Emma is a young girl living in the future as the youngest person in her territory. It is illegal to bear children. Emma wants to change the laws in her society but to do so she will have to protest against the President. Extinction of All Children was very well written; no distractions with spelling or grammatical errors. The plot line gripped me from the begging and I was very drawn into the story. The first 25% of the story moves rather quickly then things slow a bit but not as to lose interest. I am interested to see how Emma's story ends.

Great Story. Well written and very enjoyable. I liked the characters and the setting. I felt like i was reading in black and white, or at least a very dull and drab world. I very much felt like I was there.

When I originally read the blurb about this book, I thought the premise was interesting, intriguing. I was curious how someone, or a society, could get to a point where they would not allow more children. As I read the book and progressed through it seeing it through the eyes of Emma (the main character), it was clear that the dystopian world that she lived in was rife with problems and contradictions while being run by one person in charge who had a narcissistic and nasty streak. It is the dichotomy of beliefs between Emma and the President that fuels the decisions that Emma faces. While I thought the beginning was just slightly slow, it didn't stay that way for long, and by the time I was a few chapters in, I was hooked. The author did a wonderful job of writing a believable story that shows the passion of a young woman's heart and faith, while finding her voice to speak out against injustice. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a story with a credible, charming female as the main character who faces many challenges as she tries to correct the wrongs.

A blend of the Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Giver. "Extinction of All Children" begins like a setting from District 12, with Emma (a little like Katniss Everdeen) who is strong-willed, and cannot stand to see her people hurt and mistreated. With an invitation to the president's mansion, the story transitions to a Divergent feel with intense physical and combat training (which takes up most of the book) with an attractive guy teaching her and willing to fight alongside her. The ultimate goal: To save the children (The Giver).

This story reads very much like a first draft idea where the author did not take the time to apply any of that vital, hard-work processes of editing and polishing before publishing it. I felt like I was in editor mode while reading this. More frustrating, I do not know anything about the author or how old they were when this was written, but every character talks like a teenager. The teenagers talk like teenagers, and the adults talk like teenagers. Their reasoning feels very adolescent.

Most of my opinions come from reading the first 35% of this title, as the rest of the story I ended up skimming to get the basics, because the writing bothered me too much to want to read the rest. Moments were interesting, but the amateur writing, confusing wording and sentence structure, 'after-thought' explanations that bog down what could have made some great actions scenes left very much to be desired.

Just a couple examples to clarify: Phrases such as 'start my stride' to explain walking. Out-of-order descriptions would include Emma's heart jumping and then a siren sounding (is this premonition, or is she having a heart attack?) and a man interacting with Emma followed by a lengthy explanation of how she noticed him on the scene before the action started (when before the action started, there is nothing in the descriptions to confirm this after-thought explanation).

Basically, this story--while already feeling like it has been told over and over again from books like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Giver--has potential, but needs a serious rewrite and editing job to be of any interest to me as a reader.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book: Journey to Territory M
Author: LJ Epps
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with this book.

So, I really did want to like this one, but I just found it very hard to get into it. The first book in the series, I did actually like a lot, but this one was just missing something for me and I really can’t figure out what it was. I mean, it just didn’t get my attention.

First off, I really didn’t find any character growth, which is something that I look for in a series. Characters are supposed to have some change in them, especially when they are put into dangerous situation and have to overcome that. Here, it just didn’t happen. Not only were the characters not growing, they were doing things that really didn’t add anything to the plot. In fact, it was like they were doing things just to kind of go against what they were supposed to be doing.

The writing was a little strange here to. Some of the adjectives used, just didn’t really fit what was going on. It was almost as if the author was trying to hard to describe what was happening. Not only that, but the way things were worded was just strange too. It was like we were first told what was going to be shown, then shown it. Does that make any sense? It was almost as if it was worded a little bit too much.

The plot was okay. I mean, this is the middle of the series, so we can honestly expect to have that middle of the series feel. It moved really quickly in some places, while managing to drag out longer than needed in others. It’s something that I think the author will be able to improve on-if she listens to her readers. I really do feel like she’s not, because she is doing the same thing here that she was doing in the first book.

Again, I do think that this series does actually have a lot of promise, but so much was lost in this book. I really do hope that some clean up will happen, because this has a lot of potential.

Extinction Of All Children by L.J. Epps
Oh my god!!! I love this freaking book! It get me hooked from the first page I read! I can't wait to read the next book! I think I will start right now!!!
5 stars!! I want more!!

Extinction of all the Children by L. J. Epps is the first book of a series which is set in the future with 18 year old Emma as the main character. Extinction of all the Children could be a stand alone book, but would leave the reader with a lot of unanswered questions. To me, this story started slow and I'm hoping book two (Journey to Territory M) moves a bit faster. Readers of the Hunger Games need to check this story out. I was given a copy to review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the read. This was an interesting read and reminded me of some very popular YA hot hits, which was one of the main reasons I picked this series to read. I'm not sure how I feel about the h, she kind of annoyed me so I'll wait for book 2 to prove me wrong.

I tried so very hard to get into this book. I really REALLY wanted to, but I just couldn't. I gave up halfway thru and DNF. Thank you though NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. Hopefully, I can give it another chance soon as maybe I wasnt in the right mindframe to read it.

The year is 2080, and the residents of Craigluy have long been separated by walls into three class-based territories: L for the lower-class, M for the middle-class, and U for the upper-class. Because the citizens of Territory L are poor, President Esther has decreed they are no longer allowed to have children. Pregnant women are jailed until they give birth, then their babies are killed. 18-year-old Emma Whisperer, the last child allowed to live in L, is determined to tear down the walls, and bring an end to Esther’s despotic rule. She must… if she hopes to find her missing niece before she is killed.

When I found out about this trilogy, I was immediately intrigued because dystopia is a favorite genre of mine. The class separations, as well as it being illegal for those living in Territory L to have children—worse still, that any babies born were to be killed—made this sound like a book I would love. Sadly, that was not the case.

The story is told in the present tense from main character Emma’s point of view. While I don’t have a problem with first person narratives or the use of present tense in a story, the combination of the two in this book didn’t work for me. The constant telling of extraneous details felt particularly cumbersome, as well. Repetition of actions or thoughts filled much of the latter portions of the book, and I was often bored as a result.

This story had a great concept that I was eager to read. Ultimately, it proved unable to meet its potential. I was left disappointed… but I still wanted to see what will happen next.

Extinction Of All Children written by LJ Epps is a promising book, first in a series. Emma Whisperer is a sassy young adult, very much on the edge of her world toward the beginning. The more she learns about teh world she resides in, the less she likes... For acting out, she is assigned punishment and then has to become a guard. As she starts making friends with the guards, she learns that she needs to practice discretion and discernment....after all, she really has no idea who is really worth trusting.

Emma's character is pretty strong, and some of other characters seem like they are more one dimensional. It is a decent read, with intentional action (as opposed to action just to keep the pace going). I am intrigued enough to read the second book!!!

Thank you to LJ Epps and NetGalley for this ARC... writing and publishing a book is so much work!!! As always, my opinions are my own.

*Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Extinction of All Children's plot seemed compelling to me at first glance - immediately there's obvious Hunger Games parallels, with Children of Men similarities as well (until you quickly learn that they're only surface level). The book had promise, but I couldn't get over the stilted writing style and a few other elements.

The characters' dialogue, for example, is meant to sound organic and human, but feels written from a script because of things like using contractions and non-contractions next to each other in the same sentences. Or, flat out awkward phrases that don't sound realistic coming out of an adult or teenager's mouth. It feels like an awkward stream of consciousness rather than realistic conversations. Maybe the book was meant to be aimed at middle grade, instead of young adult?

"I've never been in a car before. I mostly travel by foot, except for the bus I used to take to school. The bus was bumpy and unsteady, while this ride is smooth like a baby's bottom."

Beyond that, the characters feel like caricatures - the president, for example, is cruel to a ridiculous degree. It was believable in Hunger Games, but not here.

I'd like to know how things work out in the final two books, but likely won't read them because of the writing style.

The kind of dystopian YA novel that us like a guilty pleasure. Some issues with plot and characters, but overall I like Emma . The main oddness and a big irritation is that i feel like her skin color is a big thing but it only pops up as a big thing with random comments. Not consistently or clearly.

Still, a quick read and good enough to read the next!

The author's use of punctuation is incorrect to the point of distraction. Also, the descriptive analogies are sometimes ridiculous & embarrassingly nonsensical. Some parts of the storyline blatantly steals from other books. The main character is annoying & unnecessarily combative. Having said all that, there are enough parts of the plot that are interesting & original to keep me reading. I hope the author matures in his/her writing by the next installment.

Well written and a adventurous book. I can't wait to read the next one in the series. Slow start at the beginning.

Extinction of Children is the first installment in author L.J. Epps series by the same name. 18-year old Emma Whisperer was born in 2080, in the small futuristic world of Craigluy which is apparently a territory between Arizona and California. President Esther, in charge for the last twenty-two years, has divided their world into three territories, separated by classes-the rich (Territory U), the working class (Territory M), and the poor (Territory L)-because she believes the poor should not mingle with the others.

The poor are no longer allowed to have children, since they do not have the means to take care of them. Any babies born, accidentally or willfully, are killed. Mothers are placed in jail to be punished for having children. Emma is the last eighteen-year-old in her territory. Somehow, she survived this fate. As Emma is turning 18, the president expects Emma to give a speech at how grateful she is that she's the last 18-year old. Needless to say, this story would be extremely short if that is where it ends.

Perhaps because people have a love to hate relationship with Emma, she chooses to stand up to Emma rebels. Perhaps because her own sister is hiding a huge secret, Emma stands up to tyranny, she stands up to the President with a rousing speech that turns a whole bunch of people's heads. It also gets her 30 days confinement as well as becoming a Guard. During Emma's journey, she meets and becomes friends with Eric, a young guard who understandably is puzzled by her actions.

She also befriends Samuel, another guard for the president, who is summoned to watch over her. As Emma meets new people, she doesn't know who she can trust. Yet, she finds herself falling for a guy, something which has never happened before. After doing what she feels is right, Emma finds herself in imminent danger. In the end, she must make one gut-wrenching decision, a decision that may be disastrous for them all.

I am sure you are aware, but NetGalley was offering all three books. So, yes, I have two more reviews coming for the next two installments. Emma is a curious sort. She knows her parents are keeping a secret. She knows that her parents were once friends with the President. She also realizes that people who work for the President are not out to be her friends, or to help her with her goals. Yet, it is Eric and Samuel who come through the most for Emma. Now, onto the sequel!

An interesting premise with critique of a dystopian class-based hierarchy enforced by an authoritarian leader. Based on its setting in the future, the dystopia presented is presumably one borne out of our current reality.

Unfortunately, I had a difficult time getting over my dislike of the author's writing style, which hindered my reading experience. It's possible this is more an issue of personal preference since other ARC reviewers have seemed to enjoy the book without similar critique, but I perceived a running theme of the author telling, rather than showing me the story. There were odd descriptions and metaphors that seemed out of place in their context, which more often than not distracted me from the scenes themselves. Although I held out hope for the story itself, this was not a favorite of mine.

A bit of a generic YA dystopian novel. The premise is interesting but I really wish we could have done without the budding love triangle. I have hopes that Epps capitalizes on what was built in book one to be worth the emotional investment.

I received a copy of this for review through the publisher and Net Galley.

This book could have been fantastic.

It had the potential, it really did. But the execution, unfortunately, butchered it to the ground.

I just don't understand what the audience for this book is. It's claimed to be YA--which with the heavy plot of all children being exterminated makes sense. But the writing seems to be for children. The entire novel is crammed with choppy, child-like metaphors and language.

"I grin like baby Abigail when you tickle her stomach."
"He's glaring at me, like a fire-breathing dragon."
"I feel angry worms eating away at my insides."

Emma Whisperer talks like this the entire novel. So, you're sitting here dealing with women being forced to carry their baby to term (for "punishment" I guess? I still don't understand why abortions are illegal), and have their newborn babies murdered....and at the same time you get dealt with childlike stereotypes like all the poor people are not allowed to wear bright colors, only grey.

This story was just a mess for me. And it had a severe case of special snowflake syndrome:

'I don't understand how all of this became my problem. I'm just one girl.' My eyes water. 'No, you're more than that.' He raises my chin. 'And, I think you know that.'

How is she more than that!?? She hasn't done anything except make a shaky speech on TV where she talked about how unfair everything is. If she is the first person to publicly complain about how shitty life is, than god help that entire society.

But nooOoOo she is "special" and "strong" and the "chosen one"...

I will give the second book a chance. But as of right now, my expectations are very low. I don't believe our special girl Emma will ever find herself in any kind of danger--especially considering she was in "jail" for most of the book, and in that jail she managed to get 2 guards to fall in love with her and let her out of the cell, gave her privacy to dress, and all-in-all treated her like a princess when she was supposed to be inmate...yeah I'm not worried about her at all.

Just not my cup of tea, unfortunately. But hopefully things start looking up in the sequel.

A good start to the series. There are many similarities to Hunger Games that almost lost me. However, I’m curious enough that I have to know about the babies. This is a subject that sadly, I could see happening in our future. So, I want to see how the author handles it. Also, I’m intrigued to see Emma’s journey. She has just enough rebel to her, yet heart for what is right in a political world of few choices. I was provided a free copy by NetGalley and was intrigued as I’m a Dystopian fan. I am providing an honest review. I will post more of a review once I’ve read the series.