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Control Freakz #1
Control Freakz
ASIN moved to this edition
Alone. Abandoned. Threatened. Natalie has lost all hope for a better future. Everything she’s known and everyone she’s ever loved is gone, and it’s up to her to get her old life back. In Michael Evans’s first novel, Control Freakz, Natalie’s journey toward a better life begins.
When Protocol 00 is enacted, Natalie’s family is taken by the government, along with the families of her two best friends, Ethan and Hunter. With nothing to lose, and the threat of government hitmen kidnapping them at any moment, the three must battle to survive in a horrid, post-apocalyptic world run by President Ash and his invasive government. They want answers. And they’re willing to jeopardize everything in desperate pursuit.
Risking ruthless leaders, attempted mind control, and her very existence on the planet, Natalie, along with Hunter and Ethan, will stop at nothing in their quest to regain everything they’ve ever known. Her spirits crushed and her will to live destroyed, Natalie knows everything is dead and gone, and soon she will be, too.
Memories connect us to the past, and can often cause us to long for a better future, but they can drive our minds into a state of hell if a better future is unattainable. Nevertheless, Natalie’s hope for a better a future remains.
Alone. Abandoned. Threatened. Natalie has lost all hope for a better future. Everything she’s known and everyone she’s ever loved is gone, and it’s up to her to get her old life back. In Michael Evans’s first novel, Control Freakz, Natalie’s journey toward a better life begins.
When Protocol 00 is enacted, Natalie’s family is taken by the government, along with the families of her two best friends, Ethan and Hunter. With nothing to lose, and the threat of government hitmen kidnapping them at any moment, the three must battle to survive in a horrid, post-apocalyptic world run by President Ash and his invasive government. They want answers. And they’re willing to jeopardize everything in desperate pursuit.
Risking ruthless leaders, attempted mind control, and her very existence on the planet, Natalie, along with Hunter and Ethan, will stop at nothing in their quest to regain everything they’ve ever known. Her spirits crushed and her will to live destroyed, Natalie knows everything is dead and gone, and soon she will be, too.
Memories connect us to the past, and can often cause us to long for a better future, but they can drive our minds into a state of hell if a better future is unattainable. Nevertheless, Natalie’s hope for a better a future remains.
278 pages, ebook
Published October 3, 2017
159 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Michael Evans
21 books58 followersMichael Evans is the author of thrillers that feature flawed, captivating characters facing extraordinary odds in order to survive and fight for the future of humanity. His genre-bending stories will leave you turning the pages late into the night.
Although a frighteningly realistic yet unique end to the world is always at the core of what he creates, his stories also combine elements of romance, dystopias, speculative fiction, and the adrenaline-fueled thrillers his readers have come to expect from him. And above all else, his stories are ingrained with his mission to enlighten his readers about the darker aspects of our future in hopes that the power of story can be used to propel humanity into a lighter, better world.
He is currently a student at Harvard University. He enjoys exploring abandoned buildings, going for long runs to dream up new story ideas, and reading about future technologies, political systems, and survival techniques.
He resides in Charleston, South Carolina, with his fluffy golden doodle but is originally from Long Island, New York. To find out more about him or his work you are welcome to visit here: mevansinked.com. To receive updates from the author about his new releases, sign up for his reader list at: https://mevansinked.com
Although a frighteningly realistic yet unique end to the world is always at the core of what he creates, his stories also combine elements of romance, dystopias, speculative fiction, and the adrenaline-fueled thrillers his readers have come to expect from him. And above all else, his stories are ingrained with his mission to enlighten his readers about the darker aspects of our future in hopes that the power of story can be used to propel humanity into a lighter, better world.
He is currently a student at Harvard University. He enjoys exploring abandoned buildings, going for long runs to dream up new story ideas, and reading about future technologies, political systems, and survival techniques.
He resides in Charleston, South Carolina, with his fluffy golden doodle but is originally from Long Island, New York. To find out more about him or his work you are welcome to visit here: mevansinked.com. To receive updates from the author about his new releases, sign up for his reader list at: https://mevansinked.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 8, 2018
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.
So first off this book was written by a sophomore in high school which is pretty impressive. His command of the English language is remarkable for a person his age. When I was in high school, I could barely write a 4 page paper, let alone a full length book so I just want to say kudos to him.
This was definitely an interesting book. It started off a bit slow. It wasn’t until I was a hundred pages in that I got more invested in the story. There was also this weird 3 year time jump that was a bit jarring. However, by the time I reached two hundred pages, I was hooked. The book ended on a cliffhanger and it made me really want to know what happens next.
As for the characters, I didn’t particularly care much for any of them. Natalie was kind of annoying for most of the book. Her talk of dying got on my nerves because that was all she ever talked about. Ethan was a bit interesting, but Hunter was kind of bland. I did like Danielle because there was more to her than meets the eye.
What I really loved about this book was the sly political commentary that rings true today. There was one passage in particular that I loved. The book states, “what they didn’t realize, was that the one thing they were told would protect them, with their tariffs, immigration bans, and walls that separated them from the horrible outside world, was really the most dangerous thing of all. It wasn’t immigrants who came from less-developed countries who were destroying America, it was the ignorance of America itself. It wasn’t labor outsourced to other countries that caused America’s middle class to dwindle. It was the rich, corporate tyrants like President Ash himself, who owned one of the largest investment firms in the nation, that sucked the wealth away from most Americans” (41). I was not expecting to get such deep commentary from a high schooler. That was a really pleasant surprise.
Overall, this was a solid debut book considering the author’s age. I cannot wait to see what else he puts out in the coming years.
I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.
So first off this book was written by a sophomore in high school which is pretty impressive. His command of the English language is remarkable for a person his age. When I was in high school, I could barely write a 4 page paper, let alone a full length book so I just want to say kudos to him.
This was definitely an interesting book. It started off a bit slow. It wasn’t until I was a hundred pages in that I got more invested in the story. There was also this weird 3 year time jump that was a bit jarring. However, by the time I reached two hundred pages, I was hooked. The book ended on a cliffhanger and it made me really want to know what happens next.
As for the characters, I didn’t particularly care much for any of them. Natalie was kind of annoying for most of the book. Her talk of dying got on my nerves because that was all she ever talked about. Ethan was a bit interesting, but Hunter was kind of bland. I did like Danielle because there was more to her than meets the eye.
What I really loved about this book was the sly political commentary that rings true today. There was one passage in particular that I loved. The book states, “what they didn’t realize, was that the one thing they were told would protect them, with their tariffs, immigration bans, and walls that separated them from the horrible outside world, was really the most dangerous thing of all. It wasn’t immigrants who came from less-developed countries who were destroying America, it was the ignorance of America itself. It wasn’t labor outsourced to other countries that caused America’s middle class to dwindle. It was the rich, corporate tyrants like President Ash himself, who owned one of the largest investment firms in the nation, that sucked the wealth away from most Americans” (41). I was not expecting to get such deep commentary from a high schooler. That was a really pleasant surprise.
Overall, this was a solid debut book considering the author’s age. I cannot wait to see what else he puts out in the coming years.
June 9, 2018
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of the book to review
Michael you've done a really good job for a high school student and i give you props for writing an entire book that was done so well and the writing was so articulate.
going into this book i had little knowledge and only the description to back me up, but the book started off a little slow but in the middle the story really started to take off and it had me hooked and the cliffhanger was really well done that has left me wanting more.
I enjoyed the cast of characters that were in this book and i think my favourite character in the book was Danielle because she is so mysterious and has so much more that she could be hiding so i cant wait to see what happens next.
This world is haunting because the president controls a lot of things and its crazy how things got to the point that they did, so i hope people start to wake up and realise that they could possibly fix things.
Overall, this was a strong debut by a high school student and Control Freakz is a fast paced story that will leave you haunted and wanting more.
once again thank you to the author for sending me a PDF of the book!
Michael you've done a really good job for a high school student and i give you props for writing an entire book that was done so well and the writing was so articulate.
going into this book i had little knowledge and only the description to back me up, but the book started off a little slow but in the middle the story really started to take off and it had me hooked and the cliffhanger was really well done that has left me wanting more.
I enjoyed the cast of characters that were in this book and i think my favourite character in the book was Danielle because she is so mysterious and has so much more that she could be hiding so i cant wait to see what happens next.
This world is haunting because the president controls a lot of things and its crazy how things got to the point that they did, so i hope people start to wake up and realise that they could possibly fix things.
Overall, this was a strong debut by a high school student and Control Freakz is a fast paced story that will leave you haunted and wanting more.
once again thank you to the author for sending me a PDF of the book!
January 6, 2018
I think this book was interesting. It did keep my attention and I kept reading until the end. I liked the characters and I think this was a great start for a new author. Teens escaping a death sentence from their government. The book had some great action as well. I can't wait to see what else this author can write. *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*
February 9, 2018
A slightly more mature young adult story, Control Freakz is an interesting take on a dystopia America where mind-control is used on the general population by a power hungry President. While at times the descriptions get a little verbose, at such a young age the author, Michael Evans, is off to a promising start with his vivid descriptions and internal monologues. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
March 29, 2018
Control Freakz is fast paced and powerful. It is a thrill ride through a futuristic dystopian world of fear and power struggles. If you are on the hunt for a inner turmoil driven YA story, this one is for you.
This one left me deep in thought. It was terrifying and exciting at the same time. It kind of mirrored current political unrest while highlighting potential new issues that could evolve if certain technology existed.
The writing itself was a little straight down the middle for me. I was gripped from the beginning. I could picture everything in my mind while I read and I kept turning pages wanting to know what happened next. But, I also felt that the writing was a bit on the wordy side, and the main character had a bit too much inner turmoil happening.
This one was definitely driven by the main character and her inner turmoil and dialog. Because of this, I didn't really get to know the other two main characters as much as I would have liked. I did learn that Ethan was a bit on the eccentric side, and tended to act without thinking. Hunter was the level headed character that tried to keep things in control, and our main character, Natalie, was super pessimistic and tended to be very over-dramatic.
I would have liked to have more character development, but, where the story lacked in that department, it thrived on emotion. Though, I did not relate to Natalie, and never really felt like I liked her much, I could feel her fear, her anxiety, and her depression throughout the story. I found myself rooting for the characters' survival and hoping they found answers, their families, and their wills to fight and survive.
There were definitely some issues with the story and writing, but what stuck out to me was the fact that the story still came through and it stayed with me. The twists weren't as thrilling as I hoped, but they were fairly unpredictable. The world that Evans created was very unique, and though I would have liked more development and explanation surrounding the futuristic tech, it was well done enough to keep me involved in the story.
Am I glad that I read this? Definitely. Am I looking forward to reading the next book? Hell yes! This was an amazing debut novel and the best part about it is the fact that the author is still in high school. You read that right! Though this book did not live up to its full potential, it was still a great read and I have a feeling each book that follows will improve both in quality and thrills. I would definitely recommend this one and I would recommend keeping an eye on what comes next from the author! 3.5 stars!
This one left me deep in thought. It was terrifying and exciting at the same time. It kind of mirrored current political unrest while highlighting potential new issues that could evolve if certain technology existed.
The writing itself was a little straight down the middle for me. I was gripped from the beginning. I could picture everything in my mind while I read and I kept turning pages wanting to know what happened next. But, I also felt that the writing was a bit on the wordy side, and the main character had a bit too much inner turmoil happening.
This one was definitely driven by the main character and her inner turmoil and dialog. Because of this, I didn't really get to know the other two main characters as much as I would have liked. I did learn that Ethan was a bit on the eccentric side, and tended to act without thinking. Hunter was the level headed character that tried to keep things in control, and our main character, Natalie, was super pessimistic and tended to be very over-dramatic.
I would have liked to have more character development, but, where the story lacked in that department, it thrived on emotion. Though, I did not relate to Natalie, and never really felt like I liked her much, I could feel her fear, her anxiety, and her depression throughout the story. I found myself rooting for the characters' survival and hoping they found answers, their families, and their wills to fight and survive.
There were definitely some issues with the story and writing, but what stuck out to me was the fact that the story still came through and it stayed with me. The twists weren't as thrilling as I hoped, but they were fairly unpredictable. The world that Evans created was very unique, and though I would have liked more development and explanation surrounding the futuristic tech, it was well done enough to keep me involved in the story.
Am I glad that I read this? Definitely. Am I looking forward to reading the next book? Hell yes! This was an amazing debut novel and the best part about it is the fact that the author is still in high school. You read that right! Though this book did not live up to its full potential, it was still a great read and I have a feeling each book that follows will improve both in quality and thrills. I would definitely recommend this one and I would recommend keeping an eye on what comes next from the author! 3.5 stars!
Thank you to the author for providing me with this free e-copy in exchange for my honest review!
This author is also a proud member of The Book Robin Hoods site. If you are an author looking for more reviews, or a reviewer looking to help out Indie/Self Published and Lesser Known Authors, make sure to click the link below and join us!
February 3, 2019
Michael Evans, a high school student, an advocate for a better future and a young adult author, nailed his appearance on the writing scene with his debut novel Control Freakz. I didn’t expect such mature and imaginative writing from someone so young! The fact I’ve read the second edition of his first novel in Control Freakz Series, which has a couple awesome plot and style changes from the first edition, as the author says in his note, cannot diminish the quality of his writing and story-telling.
If you are a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian literature, this is the book you must read. Not just to support the young and ambitious author but to enjoy the action-packed story of Nathalie and two of her best friends, Hunter and Ethan, who are trying to escape attempted mind control by the invasive government of President Ash in the post-apocalyptic America.
As you read Control Freakz, you see the love and attraction Evans has for the words and how instinctively he handles them. But his love goes much further than writing books and telling exciting stories. He wrote this book (and the whole series) as a wake-up call and out of concern for our own world and its future. His desire to inspire others to advocate for positive changes in their lives and our world is admirable and I support him in that.
Michael Evans is a teenager whose commitment to his writing and love for this world we should all recognize and support.
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Bernard Jan
If you are a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian literature, this is the book you must read. Not just to support the young and ambitious author but to enjoy the action-packed story of Nathalie and two of her best friends, Hunter and Ethan, who are trying to escape attempted mind control by the invasive government of President Ash in the post-apocalyptic America.
As you read Control Freakz, you see the love and attraction Evans has for the words and how instinctively he handles them. But his love goes much further than writing books and telling exciting stories. He wrote this book (and the whole series) as a wake-up call and out of concern for our own world and its future. His desire to inspire others to advocate for positive changes in their lives and our world is admirable and I support him in that.
Michael Evans is a teenager whose commitment to his writing and love for this world we should all recognize and support.
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Bernard Jan
February 23, 2018
Once I read the blurb I was curious about the book. I wondered what Protocol 00 was and how the mind control worked.
As I was reading the book I was very impressed with how it was written. For such a young person, Michael really has a talent for writing. There are so many kids and teens that don't like tor read, and hate to write. I remember how weird people thought I was because I loved writing and reading. So I just want to give Michael a personal message: "Well done! Keep being you because that's what makes you special. And never give up writing, no mare how frustrating it could be... No matter what others think. If writing is something you love, keep doing it."
Now, back to the book. I wanted to read it before I started my internship, but preparing things didn't let me. And, to be honest, most of the time I couldn't relate to Natalie. But, once I'm on vacation I have to re-read it and see if that will change. I always try to give books a second chance, especially when the only problem was a 'relate to characters' thing. Sometimes we just aren't in a good moment or mind frame to read that book and that's why we can't relate to the character or we are being judgemental. So... This problem I have may not be the authors fault, it may be just my problem.
The reason I'm saying I couldn't relate to her... I feel like it wouldn't make a lot of sense if I explained it. I could understand her most of the time. I understood why she would say or feel or act that way. Could I relate to her as in a "I would be the same" or "I would probably do the same"? No, I couldn't. That's why I'm saying that it's not Michael's writing, it's my problem.
I did like Ethan, Hunter and Danielle. I feel like, personally, at this exact moment, I would love the story more if it was in the 3rd person POV. But I also understand the decision. By using the 1st person POV, it gives the reader that character's view of the world she/he lives in, which makes is personal and up-close. And I respect that decision.
I'm definitely going to re-read the book in the future and see if I have a different perspective of Natalie, because I do understand her, doesn't mean I agree with everything she says or does, but I understand how she could be scared and have dramatic inner monologues.
And since it ended in a cliffhanger, I will definitely have to re-read it in the future before the 2nd books gets published. I'm still curious about Danielle, for some reason I think there is something going on in her mind, and I'm also curious about how the story is going to unfold.
There were some slow moments but their were some full of action moments too. Although some of Natalie inner monologues got me bored, others got me thinking. After some reading the book I stopped for a moment and thought about her personality. I wonder if she's this depressed and dramatic because of everything that's going on in her life after the Protocol is initiated or if something in her mind is making her that way.
Now... Since I’m fascinating with techno-philosophy and I did a semester of a Neuroanatomy class in collegeand if I had continue that degree (Speech and Language Therapy) I would had a Neuroscience class too, I found it curious Michael's take on the use of technology and neuroscience to control the population. That and the political comment in the book were what made me like it.
I knew from the beginning that I probably would love that about the book. That concept is something that I find fascinating and I can't wait to see what he writes next because I want to see that sci-fi concept more, and see what he will do with it in the next book in this series.
I haven't read a lot of YA in a will, but I enjoyed this one. Even with some bumpy moments, the action scenes gave the story some power and the last 4 chapters were fantastic and they made the ending much stronger than some books I have read.
It was only a 3,5 stars because of my lack of connection for the main character, but I must say, the concept of the book and the explanation/answers and how he showed the political views is a 4 star read for me.
As I was reading the book I was very impressed with how it was written. For such a young person, Michael really has a talent for writing. There are so many kids and teens that don't like tor read, and hate to write. I remember how weird people thought I was because I loved writing and reading. So I just want to give Michael a personal message: "Well done! Keep being you because that's what makes you special. And never give up writing, no mare how frustrating it could be... No matter what others think. If writing is something you love, keep doing it."
Now, back to the book. I wanted to read it before I started my internship, but preparing things didn't let me. And, to be honest, most of the time I couldn't relate to Natalie. But, once I'm on vacation I have to re-read it and see if that will change. I always try to give books a second chance, especially when the only problem was a 'relate to characters' thing. Sometimes we just aren't in a good moment or mind frame to read that book and that's why we can't relate to the character or we are being judgemental. So... This problem I have may not be the authors fault, it may be just my problem.
The reason I'm saying I couldn't relate to her... I feel like it wouldn't make a lot of sense if I explained it. I could understand her most of the time. I understood why she would say or feel or act that way. Could I relate to her as in a "I would be the same" or "I would probably do the same"? No, I couldn't. That's why I'm saying that it's not Michael's writing, it's my problem.
I did like Ethan, Hunter and Danielle. I feel like, personally, at this exact moment, I would love the story more if it was in the 3rd person POV. But I also understand the decision. By using the 1st person POV, it gives the reader that character's view of the world she/he lives in, which makes is personal and up-close. And I respect that decision.
I'm definitely going to re-read the book in the future and see if I have a different perspective of Natalie, because I do understand her, doesn't mean I agree with everything she says or does, but I understand how she could be scared and have dramatic inner monologues.
And since it ended in a cliffhanger, I will definitely have to re-read it in the future before the 2nd books gets published. I'm still curious about Danielle, for some reason I think there is something going on in her mind, and I'm also curious about how the story is going to unfold.
There were some slow moments but their were some full of action moments too. Although some of Natalie inner monologues got me bored, others got me thinking. After some reading the book I stopped for a moment and thought about her personality. I wonder if she's this depressed and dramatic because of everything that's going on in her life after the Protocol is initiated or if something in her mind is making her that way.
Now... Since I’m fascinating with techno-philosophy and I did a semester of a Neuroanatomy class in college
I knew from the beginning that I probably would love that about the book. That concept is something that I find fascinating and I can't wait to see what he writes next because I want to see that sci-fi concept more, and see what he will do with it in the next book in this series.
I haven't read a lot of YA in a will, but I enjoyed this one. Even with some bumpy moments, the action scenes gave the story some power and the last 4 chapters were fantastic and they made the ending much stronger than some books I have read.
It was only a 3,5 stars because of my lack of connection for the main character, but I must say, the concept of the book and the explanation/answers and how he showed the political views is a 4 star read for me.
March 26, 2020
Disclaimer: I received a book in a book box I purchased and then the author sent me a copy. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Control Freakz
Author: Michael Evans
Book Series: Control Freakz Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: July 23, 2018
Genre: YA Dystopian
Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, kidnapping, post apocalyptic world, mind control, and it’s not even our world)
Publisher: Boundless Press
Pages: 407
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Memories will haunt you.
Natalie has lost everything but herself, and she’s just one of thousands. After Protocol 00 is enacted, Natalie’s family is taken by the government, along with the families of her two best friends, Hunter and Ethan. With nothing to lose and the threat of government hitmen kidnapping them at any moment, the three must battle to survive in a horrid, post-apocalyptic world run by President Ash and his invasive government.
Risking ruthless leaders, attempted mind control, and her very existence on the planet, Natalie, along with Hunter and Ethan, will stop at nothing in their quest to regain everything they’ve ever known. But there are unrivaled powers working against them, and with impending doom looming at any moment, there is no one to trust and nowhere to hide. In a life devoid of hope, happiness, and safety, Natalie must battle both the darkness lurking inside and out of her in order to regain one fleeting memory of her past that has all but fallen away for good, but it might already be too late.
Review: Overall, I thought this was a great book! I loved the writing and the plot kept me intrigued throughout the novel. The characters are compelling as well. The author was a sophomore in high school and I think that’s commendable in itself.
However, I did think there should have been more world building and I felt like this book could have been better detailed. It just felt too short for me.
Verdict: It was great!
Book: Control Freakz
Author: Michael Evans
Book Series: Control Freakz Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: July 23, 2018
Genre: YA Dystopian
Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, kidnapping, post apocalyptic world, mind control, and it’s not even our world)
Publisher: Boundless Press
Pages: 407
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Memories will haunt you.
Natalie has lost everything but herself, and she’s just one of thousands. After Protocol 00 is enacted, Natalie’s family is taken by the government, along with the families of her two best friends, Hunter and Ethan. With nothing to lose and the threat of government hitmen kidnapping them at any moment, the three must battle to survive in a horrid, post-apocalyptic world run by President Ash and his invasive government.
Risking ruthless leaders, attempted mind control, and her very existence on the planet, Natalie, along with Hunter and Ethan, will stop at nothing in their quest to regain everything they’ve ever known. But there are unrivaled powers working against them, and with impending doom looming at any moment, there is no one to trust and nowhere to hide. In a life devoid of hope, happiness, and safety, Natalie must battle both the darkness lurking inside and out of her in order to regain one fleeting memory of her past that has all but fallen away for good, but it might already be too late.
Review: Overall, I thought this was a great book! I loved the writing and the plot kept me intrigued throughout the novel. The characters are compelling as well. The author was a sophomore in high school and I think that’s commendable in itself.
However, I did think there should have been more world building and I felt like this book could have been better detailed. It just felt too short for me.
Verdict: It was great!
April 7, 2019
*DISCLAIMER* I was sent a free copy by the author for an honest review
There are some parts of this book that I really enjoyed and I liked the overall plot. It really gave me a Divergent feel to it, especially with the whole mind control and government thing.
The thing that lowered the rating for me were the characters. I felt like Hunter and Natalie were just kind of annoying about everything? Though, I must say, Ethan was amazing and I absolutely adored him.
I liked the pacing of the book as well. There was a lot of action and suspense even though it was only 400 pages. I loved learning about the futuristic world, especially in the beginning of the story. I like how it didn't hesitate to get right into the storyline.
There are some parts of this book that I really enjoyed and I liked the overall plot. It really gave me a Divergent feel to it, especially with the whole mind control and government thing.
The thing that lowered the rating for me were the characters. I felt like Hunter and Natalie were just kind of annoying about everything? Though, I must say, Ethan was amazing and I absolutely adored him.
I liked the pacing of the book as well. There was a lot of action and suspense even though it was only 400 pages. I loved learning about the futuristic world, especially in the beginning of the story. I like how it didn't hesitate to get right into the storyline.
March 7, 2018
Let me begin saying that I don't normally do this: DNF books. It's very, very rare. And I'd also like to say that while I may not have enjoyed this book doesn't mean the next person won't. With that being said, here is why I couldn't finish Control Freakz.
Dystopia is beyond cliche now. I'll admit, I like to read the occasional teen on the run from the government once in awhile, but that seems like that is all that's being published ever since the Hunger Games came out. And while I'm talking about cliches, lets get a few of the ones I found out in the open. There's a particular scene where the main character, Natalie, is standing in front of mirror describing herself to the reader. While I'm not a published author, I do not recommend doing this when introducing your character to the world.
I didn't like how the story started so quickly and so heated, and it seemed to just grow from there.I was constantly asking myself, "What just happened?"
And I didn't even make it half way through the book. There's not reason as to why everything starts off this way; it's like opening a book right in the middle and reading from there. No one does that.
I think the one thing I didn't like the most was the main character....Natalie is a very emotional teenager. Her feelings actually control who she is. It's basically all I read, which is why I was left confused most of the time, and had to skim over it to actually read the novel. While I like flawed characters, whatever martyr complex she has is not relatable at all. She's constantly crying or yelling, having a breakdown, which would be no help to anyone.
And due to the overbearing emotions, there was no way for me to attempt to get to know the secondary characters, Evan and Hunter.
Speaking of Hunter, whenever he was mentioned or Natalie looked at him, it was to describe how he looked, how gorgeous he was supposed to be. I just hope he wasn't as full of himself.
This is a very obvious politically inclined novel, but it felt as if Evans was simply making a statement about what he thought, and left it at that. It didn't really help or move the story further to hold my attention.
However, there were a couple good things I'd like to point out:
Evan's vocabulary is superb. He showed it in all the long descriptive paragraphs, and while I didn't like the length, I was in awe at a sophomores vocabulary, so good job.
I like how he created futuristic technological devices like the lenses. I think having a pair of lenses like how he described would be awesome!
But that's the extent of the good I could pull from what I've read. I'm giving Evans 4/10 for Control Freakz. Hopefully he can pick up from any and all reviews sent his way, and if any other books he puts out are like the pros I listed and more, I'd be more than happy to read and review again! Good luck to you!
Dystopia is beyond cliche now. I'll admit, I like to read the occasional teen on the run from the government once in awhile, but that seems like that is all that's being published ever since the Hunger Games came out. And while I'm talking about cliches, lets get a few of the ones I found out in the open. There's a particular scene where the main character, Natalie, is standing in front of mirror describing herself to the reader. While I'm not a published author, I do not recommend doing this when introducing your character to the world.
I didn't like how the story started so quickly and so heated, and it seemed to just grow from there.I was constantly asking myself, "What just happened?"
And I didn't even make it half way through the book. There's not reason as to why everything starts off this way; it's like opening a book right in the middle and reading from there. No one does that.
I think the one thing I didn't like the most was the main character....Natalie is a very emotional teenager. Her feelings actually control who she is. It's basically all I read, which is why I was left confused most of the time, and had to skim over it to actually read the novel. While I like flawed characters, whatever martyr complex she has is not relatable at all. She's constantly crying or yelling, having a breakdown, which would be no help to anyone.
And due to the overbearing emotions, there was no way for me to attempt to get to know the secondary characters, Evan and Hunter.
Speaking of Hunter, whenever he was mentioned or Natalie looked at him, it was to describe how he looked, how gorgeous he was supposed to be. I just hope he wasn't as full of himself.
This is a very obvious politically inclined novel, but it felt as if Evans was simply making a statement about what he thought, and left it at that. It didn't really help or move the story further to hold my attention.
However, there were a couple good things I'd like to point out:
Evan's vocabulary is superb. He showed it in all the long descriptive paragraphs, and while I didn't like the length, I was in awe at a sophomores vocabulary, so good job.
I like how he created futuristic technological devices like the lenses. I think having a pair of lenses like how he described would be awesome!
But that's the extent of the good I could pull from what I've read. I'm giving Evans 4/10 for Control Freakz. Hopefully he can pick up from any and all reviews sent his way, and if any other books he puts out are like the pros I listed and more, I'd be more than happy to read and review again! Good luck to you!
February 2, 2018
"A promising author & a refreshing YA dystopia"
*Disclaimer: I received this novel in exchange for a honest review.*
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
I haven't read a YA Dystopia in a while, and this one really caught me off guard! Granted, the writing is overdone most of the time and the emotions of the main character often overshadow the story. However, Control Freaks has strong and compelling themes, as well as a handful of interesting characters with stellar dystopian worldbuilding. Overall, Control Freakz is a good novel from a promising author. I'm looking forward to continuing the series!
Full review on: oliviajthewordshaker.blogspot.com
*Disclaimer: I received this novel in exchange for a honest review.*
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
I haven't read a YA Dystopia in a while, and this one really caught me off guard! Granted, the writing is overdone most of the time and the emotions of the main character often overshadow the story. However, Control Freaks has strong and compelling themes, as well as a handful of interesting characters with stellar dystopian worldbuilding. Overall, Control Freakz is a good novel from a promising author. I'm looking forward to continuing the series!
Full review on: oliviajthewordshaker.blogspot.com
April 7, 2018
My other reviews can be read on my blog
The plot of this book is great and unique. It's a story about the government mind-controlling the population, and the only way to not be affected is by eating this blue pill, and our characters: Natalie, Hunter, and Ethan, had these pills forced down their throats by their family. It's not about a special teen trying to overthrow the government (no overused trope here!). It's just about normal kids on the run. Also, mind control, guys! Although the full impact of Protocol 00 wasn't shown in this book, I'm sure the next book will have more of that. We do get a sneak peek of how it works and what it's used for in this one.
The political references in this book, oh god, it was to die for. There's talk about President Ash and questions on how he was elected in the first place and I think we all know what that's referring to. How some people thought he was going to save everyone, but ended up going on a mind-controlling spree (okay that last part isn't true yet).
Not an American, but amen to that, Natalie.
At first, I was thrown into the story without any background whatsoever and everything was happening all at once. To say that I was confused was an understatement. There's these family fights, lots of tears, the blue pills, Hunter whisking Natalie away to his house because there's something going on, and then gunshots, and then all three were on the run. Add Natalie's inner panicking monologue and her never-ceasing anger toward her mother and we've got a very confused reader (read: me).
As the story progressed, I got less confused (but not quite not confused) because I still didn't know what the heck was going on. Maybe it was meant to be a mystery, but I did not feel the urgency to know the mystery. Not enough for me to start flipping the pages and swallowing the book. Nevertheless, I continued at my usual pace and discovered the characters and the actual secret government plot about 50% into the book. I feel like it would be better if that happened earlier because everything that happened before that felt like it was just setting the pace of the story and world-building. After that, things were a lot fast-paced, there was finally some action and a lot of progressions.
I'm going to be very honest, and this is going to sound really mean. I hate Natalie. She erupts into fits of anger and yelling, not only at her mom (understandable, she kept big secrets) but at the most random of times throughout the book. One moment, she was lamenting about how life is never going to be the way it was, and the next thing you know, oh she's screaming again. For someone who doesn't do much, she sure screams a lot.
I really tried to sympathise with her, I really did. And at first, it was refreshing to see a female character finally not being a strong person in the face of being hunted by the government. You're supposed to feel scared! It was refreshing to see someone break down in that situation. But that novelty quickly wore off when she didn't stop thinking about her feelings and the countless times she gave up before even struggling, saying that death's hand is wrapping around her throat.
I definitely would have given this book a much higher rating if not for Natalie's constant depressing monologue about self-pity, sudden surges of feeling powerful and embracing death. Other people who are really into monologues might find this enjoyable, though!
The other characters were fine. Ethan was great, we really get to see him break down and change throughout the journey. Hunter, eh, not so much. I feel like he was just put there to keep Natalie alive because she keeps on freezing and accepting death (I'm doing it again! I can't help it, the amount of times I say it in this review doesn't even compare to how many times she's said it!).
The later chapters were great and the story ended on a cliffhanger. I would like to know what happens next to the trio, and I'll give the next book a try, but if I see one more scene of Natalie self-pitying, I'll just settle for skimming through it.
If you'd like to read the first 4 chapters of this book for free, sign up for Michael's newsletter over here!
I received an electronic copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The truth sometimes hurts, but what if it kills?
— Natalie
The plot of this book is great and unique. It's a story about the government mind-controlling the population, and the only way to not be affected is by eating this blue pill, and our characters: Natalie, Hunter, and Ethan, had these pills forced down their throats by their family. It's not about a special teen trying to overthrow the government (no overused trope here!). It's just about normal kids on the run. Also, mind control, guys! Although the full impact of Protocol 00 wasn't shown in this book, I'm sure the next book will have more of that. We do get a sneak peek of how it works and what it's used for in this one.
The political references in this book, oh god, it was to die for. There's talk about President Ash and questions on how he was elected in the first place and I think we all know what that's referring to. How some people thought he was going to save everyone, but ended up going on a mind-controlling spree (okay that last part isn't true yet).
"How could we elect a man as incompetent and corrupt as President Ash? How did we allow our country to turn to complete shit?!"
Not an American, but amen to that, Natalie.
At first, I was thrown into the story without any background whatsoever and everything was happening all at once. To say that I was confused was an understatement. There's these family fights, lots of tears, the blue pills, Hunter whisking Natalie away to his house because there's something going on, and then gunshots, and then all three were on the run. Add Natalie's inner panicking monologue and her never-ceasing anger toward her mother and we've got a very confused reader (read: me).
As the story progressed, I got less confused (but not quite not confused) because I still didn't know what the heck was going on. Maybe it was meant to be a mystery, but I did not feel the urgency to know the mystery. Not enough for me to start flipping the pages and swallowing the book. Nevertheless, I continued at my usual pace and discovered the characters and the actual secret government plot about 50% into the book. I feel like it would be better if that happened earlier because everything that happened before that felt like it was just setting the pace of the story and world-building. After that, things were a lot fast-paced, there was finally some action and a lot of progressions.
I'm going to be very honest, and this is going to sound really mean. I hate Natalie. She erupts into fits of anger and yelling, not only at her mom (understandable, she kept big secrets) but at the most random of times throughout the book. One moment, she was lamenting about how life is never going to be the way it was, and the next thing you know, oh she's screaming again. For someone who doesn't do much, she sure screams a lot.
I really tried to sympathise with her, I really did. And at first, it was refreshing to see a female character finally not being a strong person in the face of being hunted by the government. You're supposed to feel scared! It was refreshing to see someone break down in that situation. But that novelty quickly wore off when she didn't stop thinking about her feelings and the countless times she gave up before even struggling, saying that death's hand is wrapping around her throat.
I definitely would have given this book a much higher rating if not for Natalie's constant depressing monologue about self-pity, sudden surges of feeling powerful and embracing death. Other people who are really into monologues might find this enjoyable, though!
The other characters were fine. Ethan was great, we really get to see him break down and change throughout the journey. Hunter, eh, not so much. I feel like he was just put there to keep Natalie alive because she keeps on freezing and accepting death (I'm doing it again! I can't help it, the amount of times I say it in this review doesn't even compare to how many times she's said it!).
The later chapters were great and the story ended on a cliffhanger. I would like to know what happens next to the trio, and I'll give the next book a try, but if I see one more scene of Natalie self-pitying, I'll just settle for skimming through it.
Love can hold us all together, but it can also destroy us at the same time. Love can be the best thing to experience, or it can evoke a hell of endless pain upon you.
— Natalie
If you'd like to read the first 4 chapters of this book for free, sign up for Michael's newsletter over here!
I received an electronic copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
April 23, 2018
Thank you to the author for sending me a review copy.
I enjoyed it.
Control Freakz by Michael Evans is book 1 in a Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi trilogy.
After the world has crashed, and the current government has begun to control the population, Natalie, her boyfriend and a very close friend of theirs become outcasts, and together, they set out on a life changing expedition. They end up becoming refugees at a camp where they are living in hiding from the controlling government. Fear for their own lives as well as the lives of the loved ones that were taken from them, consumes Natalie’s ever day thoughts. Natalie wants nothing more than to save her family, and get back the happy, safe life she once lived. Slowly, day by day, everything they love is ripped from them, and the three of them must find the courage to change their fate, and the fate of the entire country, if that is even a possibility in this destructive, controlling world. This begins their dangerous hunt to discover the truth.
First off, it is important to note that the author of this book is still in high school. The author’s age did factor into my review of this book. Overall, I liked the book, and enjoyed reading it. I really liked the setting, the plot, the story line, and the premises where most of the story took place.
The story has a fast paced, plot that kept me entertained the entire time. The book started off with a bang, which is fantastic, and helps to capture the readers attention right from the start. The story hit climax quickly, and then stayed there. While this can be beneficial to keep the readers interest, I was in the beginning wanting, and hoping for more information, into why and how things came to be what they are. Later, during the story, we come to learn of some of the missing pieces through Natalie’s memories. It took a while to have all the pieces fall into place for me, but they eventually did come together, about a quarter of the way through the book.
The writing was impressive for the author’s age. The book was eloquently written. A majority of the writing focused and centered around Natalie’s anguished, saddened, dreary thoughts, and her worse fears. However, despite this, my one issue with this book was that I did not connect with the main character much. I feel that I never really got to know Natalie as an average teenage girl, therefore I did not find her too interesting. Because of this lack of connection, I did not connect with the other characters as much either, and I think that is because the story is told through Natalie’s perspective, and she is the one introducing the other characters to the reader. I would have wanted to see more character development formed from the beginning, not only for Natalie but also for Hunter and Ethan.
I am giving this book a 4-star rating because half star ratings are not an option on most review sites. Otherwise it would receive a 3.5 start rating from me. I rounded up to 4 stars rather than rounding down to 3 after much consideration; because in general, I really did enjoy it.
Overall, this book was well put together, and well written. Book 2 has the potential to be amazing. This book ended on a cliff hanger, and I am invested and interesting in reading book 2, when it is released. I cannot wait for my ARC of book 2.
If this sounds like the book for you, click on the link below to sign up for the Author’s newsletter and you can receive a sample (the first 4 chapters) of Control Freakz for free.
http://eepurl.com/dgyBHv
I enjoyed it.
Control Freakz by Michael Evans is book 1 in a Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi trilogy.
After the world has crashed, and the current government has begun to control the population, Natalie, her boyfriend and a very close friend of theirs become outcasts, and together, they set out on a life changing expedition. They end up becoming refugees at a camp where they are living in hiding from the controlling government. Fear for their own lives as well as the lives of the loved ones that were taken from them, consumes Natalie’s ever day thoughts. Natalie wants nothing more than to save her family, and get back the happy, safe life she once lived. Slowly, day by day, everything they love is ripped from them, and the three of them must find the courage to change their fate, and the fate of the entire country, if that is even a possibility in this destructive, controlling world. This begins their dangerous hunt to discover the truth.
First off, it is important to note that the author of this book is still in high school. The author’s age did factor into my review of this book. Overall, I liked the book, and enjoyed reading it. I really liked the setting, the plot, the story line, and the premises where most of the story took place.
The story has a fast paced, plot that kept me entertained the entire time. The book started off with a bang, which is fantastic, and helps to capture the readers attention right from the start. The story hit climax quickly, and then stayed there. While this can be beneficial to keep the readers interest, I was in the beginning wanting, and hoping for more information, into why and how things came to be what they are. Later, during the story, we come to learn of some of the missing pieces through Natalie’s memories. It took a while to have all the pieces fall into place for me, but they eventually did come together, about a quarter of the way through the book.
The writing was impressive for the author’s age. The book was eloquently written. A majority of the writing focused and centered around Natalie’s anguished, saddened, dreary thoughts, and her worse fears. However, despite this, my one issue with this book was that I did not connect with the main character much. I feel that I never really got to know Natalie as an average teenage girl, therefore I did not find her too interesting. Because of this lack of connection, I did not connect with the other characters as much either, and I think that is because the story is told through Natalie’s perspective, and she is the one introducing the other characters to the reader. I would have wanted to see more character development formed from the beginning, not only for Natalie but also for Hunter and Ethan.
I am giving this book a 4-star rating because half star ratings are not an option on most review sites. Otherwise it would receive a 3.5 start rating from me. I rounded up to 4 stars rather than rounding down to 3 after much consideration; because in general, I really did enjoy it.
Overall, this book was well put together, and well written. Book 2 has the potential to be amazing. This book ended on a cliff hanger, and I am invested and interesting in reading book 2, when it is released. I cannot wait for my ARC of book 2.
If this sounds like the book for you, click on the link below to sign up for the Author’s newsletter and you can receive a sample (the first 4 chapters) of Control Freakz for free.
http://eepurl.com/dgyBHv
March 24, 2018
Control Freakz
By Michael Evans
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟✨(2,5)/5
Synopsis:
This book is set in a dystopian future. Natalie and her boyfriend Hunter are forced to flee from the government together with their friend Ethan. They search for shelter and for answers, but both is not that easy to come by in a country where everything is controlled by the president and is government.
My thoughts:
...about the story
The idea of the story itself is very interesting. However, I found too many plot holes in this book to let them go unnoticed. And the twists weren’t that surprising either, since it was obvious that something was wrong with certain persons.
The story processed very slowly, since the novel focused more on the feelings than on the story.
There were also some jumps in time, which I found confusing, since they didn’t add much to the story.
…about the characters
Ethan and Natalie are definitely interesting persons. Both have a nice background. Hunter is often only there to be a perfect opposite of Natalie. And the evil guys ware just evil, or at least that’s what it felt like, because you never got to know their reasons. However, sometimes Natalie annoyed me with her extremely pessimistic attitude.
…about the world
I liked the idea of this world. The idea that you can control humans with technology. The idea about the development into this society, which is, honestly, not that far fetched. Sadly, this didn’t really play a major role in this book. I would have loved to learn more about it, but it is only introduced at the end of the novel, basically on the last few pages, which I found sad. But even here some questions remained open.
…about the style
The emotions were described in a really interesting and nice way. However, it became repetitive after some time. I’m not sure how many times I read “paralysed, numb, shiver down my spine” and similar things. But because of this I soon had the feeling that the book basically consisted of those things. And after some time it’s simply enough. Of course you are scared or panicked, but please, not the whole time. It’s just too much and leads to me skimming the paragraphs for important things.
So this book earns two and a half stars.
By Michael Evans
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟✨(2,5)/5
Synopsis:
This book is set in a dystopian future. Natalie and her boyfriend Hunter are forced to flee from the government together with their friend Ethan. They search for shelter and for answers, but both is not that easy to come by in a country where everything is controlled by the president and is government.
My thoughts:
...about the story
The idea of the story itself is very interesting. However, I found too many plot holes in this book to let them go unnoticed. And the twists weren’t that surprising either, since it was obvious that something was wrong with certain persons.
The story processed very slowly, since the novel focused more on the feelings than on the story.
There were also some jumps in time, which I found confusing, since they didn’t add much to the story.
…about the characters
Ethan and Natalie are definitely interesting persons. Both have a nice background. Hunter is often only there to be a perfect opposite of Natalie. And the evil guys ware just evil, or at least that’s what it felt like, because you never got to know their reasons. However, sometimes Natalie annoyed me with her extremely pessimistic attitude.
…about the world
I liked the idea of this world. The idea that you can control humans with technology. The idea about the development into this society, which is, honestly, not that far fetched. Sadly, this didn’t really play a major role in this book. I would have loved to learn more about it, but it is only introduced at the end of the novel, basically on the last few pages, which I found sad. But even here some questions remained open.
…about the style
The emotions were described in a really interesting and nice way. However, it became repetitive after some time. I’m not sure how many times I read “paralysed, numb, shiver down my spine” and similar things. But because of this I soon had the feeling that the book basically consisted of those things. And after some time it’s simply enough. Of course you are scared or panicked, but please, not the whole time. It’s just too much and leads to me skimming the paragraphs for important things.
So this book earns two and a half stars.
April 9, 2018
Three teens are on the run from the government in this young adult adventure that draws out raw emotions of this compelling dystopian novel. Natalie, Ethan and Hunter must find a way to battle against the forces of Protocol 00 when their families are taken and they could be next.
I found Control Freakz to be very fast paced and little confusing, to say the least. It is categorized as young adult but the lature language is very wrong for that type of demographic.I also felt the book lacked a lot of originality as I have read many books exactly like this one in the past and kept waiting for something new to give me hope for this book. With the loophole of the opposite pill colours as the Matrix, I felt like Evan’s could have came up with something more original to stick towards the plot and really develop the story into a cutting edge adventure.
I feel like there is many plot holes that need to be filled and that could really be touched on and further developed to make this story even better. As this is a fast paced book, I felt like it was too fast paced as I felt that it was rushed into the climax and I didn’t get enough backstory and this led to me losing interest. As much as I wanted to connect with Natalie, I found her character very repetitive and “eh”, I wanted to know more about her, her feelings and I really wanted to just shake her and tell her to tell me something I didn’t already see coming.
To say the least, Michael Evan’s opening novel is good but just didn’t stick with me. I wish there was more information to the story and it lacked originality for my liking. I rated this book ⅖ stars.
I found Control Freakz to be very fast paced and little confusing, to say the least. It is categorized as young adult but the lature language is very wrong for that type of demographic.I also felt the book lacked a lot of originality as I have read many books exactly like this one in the past and kept waiting for something new to give me hope for this book. With the loophole of the opposite pill colours as the Matrix, I felt like Evan’s could have came up with something more original to stick towards the plot and really develop the story into a cutting edge adventure.
I feel like there is many plot holes that need to be filled and that could really be touched on and further developed to make this story even better. As this is a fast paced book, I felt like it was too fast paced as I felt that it was rushed into the climax and I didn’t get enough backstory and this led to me losing interest. As much as I wanted to connect with Natalie, I found her character very repetitive and “eh”, I wanted to know more about her, her feelings and I really wanted to just shake her and tell her to tell me something I didn’t already see coming.
To say the least, Michael Evan’s opening novel is good but just didn’t stick with me. I wish there was more information to the story and it lacked originality for my liking. I rated this book ⅖ stars.
March 23, 2018
Fast-paced plot with twists
This is part dystopian, part fantasy but full of twists and turns that it was hard to stop in parts and not finish chapters. Great storytelling!
This is part dystopian, part fantasy but full of twists and turns that it was hard to stop in parts and not finish chapters. Great storytelling!
January 13, 2019
I liked this one even though it was rather YA...
July 24, 2018
Read my review here: http://madisonsinkwell.com/control-fr...
March 10, 2018
Control Freakz is a YA Science Fiction/Psychological novel that follows teenager Natalie after everything she’s loved is taken from her.
Going into reading this novel I was not exactly sure what to expect. I can’t say I’ve ever read a psychological thriller. This novel was defiantly a new flavor for me. I gave it a four star review.
I felt the story was a slow read in the beginning, but once the action started to occur I could barely put it down. The one thing I really enjoyed about Control Freakz was the look into the main character’s mind. Evans didn’t just say that Natalie did this or Natalie did that, no, he explained why she did it, what she was feeling in every moment. I’ll admit some things felt repetitive but this writing style made Natalie feel real and human.
I really liked the character development in this novel. I believe any story is an incomplete story without a character changing in someway from beginning to end. Control Freakz is definitely a complete story. I’ll just say that the characters changed a lot from the first pages of the novel.
How real this novel feels almost terrifies me. A power-hungry President who’s made the country a living hell...I’m just going to leave it at that.
I think Control Freakz is a great book and it impresses me even more that it was written by a fifteen year old. I barely wrote a collection of short stories for a school project when I was seventeen and even that I look back on with cringe. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a not typical run of the mill story, a story where you can understand the going ons of a character.
September 4, 2019
Area 51...
This was a new kind of book for me. I could feel the desperation in the characters and the longing for something better. Good read
This was a new kind of book for me. I could feel the desperation in the characters and the longing for something better. Good read
May 29, 2018
I was so excited to finally read a YA book written by a teen, and this definitely did not disappoint me!
Natalie is with her friends Ethan and Hunter when their lives are torn apart and then she has to hide with them. They are running away from the government, and encounter others along their journey that they have to decide whether to trust or not.
The world-building of this novel was amazing. I loved reading about the new government and how things had changed in the dystopian world.
One of the main things that I also liked about this book was the character development. Natalie's small group changes so much in this book as they encounter new people, move away from family, and discover new things about each other. I felt that the teens seemed to really act their age and were relatable in some ways, even in their immaturity in some instances.
I also enjoyed the plot speed. Nothing seemed too slow or too fast, everything just moved along quite smoothly. I especially enjoyed the twists. The book was a perfect length. I didn't feel like I was dragging through it, but I did feel satisfied after finishing it.
My only real complaint about this novel was the ending. The ending just seemed confusing, and I wasn't really sure what was going on. Everything else before that had been smooth, but all of a sudden I didn't understand who the villain really was. Everything smoothed out in the last few pages but it was a bit rocky during the middle of the climax. I think the ending could have been an easier read.
Nevertheless, for a first book written by a teen, this was excellent. I will definitely be reading the rest of Evans' work, and I suggest that if you are a teen or have a teen that you read it too. This is finally a book that is more relatable than others simply because it is not written by an adult who is trying to either make teens seem like adults or make teens seem like middle schoolers.
I would recommend this novel to lovers of YA fiction, especially teens who want to support an author their own age.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Natalie is with her friends Ethan and Hunter when their lives are torn apart and then she has to hide with them. They are running away from the government, and encounter others along their journey that they have to decide whether to trust or not.
The world-building of this novel was amazing. I loved reading about the new government and how things had changed in the dystopian world.
One of the main things that I also liked about this book was the character development. Natalie's small group changes so much in this book as they encounter new people, move away from family, and discover new things about each other. I felt that the teens seemed to really act their age and were relatable in some ways, even in their immaturity in some instances.
I also enjoyed the plot speed. Nothing seemed too slow or too fast, everything just moved along quite smoothly. I especially enjoyed the twists. The book was a perfect length. I didn't feel like I was dragging through it, but I did feel satisfied after finishing it.
My only real complaint about this novel was the ending. The ending just seemed confusing, and I wasn't really sure what was going on. Everything else before that had been smooth, but all of a sudden I didn't understand who the villain really was. Everything smoothed out in the last few pages but it was a bit rocky during the middle of the climax. I think the ending could have been an easier read.
Nevertheless, for a first book written by a teen, this was excellent. I will definitely be reading the rest of Evans' work, and I suggest that if you are a teen or have a teen that you read it too. This is finally a book that is more relatable than others simply because it is not written by an adult who is trying to either make teens seem like adults or make teens seem like middle schoolers.
I would recommend this novel to lovers of YA fiction, especially teens who want to support an author their own age.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
March 21, 2019
First I’d like to say that this book was written and published by a high schooler. As a high schooler myself, I recognize this as a tremendous feat. Writing a full length novel on top of managing schoolwork, grades, and a social life is incredible in and of itself. I jumped into this story with higher expectations than I should have had, overwhelmed by the excitement of reading something written by someone my own age. Before I jump into this review I’d like to say that there are some things I enjoyed and quite a few things I had problems with.
Let’s start with the problems.
Right from the beginning there’s a mysterious cloud over the world, as we’re not given much information about it. While not everyone considers this a bad thing, I was a bit confused. The world is developed slowly as the book progresses and I did find myself satisfied with the amount of information I understood by the end of the novel.
The character development was what bothered me most. As there is very, very little if any. The main character, Natalie, has this pessimistic view of her life throughout the entire book, ready to accept death every time she comes close. I don’t want to say much about the rest of her personality as it may spoil parts of the plot, but I will say this; early on, the story skips forward three years, and while I was surprised by this it didn’t bother me and it worked with storyline, you’d think someone would mature or change a bit going from 15 to 18 years old. Apparently not.
There were also some minor characters I would have liked to feel more attached to, people who Natalie claims to have been very close to, but without seeing more of them they felt unnecessary and distracting. Same goes for the love interest and secondary character Hunter. Again, I don’t want to go into depth because of spoilers, but there wasn’t much depth to the relationship which made it unnecessary and interrupted scenes that I had been previously enjoying.
I want to briefly mention the writing, but I know that comes with experience and I found this to be a respectable attempt for a first book. The phrasing did tend to repeat and I found myself rolling my eyes at cheesy and cliche lines oftens.
Ok, now onto the good stuff.
The plot. The idea behind the plot caught me from the beginning. I was thrown directly into the chaos of the world, the characters having to fight for their live and trying to figure out what was really happening. Evans seemed to know just the right amount of information to give the reader to keep them reading. We get the majority of the information very close to the end and I do wish I had seen that earlier on, as to have more time the comprehend the ending. Parts the middle did drag on a bit longer than I would have liked, so I did feel in a rush to finish. The ending left me unsatisfied, and while it is the first in a trilogy, I’m not compelled to continue.
Had the pacing been altered a bit, I would have given the book 3 stars. I truly did enjoy the plot and I do want to continue supporting Michael Evans and other young authors.
I would appreciate if others tried out the book, regardless of what you got from my review.
*this is also my first full review, and am still working how to write them*
Let’s start with the problems.
Right from the beginning there’s a mysterious cloud over the world, as we’re not given much information about it. While not everyone considers this a bad thing, I was a bit confused. The world is developed slowly as the book progresses and I did find myself satisfied with the amount of information I understood by the end of the novel.
The character development was what bothered me most. As there is very, very little if any. The main character, Natalie, has this pessimistic view of her life throughout the entire book, ready to accept death every time she comes close. I don’t want to say much about the rest of her personality as it may spoil parts of the plot, but I will say this; early on, the story skips forward three years, and while I was surprised by this it didn’t bother me and it worked with storyline, you’d think someone would mature or change a bit going from 15 to 18 years old. Apparently not.
There were also some minor characters I would have liked to feel more attached to, people who Natalie claims to have been very close to, but without seeing more of them they felt unnecessary and distracting. Same goes for the love interest and secondary character Hunter. Again, I don’t want to go into depth because of spoilers, but there wasn’t much depth to the relationship which made it unnecessary and interrupted scenes that I had been previously enjoying.
I want to briefly mention the writing, but I know that comes with experience and I found this to be a respectable attempt for a first book. The phrasing did tend to repeat and I found myself rolling my eyes at cheesy and cliche lines oftens.
Ok, now onto the good stuff.
The plot. The idea behind the plot caught me from the beginning. I was thrown directly into the chaos of the world, the characters having to fight for their live and trying to figure out what was really happening. Evans seemed to know just the right amount of information to give the reader to keep them reading. We get the majority of the information very close to the end and I do wish I had seen that earlier on, as to have more time the comprehend the ending. Parts the middle did drag on a bit longer than I would have liked, so I did feel in a rush to finish. The ending left me unsatisfied, and while it is the first in a trilogy, I’m not compelled to continue.
Had the pacing been altered a bit, I would have given the book 3 stars. I truly did enjoy the plot and I do want to continue supporting Michael Evans and other young authors.
I would appreciate if others tried out the book, regardless of what you got from my review.
*this is also my first full review, and am still working how to write them*
February 2, 2018
The verdict: While bumpy and a bit rambling in parts, a solid first effort from a young author.
As the first novel from a young and developing writer, Control Freakz showcases Michael Evans's creative aptitude. I respect Evans enough to offer the same critiques I would for more experienced authors. The novel digs its roots into popular culture and certainly knows its YA audience, although trimming the fat on long passages of internal dialogue would help to speed along the narrative. References to robotics and the global economy are realistic enough to suggest a plausible near future, even if the too-extreme dystopian world leaves little room for a moral gray area. To his credit, Evans answers the questions he raises and still ends on a cliffhanger. Genre fans who like to imagine the world beyond the text will find good starting points here.
Natalie Parker, a moody and overly dramatic 15-year-old with a dad who worked in Area 51 before going MIA, faces a new reality when the government enacts Protocol 00. In the years following a global stock crash, the president creates a totalitarian state and demands a national genocide of anyone who resists. Most strange of all is the mysterious blue pill that Natalie's mom makes her swallow, allegedly for her protection. Soon on the run with boyfriend Hunter and techie neighbor Ethan, Natalie must escape the government hitmen chasing her across the Southwest, racing toward a refugee camp atop Camelback Mountain. Three years later, a disillusioned and increasingly vengeful Natalie searches for answers and her missing family, and the ever-present government threat pulls her back into the dystopian world.
In the non-stop adrenaline rush, sometimes the narration feels like a cameraman with shaky hands, and it's hard to know which way is up between the shouts. Especially early on, Natalie's first-person voice screams that she's about to die in just about every situation. A whirlwind information dump in the first chapter hits a little too fast, which may partially exist due to how easily characters can find information on the internet. For this reason, many of the big reveals later on feel more given than earned. Of course, all modern fiction has to grapple with that problem—how do stories build suspense when the answers are one computer search away? Later chapters slow down and focus on the characters. Natalie grows in confidence and assertion, offering some hope in the face of darkness. The not-so-veiled political references surprised me a bit—at one point Natalie thinks that "maybe if people in this country weren't so ignorant," then the world would not have collapsed. Parts of the narration have a hardcore punk sort of tone that I found a bit jarring and forced. Evans opens the door for a deeper sci-fi exploration as he unveils the implications of the blue pill (a reverse-Matrix color scheme, whether intentional or not), and Control Freakz makes a promising starting point for future writing. Recommended for young adult readers who can't quite get enough of the anti-government dystopian genre and won't mind the long descriptions.
As the first novel from a young and developing writer, Control Freakz showcases Michael Evans's creative aptitude. I respect Evans enough to offer the same critiques I would for more experienced authors. The novel digs its roots into popular culture and certainly knows its YA audience, although trimming the fat on long passages of internal dialogue would help to speed along the narrative. References to robotics and the global economy are realistic enough to suggest a plausible near future, even if the too-extreme dystopian world leaves little room for a moral gray area. To his credit, Evans answers the questions he raises and still ends on a cliffhanger. Genre fans who like to imagine the world beyond the text will find good starting points here.
Natalie Parker, a moody and overly dramatic 15-year-old with a dad who worked in Area 51 before going MIA, faces a new reality when the government enacts Protocol 00. In the years following a global stock crash, the president creates a totalitarian state and demands a national genocide of anyone who resists. Most strange of all is the mysterious blue pill that Natalie's mom makes her swallow, allegedly for her protection. Soon on the run with boyfriend Hunter and techie neighbor Ethan, Natalie must escape the government hitmen chasing her across the Southwest, racing toward a refugee camp atop Camelback Mountain. Three years later, a disillusioned and increasingly vengeful Natalie searches for answers and her missing family, and the ever-present government threat pulls her back into the dystopian world.
In the non-stop adrenaline rush, sometimes the narration feels like a cameraman with shaky hands, and it's hard to know which way is up between the shouts. Especially early on, Natalie's first-person voice screams that she's about to die in just about every situation. A whirlwind information dump in the first chapter hits a little too fast, which may partially exist due to how easily characters can find information on the internet. For this reason, many of the big reveals later on feel more given than earned. Of course, all modern fiction has to grapple with that problem—how do stories build suspense when the answers are one computer search away? Later chapters slow down and focus on the characters. Natalie grows in confidence and assertion, offering some hope in the face of darkness. The not-so-veiled political references surprised me a bit—at one point Natalie thinks that "maybe if people in this country weren't so ignorant," then the world would not have collapsed. Parts of the narration have a hardcore punk sort of tone that I found a bit jarring and forced. Evans opens the door for a deeper sci-fi exploration as he unveils the implications of the blue pill (a reverse-Matrix color scheme, whether intentional or not), and Control Freakz makes a promising starting point for future writing. Recommended for young adult readers who can't quite get enough of the anti-government dystopian genre and won't mind the long descriptions.
February 13, 2018
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Control Freakz is about three teenagers caught in the middle of a government controlled project. The story is told through Natalie’s first person view. Natalie is a 16 year old girl whose parents are both involved with the government on a career level and desperately try to shield her from the truth.
From the very first chapter there is action and drama. Natalie’s character appears to be very dramatic and there is a lot of inner monologue and extreme depression. I am not sure if the author intended for her to be so anxious and depressed to show how the events she was going through was effecting her mentally or not. She is repeatedly thinking death is waiting for her at every corner. Unfortunately, for me, the constant inner monologue and little plot movement caused me to get a little bored.
The journey the characters go through was interesting and had the basic action and drama. The characters consistently have no clue what is going on and I was also just as much in the dark. That typically would add suspense written in the right way; however, in this instance,it continuously left me a little lost and confused.
Much is wrapped up in the last four chapters. The ending provides some closure and leaves a cliffhanger. Not sure if this is the first book of a series or just meant to keep you pondering. Regardless, I was very satisfied with the ending.
For being a sci-fi novel, I expected a lot more futuristic technology and lingo. Towards the very end of the book you do finally get to imagine a futuristic government and what that may look like. This is the first “YA” category novel I have read and don’t have the experience to comment on if the novel fits that category well. There is no sex scenes, little swearing and sporadic “mild” violence. All things I would assume are common in YA novels. But again, I do not know.
Each chapter’s page length was short; however, the rambling inner monologue of the character Natalie made the chapters drag on. Would really have liked to see more character building with Ethan and Hunter who were her companions during the entire journey.
I personally enjoy a novel written in third person. You get better pictures of the scene, the characters, and connect with the story better. This is the first novel I have read in a while that was written in first person and it did remind me why I have the preference that I do.
The author being just a young man himself writes very passionately and his talent is very promising. I would definitely look forward to reading more of his work in the future. Overall, this book was good and I give it 3 Stars!
Control Freakz is about three teenagers caught in the middle of a government controlled project. The story is told through Natalie’s first person view. Natalie is a 16 year old girl whose parents are both involved with the government on a career level and desperately try to shield her from the truth.
From the very first chapter there is action and drama. Natalie’s character appears to be very dramatic and there is a lot of inner monologue and extreme depression. I am not sure if the author intended for her to be so anxious and depressed to show how the events she was going through was effecting her mentally or not. She is repeatedly thinking death is waiting for her at every corner. Unfortunately, for me, the constant inner monologue and little plot movement caused me to get a little bored.
The journey the characters go through was interesting and had the basic action and drama. The characters consistently have no clue what is going on and I was also just as much in the dark. That typically would add suspense written in the right way; however, in this instance,it continuously left me a little lost and confused.
Much is wrapped up in the last four chapters. The ending provides some closure and leaves a cliffhanger. Not sure if this is the first book of a series or just meant to keep you pondering. Regardless, I was very satisfied with the ending.
For being a sci-fi novel, I expected a lot more futuristic technology and lingo. Towards the very end of the book you do finally get to imagine a futuristic government and what that may look like. This is the first “YA” category novel I have read and don’t have the experience to comment on if the novel fits that category well. There is no sex scenes, little swearing and sporadic “mild” violence. All things I would assume are common in YA novels. But again, I do not know.
Each chapter’s page length was short; however, the rambling inner monologue of the character Natalie made the chapters drag on. Would really have liked to see more character building with Ethan and Hunter who were her companions during the entire journey.
I personally enjoy a novel written in third person. You get better pictures of the scene, the characters, and connect with the story better. This is the first novel I have read in a while that was written in first person and it did remind me why I have the preference that I do.
The author being just a young man himself writes very passionately and his talent is very promising. I would definitely look forward to reading more of his work in the future. Overall, this book was good and I give it 3 Stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2018
The story takes place in the United States in the future. Why do I say it in the future? Because, people have ICL, Internet Contact Lens that allows them to have some information. In that day, the government provides pieces of information which have been selected before. So, most of the people sometimes got the latest news, which has been filtered and did not know the truth behind that news.
We would meet Natalie, the lead female character who always asked the same question every day, "why her dad disappeared and was he dead yet?" That thought always came to her mind and when she asked her mom, her mother would stare at her like she never knew who was her husband in her entire life. Also, her brother who tried to avoid her from the topic about their father.
Every day, they have to take a blue pill. Though, Natalie does not know why she has to take that pills and what is the benefit of taking that pills? Her mother would make sure that she would take that pills. When Natalie does not take the pills, she ever thorough the hardest time and her mom said the blue pills help her a lot.
Besides the existence of blue pills, Natalie has a good friend, his name is Hunter. When she faced the hardest part of her life, Hunter always there for her. That's why she still has a good day every day. Either Hunter and Natalie, both have the same condition. Natalie's father has been left without any information left and Hunter's mom has been left without a trace as well. Both have been sharing the same moment and pain together.
One day, after crying at her mom, asked where was her father gone and why? Natalie and Hunter have to escape from the government. That was so thrilling moment! President Ash always tried to control anything of his people, their mind, their population (that's why the reason people have to take that pills every day. Just to decrease the population), and control the news as well.
I like how Evan packed the storyline. He also has a good writing style which makes me could not put it down while reading. Keep up the good works, bro! You still have a lot things to be fix, butI like it so far. Evans gave me this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for the chance, Evans.
We would meet Natalie, the lead female character who always asked the same question every day, "why her dad disappeared and was he dead yet?" That thought always came to her mind and when she asked her mom, her mother would stare at her like she never knew who was her husband in her entire life. Also, her brother who tried to avoid her from the topic about their father.
Every day, they have to take a blue pill. Though, Natalie does not know why she has to take that pills and what is the benefit of taking that pills? Her mother would make sure that she would take that pills. When Natalie does not take the pills, she ever thorough the hardest time and her mom said the blue pills help her a lot.
Besides the existence of blue pills, Natalie has a good friend, his name is Hunter. When she faced the hardest part of her life, Hunter always there for her. That's why she still has a good day every day. Either Hunter and Natalie, both have the same condition. Natalie's father has been left without any information left and Hunter's mom has been left without a trace as well. Both have been sharing the same moment and pain together.
One day, after crying at her mom, asked where was her father gone and why? Natalie and Hunter have to escape from the government. That was so thrilling moment! President Ash always tried to control anything of his people, their mind, their population (that's why the reason people have to take that pills every day. Just to decrease the population), and control the news as well.
I like how Evan packed the storyline. He also has a good writing style which makes me could not put it down while reading. Keep up the good works, bro! You still have a lot things to be fix, butI like it so far. Evans gave me this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for the chance, Evans.
April 9, 2018
Ok, I was really excited to read this book. It had a cool premise and usually I like dystopian type books. However, I have been trying to finish this since January. I was intrigued by the beginning, but it quickly went downhill. If I am going to enjoy something, it's not going to take four months for me to read it. Thus, it's a DNF for me. (Which is rare...)
The story was fairly slow moving. There were some action scenes (done quite nicely actually) but most of the story consisted of Natalie's inner thoughts. Natalie (the main character) tended to talk only about how terrible her life was or how much she loved Hunter. Speaking of Hunter, he was portrayed as the perfect guy with perfect hair and beautiful eyes and limited personality. I became kind of tired of listening to Natalie talk on and on about him, as there's wasn't much to Hunter.
Natalie herself was not a bad character, she just had too many thoughts. She is constantly thinking about everything going wrong, which gets very repetitive. Also, some of her thoughts were written in italics, which I found unnecessary. Those same thoughts would have flowed better without the italics.
Frequently, the location or time would change without any warning, and I would be very confused as to what was going on. At one point, the story jumped forward three years, and it took quite a while for me to figure that out. Other times, there were small location changes, but the transitions were not solid.
On a more positive note, I really liked the descriptions of the city and the surrounding areas. All of the settings were described wonderfully, and you could really get a sense of where the characters were and what they were seeing. I also liked the big idea of the story. It had great potential and had the start of something awesome. I like the idea of a futuristic place similar to our current world that has taken a wrong turn, and several elements mimicked aspects of our current society.
Overall, this was just not the book for me. Just because I did not enjoy the book does not mean someone else won't. It was a great foundation for a first novel, and I would be interested in seeing what else the author will create.
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy!
The story was fairly slow moving. There were some action scenes (done quite nicely actually) but most of the story consisted of Natalie's inner thoughts. Natalie (the main character) tended to talk only about how terrible her life was or how much she loved Hunter. Speaking of Hunter, he was portrayed as the perfect guy with perfect hair and beautiful eyes and limited personality. I became kind of tired of listening to Natalie talk on and on about him, as there's wasn't much to Hunter.
Natalie herself was not a bad character, she just had too many thoughts. She is constantly thinking about everything going wrong, which gets very repetitive. Also, some of her thoughts were written in italics, which I found unnecessary. Those same thoughts would have flowed better without the italics.
Frequently, the location or time would change without any warning, and I would be very confused as to what was going on. At one point, the story jumped forward three years, and it took quite a while for me to figure that out. Other times, there were small location changes, but the transitions were not solid.
On a more positive note, I really liked the descriptions of the city and the surrounding areas. All of the settings were described wonderfully, and you could really get a sense of where the characters were and what they were seeing. I also liked the big idea of the story. It had great potential and had the start of something awesome. I like the idea of a futuristic place similar to our current world that has taken a wrong turn, and several elements mimicked aspects of our current society.
Overall, this was just not the book for me. Just because I did not enjoy the book does not mean someone else won't. It was a great foundation for a first novel, and I would be interested in seeing what else the author will create.
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy!
May 21, 2018
***DISCLAIMER: I received an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.***
Control Freakz is a YA dystopian novel set in the future where there is MANY technological advancements. Oh & a corrupt government that is trying to brainwash everyone. Okay, don’t get me wrong with my rating, I DID like this, heck even enjoyed it. But there were a couple things that just weren’t for me, but keep in mind, YOU might like the things I didn’t. But, first lets start with what I did like.
You do become invested with the characters (though it takes awhile to) & there is always cliffhangers, hey fun! The plot is really interesting & it kind of reminds you of divergent (keep in mind, I didn’t really enjoy divergent so maybe this is why it wasn’t a big hit with me?), though I did like this more. At the end, you’re left at the edge of your seat & I didn’t even realize I had finished & automatically wanted to read the next. Also, the authors inspiration behind this trilogy is really heartwarming & you can feel it throughout the whole book.
First off, it was really descriptive, okay you must be thinking, “ISN’T THAT A GOOD THING?!” Yeah it is. For SOME people. I mean obviously I want it to be an in depth novel but I felt like it had unnecessarily long descriptive paragraphs that made it harder for me to get invested with the books & characters (i eventually did). Secondly, one of the main characters was literally obsessed with dying, mentioning death, then all of the sudden finding hope out of no where which would only last like two seconds. Also, there was a time jump around the middle of the novel that could have been played off WAYY smoother, I hadn’t even realized that it had happened & I was really, really confused.
This novel had its good things & its bad things (which all books have), & I think everyone should give it a fair chance because not everyones tastes are the same. I am genuinely interested & excited for the next book in this trilogy. I also think I will enjoy the next one more because i’m used to his really descriptive writing by now & know what to expect out of it. Also, how impressive is it that the author is only 15?!?!
Control Freakz is a YA dystopian novel set in the future where there is MANY technological advancements. Oh & a corrupt government that is trying to brainwash everyone. Okay, don’t get me wrong with my rating, I DID like this, heck even enjoyed it. But there were a couple things that just weren’t for me, but keep in mind, YOU might like the things I didn’t. But, first lets start with what I did like.
You do become invested with the characters (though it takes awhile to) & there is always cliffhangers, hey fun! The plot is really interesting & it kind of reminds you of divergent (keep in mind, I didn’t really enjoy divergent so maybe this is why it wasn’t a big hit with me?), though I did like this more. At the end, you’re left at the edge of your seat & I didn’t even realize I had finished & automatically wanted to read the next. Also, the authors inspiration behind this trilogy is really heartwarming & you can feel it throughout the whole book.
First off, it was really descriptive, okay you must be thinking, “ISN’T THAT A GOOD THING?!” Yeah it is. For SOME people. I mean obviously I want it to be an in depth novel but I felt like it had unnecessarily long descriptive paragraphs that made it harder for me to get invested with the books & characters (i eventually did). Secondly, one of the main characters was literally obsessed with dying, mentioning death, then all of the sudden finding hope out of no where which would only last like two seconds. Also, there was a time jump around the middle of the novel that could have been played off WAYY smoother, I hadn’t even realized that it had happened & I was really, really confused.
This novel had its good things & its bad things (which all books have), & I think everyone should give it a fair chance because not everyones tastes are the same. I am genuinely interested & excited for the next book in this trilogy. I also think I will enjoy the next one more because i’m used to his really descriptive writing by now & know what to expect out of it. Also, how impressive is it that the author is only 15?!?!
August 26, 2018
I received a free copy for an honest review.
3.5/5 stars.
This book was a very good attempt, but ultimately it was very flawed. The story had a really good potential with the "evil government" idea, and the mixture of suspense, action, mystery, and even dystopia could've been executed much better. It also didn't help with the very unlikable narrative.
I immediately realized that the narration was going to be a problem seven pages into the book. I always say that exclamation marks in dialogue are great, they demonstrate emotion and tone, but NEVER put them in narrations. If you do, do not exceed five times if you can in the entire book . I hate exclamation marks in narratives. It makes the narration sound extremely childish, ridiculously panicky, and just really annoying and weird. So when the book had five different exclamation marks in the narratives…
I also failed to truly connect with the characters. The annoying, panicky, and almost loud narration of our protagonist definitely didn’t make me like her, and the others were all…meh. The story-line was also a good attempt at mystery, and the author definitely did a decent job with the unraveling procedure’s pace.
The “deep” and meaningful (almost depressing) monologues from our protagonist’s head also really reminded me of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. Although Mafi’s writing style is a bit more unique, it’s just that I find the “life-changing” thoughts both characters have in their minds and their extreme breakdowns really similar.
This may sound like a bad thing, but these inner monologues also overlap with one thing that I found myself still holding on to after closing the book. The inner monologues talk a lot about important themes such as coming to age, depression, hope, and one thing that really caught my attention – politics. Every artist's work is another child from a piece from the artist themselves. Nothing can ever be truly original. These politics ideas (because the government is evil in this book, that’s why there are so many commentaries regarding this topic) reflects on the thoughts the author has himself, and for his age, those are some really, really wise thoughts that some really hit me hard. These monologues moment, when they’re done well, can really make you just think… “damn”.
3.5/5 stars.
This book was a very good attempt, but ultimately it was very flawed. The story had a really good potential with the "evil government" idea, and the mixture of suspense, action, mystery, and even dystopia could've been executed much better. It also didn't help with the very unlikable narrative.
I immediately realized that the narration was going to be a problem seven pages into the book. I always say that exclamation marks in dialogue are great, they demonstrate emotion and tone, but NEVER put them in narrations. If you do, do not exceed five times if you can in the entire book . I hate exclamation marks in narratives. It makes the narration sound extremely childish, ridiculously panicky, and just really annoying and weird. So when the book had five different exclamation marks in the narratives…
I also failed to truly connect with the characters. The annoying, panicky, and almost loud narration of our protagonist definitely didn’t make me like her, and the others were all…meh. The story-line was also a good attempt at mystery, and the author definitely did a decent job with the unraveling procedure’s pace.
The “deep” and meaningful (almost depressing) monologues from our protagonist’s head also really reminded me of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. Although Mafi’s writing style is a bit more unique, it’s just that I find the “life-changing” thoughts both characters have in their minds and their extreme breakdowns really similar.
This may sound like a bad thing, but these inner monologues also overlap with one thing that I found myself still holding on to after closing the book. The inner monologues talk a lot about important themes such as coming to age, depression, hope, and one thing that really caught my attention – politics. Every artist's work is another child from a piece from the artist themselves. Nothing can ever be truly original. These politics ideas (because the government is evil in this book, that’s why there are so many commentaries regarding this topic) reflects on the thoughts the author has himself, and for his age, those are some really, really wise thoughts that some really hit me hard. These monologues moment, when they’re done well, can really make you just think… “damn”.
December 27, 2017
http://www.alittlebitofrnr.com/2017/1...
I am not sure really what to think of this story. I felt it had a decent plot three teens are forced into hiding from the government because of a protocol called Protocol 00. It seems that the government is hiding something and will stop at nothing to make sure those that are not mindlessly following them get kidnapped by a group called hitman.
I just felt the story went from being too rushed, to not having enough back story, to being too long.
So we have Natalie whose father took off and her mother is very secretive but forces her to take a blue pill that was the last she saw of her mother and brother. When she turns to her best friends Hunter and Ethan they all find themselves on the run from the government. As we see a few action scenes, friendships on a thin edge of ice we end up getting to get a bit of information towards the end on why this was done.
Though I still was a bit confused as to how this truly all came to happen. What was the time frame for all this going on. We start a scene with the teens on the run, then all of a sudden they are trying to find food, move on to trying to find a settlement. It just seems to all come together without really sticking if that makes sense.
I could not relate to the characters in any way or connect with them. One thing that stuck out with me is the language now I have read a lot of books with bad language in them. This one was completely clean of language until towards the end with a character losing their temper. That threw me off because the language wasn't used through out the book so why now?
I think this story could use with a bit of back story on how this all came about and more character building.
I think the author has a great talent of writing a story that deals with the future and the government and what they can control. It is actually kind of scary. I hope this author continues to write and grow a bit more and created more worlds for us to read.
I am not sure really what to think of this story. I felt it had a decent plot three teens are forced into hiding from the government because of a protocol called Protocol 00. It seems that the government is hiding something and will stop at nothing to make sure those that are not mindlessly following them get kidnapped by a group called hitman.
I just felt the story went from being too rushed, to not having enough back story, to being too long.
So we have Natalie whose father took off and her mother is very secretive but forces her to take a blue pill that was the last she saw of her mother and brother. When she turns to her best friends Hunter and Ethan they all find themselves on the run from the government. As we see a few action scenes, friendships on a thin edge of ice we end up getting to get a bit of information towards the end on why this was done.
Though I still was a bit confused as to how this truly all came to happen. What was the time frame for all this going on. We start a scene with the teens on the run, then all of a sudden they are trying to find food, move on to trying to find a settlement. It just seems to all come together without really sticking if that makes sense.
I could not relate to the characters in any way or connect with them. One thing that stuck out with me is the language now I have read a lot of books with bad language in them. This one was completely clean of language until towards the end with a character losing their temper. That threw me off because the language wasn't used through out the book so why now?
I think this story could use with a bit of back story on how this all came about and more character building.
I think the author has a great talent of writing a story that deals with the future and the government and what they can control. It is actually kind of scary. I hope this author continues to write and grow a bit more and created more worlds for us to read.
March 23, 2018
I recieved this book for free in exchange for an honest review from the author. He found me thanks to the community that is The Book Robin Hoods!! A community that brings together writers and reviewers in an efficient way!
Control Freakz is a wonderful telling of a dystopian post-apocalyptic survival. It, to me, felt different than most dystopian stories in the way that it was written because it was not from the point of view of a natural survivor (such as Katniss or Four) but from someone following the natural survivor, the tag-along if you will.
The story is from the point of view of our main character, Natalie, who I would not classify as a typical or strong female lead. She relies heavily on those around her for support and safety. She battles heavily with mental anxiety and anguish throughout the story and that adds a but of a psychological battle to the story ontop of the government control.
I like that the story didn't end on a happy note, and on a not quite cliff hanger. It definitely leaves the possibility for more, and my imagination has gone wild with the possibilities of what happened to the characters. However, since it's the first in a trilogy I'm anxiously waiting to find out what will actually happen!!
Control Freakz is a wonderful telling of a dystopian post-apocalyptic survival. It, to me, felt different than most dystopian stories in the way that it was written because it was not from the point of view of a natural survivor (such as Katniss or Four) but from someone following the natural survivor, the tag-along if you will.
The story is from the point of view of our main character, Natalie, who I would not classify as a typical or strong female lead. She relies heavily on those around her for support and safety. She battles heavily with mental anxiety and anguish throughout the story and that adds a but of a psychological battle to the story ontop of the government control.
I like that the story didn't end on a happy note, and on a not quite cliff hanger. It definitely leaves the possibility for more, and my imagination has gone wild with the possibilities of what happened to the characters. However, since it's the first in a trilogy I'm anxiously waiting to find out what will actually happen!!
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