"All Things Now Living" by Rondi Bauer Olson (LitFuse Blog Tour) ... and KINDLE GIVEAWAY!

While on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy is accidentally trapped in New Lithisle in Rondi Bauer Olson's All Things Now Living. At first her only goal is to escape, but when she meets Daniel, a New Lithisle boy, she begins to question how less-than-human the people of New Lithisle are. Amy's feelings grow even more conflicted when she learns she didn't end up in New Lithisle by mistake. Her father is secretly a sympathizer. Time is running short and Amy has to decide if she will bring the computer program her father wrote to his contact or save herself. Installing the program could prevent the dome's collapse, but if Amy doesn't find her father's contact in time, she'll die, along with everyone else.

Stay up all night reading this thrilling new book from Rondi and enter to win a Kindle Fire!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of All Things Now Living
• A Kindle Fire

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on December 14. The winner will be announced December 15 on the Litfuse blog.

Link to enter giveaway...


My review...

Amy believes that the aegis (an electromagnetic dome) must fall and that anyone living inside is someone who is “less than human” due to gene modification (with pig genes) done in hopes of gaining immunity to the swine flu. After her father disappears, she is left to face dangerous conditions alone. That is, until she meets Daniel, who is a genetically modified elder. He goes against everything she believes, but she must rely on him if she wants to survive and escape the authorities, inside and outside the dome.

The story takes place in a futuristic setting after a plague has hit. There are two different groups of people, and both have very different survival methods, which are based on their religious principles. One group believes their best option is to stay under the dome where they can be protected from disease through experimentation with animal genes. The other group feels it is best to live in the wild.

Let me start by saying that this is the author’s debut novel, and it is the first book in the series. Some parts seem a bit over the top or cliché, and there were some inconsistencies. The romance angle developed way too quickly, and the story, overall, was confusing for me to follow at times. The book starts out a bit slow, but the pace does pick up as the story unfolds. A bit more backstory would have been helpful in some instances. Perhaps some of these issues will be addressed and fixed in the second installment.

As a fan of shows such as Under the Dome, I looked forward to reading this book. The premise seemed interesting and different from what I normally read. I was also intrigued by the fact that this was a Christian YA dystopian. However, it did not quite live up to my expectations.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy as part of the LitFuse blogger program. I was not required to leave a positive review.

Blog tour landing page

About the author:

Rondi Bauer Olson is a reader and writer from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where she lives on a hobby farm with her husband, Kurt. She has four grown children, works as a nurse, and also owns a gift shop within view of beautiful Lake Superior.

Find out more about Rondi at http://rondibauerolson.weebly.com.