Title: Ultraxenopia
Author: M.A. Phipps
Genre: YA Dystopian Thriller
Cover Designer: Nathalia Suellen
Editor: Catherine Stovall (CLS Editing)
Publisher: Seven Sisters Publishing
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR
PART ONE OF THE YOUNG ADULT DYSTOPIAN TRILOGY PROJECT W. A. R.
Don’t stand out. Blend in. Remain invisible. Those are the rules I lived by – the rules I thought would keep me alive.
I was wrong.
Wynter Reeves is a law-abiding citizen of the State, a willing conformist whose daily life is haunted by terrorism and oppression. With the constant threat of death hanging over her like a shadow, she forces herself to live by a strict set of rules, all in the hope of ensuring she is never noticed. However, on her twenty-first birthday, as she prepares to take the placement exam that will determine her future within society, she begins to show symptoms of a rare and debilitating illness – ultimately attracting the attention of the State. Taken into the custody of the feared research facility known as the DSD, her worst nightmare becomes reality.
Ripped away from the life she knew, Wynter is forced to become the test subject of the mysterious Dr. Richter. Through him, she learns the true and terrifying nature of her condition: a disease called Ultraxenopia.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33806043-ultraxenopia
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/zGZIFOMur1w
“This isn’t how it looks,” I stammer.
A sarcastic laugh explodes from his lungs, echoing through the otherwise soundless bar.
“Really? Because, from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re one of them.”
“I’m not.” The words sound weak and unconvincing.
He pushes the barrel of the gun against my temple, and our faces are so close now that I can feel his heated breath against my lips.
“Why should I believe you?” he growls.
I tense my jaw, spitting my next words through clenched teeth. “If I was one of them, they would already be here,” I hiss back.
The State doesn’t play games. He must know that better than anyone. They wouldn’t waste time sending in a single person when they could more efficiently get the job done by sending a whole team. If I was one of them, the Enforcers would already be here. The State wouldn’t bother with this game of charades.
His expression doesn’t change, but I can see his true reaction in his gaze—the doubt that appears there. He seems to grasp that what I’ve said makes sense, but at the same time, can’t wrap his head around any other reason why I’d be here.
He wavers, and I can feel his uncertainty in the way the point of his gun wobbles against my skin. His eyes remain fixed on mine, making my heart race even faster. I only glance away when I notice a movement to my right. Looking up, I see another man now standing beside us.
“We can’t take any chances,” the man grumbles before spitting on the floor in front of me. “We should kill her to be sure.”
A deep-rooted panic washes over me, the fear like a smoldering and inextinguishable ember. Despite everything I’ve seen, I still have my doubts as to what’s really happening, and I can’t help worrying that this won’t end well. How can it? I won’t even be given the chance to defend myself.
He presses the gun even harder against my forehead, causing me to suck in a sharp breath. Our eyes lock once again.
“How do you know my name?”
I stare at him, trying to figure out the best way to answer his question. His hazel eyes are probing, but I find myself losing focus on his expression. His face has gone hazy, the bar even darker. The nausea from before returns with a vengeance, consuming my entire body and pressing down on me with a force that threatens to pin me to the floor.
I sway, lightheaded.
A strange trickling resonates around us, the sound deafening in the hushed bar. At first, I think I’m imagining it, but then I see the alarming change in his face.
His eyebrows pull together as he looks down, and suddenly, he’s taking a reflexive step back. I follow his gaze once more, my own vision doubling as I take in the tremendous pool of red that seems to surround me.
I watch the blood as it drips from my open wrist, the bandage soaked through and unravelling from its hiding place in the no longer white sleeve.
His eyes snap back to mine, and my every movement feels delayed as I glance up to meet them. The moment I do, the images from my vision flash through my thoughts, reminding me why I’m here.
I see his face. His hazel eyes.
I see his tears.
“I’m sorry, Wynter.”
Any and all light that the bar possessed vanishes in an instant, and the pain I had managed to forget hits me all at once. I gaze at him, concentrating on his face as much as my increasing blood loss will allow. Focusing on his eyes, which continue to stare back at me.
My lips pull into a smile as the darkness rushes to overcome me.
“I saw you,” I breathe.
A fascinating dystopian read! Regardless if you are a dystopian genre buff or not, you won’t be disappointeed. I don’t normally like to compare books in my reviews but I felt like this was a cross between Hunger Games and Divergent (I love them all). The world is set up so you feel like you are right there. The background for the characters is beautifully flawed. This author gives you just enough to be sure you continue to find out more about the others. Perfect!
Wynter is about to take her placement test when something happens to her. She is having hallucinations and is taken to the DSD and is told that she has a disease, Ultraxenopia. She is told that she will be safe but ends up being tortured by Dr. Richter for “the greater good”. She keeps seeing this man in her visions. She escapes and finds this man who is part of the rebellion group PHOENIX. As if her head wasn’t spinning while with the DSD, her whole world is turned upside down. Fear, confusion, disbelief, questioning of morals, and trying to figure out what is right and what is wrong….This story will have you all over the board and trying to figure out exactly what is going on and what the next step is. Truly captivating!
“When I enter the corridor, I notice Jenner leaning up against the wall next to the door. He’s whistling a soft tune and his eyes are closed. He looks serene, beautiful even. At peace. I envy him, wishing more than anything that I could know what that feels like.”
“Sympathy— or I guess, in this instance, empathy— can alter a person’s mindset toward just about anything, regardless of the circumstances. Or, in our case, because of the circumstances.”
“From the day I was born, I’ve been told to suppress my emotions —that by doing so I would successfully integrate into a society that it’s taken me my whole life to realize is poisonous. Humans are meant to feel. We’re meant to love. We aren’t meant to shut any of that out, and what I never grasped before is that you can’t. One way or another, they’ll find their way to the surface. One way or another, they’ll find a way to break through. Holding back all of those feelings for twenty-one years leaves me unprepared for the onslaught that attacks me now. Each emotion tears through me, burning into my soul until there’s nothing left but a pile of ashes. From those ashes, what rises up is the new me.”
This is a new author for me and I’m hooked. There is a cliffhanger and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment. A must read!
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2uZ0fPJ
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ultraxenopia-ma-phipps/1126583754?ean=2940154402023
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/ultraxenopia-project-w-a-r-1/id1245702057?mt=11
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ultraxenopia
M.A. PHIPPS is an American author who resides near the ocean in picturesque Cornwall with her husband, daughter, and their Jack Russell, Milo. A lover of the written word, it has always been her dream to become a published author, and it is her hope to expand into multiple genres of fiction. When she isn’t writing, you can find her counting down the days until the new season of Game of Thrones.
Author Links:
Official Webpage: http://www.maphipps.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormaphipps/
Official Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/436191730095124/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authormaphipps
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13682371.M_A_Phipps
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormaphipps/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MAPhipps
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/authormaphipps/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2sF4HC5
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-a-phipps
