"Influence" by David Bernstein (Review)

Influence is a dystopian novel that follows our protagonist, Kaylin who's on the run with her friend Amanda. She has the unique ability to "push" which makes her a target of The Magnus Order and Vernon Society.

Influence was a wonderful, intriguing novel. I like how the writing flowed all throughout the story making it more of a treat. Kaylin was a genuine protagonist, you could just feel her emotions and in a way understand her. Kaylin and Amanda, her friend, have a seemingly unbreakable bond which I personally appreciated. Influence is different from other dystopian books, the plot building made the book flow on by and keeps you wanting more of the bonds of friendship or the action in the adventure. For all those reason, I believe this reading is well written.

Now then, onto one of the more saddening parts, the problems I found. Personally I adored this book and read it fairly quickly yet it at times felt rushed for me. The beginning felt a tad bit slow and uneventful but that didn't really bother me at first. It wasn't until I was a little more than half way through the novel that I just wanted more action and excitement. In the end, there were some parts of the novel felt like it was rushed. Other than that minor issue, I found relatively no problems with the novel.

All in all, I genuinely would recommend this book to anyone and truly any dystopian fan. This novel does not disappoint. I'm intending to read the next addition in the series when it comes out.

I'm giving Influence a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Hope you enjoyed! Caio-

"Maresi" by Maria Turtschaninoff (Review)

Maresi is a strongly feminist novel where abused women are sent to an island where men aren't allowed to travel. The men are not even allowed to walk upon the island. In this novel, there are essentially two main characters, Maresi and Jai. Maresi essentially tells us the story of her life on the island while teaching Jai, the newcomer, as well as the trouble that follows her. Be careful of getting too attached as this is a fairly short read of 208 pages.

Maresi is a dystopian novel and while that made it rather immersive. The novel gave a more in-depth look at a world where women are second class citizens. Essentially, men are the antagonists.

l sincerely enjoyed the descriptive element in how Maresi explained all the activities that the girls could do on the island. It was enjoyable that they explained how and why the girls were on the island. In all reality, some were there due to their families wanting them to have a better life. I, as well, enjoyed the serenity and in many cases, difficulty of how their lives played out. Unfortunately that trouble that followed wasn't very interesting, if at all. The girls have to face their destiny and well you get the idea. This in turn just made the novel feel annoying or bothersome at times.

What I must say I didn't enjoy was how some of the plot played out. Even though I had enjoyed the majority of the novel. At times it felt slow lacking key elements that all stories are meant to have. I would warn those who are sensitive to violence against women or even rape to be careful when reading this.

All in all, I would recommend this book but be careful of the trigger warnings. I do recommend this though to feminists or even anyone though women will most likely enjoy this novel more than men. 

I'm giving this book a 3.7 out of 5. Caio!