YATT Spotlight ~ Surrender

Welcome to another edition of our Young Adult Teen Tuesday meme. I've got a special treat for you today that I'm all fan-girl over!! It's a fabulous YA sequel bursting with action, fantastic world-building, and romance.

Title: SURRENDER
Author: Elana Johnson
Genre: Dystopian
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: June 5th, 2012
Pages: 480

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review.

Favorite Line/Passage: Cannon applied the dissolvall to remove the permaplaster, and my hand came free with a terrible squelching sound. Tears streamed down my face at the tender way he touched me, as if I were made of glass and might shatter at any moment. I was eternally grateful protocol said matches could touch each other; if I didn't have Cannon to hold on to after a drain, I didn't know how I'd survive. 

Description: The thrilling and seductive sequel to Possession puts love on the line in a dystopian struggle for independent thought.


Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…     


Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.     


All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

COVETED! MUST HAVE!!

My Splats: A tale of action, intrigue, and the undying spark of human nature to fight for survival. 

The sequel continues in Freedom, where the world is still broken and being free still translates to submissive behavior and doing what the government orders. Two new characters are introduced, Raine and Gunner--acquaintances at best. Neither are fond of following the paths their lives are on and seek to change their current existence by affiliating with underground rebels. 

Initially, we have the typical boy-knows-girl for years and has a hidden crush on her. But soon the story presents the reader with twists and turns, forging Raine and Gunner's paths together both emotionally and for their freedom. As their individual lives crumble, they find solace in each other and a reason to find true freedom. The dangers to discover what lies beyond the walls of their bound world slowly shrink.  

The characters are individuals, yet weave in a way to effectively move the story forward and deepen the dystopian edge. Raine's father is a perfect character for young adult fiction, giving a great parallel to how teens can sometimes view their parents. He's overbearing and controlling, everything a teen wants to avoid. And Raine wants what most teens want: to be who she is. This subliminal message definitely added to my interest in Raine and her world. But I won't fool you; he's not just her dad but Freedom's ruler. Frankly, I didn't like him at all.

Raine has a tough exterior, but is really soft inside, desiring nothing more than to make her own life choices. A life match has been chosen for her, as is what happens with everyone. And although her match is a friend, she knows they will never be anything more than just friends.

As much as I enjoyed Raine's voice and point-of-view of her world, I absolutely loved Gunner and the view of Freedom through his eyes. Everything about him, from his open attitude to his intellect to his warm heart and desire to do what's right says what teen girls want. For that matter, it says what most people want out of a significant other. His cautious yet flirtatious beginnings with Raine pulls off well and slowly builds as the reader gains momentum towards the climax of the story. I especially enjoyed Johnson's clever way of having Raine and Gunner, as well as other characters, say what they didn't mean and then using their inner thoughts to help them sort out their wants and feelings. This kept me on my toes. 

Decisions must be made and risks must be taken to change their world. Johnson does a wonderful job of aligning scenes and events to increase tension and mystery. I love a story where I can melt into the world building, believing in its reality. And this story has a natural feel from the world to its characters. I'm excited to see where Johnson takes the story next.

For more YA, visit these YATT Meme Supporters:

Margo Berendsen

The Write Game

Julie Musil (not every wk)

Rosewood Pencil Box

Misha Gericke (not every wk)

Fairbetty's World 

Concrete Pieces of Soul 

The B.L.O.G (The Bizzare Life of One Girl)  

A Day into the Writer

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