The Killing plot had me coming back for more right out of the gate! Taking place far in the future, it does begin like others in the YA dystopian society, but the author takes us on a new journey. The protagonist Arela, is an orphan, living in a state run facility that has been “placing” children, with our record of to whom or where. When one of her classmates Hinrick comes up missing, she takes it upon herself to find him, and the other missing orphans, along the way discovering her own past and discovering out what may be beyond the wall that keeps “Osiris “ safe.
Brava Ms Perry, what a fabulous debut novel. I’m anxious to see how Arela’s quest continues

Overall, I liked The Killing Plot, it was engaging throughout and had characters that you could really invest in. I read a lot of young adult fantasy books and I liked how this one differed from the others with its story. We have a strong female protagonist who doesn’t mind taking risks and speaks her mind. I also liked how the love story portion of the book was blended in the story and not the main focus. The one thing I did feel was that the ending felt a bit rushed, although it kept me guessing what was going to happen next.

This story is about a city which is under a “bubble” after the fall of the civilization we currently live in. The main character, Arela, is an orphan who lives and studies with other orphans. Arela is a bit of a rebel and is looking to find information on her parents any way that she can since they have been wiped from the registry of Osiris. The beginning of the book sets the scene of how things are done in Osiris (if you break the law you are exciled out of the “bubble”) and the background of Arela and her friends. Osiris is controlled by conservatives, and in particular by one family, however they are thwarted along the way by revolutionaries who use whatever means necessary to take control of the government. Arela gets caught up with some people in the ministry and some revolutionaries and while some come to her aid when she needs it, others try to bring her down.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the premise intriguing, the story engaging and the writing smooth and fluid.
The story was paced well and I found myself eager to see where the story went.
I found it quite hard to put down and finished the novel in a few hours. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Strong independent female character??? Say no more! I couldn’t put it down. Such a good fun read. A very well thought out story with twists and turns around every corner.

I definitely will be picking this one up!

An immersive and captivating dystopian novel, The Killing Plot is the story of Arela, a rebellious and intelligent young woman who wants to find out why kids are disappearing from the orphanage in which she lives. With the help of friends and a possible love interest, Arela begins to uncover a shocking and disturbing secret, one that reaches the top of their government. The more Arela uncovers, the more dangerous her world becomes, but Arela won’t rest until she learns the truth of Osiris and its missing orphans.

Arela is a fantastic protagonist with a great blend of rebelliousness, intellect, impulsivity, good intentions, and recklessness. I like that she persists and never gives up on her goals and the people she cares about. She also sees through the utopian facade of Osiris and the leaders who perpetuate the dystopian world.

I also love the found family between Arela and her three best friends. Parentless, they all live in the same orphanage, and they look out for, support, and encourage each other. They have such distinct and unique personalities, and I love their easy and funny banter as well as their strong bond. They are different in their approaches to life and their views on society, but that doesn’t interfere with the respect and love they have for each other.

Cenric is another interesting character who is similar to Arela and her friends. Though he has parents, their absence and his subsequent loneliness and feelings of abandonment are evident. Unlike Arela and her friends, Cenric has a more solitary life and seems to avoid situations where he could develop relationships. That is until he meets Arela.

Cenric and Arela have an instant connection that only grows as the story progresses. This enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love relationship is full of obstacles, mystery, and angst. Cenric is the son of the leaders of Osiris, and Arela is an orphan. This puts them on opposite ends of the social ladder and leads to a secret relationship.

Cenric and Arela’s views on society also contrast, which causes a bit of tension in their budding relationship. Cenric’s indoctrinated views stand in sharp contrast to Arela’s, and it is interesting to see her open Cenric’s eyes to the mistruths and the harsh realities of Osiris. However, Cenric isn’t as naive as he seems. Cenric is also very secretive, and the pair struggles with trusting and opening up to each other. This is for good reason since Osiris is intolerant to dissension or deviation from the norm.

I enjoyed the dystopian elements in the story which include disenfranchised people, and an oppressed society with total governmental control, harsh rules and punishments, a fear of the world outside of Osiris, and a lack of individuality. The story is filled with mystery, morally grey characters, and you never know who to trust, especially considering how many people manipulate the system for their own personal gain.

There are also some supernatural elements in the story that intrigued me. Arela, for example, develops a unique power that is exacerbated by emotions. I’m curious how this newfound power ties into her parentage, her past, and her future. I think it also relates to Osiris and the world beyond. What is beyond the walls of Osiris? Does anyone else have these powers? I can’t wait to learn more in the next book! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tahnee Perry for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

As a big fan of dystopian YA novels this one was a home run! While the killing plot has some of the same themes as other novels of the same genre it also contains so many new ideas. I was pleasantly surprised when reading this story and was fully invested from the first few pages. None of the plot was predictable. It was the perfect beginning to a series with a cliffhanger ending that has me waiting not so patiently for the next part. Definitely a great read!

This was such an easy read. Really recommend for anyone who enjoyed the Divergent or Hunger Games series as it has similar sort of context in terms of the plot. I really enjoyed the development of the characters, but also, the world the novel is set in. it is a bit of a slow burner, but after all it is the first in a soon to be trilogy, so it’s important to set the scene per say. The chapters are also quite short which is great if you struggle with not being able to focus for long periods of time on one thing, or don’t have the time to read 20+ page chapters. I’m really looking forward to the next one in the trilogy!!

Take the best parts of The City of Ember with the best parts of Mortal Engines then double the emotion you'll feel and that is this book.