An interesting YA read that kept me engaged into the wee hours of the night. I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC

As usual, Eric Walters has hit it out of the park with THE FOURTH DIMENSION. This Canadian Author is a master of character driven fiction.

5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was hard to get into this book. The way the daughter talked to the mom in the opening pages didn’t seem realistic. It was very rude and not what would be appropriate in a family relationship.

When a blackout strikes, cell phones die and cars stall, it seems like the end of the world to 15 year old Emma. Just to be safe, Emma's, ex-Marine mother Ellen, decides that the family will boat out to a small island and wait it out. When they realize that the world they know has completely changed, they band with a nearby community for survival.

I thought this was a typical shtf prepping book. The characters were a bit flat, and the angst between Ellen and Emma just disappeared seemingly overnight. The community they banded together - a group of thespians, yoga instructors and new age families - just seemed unrealistic. Overall, not a bad book, just not one I would reread.

Eric Walters is one of my favorite YA authors, and I particularly appreciate the range of his offerings, from his charming, romantic take on promposals in Say You Will to his dystopian End of Days series that begins with an asteroid heading straight for Earth. Fourth Dimension is another dystopian, this one triggered by a massive and mysterious power outage.

It'ss written in a very credible fashion, making these events very real. The young heroine, Emma, comes quickly of age and into her strengths as a strategist and fighter. This is an exciting, gripping read that can be enjoyed by all ages - and I really hope it never happens!

This book attracted me with a great premise, but lost me once it fell into the rut that made me stop watching The Walking Dead: holy repetitiveness.

I've never read Eric Walters before, but the premise of this kind of apocalyptic world sounded so promising. In the end, I was left underwhelmed, bored and disconnected. I was left with several questions that didn't leave a feeling of satisfaction in finishing. For instance, we never learn what caused the loss of power to the world. The central theme of the book, and it is never answered. After I started reading this, I learned that this is some sort of companion novel to a trilogy that is centred in the same world. Maybe that one answers what happened, but the lack of an answer in this one really irked me when I hit that last page. Not only that, but the way this story ended was so abrupt and peculiar that I was really left disappointed.

Considering there was no power, and the world was going to hell, I didn't get a sense of what should have been high stakes. In the beginning I definitely got that vibe of the world falling apart and the worry that came with that, but it lasted about a quarter of the way through the book. What killed that vibe was the main character Emma's mother, and the general ... convenience of how things worked out for them as a family. Ellen is a former marine, and her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She had an answer for everything: how to get clean water, food, travelling around. There was no challenge to their survival. Even when dealing with other groups of survivors, her demeanour came across as a mix of passive and manipulative. "Now I know this is your place, and we want in, but we're not going to come out and say that, but you need to defend it, but I'm not going to tell you how, because this is your community, but I have ideas. But I won't tell you, because it's not my place." Over and over.

In keeping with such high stakes and danger, I felt very little connection to the other people in the story. They were mainly strangers to Emma that she saw in passing, and that translated to me. They had no names, no important role. They suffered, they died, and I felt nothing. Emma remarked on it in no heavy terms, and as such it went right over my head. Even with the people Emma did care about that died, I gave no thought to them. Mainly because I couldn't remember who on earth they were.

As I mentioned earlier, I stopped watching The Walking Dead because it got far too repetitive. The creativity was gone after the first few seasons. There are only so many zombie attacks and battles with other communities you can sit through before it gets boring. The same goes for this story. It fell into a pattern of attack, defend, peace for a bit, meet a new group, repeat. The creativity was lost once I got halfway through, which was disappointing.

On a side note, I finally understand how annoying it is for a reader when there is an abundance of exclamation marks on a single page. :)

This could have been great. The writing was nice, as was the imagery, but the plot events and the characters left me wanting more.

2.5/5

I requested an ARC through NetGalley for my 14 year-old son as he is a fan of Eric Walters’ work. This is his review:

3.5 stars “Pretty good book but could be better”

The book overall was not what I expected. The plot became too repetitive after a while and the character development wasn’t very good. I would have liked to have more info on Willow and Chris and some other characters. It started well with suspense but after it got a bit boring and the relationships between some characters were barely there at all. The detail in this book is quite good, but some parts need to be improved. I preferred some of his other works, such as “The Rule of Three”.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

15-year-old Emma was only supposed to go on a camping trip over the weekend for "quality time" with her ex-Marine mother and younger brother. Then the power went out, cars stopped working and cell phones became bricks. Far from her deployed father and their Marine friends they indefinitely hide out on the islands in the bay. As people become desperate to find food and shelter, the threat of violence becomes all too real.


The short review...

Before anyone crucifies me for my rating, this is a middle grade book. Actually its one of those annoying ones that verges on YA too. These are hard to review properly because they don't meet YA criteria but they have themes and situations that are above middle grade. I always consider these middle grade!

For a middle grade book this is excellent! Emma started out so bratty that I did consider DNFing but with the dangerous situation they are in she quickly become the one her mother relies on. It was just so realistic, that was what I liked about it the most. I know middle grade kids would enjoy this and even teens who want to read about being a marine. The journey of Emma growing from a self absorbed teenager to a respectful and responsible young adult is engaging and powerful. I kept thinking that I would have become a dystopian fan way earlier if they had these books when I was a young teen!!

I appreciated that her ex-Marine mother wasn't eliminated but was incorporated and necessary for the story. That her role was to teach Emma so that when her daughter got into situations the girl could choose to act! The setting was used expertly to create a unique environment where a Marine's knowledge could be used yet a teenager could provide ideas needed to adapt quickly to the different situations. Adults may not enjoy this as much because there wasn't a single outrageously fantastical thing that happened in the book (compared to typical YA fare this felt more tame).


Cover & Title grade -> A-

I quite like this cover. It's what drew me to reading the premise! I do wish it reflected the setting a little better, especially near the bottom of the cover where clearly showing they were on a forested island would have better suited the story. It does appear one is standing on a distant shore and looking at the city, but the telephone pole gives mixed messages. I quite loved the title and actually raised the cover rating from a B+ to an A- because it suited the story absolutely perfect!


Why were the realistic aspects so dynamite?

Emma's mother felt like a marine!
This was a totally essential aspect of the story. In this lawless situation law enforcement and military personal and family are the most likely to survive because they have skills. Giving characters the back history without the actual means makes for a contrived story... but Emma's mom had all the survival skills and weapons knowledge that are part and parcel of being a Marine! She also had strategy and tactical knowledge that was the REAL clincher for both authenticity's sake and for the powerhouse plot.

They had to earn each safe port!
Have you ever read a dystopian where the protagonists happens to find a safe place and then there is all this internal conflict? Yes, well so have I, and its so contrived! People who are in relatively safe positions wouldn't just allow anyone to enter, unless there was a reason to. I loved how Emma's mother being a marine started them out safe for the moment, but that it wasn't easy and they had to wait and bide their time. They had to take advantage of situations, risk with people and barter for their services. And each time they thought they'd gotten safer... the problems also became bigger!

Emma's journey suited a 15 year old!
This is a pretty controversial fact, but as a 15 year old Emma is pretty helpless. Normally in YA books we show a teen acting like a 30 year old with 30 years of experience in life and able to beat out adults. Instead of Emma playing this unrealistic role, she acted her age!

Emma listened to her mother and relied on her Marine training. She had a bow and arrows and stuck to them (because she'd been taught them earlier). When they got into sticky situations Emma took the initiative (like a young person would) but also looked to her mother to do her part. She asked questions to understand why her mother was taking the actions she was for their family. And she thought about what was said and shared her own ideas. It wasn't Emma saving the world, but it was Emma making her contribution to her own survival.

Emma is a 15 year old who has realized that her safe and insulated world is gone, probably for good. Now she's a young adult who has to play a part in her own survival. She isn't freaking out, she's a Marine's daughter and they listen, learn and take action! If that sounds good, then you'll want to read this book.

BOTTOM LINE: Great if you want to read about being a Marine in a dystopian world!

I liked this book it was more than interesting enough and evolved enough to keep an adult as interested as a teen!

Emma and her family are some of the lucky ones. When the mass power outage hit the US, they were just getting ready for a camping trip. All they did was change the venue to the nearby islands, since they had their canoe ready to go. Emma's mom is also a former Marine medic, battle trained and prepared for anything. They're going to need all the luck and help they can get in this continuation of Eric Walters' Rule of Three series about how quickly civilized behavior breaks down when the end of the world hits.
Walters is a great writer that fills his books with energy and thrills. I love that this series has lots of strong female characters!

This was a fun read, and although not very tense, it flowed easily. I found all the characters likable, and the world situation is interesting (just as it is in Rule of Three -- it's the same incident and the same world). I liked all the Rule of Three books, but one thing this had to offer beyond those was the role of the females -- it wasn't only Emily but her mom who truly starred throughout, and I like their strength and determination. If there's another, I'll definitely look for it!

Emma is used to moving, that is what happens when you are a military brat. Now her mother has her moving again, but not because of the military. There is a lot of construction happening in her building and Emma isn’t really concerned when the power goes out. Her family is ready to leave on their camping trip, so they adjust their plans a little and kayak to a small island nearby. As the days progress they continue to wonder how long the power will be out. Can they stay hidden from the people nearby? What violence may be in their future?

Fourth Dimension is the fourth book in The Rule of Three series. It is not a direct sequel; I would consider it more of a companion novel. The events in this story run parallel to the first three books in the series. Some of the characters from these original books have cameo appearances in this novel, but readers can read this book and enjoy it without having read any of the other books. A fun read and I can’t wait to see where the story might go next.

This book started out with a lot of potential.  The family dynamics between Emma, her mother, and her brother are realistic and amusing, and the imagery is vivid. Once the power goes out, the situation deteriorates rapidly and as an ER nurse and former Marine, Emma's mother is well-trained to handle their situation.  She's a force to be reckoned with.

Shortly after, the story lost its luster.  Everything that happens - the people they meet and their occupations, the supplies they come across - is just a little too convenient and unrealistic.  The plot became someone repetitive and I skimmed through several pages toward the end.  Which I'm not sure it was.  The closer I got to the end, it became clear nothing would be resolved.  Maybe there's a sequel?

Although an intriguing concept, this book fell flat for me, but other post-apocalyptic fans may feel differently.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received "Fourth Dimension" for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Possible spoilers ahead.

"Fourth Dimension" started out great. The first chapter reeled me in with the believable dynamic between the main character, Emma, and her little brother, Ethan. They bickered and teased each other much like my brother and I did when we were around their ages and I loved it. Between this and the book's description, the bar was set pretty high!

After the power went out, all hell broke loose, as expected. I enjoyed how their mom switched on her training from being a former Marine almost immediately to keep her kids safe. I also appreciated how Emma put aside her bratty 15-year-old routine to take on the roll of protective older sister with Ethan.

So why the two-star rating?

Throughout the entire book, I wished the story was told through the mom's eyes. My favourite character has to be a tie between the mom and Chris. The beginning of "Fourth Dimension" was strong and hooked me in right away, but as the book went on it almost felt like a different narrator took over, even though it was still 15-year-old Emma. Everything became bland and matter-of-fact and there didn't seem to be any emotion behind the narration anymore. What would have been a four-star review got bumped down to three.

Aside from that, things became very convenient for this little family of three. I won't spoil it for you, but given the circumstances this family must have an army of guardian angels looking after them! Possibly led by Emma's dad because the amount of times he's mentioned can be counted on one hand. At one point I thought the author was going to bring him in on an obvious-but-awesome reveal, but that didn't end up happening.

Speaking of, what was that ending? Can we just acknowledge that for a second? I felt like I was in the middle of eating my entrée at a busy restaurant and then suddenly I'm handed the bill. I didn't even get the chance to consider saving room for dessert and then it was like, "That's it, now get out of my restaurant!" That's what really solidified the two-stars for me.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
DNF @ 35%
Meh. This book has an interesting concept and I'm disappointed it wasn't better. It's not like the writing was bad—in particular, the descriptive imagery in this book was excellent—but after awhile the repetitiveness of the plot became very boring. That, and I couldn't really stand the main character, Emma. She was such a brat! Any sort of connection I had with her instantly went downhill when she decided to make fun of her brother's elevator phobia and JUMP while the elevator was descending like, what? 14, 17 stories?
Anyway, unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of this one.