*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.

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

On a scale of ugh to omg, this book was definitely a *meh*. I was interested with the cover and description and, being a fan of dystopian fantasy I really wanted this book to be my next big hit. Unfortunately, all did not go to plan.

First the good: the basic plot and concept of the story is great. It really makes you wonder and has some much potential. Emma is a strong character.

The bad: There's hardly any character development. We don't have much information about the other characters and mid way through the story just goes downhill.
It draws a lot from other stories, especially the hunger games in a way that feels unoriginal.

The worse: The writing seems to fall a little flat as it's all I did this and I that... It seems like a really long monologue with no end in sight.
There's no life to the story and finishing the book feels like a burden rather than a joy.

This was a chilling read. The concept was intriguing. It was enjoyable. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I would be remiss if I did not mention the similarities between this story and the Hunger Games. Both feature strong females, both needing to fight, a sister, family secrets, a divided land, a dictator like President, two boys after the leads affections, etc.
Due to the similarities, it was a bit of a slog to get through. Yet it was still a quick read and I hope that the following books in the series begin to differ from the Hunger Games.
Overall, it was an ok book that I will continue to read to see if it will differ greatly from the Hunger Games.

Got through a few pages but it was enough to tell that the plot, dialogue, and “action” was going to be one cliche after the next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book! It was incredibly hard to put down, as I couldn’t wait to see where Emma would go next. I thought that the plot was so interesting; very Hunger Games adjacent while still being a very separate dystopian universe. I could actually envision an elected leader not only further driving a spike between all classes of people, but also taking the wildest stand on children and deciding that the key to making sure that no child ever suffers is to make sure none are every born. That is such a glaring commentary on our powers that be right now. We are focusing on issues such as immigration and instead of helping the people whose countries are uninhabitable, our president wants us to build a wall. So too is President Esther forgetting all about the struggles of the lower class, or Territory L, to focus on their reproduction. I give this a four star mainly for the writing style, which is a total personal preference, but I found it very impersonal and professional almost. At times it almost felt stilted but at the same time it kind of went along with the world the author was creating. All in all it was a fun read!

Chilling concept!
This book follows Emma, the last person in the lower class fraction of society. She doesn’t like to follow the rules, which lands her in trouble! There are three fractions, U- upper M- middle class, and L. Only U are able to procreate, as they are the only ones who have the funds to do so.
This was an intriguing concept, I felt this book was slow, and I didn’t always understand the point to certain parts of the story, it felt as though the author was trying to shoehorn in as many topics as possible. That being said, I will read the second book, as I am curious to find some answers. All in all this book was an ok read.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and Voracious Readers.

I don't like reviews that give spoilers of books. So, with that said, I had a hard time, at first, getting into this book. The main character Emma began the book as a whiny, petulant teen. She did nothing but complain about her family's circumstances and the "secret" she had to help keep for them. However, as the story progressed, Emma's character seemed to develop more and become stronger. The introduction of Eric and Samuel added a couple of kindred spirits, who have to "mind the monarchy" in order to avoid suspicion. I really would like to read the other books in the series to find out how Emma's crusade turns out. Fans of young adult dystopian fiction will enjoy this read.

I received this book for free from Voracious Readers Only and the author in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was billed as similar to The Hunger Games, and the idea behind the book is, but the execution is original and distinct. I enjoyed going with Emma on her journey and felt that she was a really well-developed character. The author was able to make Emma's world come alive and I had a clear feel for the mood of it. I look forward to reading the next book because there are some cliffhangers!

So, why a 1 star deduction? Well, it's more like half a star. The guard characters, Eric and Samuel, were kind of interchangeable in my mind.

Extinction Of All Children (Book 1) Kindle Edition
by L.J. Epps
I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.

I am deeply reminded of Suzanne Collins' groundbreaking The Hunger Games. In the same fashion that I was pulled into that amazing book, I was pulled into this story. Reminiscent of the Children of Men, in a sense, I was amazed at the world building. The world and the circumstances of Emma's life are laid out quickly, clearly and intensely.

The characters are well drawn and the story moves along well. My only two concerns are the number of similies that start with “like...” and Emma has an issue with her legs and knees! They are constantly shaking, bouncing or moving whenever things go a bit wrong.

The villain is not very deep, yet. I hope to see her filled out a bit more in the next book.

4 out of 5 stars.

https://www.amazon.com/Extinction-All-Children-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01GM2YTHE

Interesting plot, however, there are some places where the pace is extremely slow. It took me a long time to finish this book. I do not like a slow paced book.

The characters were interesting. I liked Emma for the most part. I guess I just wanted a more strong female lead.

The concept was definitely interesting and I like that it is a standalone, but about 19% in, I decided to put the book down. I didn't really care for the main character and honestly, I'm not trying to clutch pearls, but the squirrel and kitten getting shot was a bit much for me. I think the story definitely has some potential but it's just not for me.