without it. Some people do harm others because they believe differently. Online hate is pervasive. Intolerance can be used in terrible ways. I was disappointed when this was not shown, because it compromised the theme.
A theme must show the greys and blacks of either choice to make the main character's decision truly compelling, and this is usually done through supporting characters. What if the villain believed in complete tolerance because of her love for people? What if an important ally embraced intolerance and started hurting people? The central issue of Reintegration is that the main character does not have a moral choice to make, because one option is wholly good and the other wholly bad.
I have spoken quite strongly about Reintegration's thematic flaw. But hey. I enjoyed it. I would easily recommend it to Christian readers looking for something different.
This book is the first of a series. I hope that the author will continue to develop the idea of tolerance vs. intolerance in future instalments, and show that the options are not so black and white.
I intend to keep reading the series to watch this young author realise her potential.
Rating: 3 Stars (Interesting. Enjoyable. I might reread it.)
Reintegration is one of the few books nowadays that immersed me in the reading experience. I read the book in one sitting. The writing style is clear and communicative, and I enjoyed the change of a dystopia with hope. I also enjoyed the main character, Katherine, and how different she is from the usual YA female main character.
These good points are necessary to remember, because now I'm going to talk about Reintegration's thematic flaw.
The concept of Reintegration is built around the Tolerance Act, which states that citizens are not allowed to push their beliefs on others. In the book, the main character Katherine explains, "People were violent, causing harm to others for having different beliefs than they did. The Tolerance Act ensured people could believe what they wanted without facing persecution from others." (24%) The captured rebel Matthew proposes a different viewpoint: That morality is not subjective, that right and wrong exist, and that some things should not be tolerated.
While this concept is relevant to today's social issues, Reintegration's development of the theme falls short because it does not acknowledge the potential for good in the Tolerance Act, and the potential for bad without it. Some people do harm others because they believe differently. Online hate is pervasive. Intolerance can be used in terrible ways. I was disappointed when this was not shown, because it compromised the theme.
A theme must show the greys and blacks of either choice to make the main character's decision truly compelling, and this is usually done through supporting characters. What if the villain believed in complete tolerance because of her love for people? What if an important ally embraced intolerance and started hurting people? The central issue of Reintegration is that the main character does not have a moral choice to make, because one option is wholly good and the other wholly bad.
I have spoken quite strongly about Reintegration's thematic flaw. But hey. I enjoyed it. I would easily recommend it to Christian readers looking for something different.
This book is the first of a series. I hope that the author will continue to develop the idea of tolerance vs. intolerance in future instalments, and show that the options are not so black and white.
I intend to keep reading the series to watch this young author realise her potential.
Rating: 3 Stars (Interesting. Enjoyable. I might reread it.)
August 17, 2017
This book is touching and thought provoking with plenty of twists and turns. There is some violence toward the end, which is why I don’t recommend this book for readers under the age of 13, but besides that I found it to be totally clean and appropriate. If you like futuristic dystopian style novels, ‘Reintegration’ will definitely keep you entertained and turning the pages. I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting. The only complaint I have is that sometimes there were paragraphs of Katherine’s inner thoughts that seemed to go on too long. Those scenes would have been more powerful without as much repetition and length. I think that is one of the main reasons why I haven’t seen very many five star reviews for this book… the too-long inner dialogue bogs down the flow of the otherwise smooth yet punchy story line. However, I remember what it was like to write my first novel, and I think given time Bogner will learn to avoid this mistake.
The themes in this book center on what happens when the true meaning of tolerance is forgotten and twisted into moral relativism, the importance of family, and establishing boundaries within the context of righteousness. Does God exist? And if yes, what would Katherine be willing to risk to get that information into the hands of her peers? Matthew was definitely my favorite character!
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series whenever it comes out, and I would definitely recommend it to my friends. I wish there was more Religious Fiction in the world like ‘Reintegration’.
The themes in this book center on what happens when the true meaning of tolerance is forgotten and twisted into moral relativism, the importance of family, and establishing boundaries within the context of righteousness. Does God exist? And if yes, what would Katherine be willing to risk to get that information into the hands of her peers? Matthew was definitely my favorite character!
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series whenever it comes out, and I would definitely recommend it to my friends. I wish there was more Religious Fiction in the world like ‘Reintegration’.
January 20, 2020
It pains me to give this only two stars because I can appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish with this story. But as entertaining fiction goes, there were just some things that left it falling flat to me.
That said, it's probably a far better effort than I'll ever accomplish as an aspiring writer! Most of those are incomplete and turning to dust on my hard drive. At least the author got this one to see the light of day, and with the courage to self-publish, no less.
That said, it's probably a far better effort than I'll ever accomplish as an aspiring writer! Most of those are incomplete and turning to dust on my hard drive. At least the author got this one to see the light of day, and with the courage to self-publish, no less.
January 15, 2018
This is a lovely debut novel, with great world building, a unique and well-defined setting and culture, likable characters, and an interesting premise and plot line. The pacing was at times a bit slow, and the POV character's internal monologues tended a bit toward telling and could've been pared back in places. But overall it was an enjoyable, thought-provoking and satisfying story, and I look forward to the next installment!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews