I Am Alive book review.

Amazon’s Kindle reading device has enabled thousands of authors to self-publish and reach a wide audience.

I recently read I Am Alive written by Cameron Jace- He had me hooked as I wondered from chapter to chapter what was going to happen to Decca in the Playa.

Decca lives in a world where ever teenager is ranked on a scale of 1-10 those who score five and above are considered socially “acceptable,” if you score below five you become a monster.

The monsters are then rounded up and forced to fight in the battlefield to the death all in the name of The Burning Man.

16 year old Decca decides to volunteer herself into the battle to find her friend Woo who has alleged died trying to win the game and become ranked last year.

But, Decca finds herself in the midst of a love triangle as she is instantly attracted to celebrity contestant Leo- but she also loves Woo her best friend who she is risking everything to find.

Jace makes frequent reference to mankind’s past and present which is a clever reminder that the victors of war write our history. This enables the evil Hannibal Xitler to keep Faya under his control.

It is also perhaps a warning that as society develops through technological advancement that our over reliance on gadgets could lead to disaster.

Despite the circumstances that Decca finds herself in Jace enables his characters to have a sense humour and a sarcastic look at the world around them.

No one emphasises this point more than Leo, who learns the truth of this world and decides to fight Xitler head on.

He leaves Faya in exile but returns and is sent immediately into the Monster Show to fight for forgiveness.

However, throughout the show Leo’s sarcasm is cleverly used as he mocks the other characters for being unable to understand that the history they’ve been told of their world is a lie.

The American author also makes his novel action packed through the games the contestants are forced to go through just to survive which keeps people wondering about what happens next.

Xitler tells Decca that the more Faya believes in his ranking system the less humane they become. This is why the monsters and Breakfast Club are so important.

They are the embodiment of the human condition and they are the seeds of revolution that Xitler has fought for decades to prevent.

It is clear to see how repulsed these characters are by the monster show and that the majority of people in Faya have been brainwashed that they cannot comprehend that the games is murder.

Jace leaves the reader in suspense as he ends on a cliff-hanger that will have people demanding more from the author. It is a novel that I just couldn’t put down… and after you start to read you will feel ALIVE as you dig deeper into the world of Faya.

 

(Copyright belongs to Cameron Jace.)

“Book two of the I AM ALIVE series Incresecent will be released soon.”