Cover Image: The Warning

The Warning

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The Warning by Kristy Acevedo is the first book in a young adult science fiction series. It follows Alexandra Lucas, a high school senior, as her world is turned upside down. Mysterious doorways appear around the globe, accompanied by warnings of Earth's impending doom. The only escape is through these portals to a parallel future Earth. The story explores themes of facing the unknown and the choices we make in uncertain times. Alexandra struggles with anxiety and the weight of the decision – stay with what she knows or take a leap of faith into a new world.

If you're looking for a quick and engaging YA sci-fi with a focus on personal struggles, The Warning might be worth checking out. However, if you prefer a deeper character development and a more nuanced world, you might want to look elsewhere.

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well, that was different. It was enjoyable, not blow out your mind but enjoyable. WOuld recommend. I would try more from Acevedo. :)

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This was literally my dream book, I think. This so incredibly captured the deeply unrelatable experience of holograms appearing all over the world telling humanity that a comet is going to destroy the planet in six months and giving them the choice to leave through interdimensional portals. EVERYTHING I hoped Don't Look Up would be and MORE. Do be warned--the main character has severe anxiety/panic attacks and it is written alarmingly true to life, so it can definitely be tedious to read, but the thing it's describing is tedious as hell to live so I think it's appropriate! I am in awe of this book. AWE!

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This was honestly such a waste of time and I’m so sad about it because the synopsis sounds SO COOL!! If you are interested in this, please just read the first 3 chapters and the last 3 chapters, it’s more than enough and basically contains everything important.

The book starts off so strong, right in the middle of the action: alien robots arrive on earth and tell people they’re going to die in half a year because a comet is on its way to annihilate them. Everyone has to make a choice: do they stay on earth and face their possible death or do they go to some other unknown location and unknown time in the universe?

Our anxious, insufferable main character can only think about her boyfriend and how mean her older brother is. Life is SO unfair, we don’t have time to focus on that comet barreling towards earth, I have to decide if I want to have sex with my boyfriend or not!!!!1!1 Quote: <i> “Dominick glances at me in the driver’s mirror, and I beg him with my eyes to [redacted bc spoiler]. If his mother and brother weren’t there, I’d beg with other body parts.” </i>

So many things annoyed me in this book: the stupid high school drama, the pill popping behavior of the main character, the flat and uninspiring dialogue, the author trying to sound very profound and smart. Quote: <i> “When the truth is shrouded in fear and clouded by dreams, when fact and fantasy become secret lovers, Maybe there are no real heroes anymore.” </i>

The entire book was insanely insufferable, but the worst part is that I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!! I need someone to please explain to me what happens in the next book because I am SO curious to find out how the author is going to play this.

tldr: Amazing premise, worst execution possible.

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The general anxiety disorder and following panic attacks in this book hit so hard home for me. I haven't read a book about anxiety and panic that feels so much like it's written about me. The connection with the main character was there right away for me.

I was really scared that this would be another apocalyptic, end of the world, action packed book. But what I got was even better. Character driven, evolving relationships and a pretty slow moving story, which is everything I wanted.

The ending was so awesome and I can't wait to see where this duology takes me!

4,5 stars.

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As someone with anxiety, this book was totally relatable. Additionally, the romance and sci fi in the novel was the perfect combination.

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I really did love this book. I recently heard there be a book two. The characters where really good in the story. I also love this cover so much. This book was tense and very stressful at times. So looking forward on what will happen next. Thanks again on review copy.

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This was better than I was expecting.

This book is fast paced, but appropriately so. It felt like watching an action packed sci-fi movie. The stakes are high, and you can't help but root for the characters. Acevedo also does an amazing job at portraying the MC's anxiety.

This is an example the dystopian YA is still great.

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The characters were likeable and it was well written. It includes and discusses good topics for a YA book. It was a different plot I just ended up skimming more than I wanted to but maybe it was just wasn’t for me.

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review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctb2fOXL2X9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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So I didn't realize that this was a book that was being republished and was originally released in 2016? The Warning is about Alex who is a teen dealing with many things normal teens do-thinking about the future, her relationship with her boyfriend Dominick and good times with her best friend Rita. She also deals with high levels of anxiety which of course complicates how she deals with the world. Speaking of the world, life is going along swimmingly when holograms and doors to another dimension appear out of nowhere and the holograms have a message "there is a giant comet heading toward earth that will annihilate everyone and they are there to save you. All you have to do is walk through one of the portals by the deadline and you can live in their society. Alex and those around her must decide-stay or go as they watch civilization fracture around them. So, the romance between Alex and Dominick was sweet. Alex's dynamic with her family and particularly her father and his PTSD was interesting. I was on the fence about the depictions of Alex's anxiety. Everyone has their different journeys with mental disorders but it just felt off to me (and yep I'm someone who takes loads of meds for adjustment disorder and anxiety). I felt like I should have seen the twist at the end coming but I totally did NOT. The ending chapters were by far the strongest and it totally made me want to grab up the next book in this series. I liked it and I think those who are partial to sci-fi/dystopia will too.

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The Warning is the first in a fast-paced and gripping dystopian series for anyone who's ever felt like their life and world are on the brink of destruction. The story revolves around Alexandra Lucas, who is caught between living in the moment and an unknown future. On the way home from a concert with her boyfriend, their train stops, and, at first, she's worried about breaking curfew. Then terror echoes through their train car.

A mysterious doorway has appeared beside the tracks, and a hologram claiming to be a human from the future shares a sinister warning. A comet is on a collision course with earth. All life there will end in six months' time. To survive, people must step through one of the many portals that have opened around the world.

The story is fairly fast-paced, and the ending is quite mind-blowing. There were some sad parts. I liked the characters and the storyline. A good start to this series. I hope to read more from this author and about these characters.

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This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

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This book surprised me in a lot of good and unexpected ways. For example, I didn’t expect to relate to Alex so much. The author really nailed the effects of Alex’s trauma and her emotional codependency with her dad. Also that plot twist OH MY GOD. The pacing of this book was also excellent.

Overall, this book was very enjoyable.

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I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Kristy Acevedo for the honor of reading this book!

OMG 😲 this book was so good!!! I haven't had a 5 star review in quite a while. I loved the idea and plot of this book. Dystopian YA books are one of my favorite types of book genres.

Alexandra Lucas is a Seventeen-year-old senior who struggles with severe anxiety and panic attacks. So when portals start to pop up all over the world with holograms from the future it doesn't make things any easier. What's even worse is that these holograms say that the world is soon to end from a comet. Not all hope is lost if you want to live the holograms says all you have to do is walk through the portal to a better world. Alexandra has friends, family and a boyfriend that all has there own ideas, thoughts and opinions on what is best and should be done about the portals. Now Alexandra must learn how to navigate a new and changing world around her while deciding whether to leave through the portals or stay behind.

I love the budding romance between Alexandra and her boyfriend Dominick. Both of them trying to figure out themselves while also each other. I also love the strong friendship bond that Alexandra has with her best friend Rita. Its something that anyone with a best friend can relate too. The family drama is like a roller-coaster that you just can't get off and don't want to. I couldn't put this book down until I finished it. I can't wait to read book 2 and find out how the story all wraps up in the final book in this duology.

Thank you again for the honor of allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

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I love dystopian novels but this one was a drag. It was so slow and the characters were just not enough to save it. I did finish this one but man it was so slow and parts of the story felt all over the place.

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The end is coming. What would you do? The first in a fast-paced and gripping YA dystopian series for anyone who's ever felt like their life—their world—is on the brink of destruction.

Alexandra is anxiety. Everything causes her anxiety. Then the end of the world is proclaimed, now what? Alexandra is a relatable character who already has anxiety but with end of the world looming how should she react. This is your typical dystopian story with chaos, rioting and uncertainty. Alexandra must help herself and friends and family will dealing with the end times. Oh and the end is unexpected. If you like dystopian, you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for letting me read this ARC.

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True story: The Warning had been on my TBR since before it was released... in 2016, as Consider. And in all that time, I never got around to it, whoops. That is good news and bad news. Bad news because this story is awesome, but good news because I got to experience it for the first time and I barely have to wait any time for the sequel!

I am so glad that this story found a new home, because it deserves one! It's such a cool premise- a holo, supposedly from the future humans on another planet, telling current humanity that whoopsie, they're all gonna die. But! They can jump through the portal and be saved, happy day! Obviously, people are skeptical. You would be too, don't pretend otherwise. That was my first favorite thing about this story- the author fully explores the disbelief factor. Alex isn't sure what she believes, but she definitely is trying to figure it all out. She suffers from anxiety on the best of days, and the potential end of humanity does not count among those.

Add to it, she's got some messy family dynamics, and a lot of internal conflict. At times, she makes some really frustrating choices, even, but her heart is generally in the right place. It's a lot for anyone, but extra rough for a struggling young person. I loved how the author balanced the character development with the excitement, too. There is plenty of action and tension, but the characters and their relationships are fully fleshed out and developed. Not only do we see Alex having to navigate her family relationships (which can be volatile at times), but her close relationship with her best friend, and her boyfriend.

The book shines a light on a lot of issues through the lens of the potential apocalypse. There's quite a bit of discussion about religion, and how various religions approach this problem. So too do we have introspection about how society as a whole would react to this news, and as you can imagine, the answer is "not great". There's certainly exploration of mental health, as well as toxic masculinity. Overall, this book was engaging and entertaining from start to finish, and since it ends on a pretty epic cliffhanger, I cannot wait for the second book. Lucky us, it is due out in early September, so you shan't suffer for long!

Bottom Line: An incredible premise that was equally well executed, I loved it and cannot wait for the next installment!

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This reminded me a lot of the "GONE" series that was popular in the mid 2000s with the unknown and the choice of what could be life or suffering. This was really gripping and the point of view was perfect for this book

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Alexandra Lucas is almost a typical teen, only she struggles with a severe anxiety disorder. When large holographic portals open up all over the world, her life is thrown into chaos as she stares down the impending apocalypse. Along with the vertexs comes holograms claiming to be humans from the future offering the promise of safety. A recording plays on loop: heed the warning and step through to safety or stay and be destroyed along with the planet. Stay or go: everyone must make their own choice.

Part of why I liked this read was the realistic perspective on how the world might fall apart. With each passing chapter we see Alex and her family making decisions and moving along as normal, while faced with the ultimate decision of staying or going. The story is catchy enough to leave you wanting more, but was written more as a full background to a main read. Hopefully book two is clearer and faster paced. My gripe actually was the exploration of an anxiety disorder. The internal monologue of the disorder was quite good, although the overuse of pharmaceuticals, especially someone who appears to have used them for a while. My concern is that the anxiety disorder is being used purely as a plot driver to 'strengthen' the character at a later point - rather than personal growth. This is a fairly good YA novel, fitting perfectly into dystopian category alongside those of Divergent and Life As We Knew It.

This was Kristy Acevedo's debut novel, previously known as Consider (Holo series), and is being rereleased under the new title The Warning on June 6th, 2023. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Fire, Kristy Acevedo and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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