The Woodlands by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

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The Woodlands by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

The Woodlands

by: Lauren Nicolle Taylor
My Rating: five-stars



Published by: Clean Teen Publishing on August 22nd 2013
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

ISBN: 1940534038

Pages: 278
Series: The Woodlands #1



Synopsis

When being unique puts you in danger and speaking your mind can be punishable by death, you might find yourself fighting to survive.


Sixteen-year-old Rosa lives in one of the eight enclosed cities of The Woodlands. Where the lone survivors of a devastating race war have settled in the Russian wilderness because it’s the only scrap of land left habitable on the planet.


In these circular cities, everyone must abide by the law or face harsh punishment. Rosa's inability to conform and obey the rules brands her a leper and no one wants to be within two feet of her, until she meets Joseph. He's blonde, fair-skinned, green-eyed, and the laid-back complete opposite of Rosa. She's never met anyone quite like him, and she knows that spells danger.



But differences weren't always a bad thing. People used to think being unique was one of the most treasured of traits to have. Now, the Superiors, who ruthlessly control the concrete cities with an iron fist, are obsessed with creating a 'raceless' race.

They are convinced this is the only way to avoid another war.

Any anomalies must be destroyed.

The Superiors are unstoppable and can do anything they want. After all, they are considered superheroes by the general public. But not everyone sees them this way. When they continue to abuse their power by collecting young girls for use in their secret, high-tech breeding program, they have no idea that one of those girls has somehow managed to make friends even she didn't know she had. And one man will stop at nothing to save her.






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It’s three o’clock in the morning (so forgive any typos—I’m so tired). I just finished “The Woodlands” by Lauren Nicolle Taylor and, wow, I really, really enjoyed it! This is the first book I’ve read of Taylor’s and I’m always a little apprehensive when I read something from an author I just “met.” Plus, it’s a dystopian, post-apocalyptic and I’ve been laying of that genre; I’ve read so many, I wanted to change things up. But I’m so glad I read “The Woodlands!”

 

 

Okay, you know the drill—I don’t give out plot info in my reviews. Like I tell my kids, “you have to read the book.” I know everyone gets sick of hearing that, but, honestly, you need to read the book. The description and world building was incredible. There’s no way I can convey how beautifully written it was in a few sentences. The descriptions of the world the characters live in were so vivid, I could see it…feel it, like I was there with them.

 

 

The plot—like I mentioned earlier it’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian with a touch of tender romance. Well, there are a lot, a lot, a lot of books of that genre floating around, which doesn’t bother me too much since it’s one of my favorite genres to read. However, I’ve read so many in the last few months I was getting tired of them—they all seem a like in some way—and drifting into different genres. However, “The Wooodlands” is a dystopian that veered away from the norm. I loved the idea of the rings (read the book to know what they are) and the “classes” of the residents. The school, or classes as the residents call them, were a different touch, too. I liked the differing emotions and reactions when the children were taken from their home and sent to the classes.

 

The characters were written well. They each had a unique personality and a place in the story. Secondary characters were there for a reason, they weren’t just shoved into the story for the sake of having characters fill in gaps. I liked the two main characters. Rosa had a lot of issues. She dealt with anger and trust issues, which kept her story interesting, but was sometimes hard for me to identify with. There were several times I wanted to bop her on the head and tell her to get her crap in a row. But ultimately, her life situation would have given anyone a tough, fiercely independent personality, with a problem asking for help, and trust issues. Rosa’s character had a lot of depth, and even when I thought she was doing something incredibly stupid, I still rooted for her and wanted to see her get her happily ever after with Joseph (ah, Joseph).

 

 

Thinking of Joseph, and how he loved Rosa—issues and all—makes me think of the book’s ending. On one hand, it ended beautifully. It was tender and sweet and just what I was hoping for, for Rosa. On the other hand, damn you Lauren Nicolle Taylor!

 

 

I started frantically flipping screens on my Kindle. UGH! It wasn’t really a cliff-hanger, but it was. HA! Figure that one out. There were some major unanswered questions that I’m sure will be addressed in the second book, but I want to know NOW!! And while the second book, “The Wall,” is available, I’m committed to review another book right after this one, so I can’t read it yet and I’m pulling my hair out.

 

 

The plot was well thought out and the story was fresh and unique. I was pulled into the story in the first chapter and didn’t want to put it down…I was afraid the characters would do something without me! I got really annoyed when I had to take a break from reading.

 

 

Bottom line: great story! I highly recommend. My only complaint is the book is the first in a series…I’m off to read the next book in “The Woodlands Series.” I’m sure “The Wall” is going to be just as captivating and the first book!

About Lauren Nicolle Taylor

Lauren Nicolle Taylor lives in the lush Adelaide Hills. The daughter of a Malaysian nuclear physicist and an Australian scientist, she was expected to follow a science career path, attending Adelaide University and completing a Health Science degree with Honours in obstetrics and gynecology.



She then worked in health research for a short time before having her first child. Due to their extensive health issues, Lauren spent her twenties as a full-time mother/carer to her three children. When her family life settled down, she turned to writing.


She is a 2014 Kindle Book Awards Semi-finalist and a USA Best Book Awards Finalist.

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