Idea War: Volume One by Abi Godsell

Idea War: Volume One by Abi Godsell
Series: Idea War, #1
Source: Publisher for review
Publisher: Wordsmack
Publication Date: November 20, 2013

Sixteen-year-old Callie Baxter refuses to just sit tight and accept the invaders who have occupied her city. Underneath the new Government’s façade of order and fairness lies the ugly reason for its being here, and it’s up to Callie’s group of underground rebels to expose its brutal objective.

She’s worked hard to keep her fledgling group of passionate rebels alive, but as the Government’s hit squads narrow in on them, she realises she has only just begun to understand the pain of loss, and the true cost of growing up.

Idea War: Volume 1 is the first installment in a thrilling new urban series which outlines the story behind the fight for the soul of a future Johannesburg.

The city represents a shining example of recovery to the outside world, but can a small group of determined teenagers overcome the decay that has taken root at its core?

I'm going to start off by saying that Idea War was actually a pretty interesting read, but by clocking it in at around 54 pages, I feel like I just didn't get the immersion in this book that I typically like. I'm more of a novel girl.

If I'd read Idea War at full length, the complete story, I feel like I would have liked it more. Making it so short kind of left me with this feeling of an unresolved ending. I didn't understand a lot of the society or the world - there just wasn't enough backstory for my tastes. I was intrigued, but mostly confused throughout most of the book.

Also, I just didn't understand how a lot of the characters tied into the story. Some were obvious (there were changing points of view, slightly confusing), but some were just... not. I had to guess about a couple of them, that's for sure! I'd really like to know where this story is going - by being so short, little actually happened. There were a few super dramatic moments, and I've no doubt that it'll start to add up in the next books, but it was just cut off way too soon.

I've gotta say that the writing was very good, though. I really liked the writing - it was definitely one of the best parts, and what makes me interested to continue. All in all, Idea War was too short for me to really sink into the story, but it was an interesting read, and I'd like to check out the rest of the series.