Submerged (Outbreak #1)
by Nicole Sobon
Paperback, 384 pages
Published February 14th 2013
Summary from Goodreads:
After a mysterious virus makes its way into the United States, the government demands that states seal themselves off from one another and do their best to protect their surviving residents. When the state of Florida is bordered off from the surrounding states, Taylen Fincher, a seventeen-year-old girl with a yearning for her former life finds herself wondering how much of what they’ve been told is true.
When Troum took control of the state, he told the residents that the other states had fallen to the virus and that he wouldn’t allow the same thing to happen to them. But Taylen doesn’t believe it. She insists that there is still life outside of the state, and she is going to do whatever it takes to prove it… but her actions will cost her more than she ever expected.
Troum kidnaps Taylen’s sister, Penelope, in hopes of coaxing her into behaving – into being a submissive resident, much like the others. But Taylen isn’t one to give in that easily.
Eager to rescue her sister, Taylen will set out on an adventure that’ll force her to open her heart to the unexpected and to uncover secrets that will change everything.
When Troum took control of the state, he told the residents that the other states had fallen to the virus and that he wouldn’t allow the same thing to happen to them. But Taylen doesn’t believe it. She insists that there is still life outside of the state, and she is going to do whatever it takes to prove it… but her actions will cost her more than she ever expected.
Troum kidnaps Taylen’s sister, Penelope, in hopes of coaxing her into behaving – into being a submissive resident, much like the others. But Taylen isn’t one to give in that easily.
Eager to rescue her sister, Taylen will set out on an adventure that’ll force her to open her heart to the unexpected and to uncover secrets that will change everything.
Thoughts:
Submerged is certainly a dystopian that you can really sink your teeth into. From the get go, we are introduced to Taylen; the rebellious teen who is always sneaking off to the outside compound of the sealed Sector walls. In Taylen's world, the state of Florida is shut off from the outside and residents are divided into different Sectors known as Family, Widowed and Homeless and
all teens are required to enlist in the guard or the clinic by their seventeenth birthday.
I love the fact that the author wasted no time at all in developing the story and we dive into action right at the beginning. Taylen is a strong female character who has the courage to stand for what she believes in. It is also interesting to see her character's development through out the story as her actions unwittingly sparked a change in the controlled society that she lives in. When Taylen are forced to flee her Sector, she uncovered an earth shattering truth about her own world and get s to meet a mysterious guy called Grate. Eventhough Lex is introduced earlier on as Taylen's supposedly childhood friend/love interest who joined Troum's guard, it is easy to see how she gets atttracted to Grate. Taylen felt betrayed by Lex loyalty to his superiors while Grate seemed much more reckless and carefree.
With it's intense, gripping action, unique plot and amazing world building, Submerged is certainly a dystopian series to look out for. I really can't wait for the next book!
Life was supposed to be a journey, one which allowed us to find ourselves- who we were, the person that we wanted to become.
