Amazing character, wonderfully engaging plot that will leave you wanting more. I cannot wait for the sequel to find out what happens.

I've literally read this story non-stop since I first pulled it up on my kindle six hours ago. It was very addicting, and the book's events all led up to the small cliffhanger at the end and it's twist that I totally didn't see coming. Drayden was a very likable character and the emotions he struggled with felt realistic. There were some awkward lines like "Charlie’s muscular legs stretched his underwear tight, whereas Drayden’s baggy underwear sagged. With his stick legs, he just didn’t have enough body to fill them up. Charlie was so much more damn manly than he was." These thoughts distracted the reader from the intensity of the situation the characters were in and really detracted from the overall theme the book was trying to promote. Other than that, the book was really enjoyable if somewhat disturbing. If you liked The Testing, then you will definitely like this book as it is very similar to it (although thankfully free of any mutants or other weird creatures!) For its brilliant plot and likable characters, I would rate it at 5 stars, and as for the actual writing, 4 stars. I think I'll round it up to five because of Charlie's funny jokes.

I didn't know completely what to expect from this book, but when I finished it I had to take a day or two to reflect.  Firstly, this book was amazingly written.  Secondly, I could actually see something like this happening.  This book got me interested, invested, and engaged with the characters.  I find myself thinking about the book days after I've finished it, and I'm even more impatient to read book 2 (assuming there will be one, and I hope there will be!)

Woah, Woah, Woah!! All I can say is that this book was a thrill a minute!

The story takes place in New York City in the future after basically a post apocalypse of some sort. The city is sectioned out and walls put up but you can only stay in your specific section. Drayden lives in the lowest section called the dorms. Everyone is supposedly treated equal by receiving all the same pay for jobs, food and essentials, no matter which section they live in... but are they?

The story starts off when Drayden's Mom is exiled outside the city walls. The government states that she has committed treason but Drayden doesn't believe it. His Mom was the greatest and would never betray her people. He makes it his mission to find out why his Mom was sent away to her death by entering The Initiation.

The Initiation is a test of intellect & bravery. Drayden is one of the smartest kids in his school but does not fair so well on the brave part. Can he complete a test that no one has entered in 2 years? If he does, he gets to move himself and his family to the highest section called The Palace, where they could get better jobs and maybe find out what happened to his Mom.

I really liked Drayden and felt that he was written so well that I felt that I could see a change in him over the course of the testing. I saw him go in a kid and actually come out a man. The cast of characters was an interesting mix. I secretly adored Charlie because he was an absolute hoot and was quick with the one liners which gave a good mix of humor to the story.

Though I felt that the story did move a little slow at times, I still had a very hard time putting it down. The ending was a big shocker and I see another story *crosses fingers* in our future from Mr. Babu. I loved the world these characters were created in and can't wait to see where they go from here!

"Bravery isn't the absence of fear. It's choosing to overcome it."

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for this copy in exchange of an honest review.

Fantastic book from page one! I was hooked immediately and could not put this book down. Full of drama and action; it's a gripping and thought provoking tale that must be read by anyone who loves a great dystopian story! I have no finger nails left at this point.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

If I were to describe this book in one word, I would say it is marvelous. I didn't hesitate to give a 5-star rating because this was just so enthralling. The world building was great and the pacing was pretty fast, with the Initiation starting at 30% into the book, which I appreciated since I was in the mood for a fast-paced read.

Also, the author created such wonderful characters! I instantly loved Drayden, our main character. He started out as a fearful yet intelligent boy who doesn't have the courage to stand up for himself. But as the book progresses, as Drayden comes face-to-face with losses and challenges, his drive to succeed grew more and more. I saw how his character developed to someone who set aside all fears and hesitations to save his loved ones. He also has a strong sense of morality. But aside from Drayden, another character that I had absolutely loved was Tim, the boy with the heart of gold and the perfect best friend anyone could ever ask for. I adored the friendship between Drayden and Tim, how they rely on one another and fulfill each other's shortcomings.

The plot is fantastic and it kept me on edge. The challenges in the Initiation were ghastly yet exciting to read about. I liked how Drayden and Catrice explained in detail their solutions and strategies for the challenges, since not all of them in the group excel in intelligence. I also liked Drayden and Catrice's chemistry from the start, though I'm glad that the romance wasn't too much.

I highly recommend this one to fans of dystopian books. I'm really excited for the next books in the series!

I received this book for free from Netgalley and Publisher/author in exchange for honest review. 

First, lets just look at this cover. LOVE IT!

This book was just amazing. I loved the world building in the book. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I hate it took me this long to pick this book up. This book was issued to me a month ago by Netgalley and I just now picked it up to read. I love a good book set in Manhattan New York.  This book was fast paced and full of turns. 

The author did a great job translating this story. I was not a let down.

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was great and I really enjoy myself a good dystopia. But already from the start, even the first page, this book threw me off, and I had this feeling that this would not be a book in my taste. Unfortunately, I can't really put my finger on exactly what it was about the story that I didn't like, but it felt like it was all tell and no show in the beginning. And the main character, Drayden just felt like a 10-year-old in the beginning. He was mostly whining about his mother being taken away, which I do understand kind of sucks and in real life one would probably be in bed crying for months. But this is a novel and things need to happen, characters need to be given a personality and the story needs to be interesting. It didn't really happen here, and it took about 20% of the book before things took off and I started getting into the story.

But even then, I didn't really connect with the characters and I never had much love for Drayden. He was whiny and scared and not at all as good as he was supposed to be. It was as if the story was written about all the other people, and he's just one of the secondary characters. I would have loved to see this story from someone else POV.

Although it may sound like I didn't like the book, it was still an enjoyable read. The book has a lot of good things too. Worldbuilding, suspense (when you reach the Initiation), twists. Overall this is a 3 star read, and even though it may not be a book I personally didn't love, I can see the value of this novel and know that a lot of people will love it.

So, if you like dystopia and life & death challenges, give this book a try.

I could not put this book down! It only took me about a day to read because I could just connect with the characters so well. I could connect with Drayden on a personal level, as he kind of just let everyone push him around and not do much about being bullied. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved sic fi/ dystopian books. There was a lot of backstory to this but it was still very good

DNF'd at one page. I was confused at the first page, what is a Guardian. Nothing was explained, the story just threw me in with all this action and I did not know what was going on at all!

This dystopian novel is a must-read for fans of The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner and Divergent.
The plot  was well thought out was were the characters. You never knew what could possibly happen next. It certainly had me glued to my seat.
I would highly recommend this book  and I can't wait to read more from Chris Baby.
Thankyou Netgalley for giving me a copy to read.

I received this book curtsey of NetGally.
 In the beginning it took me a while to wrap my head around the whole ‘New America’ dystopia, but once you understand the concept, it gets interesting. 

Drayden as a character confused me a bit. He absolutely worshiped his mother and at the same time he gave me the impression that he despises his father.

The initiation trails with riddles and life and death challenges where nerve wrecking, and in some of the challenges it was a bit too fast. However it was captivating and the twist at the end makes me look forward to reading the next book, because I still what to know what happened to his mother.

This was a slow starter for me.
It took me a while to get into the story, mainly because the start was just crammed full of history which some of was unnecessary, but once I got to the start of The Initiation I was hooked.

I do think there’s a lot of hype about Drayden being super smart, when in reality if Catrice wasn’t there he wouldn’t have passed many of the intelligence ones.
Each character had their own development throughout the book and I am intrigued to read more about some of them. 

I would definitely read more of this series as I want answers to my unanswered questions. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley but this has in no way influenced my review or opinion.

The Initiation is the wild and not very original story of teenage boy Drayden, who enters the Initiation as a way to find out why his mother was exiled and to procure a better life for himself and his family in the Palace. 

The puzzles and the life or death challenges are what really make this an exciting read. The suspense is great, and it really had me at the tip of my seat a couple of times. It was, hands down, the best part of the book. 

What made this a two star read for me was everything else, particularly the characters. Not once did I truly feel connected to our protagonist, Drayden. From the very beginning, even when he was in ‘despair’ for his mother’s exile, I just never truly felt it. And even when something terrible happened later on, I only felt his sadness for a little while. if something like that happened to me, I’d be in shambles, yet he managed to continue on pretty well (sure, he had his issues and grief, but it felt more like a kink in the road than something that actually would (and should) tear him up).

And then there’s that absolutely pointless love triangle situation going on. Sure, boys will be boys, but in a life or death situation, do we really need to compare the two girls? 

And then the ‘twist’ at the end… could have been great, but never really surprised me. 

Overall, it’s a great dystopian read for some younger readers, since the language and there’s no sexual content. Sure, a bit of violence, but what do you expect from a book about a Trial that seems to have its goal to eliminate all its contestants?

I can see why this book would appeal to many people - but I think it should be marketed as a book for younger readers. The language and world-building could have been improved and I felt elements from other popular YA books were incorporated so unfortunately it didn't feel original. I'm also sorry to say that I didn't click with any of the characters.

Drayden was a really difficult MC to root for - he came across needy and immature and even his 'mature' thoughts felt out of place because of the rest of the package. 

I didn't feel there was enough character development with Tim, Sydney and Catrice too and I could not back either of the girls as his potential, although if I was forced to pick, I'd probably go Sydney - she seemed the more genuine of the two. Catrice has always been his crush but there was no relationship development outside of this.

Charlie was the brawns to Drayden's brains, although I must say I found him slightly more appealing than Drayden. His best friend Alex was the resident bully who had a history with Drayden - he was moody, unhelpful and constantly power-housing Charlie.

Overall, because of the characters I could not enjoy the book. With a little more substance, world-building and a slightly slower pace I think it could be a very good read.

Draydens mother is taken away shortly in the first few minutes, exiled from their meager life of rations and work in the Dorms. Drayden is so broken up he joins the initiation with his friend, Tim, two girls from school, his old friend Alex and his new friend.

They face trials that only get interesting towards the middle of the book, then end predictably set up for a few books to follow.

Nice idea but not too believable that you'd have so little food the whole year. The world is bleak, depressing and not too well explored. Overall an interesting idea that didn't quite meet the cut. Reminded me of a ripoff of the Maze Runner.

This was a good book but the storyline will not be on my mind forever and ever.

I read some of this one and chose not to continue. I agree with what others said about the world-building being too much of a focus in some spots, and it just didn't hold my attention as much as I had hoped.

This book was not what I expected in the least , it was better . The characters were rich & diverse & I finished this book in one sleepless night ! Would recommend

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

——

This book was really difficult for me to get in to! Chris Babu does an amazing job at world building, which is required for this place of New America, but at times it felt like that was all I was reading...a history book or something similar. 

I enjoyed the challenges that Drayden went through. I think they were well written and really showcased the author’s talent and the skills of the protagonist. When the different girls that Drayden was interested in became more of a focal point, I was okay with that (who doesn’t like a love interest?) but then the love parallelogram took over the story and it wasn’t about the challenges of the Initiation anymore.

Overall, I would still recommend this book to those who are really big sci-do fans, or those who really liked the world building of the “Hunger Games” and/or the “Divergent” series