Great concept but the second part of the story left me disappointed.

Violet is the sixteen year-old daughter of the founding father New Earth and she has lived a life of prosperity, peace, safety, and comfort. Life is easy thanks in part to the Intercept, a crime prevention device that monitors your thoughts and emotions and can potentially use them against you in order to keep the peace for all on New Earth. When Danny, her long time crush gets into a dangerous situation down on Old Earth, Violet decides to secretly begin investigating. Her findings lead her to question everything she knows about Danny, her father, and the Intercept.

I was really looking forward to to reading The Dark Intercept by Julia Keller. Unfortunately, it didn't really work for me. This is actually one of those stories where I preferred the concept to the final execution. Basically, it's a YA sci-fi dystopian that deals with the issue of the state controlling your emotions and thoughts. Think 1984, except instead of Big Brother you have the Intercept. The Intercept monitors everything - if you try to commit a crime, it makes you relive your worst memory and feel all of emotions that went along with it. It's pretty effective that way at stopping crimes - and it's a government approved program. Sounds pretty intriguing, doesn't it? I was totally expecting something along the lines of 1984, Minority Report, and a dash of the Dementors from the Harry Potter series. The first half seemed fairly promising as it begins to set up our characters and the world although at a slower pace. By the end, though, I realized I wasn't invested in the characters and there's not enough development in the individuals, or when it building their relationships. I was also disappointed with the world-building of New Earth, the background on it and Old Earth, and the Intercept itself. Unfortunately, all of these are lacking as well - I should have had less questions regarding each by the time I made it through that rushed ending.

Overall, The Dark Intercept by Julia Keller has a lot of potential to be a good YA sci-fi dystopian in the vein of a couple of classics. It didn't quite work out for me as I felt there wasn't enough world building or character development to really be invested in the long run. You may want to try this series opener if you are looking for a YA novel with the flavor of 1984 or Minority Report. By the way, I have to admit that I was totally waiting for a cat nun to show up!

Reading the synopsis of this book and seeing the cover already sold the book for me. However, I never expected it to have so many impacts on me. I love the whole concept of the book. It gives me something to think about and it makes me realize how important emotions are.

I think I like the plot more than the characters. The plot twist after plot twist keeps me on the edge of my seat. I feel like I've seen enough female protagonist to not be wowed by Violet but I also think that she is the perfect character in this story.

I could go on and on with this book. I probably would in my blog. Will surely post a review when the book comes out!

The first half of this book was goooood--really good! I was into it and I was *liking* it... and then it completely went awry. I'm not even sure what had happened... the second part felt too rushed, too confusing, and it was a chore to get through!

A new YA series that will keep you wanting more. Julia Keller Has written something both masterful and inticing. Young or old, the story grabs you from the first page until it's gripping conclusion. The books that follow will no doubt continue the exciting tone set in this initial story.

The idea of the state controlling the emotions of its citizens is always a compelling one to explore, but the way the tech is explained doesn't make any sense. Why would people agree to this?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “The Dark Intercept” by Julia Keller. I am sorry to say that this story did not keep my attention. It was a slow start and I never felt that gripping moment where I really became interested. I think if the story had more drive I would have found it more compelling.

It started off slow, but had potential. Even though some of the ideas were overdone (controlling emotions, different rules for different social classes, etc.), I liked a lot of aspects of it. However, the 2nd and 3rd pars of the book were very rushed. So much happens, and it is not fleshed out/disingenuous to the story.