**I received these books from the author in exchange for my honest review, book 3 comes out in December, it's my hope that I will be considered for reviewing that one as well**
I rated book 1 (The City Center) 5/5 stars and book 2 (The New Agenda) 4/5 stars
Synopsis of The City Center per goodreads:
During the man-made apocalypse in the 21st century, a group of elites killed off a majority of the population. Only two groups of survivors remained––those selected to reside inside the Los Angeles City Center and the rebels, relegated to live on the Outside.
Centuries later, Ava Rhodes is one of five potential successors competing to become the next Queen of the City Center. A week prior to the final competitions she encounters Joseph, a rebel from the Outside, and discovers her utopian home is actually a prison and breeding facility aimed at designing the perfect human. She escapes with Joseph to the Outside world, sending the City Center’s leader, Chief Morray, into an obsessive pursuit for his property.
Along the journey, Ava falls in love with Joseph and discovers an even darker secret about the fate of her people. She must decide whether to stay with Joseph, or save her people from destruction
Synopsis of The New Agenda per goodreads:
For certain, society was disintegrating: humans were self-destructive and wildly uncontrolled. But young William Morray had hoped, as an idealistic teenager, that his father’s acclaimed Repatterning Program––a precursor to the brilliant New Agenda––could manage the upheaval and get society back on track.
They said it was for the greater good: out of chaos comes order and from the ashes the phoenix will rise. They said the Repatterning was a positive event, but like most advertising, it was a lie.
William’s wish had always been to work with his father and win his approval. However, when he is sent away to a remote underground safety shelter in Denver, William is awakened to the grisly truth that the Repatterning is a mass genocide. And worse: his father, the New Agenda leader, is the spearhead of this horrifying plan to eradicate all cities, homes and people outside of the Elite citizenship. William decides to team up with an underground rebel alliance to end the Repatterning and save what’s left of civilization
My thoughts on these books:
These books are part of The New Agenda series written by Simone Pond, the dystopian post apocalyptic world, seemingly run by a man obsessed with young and beautiful elite people.
The City Center takes place in a center that has nothing but elite people. There is a bit of a contest going on between young top notch and beautiful boys and girls to take over King and Queen and the royal court, while the current royals were going to a magical beautiful island specifically for retired people. One of the competitors is our main character, Ava who has always felt like she doesn't really belong, she is different than most of the elite. She meets an outsider who begin to change her way of thinking. Morray, the leader of the group of elites is a bit entranced with her, and wants her for himself, while Josef, the outsider, has awaken Ava's feelings. I liked this book because of the world building, the characters, and how smooth the reading was, I didn't stumble or get bored, and actually read it pretty much in one sitting. The one thing I wasn't sure of, was the ending it seemed to wrap up nicely and couldn't figure out how a couple more books would come out of it.
The New Agenda, was a bit harder to get into, only because it was written in the viewpoint of William, before he became "Morray" of book one. After falling in love with Ava and Josef of book one, it was harder to switch. I had a little bit of a hard time seeing the young William, really transfer to Morray, it seemed to me like one day he was William, the next day he was Morray to me, and it didn't seem to be a smooth transition between the two. I couldn't figure out how he got so cold all of the sudden.
I am completely entranced with this series, and I can't wait to get my hands on the third one, I am so curious to see what point of view, and which direction this book is going to take, and if we get some answers. Who Ava is to Morray, and where Morray is at, and things like that. Great series!
