Breakout

BREAKOUT by A.M. Rose is an edge-of-your-seat, YA dystopian adventure that will have you turning page after page well past bedtime.

Lezah was imprisoned for a crime she didn’t remember committing, and with six days left until her execution, decided it was time to escape. With help from several other inmates, including the swoon-worthy Seph, Lezah attempted to not only break out of the prison but remember her past and figure out who was controlling the prison.

I loved Lezah as a character and started rooting for her on page one. Even as I struggled to get a real picture of who she truly was, Rose masterfully revealed pieces of the puzzle which came together seamlessly (and unexpectedly!) later in the book.

The world-building was phenomenal and honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. With climate change such a real-world concern and technology advancing at such a tremendous pace, the world depicted in Breakout was certainly not far-fetched, which made the premise all the more terrifying.

The pace of this book was intense, and Lezah and her friends find themselves in constant danger. There were times I actually felt as though I was trapped in hell with them, even to the point of holding my breath.
The favorite element of Breakout, however, was definitely the tight-knit group of friends. In many of the dystopian/sci-fi books I read, the pacing and world-building are tremendous but the character development ultimately falls short, and I end up not caring what happens to them one way or the other. This was not the case for Breakout. Rose expertly blended a gripping storyline with characters that were so well-developed, it was impossible not to connect with them. I loved the sweet romance that developed between Lezah and Seph, and thought it was so completely age appropriate that the teenage heroine managed to fight for her life while still noticing the smell of the cute guy battling beside her. Long live young love!

In all, I give Breakout five glorious stars. Fans of Maze Runner and other high-concept dystopias will love Breakout. Highly recommend to all sci-fi lovers as well.

BREAKOUT is a thrilling and fast-paced YA sci-fi/dystopian. Lezah is in prison for a crime she cannot remember. This future prison is cruel where the guards are robots and the prisoners must wear bracelets that discipline them with shocks for any steps out of line (even just a movement to pick up something they dropped). When their counter runs out, it seems that they will be killed. Lezah’s bracelet is rapidly approaching zero.

When something unusual happens and Lezah is able to get a small needle, she begins formulating an escape plan. When her cellmate joins in, they begin on a difficult and rough journey to break out of the prison. With lots of twists and turns, this is a book that will keep you guessing. The plot starts off with a bang and it just keeps getting faster and faster along the way. While it is fast, the book is easy to follow, and the main characters will have you questioning who Lezah can really trust.

What I loved: The book is a major page-turner, difficult to put down and hard to guess what will happen next. Lezah and the other main characters were really interesting and great to follow. The journey took a lot of turns I did not expect, which is always exciting in a read. The futuristic sci-fi elements about technology and AI were really unique too, and they added something extra to this prison-break thriller.

What left me wanting more: The plot was almost too fast in places, and there is a lot about this futuristic world that I did not fully grasp. I would have liked a little more world-building and more flesh to the later parts of the book. There are still a lot of unanswered questions at the end, so I am hoping this will be part of a series where we can learn more about the world and the remaining mysteries. I think the book could easy have been double the length to fit in more information, and I still would have loved it, but I do know that skipping some of these details kept the plot particularly fast, which has its own appeal.

Final verdict: If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller with bits of romance and sci-fi/dystopian, look no further! Fans of THE MAZE RUNNER will particularly enjoy this exciting book! While I do wish the book was even longer with more world-building and answers, I am eagerly hoping for a sequel to enjoy these characters and futuristic world even more.