Our entire nation had been lied to for decades. Millions murdered to fit a narrative. We had no idea what was taking place outside the Walls. Whether we were being protected as we were told, or caged. We lived lives guided primarily by fear.

I was given The Seclusion in exchange for an honest review! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to read and review Jacqui Castle’s debut novel!

Set in a dystopian future in the year 2090, America has enclosed itself to the outside world by building walls around all surrounding borders to keep out unwanted immigrants and terrorists. The Wall is meant to protect the residents of America. Sound familiar? The government controls everything. Where people live, what they watch, what they eat, where they go; every aspect of their lives is controlled by a faceless entity referred to as “The Board”.

The Board provides. The Board protects. I am grateful for the protection.

This phrase is ingrained into every citizens’ brain—including Patch. Patch is the protagonist of the story and wants nothing more in this life than to keep her head down. She wants to do her job by taking samples of the earth to determine the toxicity levels, and tend to her tiny garden in front of her apartment. Patch has always obeyed the laws, taking every video and public service announcement the Board sends out to heart. She shuns and steers clear of others who have turned their backs on the government and is constantly questioning why anyone would ever question the Board or want to leave the comfort of the Walls.

However, her point of view starts to shift when Patch and her friend Rexx discover an old broken-down van while on one of their assignments. Despite her initial reaction to immediately report the van, Patch and Rexx search the vehicle for any clues of what life was like before the Wall. What they find is simply a glimpse into life many years before their time. The van is loaded with maps and books; contraband that is illegal now that The Board is in charge. Hiding this discovery would surely mean punishment or perhaps even death. It’s too late to turn back now though, as Patch’s curiosity has sparked into a burning flame.

The duo decides to confide in her parents and show them the vehicle to hopefully garner some more information and truly understand what is happening. After an awkward car ride to the van, Patch and Rexx show them their discovery. Although shocked at the finding, her father is familiar with the books and recounts what his life was like during The Board’s overtaking of the country. Patch and Rexx are dumbfounded and can’t believe what they are hearing. They have been lied to their entire lives; knowing nothing other than what their parents and the Board has been feeding them.

After digesting this information, they return to their homes. However, after dropping off her parents and taking Rexx back to his apartment, they receive a message. “Geoffrey Collins is being held in federal custody on charges of treason. An investigation into the charges has begun. You will be informed of the results.” Patch’s father had already been taken into custody only shortly after returning home. Thoughts and fears race through their minds as they know it’s only a matter of time before The Board will be after them as well. They must decide—run and try to find life beyond the Wall, or stay, and most likely face their death for committing treason.

Rexx and Patch ultimately decide to take their chances to try to find a new life for themselves beyond their polluted city. The journey they embark on is filled with adventures, quirky new characters, and dangerous encounters.

I don’t want to further spoil anything, but this novel has been a fun surprise to read. The world that Jacqui Castle creates could potentially be a very relatable one sooner than we think and it is interesting to even think about this type of dystopian future.

Overall, I give this book an 8 /10. If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games or Divergent series, I highly recommend The Seclusion to you. The only reason I didn’t rate it higher is because of detail. I wish she would have delved into life before the Wall and maybe even did a deeper back story on Patch’s family. The full book is around 290 pages, but I sincerely believe it could have easily been 600 if she would have added more detail. Other than that, the book was a fantastic and exciting novel. I look forward to following Patch’s journey and other work from Jacqui Castle.

The Seclusion is now available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be checking out The Seclusion? Or have you read it already? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

In the year 2090, America has walled itself off from the rest of the world. When her father is arrested by the totalitarian Board, a young woman sets out to escape the only country she’s ever known.

While on a routine assignment scouting the viability of dwindling natural resources outside the massive urban centers most American citizens call home, Patricia ’Patch’ and her co-worker Rexx discover a relic from the past containing dangerous contraband―unedited books from before The Seclusion. These texts will spark an unquenchable thirst for the truth that sees Patch’s father arrested by the totalitarian Board.

Evading her own arrest, Patch and Rexx set out across a ruined future United States, seeking some way to escape the only home they’ve ever known. Along the way, they learn about how their country came to be this way and fall in love. But their newfound knowledge may lead to their own demise.

The post Review: The Seclusion by Jacqui Castle appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

A large chunk of the literary world, more so the young adult world, is composed of both magic-filled fantasy novels that follow a badass protagonist and cutesy contemporaries that scream insta-love. But in amongst this, dystopian novels—the unsung heroes—manage to combine realism with make-believe. Read on to discover a few dystopian stories, which I have read, that reign supreme in my eyes!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
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It goes without saying that this will forever be my personal favourite dystopian novel. If you’re unaware of this series, The Hunger Games follows the protagonist Katniss Everdeen, a citizen of District 12, through a heart-wrenching journey of survival.

Set in Panem, separated into twelve districts and governed by The Capitol, the country values the wealthy and ignores the starving. Each year The Capitol hosts a Hunger Games, where one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts is ‘reaped’ to take part in a gruesome fight to the death. This pageant is held to remind its citizens of ‘The Dark Days’—a failed rebellion of the districts against The Capitol, which saw a thirteenth district destroyed. And, in its 74th year, Katniss is forced into volunteering for The Hunger Games.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
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Okay, bear with me. The Darkest Minds does fall into the science fiction realm, however, there are elements of dystopia—and they are great. The story opens its readers to an American society that fears its children—obviously, considering it’s a YA novel. Kids are the enemy and adults will stop at nothing to see them defeated.

90% of children in the United States are dying, and nobody knows why those who remain are receiving miraculous abilities. Greens are walking Einstein’s, Blues are telekinetic, Yellows are a real shock, Oranges are a good source of Vitamin C, and Reds are serial arsonists. The kids, with these abilities, that are caught are taken away from their families and sent to camps. And, Ruby, our protagonist, and her companions; Liam Chubs, and Zu are on the run from the government—but, what her friends don’t know, is that Ruby is dangerous

Scythe by Neal Shusterman
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A new favourite of mine, Scythe is the successor to The Hunger Games. In a futuristic world, humanity has perfected itself. No longer is the world plagued with disease. No longer in the world plagued with conflict. No longer is the world plagued with death.

Controlled by the ‘Thunderhead’, this futuristic society has outgrown the constraints of morality. To combat this, a select group known as Scythes are chosen to carry out the gruesome task of ‘gleaning’ the world’s population. Our two main protagonists, Rowan and Citra, are chosen to be apprentices to a Scythe—never before has a Scythe taken on two apprentices at the same time. And, at the end of their apprenticeship one will have to ‘glean’ the other.

Scythe is a story filled with political intrigue, betrayal, and intense turmoil. Its sequel, Thunderhead, is even better!

Broken Sky by L.A. Weatherly
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This trilogy is probably the most underrated and unheard of on this list and Broken Sky is a hidden gem amongst the YA novels. So, I didn’t know this, but this novel is set in “a distorted echo of 1940’s America,” and now I understand the atmosphere of the story way better.

Amity, our protagonist, is a teen pilot, battling in one-on-one combat, up in the sky. She flies to maintain peace between nations and this is done to replace traditional warfare. However, not everything is picture perfect. Corruption manages to make its way back into society and nations are cheating their way to victory. And, as Amity begins to question the same organisation that became her safe haven, her world is turned upside down when she becomes a scapegoat.

Side note: Honestly, a lot of novels are set in a Dystopian America, so, I think I’ll start making an effort to find and read those that are set in Australia.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
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This novel truly stands on its own—which is true, considering it’s a stand-alone. But, Ready Player One is a modern-day Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Set in the not too far future, population control is out of hand and reality is becoming obsolete.

This society prides itself on a virtual reality known as ‘The Oasis’, and our protagonist, Wade Watts uses this program to escape his horrible living conditions. Upon the death of the creator of ‘The Oasis’, James Halliday, a competition is held, and the winner would inherit his entire fortune and corporation.

Five years after this announcement of this competition, Wade discovers the first of three keys—which will be used to unlock the prize winnings. Now a target of the corrupt Nolan Sorento, head of operations for Innovative Online Industries, who wants ‘The Oasis’ to himself, Wade is on the run for his life.

Legend by Marie Lu
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

I finished this book a few days ago and knew that it had to be on this list. Legend is a true dystopian masterpiece. A fan of her other work, I was curious to see how her debut novel compared to her later work. Legend follows two protagonists, Day and June, and their journey through a society that decides its citizens’ futures based on a series of tests, known as the Trial.

Day is a criminal. He is supposed to be dead. But, instead, he is wanted by the government. June is the pride and joy of The Republic after she received an unprecedented perfect score for her Trial. After the murder of her brother, Metias—with Day as the prime suspect— June is left with one goal: to avenge her brother and bring justice to his murderer. But, there is more to this than meets the eye. Was Day really the one who killed her brother? Is The Republic a perfect society?

And, those are some of my favourite dystopian novels! All of these are great reads and really take the time to comment on the current situation of our world—even though some are written before any of these events occurred.

If you have any other dystopian novels that you love, comment them down below!

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