Review for Ultraxenopia by M.A. Phipps

Ultraxenopia by M.A. Phipps

Blurb:

BOOK ONE IN THE YOUNG ADULT DYSTOPIAN TRILOGY PROJECT W. A. R.


Don't stand out. Blend in. Remain invisible. Those are the rules I lived by - the rules I thought would keep me alive.

I was wrong.

Wynter Reeves is a law-abiding citizen of the State, a willing conformist whose daily life is haunted by terrorism and oppression. With the constant threat of death hanging over her like a shadow, she forces herself to live by a strict set of rules, all in the hope of ensuring she is never noticed. However, on her twenty-first birthday, as she prepares to take the placement exam that will determine her future within society, she begins to show symptoms of a rare and debilitating illness - ultimately attracting the attention of the State. Taken into the custody of the feared research facility known as the DSD, her worst nightmare becomes reality.

Ripped away from the life she knew, Wynter is forced to become the test subject of the mysterious Dr. Richter. Through him, she learns the true and terrifying nature of her condition: a disease called Ultraxenopia.

Review:

I read this book as a part of a Blind Date with a Book (more on this in another post). I honestly was really excited when I started the book, it felt new and wonderful. I love dystopian books and this seemed to have a fantastic premise.

"Don’t stand out. Blend in. Remain invisible."

That line had me hooked! And the cover! I LOVED the cover! Ultraxenopia started out well, but somewhere in the middle I lost interest. I would have shelved it as DNF but I was way too invested in what happens at that point. There are two main things that bugged me. First was that the world building felt incomplete. Like this is a new dystopian world that we are being introduced to and there's not much explanation as to what happened and why. In some places there are some explanations, but they seem hasty. I felt like I picked up the second book in the series or I missed a prequel novella that explains everything. The other thing that bothered me was the characters. For some reason I felt that I didn't get to really know them. And it bothered me because there is such great potential for them there. I wish that the book was more fleshed out and had less inner monologues. 

I wish there was more is what I keep coming back to. I really do think there's a good scope for this story and it does have the potential to grow and become very popular. It just needs more!

Ugh I feel weird after writing this review. I've avoided it for weeks now. I'm going to go watch some feel good shows. K?

oxox

TJ