***Review*** Suspense by Jason Letts

Suspense by Jason Letts

Released : 3rd September 2011

Publisher: Self - Published

Series :Yes #1 in the Spencer Nye series

Format :Kindle

Source : Author review

Buy at : Amazon | Amazon UK |Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Author Site:  Jason Letts 

Goodreads Synopsis:

Spencer Nye can’t control the rage bubbling under her skin over the world around her. The trouble is, by the year 2102, the world has solved most of its great problems. Without hunger, war, greed, or even money, people obsess over the glamour of the Culture Industry and its mega-celebrity Idols, who vie for followers over the social networks of Connect.

But Spencer discovers there is plenty to fix within the Idols’ competition for more popularity. She becomes a diehard and promises to do anything to help her Idol, a dreamy movie star named Cleary Mintz, bring his vision of hope and purpose to the world. When she stumbles onto a threat against his life, she’ll have to fight harder than she ever thought possible or lose the man who means more to her than any other.

Suspense, the first book in a dystopian trilogy, contains 76,000 words and is recommended for ages 16 and up because of depictions of violence and some sexual themes.

 My review:

I was given a copy of this book to review from the author.

Suspense is a fast paced and edgy thriller.  It does border on the weird and wacky at times, but then again this is a dystopian book so anything goes really.  It really brings home how a society depends on social networking.  I liked the futuristic feel of this book, you kind of think it’s possible that this world could happen.

I will say that it did take me a few good chapters to get into this book, at times I felt it pretty hard going.  But I am glad I finished it, the ending was the best part.  I did like the concept of the story but at times I think it went a bit flat.  I’m not going to knock this book too much as I did think it made an interesting and colourful read.

I have to admit I didn’t really bond with the main character Spence, I found her a bit of a cold and complex character.  But hey some characters are developed to be like this, we can’t always like everyone.  

I would like to read book two in the series, just to see what’s next in store for the main character Spencer Nye.

Story rating 3/5 – I’m not sure really what to make of this book.  I don’t think it helped that I didn’t particularly like the main character.

Cover Rating 2/5 -  Not really a cover I personally like.  I love the colour scheme, but the figure of the girl does not do it any justice.

About the Author:

If you've lived through the American educational system, you can understand that things get pretty boring from time to time, and so I spent a lot of my youth disappearing into stories, whether they be movies, video games, or books. They were vibrant and exciting, each of them about achieving something wonderful despite all odds.

That was the kind of thing I wanted when I finished my degree and went to teach English in Japan. I was battling the language barrier and discovering new people, but then of course I met something even more paralyzing than the American educational system, the Japanese educational system. In both places there were tons of incredible professionals doing the best to help students develop, and I have benefited directly from so many great teachers, but this time I around I started writing stories of my own instead of absorbing them.

Now I write young-adult fiction in a variety of its sub-genres. I'm lucky enough to do this for a living, and I hope I'll be able to keep doing it for a very long time. To all of my wonderful readers, thank you so very much!