Nu Haven by Raiza Denise

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers…the place to be when the weather outside can’t make up its mind as to whether it wants to be hot, cold, or somewhere in-between; come on in, the reading is always fine!

Today, we’re stepping into the world of Young Adult Fiction with a distinctly dystopian feel yet set in the here and now.  It gives you characters to know, secrets to uncover, and twists to surprise you along the way.  Ready to meet the next series on your wish list?  Come on down! You’re the next contestant on the “Book is Right”..or rather book of choice…

Nu Haven

By

Raiza Denise

To me, it was like Hunger Games minus the fight for survival (at least knowingly), crossed with the Truman Show without the emphasis on one person’s life alone.  In other words, it was GOOD stuff!  Let me set the seen for you…

Once upon a time there was an island of orphans that survived a violent breakdown in society….wars, fallout, disease, you name it, where others fell; they prevailed.  Their only hope of continuing life as they now know it is to stay on the island because as the few adults that survived have told them…it’s not safe.  But some have bigger dreams than studying and training and coloring within the boundaries the rest of their days.  Some feel that there HAS to be something more across the great wide somewhere, or in this case the big wet blue something (aka ocean) and upon reaching the age of maturity intends to find out…if not sooner.  Who dreams this dream?  Well for one…Adah Trevino.

She’s a spitfire of a girl (Katniss, anyone?) who’s at the top of her game. Ready and willing to help others reach their potential In the staged battles attended by the islanders each week, she’s the one to beat.  Before you get too worried though, they aren’t to the death or anything…but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the occasional accidental-on-purpose one from time to time. ~whistles~  What?  Oh, you’re curious about my word usage there, right? Thought you might be. You see, the place they call home…NU HAVEN…is actually MORE than it seems, as are the source of Adah’s oh-too-real nightmares that she tries to shrug off with just a shiver (good luck with that).  It’s a place cut off from the outside world (that supposedly doesn’t exist) that still has someone to watch over them…or rather, WATCH them.

Yes.  Nu Haven is not only home sweet home but the most watched television show in the world…too bad NONE of the characters know it.  Nope.  The things that happen from the mundane to the extreme are all a part of their day to day lives…at least as far as they know…and a thrilling part of the semi-scripted programming provided by these sponsors;  William Harrison’s dad being the biggest of them.  Who is he and why should YOU care?  Well, first of all, he’s the son of the TV mogul behind the show.  Secondly, he has a crush on the leading lady.  Thirdly…he’s the former best friend of none other than Adah Trevino from a childhood long forgotten.  Dun dun dunnnnnn….you did get the message that secrets run amuck here, right?  Okay, good.  I didn’t want to have to worry about you now.

You come to care about the people of Nu Haven from the young to the old (well, not THAT old because the adults minus one are loathsome for reasons I shan’t reveal), the likable to the disliked, and a few others in-between.  The land itself is wild and rugged with enough area tamed to be livable but not enough to be called civilized.  The drama is real, the emotions raw and the tensions building to a crescendo, at least for those that know about them anyway.  It’s a curious world that’s been created with a twist at the end that will leave you hanging.  No worries!  There’s a SECOND book in the works…yay!

In conclusion, if you’re a fan of Young Adult fiction, love (or tolerate) the HG series, don’t mind a dash of reality TV in your fiction, than this is the book for you.  Or you know, if you simply love a read that keeps you turning pages into the wee hours, it’ll work too!  ^_^  Review copy received courtesy of author Raiza Denise.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this series or the author’s other works, be sure to visit her online at www.raizadenise.webs.com or follow along on Twitter.

Until next time…happy reading!