The City Center

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Simone Pond for giving me this book to review.

In the 21^st century the Elites created a man-made apocalypse which killed almost everyone, and those who survived either live in the Los Angeles City Center or are rebels who live on the Outside. Centuries later Ava Rhones is one of the potential successors to the Queen but she has always felt different from almost everyone else. A week before it is decided who becomes the Queen, she meets a rebel, Joseph, and discovers that her utopian home is not all that is seems. She escapes with Joseph to the Outside leading the City Center leader Chief Morray to obsessively hunt for her. With Ava falling for Joseph she has to decide whether to stay on the Outside or save her people in the City Center.

The City Center is an enjoyable YA dystopian novel with an interesting premise, action and romance. I felt it was too fast paced as I found it hard to connect to the characters or the story and I would have preferred more world building.

Ava is nice and adventurous and I think people can relate to her as she felt different from everyone else and wants to escape. Joseph is a normal YA hero, brave, loyal and kind but did not stand out, however, one thing I got annoyed at in this book is that it had insta-love.

This book has an interesting concept which I wish had been fleshed out a bit more but I am still looking forward to the next book The New Agenda. I would recommend The City Center to fans of Under the Never Sky or Fireblood.