Review: Carrier by Anne Tibbets (Blog Tour & Giveaway)

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CARRIER

The Line Series #1

by Anne Tibbets

Publisher: Carina Press (June 2014)
Genre: Dystopia, New Adult
Format: eARC (novel length)
Source: Free book from blog tour for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)

Summary

Twenty-two -year-old Naya has spent nearly half her life as a sex slave in a government institution called The Line. When she’s kicked out after getting pregnant with twins, she’s got no way to earn a living and a horrifying choice to make: find someone to replace her, or have her babies taken in her stead.

 

A doctor with a history of aiding ex-Line girls, Ric Bennett, wants to help. He runs a team of rebels that can delete Naya’s records and free her forever. But when The Line sniffs out his plan, things get bloody, fast. Naya means more to them than just a chance at fresh faces—her twins are part of the government’s larger plan.

As they hide from government search parties, Ric comes to admire Naya’s quiet strength. And Naya realizes Ric might be a man she can trust. If they make it off the grid, they could build a new life. But first they’ll have to survive the long, vicious reach of The Line.

At A Glance
I am having a strong streak of good dystopians lately, and Carrier has joined that streak.

The Good
Another dystopian that surprised me...and gave me the chills Tibbets did a great job of covering an uncomfortable but important topic, sex slavery. Even though Carrier is set in a dreary future, sex slavery is very prominent today. That fact changed how I felt about this book. Because every horrible thing I was reading about could happen today, in our world. I was horrified by Naya's experiences but I never felt like Tibbets took it too far. Just enough to be informative, give good background, and to keep the story going

Naya was an amazing character. She has been through hell most her life, but she has this fire in her that keeps her fighting. I was heartbroken when we found out about how she became a sex slave. It just wasn't right. And even when she gets her freedom, it's not really freedom. Naya does her best in each situation she faces, no matter how bad. Naya's POV really kept this book going. You can't help but to root for her. I just HAD to know what was going to happen to her next.

Ric was like this normal guy with a side of adorableness. He's obviously a good guy, helping the needy beat the system in anyway possible, but he wasn't immune to Naya's beauty and strength. Naya wasn't ready for any kind of male attention and Ric never pushed her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with. He gave her space and time, and she needed it. I would love to see their relationship grow in the next books.

Great writing and characterization. The world-building was pretty thorough too. It was hard to put this book down. I can't wait to read the next book.

The Bad
The beginning of the book was a little aimless and the ending wasn't that satisfying. Not much was resolved, actually, almost nothing was resolved, and the future is looking pretty bleak.

The Snuggly
Naya and Ric never quite reached the relationship stage. They become close in a lot of ways, but there always seemed to be something separating them. I loved how they grew as friends and how their feelings evolved throughout the novel. I really hope to see more of them together in the next book.

This is a book about sex slavery, there are some sexual abuse scenes that were well done but may bother some people.

Final Thoughts
I will for sure continue this series. If not for the ending, it would be a 4.5 star book. The characters, the setting, and the scary subject matter all helped in making Carrier one of my fav dystopinas in a long time.

Excerpt
I was slightly horrified when I burped aloud. "Sorry."

He smiled broadly and laughed. "Don't worry. That's the least offensive noise your body will make in the next few months."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, since you're keeping the babies, in the third trimester you'll have little control over passing gas."

Just what I needed. "You're kidding."

He grinned from ear to ear. "Nope." His dimple made an appearance again, and I looked away.

"Great," I grumbled. "Instead of just being a washed-up whore, I'll be a fat and gassy washed-up whore."

Author Bio

Anne Tibbets is an SCBWI award-winning and Smashwords.com Best Selling author. After writing for Children’s television, Anne found her way to young/new adult fiction by following what she loves: books, strong female characters, twisted family dynamics, magic, sword fights, quick moving plots, and ferocious and cuddly animals.

Along with CARRIER, Anne is also the author of the young adult fantasy novella, THE BEAST CALL and the young adult contemporary, SHUT UP.

Anne divides her time between writing, her family, and three furry creatures that she secretly believes are plotting her assassination.

Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnneTibbetsAuthor or on Twitter @WriteforCoffee. To contact Anne, visit www.annetibbets.com and click the ‘CONTACT’ tab. Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
 

 

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