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Book Information
Title: Falling & Uprising
Author: Natalie Cammaratta
Publisher: Darkstroke Books
Genre: Dystopian | Urban
Publication Date: July 21st, 2021
ISBN: 9798507942916
Pages: 278
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When I step out of my home, I’m not merely a person; I’m a brand, a figure, a symbol.
Serenity
My star is rising, and I shine.
Always.
Falling and Uprising Synopsis
My star is rising, and I shine. Always.
Serenity Ward is the golden girl of Kaycie. She never questioned her city’s status as the last dry land on earth. The Establishment takes care of its citizens…or so she thought. But now she’s seen the map!
Why would they lie about other islands just beyond the horizon? In a city built on falsehood, figuring out who to trust is its own challenge, but Serenity pulls together a feisty group who all want the same thing—an end to the government which has hidden a world from them.
Bram’s anger drives his own desire for revolution. Being from another island, he was selected to be a brainwashed marshal in service to Kaycie, but he knows what’s going on all too well. Hidden in plain sight, he is ready to draw blood to free the islands. Only dealing with Serenity is the one thing he wasn’t prepared for.
Can two people who were never supposed to meet stop fighting each other long enough to remember who the enemy is?
Falling and Uprising Review
Falling and Uprising is the debut novel of Natalie Cammaratta and it is definitely a must read! The book follows Serenity Ward as she navigates the beginning of her life as a citizen of Kaycie in the Leadership track of careers. Kaycie is an island; the only island in the flooded world. Kaycie exists in a dystopian world. The Establishment has created a world where everyone has their career track, and everyone has everything they may need. Except when Serenity begins her career in Leadership, her world is turned upside down. There’s more than one island, the career track are just made up, the marshal aren’t robots. What else is going on on Kaycie and in the Establishment? Can Serenity handle it as her world is thrown into chaos and what is Serenity willing to do to bring balance to the worlds?
The story is told through dual perspectives. Through Serenity Ward, Kaycie’s golden girl. She is the picture of what citizens should be on Kaycie. High heels, make-up and all the latest fashion designs. She is her image and her world revolves around creating the perfect public persona. Her worth is determined by what people think of her as she in destined to become a leader in the Establishment. When she starts her career, her mentor breaks the news to her and recruits her to his movement. The only issue is, she must not tell anyone or anything. Oh yeah.. and she has no idea who is involved in this plot. The other main character is Bram. He’s from one of the islands that Serenity just was told about. His job is to act as a marshal. Being selected as a marshal was supposed to lead to a better life. But instead, the islanders are turned into brainwashed robots. Bram escaped this fate and now is ready to start the uprising. Except now, Kaycie’s golden girl is involved…. Kaycian are bad news, especially those at the top. What does Serenity Ward’s involvement mean for the uprising? WIll she be able to keep their secret from her high society friends and family?
Natalie’s world building is immersive and so well done. You are pulled into the story and really get a feel for what the world is for both Serenity and Bram. I am really hoping for more growth and character development in book 2. But the evolution that Bram and Serenity go through in Book 1 is so well done. Bram softens and Serenity sees the world and herself more than just on the surface. The book is well paced and the events seem realistic. I cannot wait for book 2 and would recommend this for any fan of Divergent, Hunger Games, or any YA dystopian series!
A special thank you goes out to author Natalie Cammaratta for providing me a copy of this book for review!
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About Natalie Cammaratta
Natalie always watches the movie after reading the book, even though she’ll prefer the book. Born and raised in Florida, she grew up in performing arts. Acting in community theater, singing at professional sporting events, and dancing in theme park shows set up her love of theatrics which has shifted to words. Books of all kinds grace her shelves, so long as she can fall into a story and escape from the real world.
Natalie now resides in Kansas, where her husband is dismayed that writing has displaced baking.
Falling and Uprising Series
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