*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!

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.

Extinction Of All Children – L.J. Epps

A young adult, fantasy novel about a teenager who is the last eighteen-year-old in her territory. There will never be another child; every baby born after her has been taken away. Everyone wonders why she survived.

Every now and then, I fall out of love with reading. You can probably tell that from the breaks I take from blogging about books! But then, a book comes along and it just reignites that desire to get lost in a different world again; for me, that was this book.

This book wasn’t ridiculously exciting, it wasn’t something unlike I’d ever read before and it wasn’t one I couldn’t put down. But what it was, was a nice, easy read… which I think we can all admit, sometimes we just need? It was very hunger games-esque (which I’m a fan of btw) which probably helped capture my interest early on. I instantly felt relatable to the main character, Emma, as she worked hard to protect her family and always wanted more for herself. That passion and ambition is something I love reading about as I believe we should all be more ambitious in life.

I think the relationships were a little cliche… it’s like every YA novel needs to have a love interest or be torn between two boys, in this case, I don’t think that it added anything more to the story.

The way this book ended made me think there will be a sequel… would I read it? Yes. I want to know what happens next, I want to know what happens to Taylor and Emmas family. Will they find Abigail…. will she be alive? So many unanswered questions.

★★★1/2

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. I am just not interested in this book anymore. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Extinction of All Children started out a little slow, but then it surprised me and sucked me into its unique plot. The characters were interesting, the drama was engaging, and the lead character was a resilient and ambitious female. All good things, right?

The main problem I had with the story was that it had several slow portions that seemed to drag on forever, but I tried to look past that and aim for the ending. The last few chapters really picked up and left me with a lot of unanswered questions. If I would have read just the first half of the book, I probably wouldn't want to pick up the sequel. As I kept reading, I began to enjoy the book more, and the ending left me begging for the second book.

All in all, I would say Extinction of All Children was an interesting read with a unique plot. I would recommend this book to lovers of YA with the warning that the first half is rather slow. I enjoyed the book and want to read the sequel now!