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vikingwolf's review
A charity set up to help homeless people off the street and into a new life seems too good to be true and the rebels try to convince the latest girl saved to join their cause.
I just could not connect with this story from the start. Oh don't get me wrong, it isn't a horrible book, it isn't badly written or anything like that. It just wasn't my kind of thing.
Alexa and her family are living in a van when she is attacked by a potential rapist-and saved by people from a charity. Her mother is offered the medical help she needs if Alexa lets herself be used in fundraising attempts. She meets people who are big supporters of the charity and insist that they only want to help people, but others are part of a rebel network who want to expose the charity and show what they are really doing.
It was during all this stuff that my attention really wandered. The two opposing views of Adam and Joshua were going into love triangle territory which really bores me now in YA books and I tend to lose interest when it becomes all about hormones and less about the plot.
Not for me. However it won't stop me looking at other books by this author in genres that are more suited to me. Her storytelling and character development are fine and it is hardly her fault that I wasn't fully into this story! YA fans should probably enjoy this book.
I just could not connect with this story from the start. Oh don't get me wrong, it isn't a horrible book, it isn't badly written or anything like that. It just wasn't my kind of thing.
Alexa and her family are living in a van when she is attacked by a potential rapist-and saved by people from a charity. Her mother is offered the medical help she needs if Alexa lets herself be used in fundraising attempts. She meets people who are big supporters of the charity and insist that they only want to help people, but others are part of a rebel network who want to expose the charity and show what they are really doing.
It was during all this stuff that my attention really wandered. The two opposing views of Adam and Joshua were going into love triangle territory which really bores me now in YA books and I tend to lose interest when it becomes all about hormones and less about the plot.
Not for me. However it won't stop me looking at other books by this author in genres that are more suited to me. Her storytelling and character development are fine and it is hardly her fault that I wasn't fully into this story! YA fans should probably enjoy this book.
thistlechaser's review
5.0
(Book received for free for review.)
Before I start reading a book, I take my time looking at the cover, reading the copyright pages, the dedication, all the pre-story pages. In doing so, I noticed something odd about this book: There was no publisher listed. Even when a book is self-published, there's usually a line on the copyright page mentioning who did the printing. Nothing at all in this book.
Going back to the original offer, I found no publisher listed in it, either. Perhaps the author made it available herself?
So, assuming it was self-published, I wasn't expecting much at all. Frowning, I read the first page... and found I liked the writing style. Simple but clean, and the story caught my interest right away.
My first impression held through the whole book. I really, really enjoyed it. (Self-published book #3 that I enjoyed!)
I did find an interesting clue in those pre-story pages. The author's warning that the characters weren't based on RL people sounded just like it was taken out of a fanfic header. And in the last couple pages post-story, where she was thanking people? She listed about a dozen alpha and beta readers! Now THAT is how you self-publish! :D (I found not a single typo or grammar issue in the whole book, which impressed me. Though with so many alpha and beta readers, I'd be surprised if any had slipped through.)
But, the important part. The story! I enjoyed almost all of it. It started with a homeless family, mother and three children living in their van. Modern day American city by my guess. In their darkest period, they're picked up by someone from the Second Chance Institute (SCI), a worldwide non-profit organization with the motto "Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Life". They take in the poor and homeless, giving them training, education, etc. The family is taken to a center, given medical care, food, and a place to live.
But something is going on behind the scenes. Something involving other planets? We're given clues by one of the characters -- but are they really clues? Or is it misleading tidbits of information?
Unfortunately we never find out. Turns out this story was a companion book to the original book, meant to flesh some things out and explain other things. Without having read the first book, I can only guess as to what was really going on behind the scenes at SCI. (What I could guess, I really really liked and wanted to know more about.)
Also, this book ended on a cliffhanger -- no attempt at all was made to bring the story to any sort of a conclusion. That made me grumpy.
My only other minor quibble: The main character was a teenage girl, and boy am I tired of reading stories told from their POVs. Snarky, smart-mouthed, sarcastic, confident to a fault -- every teenage girl from a YA book always seems the same. At least this one was the least annoying of all the ones I've read recently.
As much as I enjoyed this story, I'm hesitating at buying the first book. Based on the Amazon summary, it sounds like there will be a teenage love-triangle, and that would be a real turn-off for me. However, I think the strength of the writing and my own curiosity about the plot will push me over the edge and I'll end up getting it.
Before I start reading a book, I take my time looking at the cover, reading the copyright pages, the dedication, all the pre-story pages. In doing so, I noticed something odd about this book: There was no publisher listed. Even when a book is self-published, there's usually a line on the copyright page mentioning who did the printing. Nothing at all in this book.
Going back to the original offer, I found no publisher listed in it, either. Perhaps the author made it available herself?
So, assuming it was self-published, I wasn't expecting much at all. Frowning, I read the first page... and found I liked the writing style. Simple but clean, and the story caught my interest right away.
My first impression held through the whole book. I really, really enjoyed it. (Self-published book #3 that I enjoyed!)
I did find an interesting clue in those pre-story pages. The author's warning that the characters weren't based on RL people sounded just like it was taken out of a fanfic header. And in the last couple pages post-story, where she was thanking people? She listed about a dozen alpha and beta readers! Now THAT is how you self-publish! :D (I found not a single typo or grammar issue in the whole book, which impressed me. Though with so many alpha and beta readers, I'd be surprised if any had slipped through.)
But, the important part. The story! I enjoyed almost all of it. It started with a homeless family, mother and three children living in their van. Modern day American city by my guess. In their darkest period, they're picked up by someone from the Second Chance Institute (SCI), a worldwide non-profit organization with the motto "Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Life". They take in the poor and homeless, giving them training, education, etc. The family is taken to a center, given medical care, food, and a place to live.
But something is going on behind the scenes. Something involving other planets? We're given clues by one of the characters -- but are they really clues? Or is it misleading tidbits of information?
Unfortunately we never find out. Turns out this story was a companion book to the original book, meant to flesh some things out and explain other things. Without having read the first book, I can only guess as to what was really going on behind the scenes at SCI. (What I could guess, I really really liked and wanted to know more about.)
Also, this book ended on a cliffhanger -- no attempt at all was made to bring the story to any sort of a conclusion. That made me grumpy.
My only other minor quibble: The main character was a teenage girl, and boy am I tired of reading stories told from their POVs. Snarky, smart-mouthed, sarcastic, confident to a fault -- every teenage girl from a YA book always seems the same. At least this one was the least annoying of all the ones I've read recently.
As much as I enjoyed this story, I'm hesitating at buying the first book. Based on the Amazon summary, it sounds like there will be a teenage love-triangle, and that would be a real turn-off for me. However, I think the strength of the writing and my own curiosity about the plot will push me over the edge and I'll end up getting it.
momwithareadingproblem's review
5.0
Clean Slate Complex by [a:Megan Thomason|6578897|Megan Thomason|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353133187p2/6578897.jpg] is a short-story that bridges the time between books one and two of the daynight series and tells the story of Alexa Knight. Alexa is a homeless teen in living in her run-down van with her mom and three older brothers. When her mom gets sick, Alexa's only hope for her to get better is the Second Chance Institute's Clean Slate Complex. The CSC provides food, jobs, clothing, and education to get the homeless back on their feet. Too good to be true? Absolutely!
I loved this story so much!! It gives insight into how the SCI is functioning on Earth and what they may be up to. Alexa is a fun character. She's feisty and outgoing and doesn't hesitate to speak her mind when needed. She builds a relationship with Adam, another CSC recruit who she met her first day there. Adam is described as perfect and he seems to have a blind eye when it comes to the CSC and SCI because of all they have supposedly done for him. Alexa doesn't buy into it. She second guesses what the SCI's real motives are to providing "everything." Joshua-Josh-JB (I just love the way introduces himself!) meets Alexa for the first time disguised as a homeless person, turns out he's actually the son of the people who run the CSC on Earth. Through catchy and often annoying tunes he tries to warn Alexa what the CSC is really there for.
The action of this story is nonstop and kept me turning the pages. At the end I wanted more!! So lucky for me book two was already out because I don't think I could have waited! The plot twists in this novella clear up some questions that I had in book one and really set the stage for the plot of book two. If you enjoy dystopians with a lot of action and suspense or you like a book that keeps you guessing, I highly suggest you check this one out! You will not be disappointed!
I loved this story so much!! It gives insight into how the SCI is functioning on Earth and what they may be up to. Alexa is a fun character. She's feisty and outgoing and doesn't hesitate to speak her mind when needed. She builds a relationship with Adam, another CSC recruit who she met her first day there. Adam is described as perfect and he seems to have a blind eye when it comes to the CSC and SCI because of all they have supposedly done for him. Alexa doesn't buy into it. She second guesses what the SCI's real motives are to providing "everything." Joshua-Josh-JB (I just love the way introduces himself!) meets Alexa for the first time disguised as a homeless person, turns out he's actually the son of the people who run the CSC on Earth. Through catchy and often annoying tunes he tries to warn Alexa what the CSC is really there for.
The action of this story is nonstop and kept me turning the pages. At the end I wanted more!! So lucky for me book two was already out because I don't think I could have waited! The plot twists in this novella clear up some questions that I had in book one and really set the stage for the plot of book two. If you enjoy dystopians with a lot of action and suspense or you like a book that keeps you guessing, I highly suggest you check this one out! You will not be disappointed!
resareads's review
4.0
*I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley*
I have to admit I came into this story lacking a lot of back knowledge. When I saw it on NetGalley I saw the #1 and thought it was the first book in the series but for whatever reason (I'll blame it on selective vision)failed to notice the .5 after it. Luckily when Thomason says this book can be read before or after the first book she means it, and once I discovered I was reading a filler book (and I mean that not as in it's filler content but that it fills in the time between book one and book two) I was still able to enjoy this novella for what it was. But, as your reading this review, please see it as a review of this as a stand alone novella, rather than a comment on the series as a whole (not having read the full length novel I don't feel qualified to comment).
The Clean Slate Complex is a compound founded, run, and funded by the "second chance institute" a not-for-profit group that literally goes around and picks people up off the street and offers them a second chance at life. All they have to be willing to do is help the group that gaveit to them. Not too much to ask, right? Well, when this bus of do-gooders picks up Alexa Knight and saves her from being raped by a drug addict she doesn't think so. Then Alexa and her family find themselves firmly implanted in the heart of of SCI and Alexa realizes she might have been better off in that alley when it's too late to go back.
Thomason shows a lot of promise in this novella and the world she creates in the SCI is both disturbingly alien and hauntingly familiar. Not only does Thomason manage to make a subtle comment about nps that claim to do good while looking out for their own interest she's able to weave in enough suspense that makes the SCI seem like a group that's going beyond just regular human greed and corruption and into the world of fantasy evil. Alexa is a charming heroine you can't help but root for and the villains are, very clearly, villains. If her novel is set up in the same way I believe Thomason has created a unique and intriguing series. She's certainly set up a good premise.
While I enjoyed the novella I found that the only character I really cared about was Alexa. The author tries to make us care about her family, (mother and older brothers) but the author doesn't bring them into the forefront and any threat on their lives left me emotionless. Even characters that were killed off during the novella didn't make much of an impact. This is very clearly Alexa's story, but without even trying to form emotional ties between the reader and the characters Alexa cares about left me feeling a little empty as the novel came to a close.
That being said, Thomason's done a good job and I think the Daynight series is worth giving a try.
I have to admit I came into this story lacking a lot of back knowledge. When I saw it on NetGalley I saw the #1 and thought it was the first book in the series but for whatever reason (I'll blame it on selective vision)failed to notice the .5 after it. Luckily when Thomason says this book can be read before or after the first book she means it, and once I discovered I was reading a filler book (and I mean that not as in it's filler content but that it fills in the time between book one and book two) I was still able to enjoy this novella for what it was. But, as your reading this review, please see it as a review of this as a stand alone novella, rather than a comment on the series as a whole (not having read the full length novel I don't feel qualified to comment).
The Clean Slate Complex is a compound founded, run, and funded by the "second chance institute" a not-for-profit group that literally goes around and picks people up off the street and offers them a second chance at life. All they have to be willing to do is help the group that gaveit to them. Not too much to ask, right? Well, when this bus of do-gooders picks up Alexa Knight and saves her from being raped by a drug addict she doesn't think so. Then Alexa and her family find themselves firmly implanted in the heart of of SCI and Alexa realizes she might have been better off in that alley when it's too late to go back.
Thomason shows a lot of promise in this novella and the world she creates in the SCI is both disturbingly alien and hauntingly familiar. Not only does Thomason manage to make a subtle comment about nps that claim to do good while looking out for their own interest she's able to weave in enough suspense that makes the SCI seem like a group that's going beyond just regular human greed and corruption and into the world of fantasy evil. Alexa is a charming heroine you can't help but root for and the villains are, very clearly, villains. If her novel is set up in the same way I believe Thomason has created a unique and intriguing series. She's certainly set up a good premise.
While I enjoyed the novella I found that the only character I really cared about was Alexa. The author tries to make us care about her family, (mother and older brothers) but the author doesn't bring them into the forefront and any threat on their lives left me emotionless. Even characters that were killed off during the novella didn't make much of an impact. This is very clearly Alexa's story, but without even trying to form emotional ties between the reader and the characters Alexa cares about left me feeling a little empty as the novel came to a close.
That being said, Thomason's done a good job and I think the Daynight series is worth giving a try.
jeanz's review
4.0
MY REVIEW
I purchased this novella from Amazon.co.uk. The cover shows a bus parked in front of an apartment building. The bus and the building are kind of gleaming white suggesting cleanliness and perhaps purity. They both belong to the Second Chance Institute (SCI) who run the Clean Slate Complex. I like the cover as , all becomes clear about the cover when you read the novella.
So Alexa is a homeless young girl who is caring for her sick mother whilst living in a van with her three larger older brothers. It becomes apparent that Alexa's mum needs medical attention, but on the way to the SCI clinic or nearest hospital the van breaks down. It also happens to break down in a rather rough rundown area. Alexa's brothers go to phone for help leaving Alea with their mum. Unfortunately a run down man (probably a junkie) attacks Alexa. Alexa does fight back as best she can as her brothers have taught her to. Sadly it appears that her life may truly be in danger as the junkie is getting the upper hand in the fight. Then a vehicle pulls up and comes to Alexa's rescue. The vehicle is a bus that belongs to the Second Chance Institute. Also around the same time as the bus stops Alexa's three brothers arrive back panicking about what is happening.
Alexa, and her brothers are taken to the Clean Slate Complexes, whilst their mother is immediately taken to the medical centre/clinic within the complex too. The complex is so full that Alexa is given a room in the private quarters of the couple who run the complex. It's where Alexa meets Joshua, who gives some quite confusing signals as is he may be against the institute his parents are the heads of. The whole ethics of the place seem somewhat too good to be true, I mean no one does such things for nothing do they? That is a question Alexa finds herself asking more and more as times goes on during her stay at the Complex. Who can Alexa speak about her fears to? Who can she trust? Is it safe to speak out? What's with the strange Reallocation ceremony, where do the reallocated go?
This is a well written, brilliantly cryptic novella. There always seems to be something going on. The novella has drama, suspense, danger, adventure, betrayal, conspriracy and a little romance and friendship thrown in.
So did I enjoy the novella? Yes, it's quite a decent length novella. I liked Alexa's feisty character and the fact she didn't just take things at face value, she questioned incidents around her. Would I recommend the novella? Yes, it was a good read even if you don't go on to read the rest of the series. Would I read more in this series? I'd definitely like to read more in the series. Would I read other books by Megan Thomason? I liked the style and pace of the writing so I guess I'd take a look at other books by the Author yes.
I purchased this novella from Amazon.co.uk. The cover shows a bus parked in front of an apartment building. The bus and the building are kind of gleaming white suggesting cleanliness and perhaps purity. They both belong to the Second Chance Institute (SCI) who run the Clean Slate Complex. I like the cover as , all becomes clear about the cover when you read the novella.
So Alexa is a homeless young girl who is caring for her sick mother whilst living in a van with her three larger older brothers. It becomes apparent that Alexa's mum needs medical attention, but on the way to the SCI clinic or nearest hospital the van breaks down. It also happens to break down in a rather rough rundown area. Alexa's brothers go to phone for help leaving Alea with their mum. Unfortunately a run down man (probably a junkie) attacks Alexa. Alexa does fight back as best she can as her brothers have taught her to. Sadly it appears that her life may truly be in danger as the junkie is getting the upper hand in the fight. Then a vehicle pulls up and comes to Alexa's rescue. The vehicle is a bus that belongs to the Second Chance Institute. Also around the same time as the bus stops Alexa's three brothers arrive back panicking about what is happening.
Alexa, and her brothers are taken to the Clean Slate Complexes, whilst their mother is immediately taken to the medical centre/clinic within the complex too. The complex is so full that Alexa is given a room in the private quarters of the couple who run the complex. It's where Alexa meets Joshua, who gives some quite confusing signals as is he may be against the institute his parents are the heads of. The whole ethics of the place seem somewhat too good to be true, I mean no one does such things for nothing do they? That is a question Alexa finds herself asking more and more as times goes on during her stay at the Complex. Who can Alexa speak about her fears to? Who can she trust? Is it safe to speak out? What's with the strange Reallocation ceremony, where do the reallocated go?
This is a well written, brilliantly cryptic novella. There always seems to be something going on. The novella has drama, suspense, danger, adventure, betrayal, conspriracy and a little romance and friendship thrown in.
So did I enjoy the novella? Yes, it's quite a decent length novella. I liked Alexa's feisty character and the fact she didn't just take things at face value, she questioned incidents around her. Would I recommend the novella? Yes, it was a good read even if you don't go on to read the rest of the series. Would I read more in this series? I'd definitely like to read more in the series. Would I read other books by Megan Thomason? I liked the style and pace of the writing so I guess I'd take a look at other books by the Author yes.
the_resa_p's review
4.0
*I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley*
I have to admit I came into this story lacking a lot of back knowledge. When I saw it on NetGalley I saw the #1 and thought it was the first book in the series but for whatever reason (I'll blame it on selective vision)failed to notice the .5 after it. Luckily when Thomason says this book can be read before or after the first book she means it, and once I discovered I was reading a filler book (and I mean that not as in it's filler content but that it fills in the time between book one and book two) I was still able to enjoy this novella for what it was. But, as your reading this review, please see it as a review of this as a stand alone novella, rather than a comment on the series as a whole (not having read the full length novel I don't feel qualified to comment).
The Clean Slate Complex is a compound founded, run, and funded by the "second chance institute" a not-for-profit group that literally goes around and picks people up off the street and offers them a second chance at life. All they have to be willing to do is help the group that gaveit to them. Not too much to ask, right? Well, when this bus of do-gooders picks up Alexa Knight and saves her from being raped by a drug addict she doesn't think so. Then Alexa and her family find themselves firmly implanted in the heart of of SCI and Alexa realizes she might have been better off in that alley when it's too late to go back.
Thomason shows a lot of promise in this novella and the world she creates in the SCI is both disturbingly alien and hauntingly familiar. Not only does Thomason manage to make a subtle comment about nps that claim to do good while looking out for their own interest she's able to weave in enough suspense that makes the SCI seem like a group that's going beyond just regular human greed and corruption and into the world of fantasy evil. Alexa is a charming heroine you can't help but root for and the villains are, very clearly, villains. If her novel is set up in the same way I believe Thomason has created a unique and intriguing series. She's certainly set up a good premise.
While I enjoyed the novella I found that the only character I really cared about was Alexa. The author tries to make us care about her family, (mother and older brothers) but the author doesn't bring them into the forefront and any threat on their lives left me emotionless. Even characters that were killed off during the novella didn't make much of an impact. This is very clearly Alexa's story, but without even trying to form emotional ties between the reader and the characters Alexa cares about left me feeling a little empty as the novel came to a close.
That being said, Thomason's done a good job and I think the Daynight series is worth giving a try.
I have to admit I came into this story lacking a lot of back knowledge. When I saw it on NetGalley I saw the #1 and thought it was the first book in the series but for whatever reason (I'll blame it on selective vision)failed to notice the .5 after it. Luckily when Thomason says this book can be read before or after the first book she means it, and once I discovered I was reading a filler book (and I mean that not as in it's filler content but that it fills in the time between book one and book two) I was still able to enjoy this novella for what it was. But, as your reading this review, please see it as a review of this as a stand alone novella, rather than a comment on the series as a whole (not having read the full length novel I don't feel qualified to comment).
The Clean Slate Complex is a compound founded, run, and funded by the "second chance institute" a not-for-profit group that literally goes around and picks people up off the street and offers them a second chance at life. All they have to be willing to do is help the group that gaveit to them. Not too much to ask, right? Well, when this bus of do-gooders picks up Alexa Knight and saves her from being raped by a drug addict she doesn't think so. Then Alexa and her family find themselves firmly implanted in the heart of of SCI and Alexa realizes she might have been better off in that alley when it's too late to go back.
Thomason shows a lot of promise in this novella and the world she creates in the SCI is both disturbingly alien and hauntingly familiar. Not only does Thomason manage to make a subtle comment about nps that claim to do good while looking out for their own interest she's able to weave in enough suspense that makes the SCI seem like a group that's going beyond just regular human greed and corruption and into the world of fantasy evil. Alexa is a charming heroine you can't help but root for and the villains are, very clearly, villains. If her novel is set up in the same way I believe Thomason has created a unique and intriguing series. She's certainly set up a good premise.
While I enjoyed the novella I found that the only character I really cared about was Alexa. The author tries to make us care about her family, (mother and older brothers) but the author doesn't bring them into the forefront and any threat on their lives left me emotionless. Even characters that were killed off during the novella didn't make much of an impact. This is very clearly Alexa's story, but without even trying to form emotional ties between the reader and the characters Alexa cares about left me feeling a little empty as the novel came to a close.
That being said, Thomason's done a good job and I think the Daynight series is worth giving a try.
becxreadz's review
4.0
Very interesting short story to introduce the first book. Hmmm are they aliens or something else. Gonna have to read ot find out.
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