3/5⭐

This had potential but....

Characters - I couldn't connect to the main ones. Lyra was awful, whiny teenager and I honestly disliked her. I know that there is a reason for her being like this but Gods, she really pissed me off on more than one occasion.

I didn't like the insta love - it was a bit too much according to me. They would have been great friends.

I really liked some of the side characters - Holly and Mama Jud. They were great.

Maybe being 40 also add a bit to dropping the stars. I assume a teenager will like it better.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am always looking for more YA dystopian for my high school library, and I'll definitely be looking to add this one.

“Amaranth” by Jen Braaksma is a young adult dystopian novel that follows 17-year-old Lyra Harmon, the sole possessor of “phoenix cells” capable of regenerating from any injury or illness. As a devastating virus known as Hecate’s Plague ravages the nation, Lyra’s unique ability becomes both a beacon of hope and a source of peril. Her parents, wary of government exploitation, have kept her hidden, leading to a life of isolation and constant movement. When Lyra befriends a young plague orphan, her decision to stop running results in her parents contracting the virus, leaving her with only three days to find a cure and save them. The novel explores themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the moral complexities of wielding power in a fractured society. While some readers find Lyra’s character development compelling, others note that her impulsive decisions can be frustrating. Overall, “Amaranth” offers a fast-paced narrative with surprising twists, delivering a powerful message about living with purpose. 

I couldn't finish. There were a lot of moment that should have been impactful, but without any development and any background I didn't care about anything that happened. All of a sudden we know about phoenix cells and there's a plague and a woman sacrifices herself for some reason and this all matters because... reasons. Ir didn't work for me.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Such a cool dystopian world! This immediately captured my attention and reminded me of so many books that I was hooked on back in middle school and high school! The premise was very cool and the characters were well thought out.

First of all I would like to thank Netgalley and Jen Braaksma for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Amaranth is a dystopian story in a world ravaged by a pandemic. It is a topic very close to our hearts, and I enjoyed the concept. However it is very very noticeably a young adult book, which is not a problem, but I don't think I am the target audience for it. If I was younger I think I would have enjoyed this book much more.
It is very fast paced and has a good plot, however the inner monologue of the main character does become a bit repetitive at times.

this was a fun read and a good mixture of mystery, fantasy and romance! I liked the idea of the story a little more than the story itself because I didn't really like the main character and the choices she made. I would still recommend it if your looking for a fun time and want a quick read with a lot happening!

I wanted to like this one because I was really interested in the premise, but I just really struggled to like the characters. It seemed like there was a lot of telling rather than showing - we were in the main character's head a lot watching her wrestle with what to do instead of just doing it, and there was a quite a bit of profanity that made this a tough recommendation to students from the front of the classroom.

This was a quick read because it was so easy to become invested in Lyra's story.

I'd love to read about what happens after the events of this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my review.

Weirdly I read this while unwell with Covid - so perhaps this is why I found it difficult to read at times, Lyra was a very unlikable person at times, however with the trauma she had it was understandable but still unlikeable behavior that got irritating at times.

While I eventually enjoyed the book, it took me a long time to get into, and I went through periods when I didn't want to read it as I didn't feel the need to know what would happen next, despite the premise of the story being something I would normally love.

We are solidly in the time where we are getting books about pandemics from actual experiences, and for some, that might be too soon or too difficult to read.

Lyra is a teen living with her family that is constantly being sought after by the government because of her unique blood cells during a plague.

Lyra comes across as unlikable quite often, but she is a character dealing with heavy trauma, situations beyond her control, and all of this on top of being a teenager. This is a great addition to the YA dystopian genre.

Thank you to #netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. Unfortunately, I completely bounded off this one, despite the awesome premise.
Took me three attempts to start and once I did, I just didn’t connect. Had all the elements I usually love, so perhaps the writing didn’t pull me in.

The pacing felt so off to me and I was more than halfway through the book without feeling any connection to the main character. I honestly felt like she had very little agency in this story and while the concept from the blurb was very intriguing, I think this was one that needed to be taken 'back to formula' in order for me personally to enjoy it. It might still work for other readers, but it was not for me.

What to say about Amaranth.

I liked the idea of the book, the plot was okay, but I did find myself skimming more than reading which is one of the reasons for the three stars.

I did not like Lyra. All she did was whine and start arguments with people for no reason. For example when she accused David of not trusting her, all because he never told her that he could speak Arabic. I'm putting it down to me being 37, and her 17, but I kept rolling my eyes at her. If I rolled them anymore, they would have fallen out of my head.

I'm sure people will like this, maybe people a lot younger than me, but for me it just didn't make the mark.

#NetGalleyARC I wanted more from this book and it didn't deliver. Maybe I'm just plagued out but I was hoping for more and this one just left me feeling meh. Was it horrible? No. Was it riveting and the best I've ever read? No. I did appreciate some of the different twists and turns and plot points that I haven't seen in other books of this type but overall it just left me feeling meh.

A plague runs rampant causing the government to pursue a teen with the hope of providing a cure with her unique pheonix cell.

Hecat’s Plague runs havoc in Jamestown leading to mass sickness with anyone catching this deadly disease. Lyra and her family are constantly pursued by the government causing them to always be on the move. Dr. Hendrix befriends Lyra and her family in hopes in of discovering how Lyra unique phoenix cell could lead to a cure for the plague. In a twist of events, Lyra’s world is turned upside down when she learns of Dr. Hendrix’s ultimate betrayal. Lyra comes to terms with the betrayal in the hopes of finding a cure that could save millions of lives and end the governments harsh crackdown of people carrying the disease and those suspected.

I enjoyed this book very much with Jen Braaksma and her take on a deadly plague. Lyra is a teen who hasn’t experienced much life due to constantly on the run from the government. The author has a talent for creating a complex character who wants a life to call her own, but unable to because of the governments unyielding pursuit.

I highly recommend this book for its action and romance when David rescues Lyra in an attempt to finally have a life they both long for. A book you won’t want to put down to find out if Lyra uniques phoenix cell is the answer to end the devastating plague.

I felt this was well written, and it felt real since we've lived through COVID. The idea that the government would hunt down someone and use them for experimentation is an unsettling, but not unrealistic theme to add into a novel. The fact that it was a child is upsetting. I can understand the internal struggle for Lyra being a child trying to navigate this complex, dystopian world.

This was a quick read because it was so easy to become invested in Lyra's story.

I'd love to read about what happens after the events of this story.

Amaranth is a thrilling and scarily topical adventure featuring that classic journey of a young protagonist having an incredible power and not knowing how best to use it for good. Lyra is a teen girl living in a world wracked by the devastating Hecate's Plague and is seemingly the only one endowed with "phoenix cells" that are able to regenerate and fight off any infection. But fearful of her being exploited, her parents have kept her on the run and away from the hands of government scientists who want to manipulate her cells to create an invulnerable army of super soldiers. When a series of fateful events leave her on her own, she finds she has agency for the first time and starts questioning whether her parents made the right choices. Can she help rid the world of the scourge of the pandemic?

Of course, things aren't quite as straightforward as that and the book ends on ambiguous note, leaving the way open for a sequel. But I do appreciate how the book reflects there aren't any easy answers in life. We also get to know Lyra inside and out. This is my only quibble; I like a good dose of character interiority, but here we get to hear every last strand of what she's thinking at all times, and it can get too much. Sometimes you wonder how someone can go through such an exhaustive thought process while keeping up a conversation. But the character is sympathetic and likeable, I was rooting for her to do the right thing, so it's not too much of an issue. There is still enough action and twists and turns to keep this an exciting read, and I constantly found myself wanting to know what was coming next. Overall, well recommended for fans of YA, dystopian, and thrillers.

As a fan of dystopian novels I overall enjoyed this story. The thing that stood out for me was that Lyra felt like a teenager. She’s selfish and difficult, but that’s teenagers especially given the situation of her life it’s to be expected. The only thing that I struggled with was the pace. It just moves very quickly and I feel I struggled with really understanding any character or relationship outside of Lyra. Overall a good dystopian novel, that I think others will enjoy!