The first thing I need to say is this book has an amazing front cover! Just look at it, WOW.

MacKenzie has created a great debut novel and I am excited to see what she does next. The book is not perfect but who's first novel is, it is interesting and has room for a lot of development.

I haven't read anything by this author before, but I certainly will - a promising new voice in scifi. An interesting main character, a compelling story - I liked and enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you! All opinions are my own.

[Excerpt]:
“The Jade Rebellion” is a confusing book. It can’t be sorted primarily into sci-fi, nor fantasy, nor any other straightforward genre. I’m sad that it was such a let-down because the cover is SO awesome. It definitely gives off a high sci-fi, technology-enhanced vibe, but the reality of the book doesn’t match the wonder that is the cover.

I was looking forward to reading this not just because of the cover but because of the description. It made the book seem very sophisticated and dense (in a good way), but instead I found the complete opposite – at times, the writing was clumsy. The way things were worded was just awkward and redundant. Not to mention the third person POV. It was too distant and explanatory; rather than let the plot unfold on its own, the author felt the need to explain, sometimes in detail, what was happening, instead of allowing readers to come to conlusions on their own. I rarely enjoy third-person POV purely for that reason – I feel disconnected from the characters and the story in general.

Now, the book started right in the middle of things – in media res – which I sometimes like, as long as it’s done correctly. In the case of “The Jade Rebellion,” this was not so. I was immediately confused because I thought readers would get more of an introduction to the story. After all, this is the first book (not sure if it’ll be standalone or part of a series, which looks likely, based on that ending), so all of the content, plot, and characters were brand new. And yet this book is written as if it’s a continuation of another book.
[Full review on my blog!]

It is a great debut novel. I really enjoyed reading it. The world building is amazing. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.