The first word that comes to my mind after finishing reading True Calling is Amazing. This book is simply amazing. Every single page of this book was action packed and fast paced. It was a quick and easy read, which was exactly what i needed.

I really enjoyed the world building and the setting of this book. The technology that they used got me suprised and the story development was awseome. All through the book, you never knew which chracters were trustworthy and that was an aspect that kept me stuck to this book overnight.

The protagonist, Ariana Skyee, was a independent and resilient seventeen year old who really believes in her opinions. She doubts of the goverment's real intentions and she wants to have things her way. The fact that she was such a strong character made me love her even more as a protagonist.

The romance in this book was good. All through the book, I didn't like Cal because I always felt like he was part of a plan even though he was nice to Ariana and her family. I really didn't trust him.

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I had no idea of what to expect and not to my suprise, I was pleased by how much this book was awseome. I have no regrets.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games and Matched. I can't wait till Book 2 comes out.

If you enjoyed The Selection, Matched, Cinder, Uglies, Across the Universe, Legend, Unwind, Divergent, and/or The Hunger Games, you'll probably like this book.

When I first read what it was about, and the cover, I was kinda leery, I was expecting a low budget B flick type book, for some reason I was intimidated and wasn't really sure if I wanted to request this book or not, but I'm determined to be open minded when it comes to this reviewing business, so I requested and was granted. I am so glad I did.

One of the things in this book I wasn't all together thrilled with, was the love triangle. The Zane of her dreams, and Cal. I was team Cal the entire book, even after finding out the background of Zane. He won me over. I won't say much, but I think the triangle was the weakest point of the book, I'm thinking book 2 will divulge more of the Zane/Ari background to make you feel conflicted about who she should be with. I hate triangles, but even though I hate them, I don't hate this book.

The book was beautifully written, the scenery was detailed so that I could clearly imagine what I was reading, the technology real enough to be believed that it could really happen. The characters were real, and you could really love/hate them. The story line was awesome, it kept me into it, and was hard to put down. After I was done all I wanted to do was track down the author and ask her to let me be her editor so I can read what she has on book 2 and 3 so far.

If you are a fan of dystopian books, this one is for you. I found that it's a mix of all the popular dystopians in one. The 100, Matched, The Selection, The Program, are among the few that I thought of. Aside from some similarities, this book had a lot of unique qualities too, so it wasn't a complete copy.

True Calling, is a dystopian novel based on a Planet named Novo and the Planet is a lot like Earth, but has more advanced in technology. The residents of Novo are former residents of Earth, which have been screen to make sure they are in perfect health. The down fall right now for the people of Novo is that the population is not interesting. In order to solve this problem the government has come up with The Calling. The Calling is a pageant where people are matched up to make the ideal offspring. After they are pair and married they must reproduce at least three offspring. The pageant is televised and Ariana Skyee is a 17 year old cadet from the planet Novo, was originally from Earth, but cannot remember parts of her past. She begins to have dreams about a man named Zane, she is unable to remember who he is and why she has such a connection to him. Then there’s Cal, a boy who is also part of The Calling, she feels a huge connection to him and the feeling are the same for him. Now Ariana must what is happening on her new and old Planets. Any readers that enjoyed dystopian novels like; Hunger Games, Divergent, and Delirium, will enjoy this novel as well. I was very interested in the love triangles which in the novel and wanted to know more about Zane and Cal and what everyone’s true intentions where within the story. This novel was a bit of a slow read and took me a little long then a novel usually takes me. I did find myself skimming some parts, but not too much, I was just very eager to see what was going to happen next. I am very excited that this novel is Book one of a series and I ca not wait for book two!!

I have to admit the main reason I decided I had to read this book was the cover, it's so pretty and I just knew I had to read it as soon as I saw that cover. I had some difficulties getting into this book at first. I had some trouble getting used to the author's writing style, it's a lot of telling instead of showing and it feels a bit distant. Also at first there's a lot of explanation, like the main character is telling the readers about her world, which felt a bit off. After the first few chapters I was completely hooked into the story and my earlier issues fel to the background.

I would describe True Calling as a story driven book, the story is certainly the best point of this book. And around 100 pages in, the pace really picked up and I was completely intrigued. There's lots of things happening. There's a lot of mystery and the main characters are kept in the dark for a long time, but that only added to the story and every new piece of information we got shone more light on everything.

Then there's the end, which was well done. A few predictable developments, but also some surprising ones. I was left wondering who really are the bad and the good guys and if there's even more to this world then we are led to believe.

This book is told from multiple point of views, only not in the way you might expect. There's the first part which is narrated by Arianna, then there's the second part form Zane's perspective and the third part from Arianna's point of view again. It might seem unusual, but I think it worked really well. There's no switching back and forth.

I really liked both main characters. Arianna is a likeable character, although sometimes I wish we got to feel her emotions a bit more. It's described what she feels, but I didn't really feel it. I did like her as a character, she seemed willing to do whatever was necessary and she cares strongly about those close to her. Then there's Cal, I didn't like him at first, he just seemed annoying and arrogant and I didn't like his attitude. I did came to like him a bit more later on and I believed he really cared about Arianna. There are some sweet moments between the two of them, but there are also some scenes were I doubted if Cal was good for her. Then there's Zane, I really liked him and he seemed like a nice guy. We only get his perspective for a few chapters, but I liked him and how he was willing to do anything to get Arianna from Novo.

There are some side characters, but I felt like they were only that. We don't really get to know the side characters, although I did really like Lily, Arianna's sister and she reminded a bit of my sister. I never connected with Eve, Arianna's best friend and the further the story progressed the lesser her part got. Another thing that bothered me a bit, was that while Arianna, Call and Eve all attended some military school we never got a good idea of what they knew and got taught. Especially during the scene at the end I was wondering how much of this was normal for Arianna and what she knew.

The romance in this book contains some sort of love triangle, although it isn't really clear until later in this book. I really have mixed feelings and I am not sure which team I am. Cal and Arianna grow really close to each other in this book, but I also really like Zane and I felt like he didn't got his chance in this book, although I am pretty sure that will change in the next book. The romance is a bit complicated and closely connected with the 'Calling' and the events leading them to go to Novo. I am really curious how the romance will develop in the next book and I feel like Arianna is in a really difficult position.

While I enjoyed reading about the world the author has created, I felt like there was something missing. Especially at the beginning there were a lot of unanswered questions like where was Novo exactly, how did the memory wipe work, what did they remember and what not and why if people were chosen for their health were most families still intact. Later on these questions drifted a bit to the background as I got absorbed into the story. Siobhan does the descriptions really well and I enjoyed getting a sense of the world and how it looked like. I was pleasantly surprised at the paranormal twists, I didn't see it coming and I found it an original addition. I hope we learn more in depth about it in the next book!

To conclude: I really enjoyed True Calling, the book is story driven with a nice casts of characters. Although I had some trouble getting into the story at first and would've liked to get to know more about the characters emotions. As soon as the story picked up I wanted to keep reading. The romance and the love triangle had me a bit conflicted and I can't figure out what's my stand on it, I think I prefer Zane, but Cal and Arianna share something as well. The world building was nice, although I would've liked to learn a bit more about the world. All in all a great book and I can't wait to see were Siobhan takes this series next!

True Calling by Siobhan Davis is book one in a new Sci-Fi dystopian world. Ariana Skyee is seventeen, training to be a soldier (by her choice), in her new world Novo. Two years ago, her and her family were evacuated to the planet when Earth became uninhabitable. The new government erased everyone’s memories of those left behind leaving many confused and feeling as if something or rather someone is missing. As Ari’s family starts to fall apart, the government announces their plans to repopulate the human race in the form of “The Calling” and Ari along with all seventeen year olds are forced to marry and mate (for lack of better term). Plagued by dreams of a boy she doesn’t know and falling in love with a boy she shouldn’t, Ari starts to uncover the government’s dark secrets.

Okay I’m going to level with you all….I really loved this book! I liked the characters, the writing, the plot, the world-building….all of it. So yes, there will be fangirling (a lot of it) in this review. And I’m not going to apologize for it ;)

Ariana is a strong character and a decent female lead. I’ll admit that at times I felt like she was a bit dramatic, but it’s in our nature as girls to be that way. What I loved about Ari though is her devotion to her family, despite all odds. She loves them and will do anything for them, even participating in the horrible pageant.

Ugh…the Calling…what can I say that isn’t a spoiler?! The Calling is the government’s way to control who you sleep with…end of story. Not really! It’s very reminiscent of a bad reality TV show…you know the one. I think it starts with a B ;) All boys and girls, seventeen years of age, are matched with ten perspective people to be their mate. Over a course of weeks the government and all parties involved (along with the adoring public) will vote on who you are to marry. Obviously our Ari is against this from the start and has every right to be!

With the Calling, comes Cal Remus, also seventeen and extremely good-looking according to Ari but also knows it…yeah he’s that kind of guy. Or at least Ari thinks he is. Slowly his character is revealed and I found him quite charming but I felt like something was off. I don’t know why, just my opinion.

Then there’s Zane from Ari’s dreams. She doesn’t know if he exists or not. If he does, she has no memory of him and no idea what their relationship was or is. (The whole memory wipe thing is a tad confusing…). But for some reason she is connected to him and is determined to figure out how.

Ari’s world is fascinating to me. She lives on a planet called Novo, just 12000 miles from Earth. The government was gone to great lengths to make the world like Earth. Each region is fashioned after places from home…Hawaii, New York, Colorado just to name a few. But it’s too neat and too clean…too perfect. Ari comments on how the lines are too even, which in my brain makes sense and I kept picturing something like the movie The Truman Show where looks were deceiving and Truman lived inside this town/dome unaware of the world outside.

Overall I thought the book was fantastic! The author did a wonderful job of conveying the character’s emotions and her world. I felt like I was there in Novo, thousands of miles from a desolate Earth. I can’t wait for the next installment in this series :D If I have any complaints (which really they aren’t complaints, more of just I want more) it would be that whatever happened on Earth isn’t explained. So why they had to evacuate isn’t mentioned other than the Earth was no longer habitable. There was also a hint of aliens with a mention of “we know now we are not alone.” Creepy goodness! Also I smell a love-triangle coming with mystery boy and Cal, but as I’m indifferent to Cal I say bring it on! If you enjoy science fiction, dystopias, and of course young adult fiction, I highly recommend you check it out! I believe you will love it as much as me! Well maybe not as much as me, but you get the picture ;)

True Calling is a young-adult sci-fi romance novel. Its an unusual combination but it was really enjoyable! The book focuses on Ariana Skyee who lives on Planet Novo. Airiana is soon to be forced into marriage to Cal and motherhood. However, Ariana is having dreams of dreams of an unknown boy, Zane. She is plagued by memories of a forgotten Earth.

So many alternate world novels do an information download at the beginning that just tells you everything about the world. However, Ms. Davis lets information develop naturally. The Cal or Zane question is a bit reminiscent of Edward or Jacob debate from Twilight. This book was interesting enough to make me want to read the second book in the series when its released.

First of all, let me state that simply categorizing this book as YA Science Fiction is supremely misleading. It’s quite the mixture of Romance, Coming-of-Age, Post-Apocalyptic, and bits of Fantasy.

Davis creates a new world for readers to traverse that fits quite seamlessly with what one would assume a government created society would entail: advanced technology, physically and mentally ideal occupants, and relatively similar landscaping to that of Earth which has consequently been somewhat evacuated due to its tired resources. Seems quite idyllic if you ask the government. Of course if you ask the people…population control in the form of a forced reality-TV-style breeding program call The Calling, memory erasing technology, and constant monitoring aren’t exactly what they signed up for when they agreed to leave their planet.

The ever popular love triangle…think you’ve read that story before do you? Ah, but do not scoff so soon. True Calling puts a whole new spin on the classic dilemma of who will she choose. On the one hand, Ariana has Cal: gorgeous fellow cadet on Novo. On the other, she has Zane: the boy from her past that she has no memories of and who is a constant visitor in her dreams.

Although the book was quite slow-paced at times, I enjoyed the slow exploration of the main characters mixed in with the fast pace events surrounding the uprising of Earth’s inhabitants that were left behind. The book switches back and forth between two points of view and I must say that I definitely enjoyed that of Ariana’s far more than that of Zane’s.

True Calling will appeal to those that enjoy cross-genre reading of the YA persuasion. 3.5 quills!

Title: True Calling Author: Siobhan Davis Series: First in a trilogy Publisher: Self Published Format: eArc Source: NetGalley Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi

Plot: ★★★★
I have been obsessed with YA Sci-fi books ever since I picked up Across the Universe a few years back and so when I saw this title on Netgalley I just couldn’t resist! It follows a girl called Ariana whose family relocated to the planet Novo two years ago where life is peaceful and in control. Then the ‘Calling’ gets announced – a pageant where you are placed with your best match to marry and you must have kids ASAP. Ariana doesn’t like having her life taken from her like that as she wants to have a career before she gets married and has kids. Then she starts dreaming of a boy back on Earth and she has no idea if he’s from her past life or just a figment of her imagination.
It sounds great right? The only downside to certain plotlines in this book is that they were very reminiscent of other books. I couldn’t help but think immediately of how similar this was to the Hunger Games and the Selection series. Otherwise, it was really enjoyable and I’m intrigued to see where the next book will go!
Characters: ★★★★.5 For some reason at times I found myself getting confused because at one stage there were a whole bunch of new characters introduced and then I was like.. who are you again? But other than that I thought the characters were all really well done and I really enjoyed how prominent her family was in the book.

Writing: ★★★★
I can’t think of anything to really criticise about the writing, but for me, there wasn’t anything mind-blowingly different about it either.

Romance/Feels: ★★★★
This is obviously going to be a love triangle and I am definitely rooting form one of them all the way! There were some feels and I can tell that in future books, there’s going to be a lot more!

Ending: ★★★★.5 SO INTENSE. It really picked up towards the end and there was so much action! The last line of the book reminded me again, however of other works like the Hunger Games and Divergent. I just felt like a couple of things were too similar.

Overall Enjoyment: ★★★★
I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good sci-fi romance!

Rereadability: Possibly.

Final Rating: 4.17 stars to be exact!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Ariana and select others have moved from Earth to a new world called Nova. The technology is advanced but having just relocated there 2 years ago things are still being built and transitioned.

Every resident that turns 17 becomes part of a pageant of sorts called “The Calling”. They are matched up by a long and involved process on who they are going to marry. Then they are required to have 3 kids by age 22 to increase the population. This was by far the creepiest part of the book for me. Especially after only being away from Earth for 2 years and the government has already made this type of demand.

I found this book to be mix of the Hunger Games and a much better version of the movie Elysium. I enjoyed all the characters, I thought the book had a good mix of personalities. I look forward to the 2nd book to see what happens.

I really enjoyed this! I almost gave it 4 stars because I hate love triangles and I really dislike Isla, but I liked the premise and other characters more than I hate those things, so 5 stars is the way I went. This book is very thorough, very descriptive; sometimes a bit too much, but I think it really helped build the world up. I love futuristic type books and also dystopian type books, and this book is both, so I liked all that tech talk, but it did run a bit long, and I would have liked for the pacing of the story to be a bit faster. Ariana and Cal were interesting characters, and I think they were really sweet together. Ariana had some feistiness to her, as well as intelligence, and Cal was both strong, as well as vulnerable. I liked Zane as well; except for some of his actions with a certain someone, and I look forward to learning more about him in the next book. I will definitely read the next book in the series; I'm really looking forward to how things will play out; (bit of a spoiler ahead, but really it's more of a teaser, or I could just be reading too much into an actions; we shall see!) especially what happened to Ariana when she was put to sleep at the doctor's!