Ready, Set, Read!: GIVEAWAY + BOOK REVIEW | Road to Eugenica by A.M. Rose (Blog Tour!!)

Title: Road to Eugenica
Author: A.M. Rose
Series? Yes, not sure how many
Pages: 285
Publication Date: Frebrary 5, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: I received an e-galley of Road to Eugenica via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Entangled Teen and Netgalley!

Two dimensions - And the girl who connects them.

Yesterday, Drea Smith couldn’t do anything spectacular—even walking and texting at the same time was a challenge. But today, she suddenly has more answers than Google, can speak and understand numerous languages, and she can fight. Like a boss.

Super freaky.

Drea has no idea where her encyclopedic knowledge has come from, but she’ll take it when she discovers someone out there knows her secret and wants her badly. And that they’ve been searching for her since she was born.

Since she was created.

With the help of her best friend Dylan, who just wants to keep her safe, and Maddox, a mysterious new boy who is prepared to get her answers, Drea will have to push her new skills to their limit as she uncovers nothing is quite what it seems.

As she uncovers…Eugenica.

Goodreads | Buy the Book!

I first heard of Road to Eugenica when I stumbled across it on Netgalley. For a couple days, I went back and forth on whether or not I would request it, and I'm glad I did! Road to Eugenica is one of the most original young adult science fiction/fantasy novels I've read in a long time.

Road to Eugenica follows Drea, who seems to be an ordinary girl who is helplessly in love with her best friend, Dylan. When mysterious new-guy Maddox comes into town, Drea all of a sudden knows everything. She's a walking encyclopaedia, and gets some kick-ass fighting skills because of it. With these new abilities, comes a whole slew of problems.

quote from Loc 3211 of the ARC! Keep in mind that quotes are subject to change!

My main issue with Road to Eugenica was that it took me a while to become fully interested in the book. There is a heartbreaking scene in the beginning, and it had me hooked (at first). For me, it took a while for the plot to really kick-off. I kept waiting and waiting for Drea to get her abilities, and my attention was waning fast. I am glad I continued the book, but there was a couple times I thought of putting it down. Once the action kicked in, the book got a lot better for me.

What I liked most about this book where the characters. All three main characters: Drea, Dylan, and Maddox are still teenagers. A.M. Rose did a good job of making them seem like age, despite the circumstances they were in. Their interactions were at times immature, and it was indicative of their age. All three of them seemed like there were in over their heads, and Rose did a great job showing that. Their personalities seemed authentic, and I'm looking forward to learning more about them in the sequel.

If you are wondering if there is a love triangle, the answer is yes. I know that some readers hate love triangles, but I honestly don't mind them. When they are done well, I even enjoy them! There is a great reveal at the end of the book, and it left me questioning Maddox and Dylan's intentions. In my opinion, there is a stronger relationship, but I'm still interested to see how it all plays out!

One small problem I had with Road to Eugencia was the world-building. There were several times I was confused. I kept forgetting who was who, and why Drea was important. Don't get me wrong, the action was riveting, but the big picture wasn't clear to me. Hopefully with the next book, the world A.M. Rose created will be clearer to me.

Road to Eugenica is one of the more unique young adult sci-fi/fantasies I've read. Though the world building needed a bit more work for me to fully believe the story and the beginning dragged a bit the book was good overall! The characters were my favorite part, and I didn't mind the love triangle. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series and figuring everything out with Drea!

With that, I give this book

3.5 out of 5 Stars!

And here's the moment you have all been waiting for! Down below is the widget for the giveaway. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you need even more convincing, here's an excerpt of Road to Eugenica!

     My hand peels away from the tree and reaches forward. Even with my abnormally long monkey arms, the rope is still too far. My body seizes up and my gaze drifts to the ground. Screw this. I grab ahold of the tree again. “I can’t.” Maybe I’ll just live up here, attached to this tree for the rest of my life. Or better yet, someone can shoot me with a tranquilizer dart and I’ll magically wake up on the ground. A little groggy but totally worth it.

    “You got this,” Dylan hollers.

     I take a long, deep breath, filling my lungs with cool air, and slowly let it out. “If I die, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

     “Duly noted.”

     This is it. No chickening out now. I need to get to the other side. One, two, three. In a single quick motion, I reach for the rope, my fingers wrapping around the old, weathered cord that a thousand hands have probably grabbed over and over. With my luck, it’ll snap any second now. Thumpthumpthump. My heart’s pounding in my chest, measuring the time it takes for me to move from the platform to the plank. It's forever. Finally, though, I land on it with a solid step. It shakes underneath me, jerking my still racing heart. My fingers hurt from gripping the rope so tightly. Air bursts in and out of me. But that…

     That wasn’t so bad.

     “See, I knew you could do it,” Dylan cheers. “Only ten more.”

     Ten more. That's ten too many. But I got through this one. It wasn't even hard. For the first time I start to believe I can do this. My heart's still pounding, and sweat runs down my back in a river soaking the waistband of my jeans, but I'm not paralyzed with fear any more. I've got this. I hold onto that feeling as I hit my next mark. “I did it!” I shout.

     “You’re doing great.” He takes a few steps to his left, and I get a few woots and whistles from the people below.

     This isn’t so hard after all. Eight left and then only seven. The farther I go, the easier it gets. Actually, it’s almost kind of fun.

     I take a split second to smile at Dylan on my way to my next target, but freeze. Behind him, in the woods, piercing green eyes stare straight at me.

     It’s him.

     My heart stops. Jumps up and lodges in my throat. I can’t breathe. I can’t move. Everything around him fades. No more voices from my classmates. No birds chirping. The man’s motionless, staring at me so intently his gaze burns a hole in my chest. He’s tall, with dark hair. I know this even though right now I’m towering above him. Just like I know there’s a crescent scar under those piercing green eyes. I've seen him before, in my nightmares, and in moments that feel like nightmares. The Green-eyed man watches me, and me alone. And he waits.

     What does he want? And what happens on the day he decides he's done waiting? My heart stutters. Sweat crawls down my face, like a spider. Before I can stop myself, I take a quick step backward—into nothing.

     Gravity takes over and pulls me down. I reach out for anything to stop it and open my mouth to release the pent-up terror in my chest, but nothing comes out.